Boys’ volleyball has staged a comeback and girls’ wrestling will soon take to the mats in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).
Thanks to new funding, Fairfax County Public Schools will offer both sports at the varsity level for the first time during the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, which starts classes next Monday (Aug. 19). Boys’ volleyball will start this fall, followed by girls’ wrestling in the winter.
Local Companies Make Fortune 500 List — Led by Tysons-based Freddie Mac at no. 88, four Fairfax County companies made Fortune magazine’s 35th annual Global 500 list, which ranks businesses by “total revenues for fiscal years ending on or before March 31.” The others were Capital One (no. 304), Reston’s General Dynamics (no. 362) and Northrop Grumman (no. 382) in West Falls Church. [Virginia Business]
Drugs and Guns Seized in Seven Corners — “Fairfax County police detectives seized over 9,400 suspected fentanyl pills and two stolen firearms after arresting a man in Seven Corners early this month. On Aug. 2, detectives with the gang unit were on patrol in the area of Glen Carlyn Drive and Arglye Drive when they spotted a wanted man and quickly took him into custody, police said.” [Inside NoVA]
Tornado Confirmed in Loudoun County — “A storm-spawned tornado climbed the slope of the Blue Ridge in Loudoun County on Thursday night, chewing up several hundred trees, according to the National Weather Service.” No injuries were reported as a result of the tornado, one of three seen as remnants of Tropical Storm Debby passed through the D.C. area. [Washington Post]
Anti-Casino Advocacy Continues — “Local residents used the July 30 meeting of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to advocate against a proposed casino in the Tysons area…Casino opponents appeared at the podium wearing ‘No Tysons Casino’ red T-shirts with white lettering, which have become commonplace at local meetings this year.” [Gazette Leader]
Update on Co-Responder Program for 911 Calls — “Fairfax County’s co-responder program, which expanded last year, has helped respond to over 2,000 calls since its inception, according to the county’s 2023 Diversion First annual report. The program, which launched in 2021 and pairs a Fairfax County police officer with a crisis intervention specialist, expanded last year.” [WTOP]
Reston Media Company Reports Sales Decline — “CEO Jon Carpenter’s efforts to right the ship at Comscore Inc. are not going as quickly as planned. The Reston media analytics company’s stock price plunged Wednesday after second-quarter sales came in worse than expected and its leaders said full-year revenue would fall short of last year’s figure.” [Washington Business Journal]
Lincolnia School Seeks New Principal — “Fairfax County Public Schools is beginning the hiring process for a new principal to succeed Victor Powell at Glasgow Middle School. Powell, who has led Glasgow for the past three years, has accepted a new position as supervisor of Title I programs at Prince William County Public Schools. His last day at Glasgow was Aug. 2.” [Annandale Today]
Golf Photo Contest Underway — “The I Love Golf Fairfax Photo Contest is happening now through Aug. 20 across all Golf Fairfax courses! The Fairfax County Park Authority is giving away tickets to the 2024 Solheim Cup and invites all golf enthusiasts to take their best ‘shot’ at any Golf Fairfax course for a chance to win.” [FCPA]
It’s Monday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high of around 84 degrees. As night falls, skies will turn partly cloudy and the temperature will dip to a low of 66 degrees, with a northwest wind at 3 to 5 mph. [NWS]
In a bid to upgrade its electric vehicle infrastructure, Fairfax County is turning to the federal government for a little extra support.
The Board of Supervisors approved a board matter on July 30 directing staff to join U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) new “Charging Smart” pilot program, which offers free technical assistance to help local governments in eight states, including Virginia, expand EV charging infrastructure “efficiently and equitably.”
Felony Voting Rights Case Tossed — “A federal court has thrown out a lawsuit challenging Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s process for restoring voting rights for people convicted of a felony, ruling that the suit was filed under an incorrect section of law but also seeming to criticize the governor’s use of power by comparing it to that of a monarch.” [Washington Post]
Falls Church Council Member Resigns — Falls Church City Council member Caroline Lian has resigned after the city found that she hadn’t reported her job as deputy director for D.C.’s buildings department in a recent employment disclosure form. Lian left that post earlier this week after D.C. fined her $25,000 for failing to report her work with Falls Church or Tysons-based Freddie Mac. [ARLnow]
Restauranteur Seeks Help Catching DoorDash Thieves — “Fairfax City Police say thieves are exploiting a loophole in Doordash’s system, where the thieves put in an order, wait until the food is ready, and then cancel the order, but still pick up the food. [Okonomi Asian Grill owner Alex] Kang says thieves have been hitting his restaurant since April.” [WUSA9]
Fatal Food Poisoning Reported in Virginia — “Three people have now died in a listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats, federal food safety officials announced Thursday, and the overall number of people sickened rose to 43.” The latest death happened in Virginia, following earlier deaths in New Jersey and Illinois. [Associated Press/WTOP]
How Drought Conditions Are Affecting Local Farms — Despite recent rain from tropical depression Debby, Fairfax County has spent much of the summer under the threat of a drought. Farms and gardens around the Mount Vernon District shared “how the excessively hot and dry conditions have been impacting them and what they’ve been doing to keep plants growing.” [On the MoVe]
Opening Date for Tysons Burger Spot — “We’re so excited to finally announce Char’d is opening its doors at Tyson’s Galleria on 08/18/2024, at 12 PM! Join us for our GRAND OPENING and come hungry! See you there!” [Char’d/Instagram]
Vienna Baseball Facility to Expand — The baseball training facility “Pitchers Edge LLC, located at 516 Mill St., N.E., on July 17 received unanimous approval from the Vienna Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) for a conditional-use permit to expand into the space next door.” [Gazette Leader]
Repairs Coming for Burke Lake Marina — “The Fairfax County Park Authority will soon begin repairs to the marina parking lot at Burke Lake Park. TMG and Southern Asphalt contractors will mobilize on site, with active construction activities scheduled to begin the third week of August.” [FCPA]
It’s Friday — Expect showers, potential thunderstorms, and a high of 82°F today. There’s a 90% chance of precipitation, with new rainfall amounts ranging from three quarters to one inch. Temperatures will drop to around 70°F at night, and the chance of precipitation decreases to 60%. [NWS]
Settle in for a potentially stormy night as Debby, now a tropical depression, is