Countywide

Early Voting Brings Out Crowds in Fairfax County — “Lines were long at early voting locations, including at the Fairfax County Government Center where hundreds stretched from the front door to the parking lot.” Fairfax County general registrar and director of elections Eric Spicer called the turnout for the first day of early voting in the Nov. 5 general election “record-breaking territory.” [WTOP]

Missing Campaign Signs Under Investigation — “When Mayor Catherine Read and a member of the City of Fairfax Democratic Committee arrived at City Hall around 7:35 a.m. on Friday, they discovered that someone had removed campaign signs they’d placed outside the polls on Thursday.” The missing Harris-Walz signs, which appeared to have been replaced with Trump signs, were reported to police. [Patch]

Guns Stolen from Newington Store — Fairfax County police are searching for four people who allegedly stole 14 guns from Dominion Defense on Fullerton Road around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday (Sept. 18). The theft of over 50 guns from the same store in May led to prison sentences for two men who pleaded guilty to the crime. [WUSA9]

Kids Design New Fairfax City Voting Stickers — “Since 2020, the City of Fairfax has given voters and future voters custom stickers at the polls. These stickers are designed by city students. The city has selected new stickers for the Nov. 5 General Election, and the City of Fairfax Commission on the Arts and the City of Fairfax Electoral Board honored the two young artists who created them at a special reception on Sept. 17.” [City of Fairfax]

Floor and Wall Store Opens in Bailey’s Crossroads — “A huge store that sells almost nothing except flooring and wall materials had a grand opening on Sept. 19 in Bailey’s Crossroads. Floor & Decor took over two large commercial spaces formerly occupied by A.C. Moore and Bed Bath & Beyond at the Crossroads Center on Leesburg Pike.” [Annandale Today]

Mental Health Crisis Center Helps Address Trauma — “When [Wellness Circle Crisis Stabilization Unit Program Manager Amy] Miller and her staff began to track trends in the behaviors and needs of the individuals they were serving, the demand for a specialized program that addressed trauma was at the top of the priority list…The Trauma Resilience Program launched at Wellness Circle earlier this year.” [Fairfax-Falls Church CSB]

South Lakes Kicker Breaks Barrier — “Lila Jaster is the first girl to ever score a point in a football game for South Lakes, whose program dates back to the mid-1970s.” The junior varsity kicker first made a point-after kick against Falls Church High School last year, and she had a repeat on Friday (Sept. 20) when South Lakes High School enlisted her to make the kick with a 28-point lead. [Patch]

It’s Monday — Expect drizzle in the area starting around 11am, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 72. The drizzle will continue into Monday night, mainly between 11pm and 2am, while it remains cloudy and the temperature lowers to approximately 62 . [NWS]

County Releases New Youth Survey — “Young people in our community report noticeably lower rates of mental health concerns compared to prior years, according to the 2023-2024 Fairfax County Youth Survey. Overall, youth in Fairfax County report prevalence rates near historic lows for risky behaviors…However, there remain some challenges.” [Fairfax County Government]

CIA Veteran Sentenced to Prison — “A longtime CIA officer who drugged, photographed and sexually assaulted more than two dozen women in postings around the world was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Wednesday after an emotional hearing…Prosecutors say the 48-year-old Raymond’s assaults date to 2006 and tracked his career in Mexico, Peru and other countries.” [Associated Press]

Herndon Police Issue Scam Alert — “Multiple residents have reported receiving emails in which their home address and a photo of their home (from Google Maps) is included. The email requests bitcoin and threatens to release compromising photos of the recipient if demands are not met. This is a scam. Do not engage with the sender and do not send any kind of payment.” [Herndon Police/Twitter]

Fairfax Restaurant Nears Public Debut — “Former Clarity chef Jon Krinn has been quietly operating a tasting menu restaurant in Fairfax as ‘invitation only.’ To snag a seat at Elyse, you had to be in the know and subscribe to Krinn’s email list to book a reservation. But after some final touches to the 30-seat dining room, the restaurant is gearing up for its public debut on Wednesday, October 9.” [Washingtonian]

Mars ‘Excited’ by Planned Kellanova Merger — “One of a string of Mars’ acquisitions in recent years, the deal will have massive implications…The combined company would generate more than $63 billion based on 2023 figures. That would make the 113-year-old Mars the third-largest private company in the U.S. based on revenue, up from No. 4 now.” [Washington Business Journal]

New Tysons-Bethesda Bus Celebrated — “Fairfax County held a ribbon cutting event [yesterday], Sept. 19, 2024, to officially kick off the new Fairfax Connector Express Route 798 bus service…Route 798 provides regional connectivity between Tysons West*Park and Tysons Metrorail Station in Virginia, and Bethesda, Maryland.” [FCDOT]

Annandale Road Diet Proposed — “Annandale Road currently has two traffic lanes in each direction. Under the road diet plan, there would be one lane in each direction, a center turn lane, and bike lanes in both directions. FCDOT invites the community to a virtual meeting on reconfiguring Annandale Road on Monday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m.” [Annandale Today]

Metro Finishes Installing Taller Fare Gates — “All 98 stations across the Metrorail system now have more secure, retrofitted faregates to deter fare evasion. The improvements have led to an 82% drop in fare evasion…More than 1,200 five-foot-tall gates and taller fences have been installed across all stations. The project began in July 2023.” [WMATA]

It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies today as temperatures reach a high near 84. A north wind of around 6 mph will shift east during the morning. Tonight, the weather will be partly cloudy and cool, with lows around 63, and a southeast wind blowing at 3 to 6 mph. [NWS]

Car Tax Payment Deadline Looming — “Personal property taxes — better known as car taxes — are due on Monday, Oct. 7. Bills were mailed this summer, and there are many convenient ways to pay.” The tax can be paid online, by phone, by mail and in person at the Fairfax County Government Center or a designated library. [Fairfax County Government]

Animal Cruelty Investigation in Reston — “An officer with Fairfax County Animal Protection Police is investigating the report of an animal cruelty incident involving dogs at a home in Reston, according to court documents…The witness told police he saw a man ‘using a child’s bicycle to strike what he believed to be a dog in the backyard of the residence.'” [Patch]

Longtime Fairfax Senator Gets Portrait — “Virginia’s longest-serving state senator when he retired in January, [Richard] Saslaw is getting his own permanent perch in the white-columned building where he spent 44 years as a senator and four before that as a state delegate: an official portrait. Unveiled on Wednesday afternoon in the General Assembly Building, the painting was installed afterward in the Capitol next door.” [Washington Post]

Solar Energy Program Opens to Residents — “Solar Switch is back for another round. The group buying program helps residents learn about and save on rooftop solar systems, optional electric vehicle chargers and/or battery storage…To date, over 6,000 households have accepted an offer from Solar Switch, including 248 in Fairfax County.” [Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination]

Reston Safeway to Stay Put — “The Chevy Chase Land Company…announced a total of 105,954 square feet of eight new leases and six renewals in their office and retail portfolio in Chevy Chase and Bethesda, MD, as well as Reston…Safeway and Cafesano both renewed leases totaling 56,835 square feet at South Lakes Village [Center].” [CityBiz]

West Falls Church Medical Center Plans Move — “ProHealth Medical Center is slated to relocate to an office nearly five times its size, Human Resources Manager Haley Bui told ARLnow. Currently located at 2946 Sleepy Hollow Road, the provider intends to move to a 7,200-square-foot office at 107 Park Place sometime between April and June of 2025.” [ARLnow]

McLean Home for Sale for Over $22M — “A nearly 3-acre McLean estate marked by a ‘timeless’ 14,000-square-foot mansion and lush landscaping has hit the market for $22.25 million.” Features of the property at 1150 Chain Bridge Road include a “library with built-in bookcases…lower-level game and exercise rooms and sauna, an outdoor pool, tea house and koi pond and an expansive north lawn the listing describes as ideal for a ‘game of croquet or garden party.'” [Washington Business Journal]

It’s Thursday — Showers are possible before 11am and after 2pm, accompanied by mostly cloudy skies and a high around 78°F. Expect a 20% chance of precipitation. Thursday night will be partly cloudy, and the temperature will drop to around 63°F. [NWS]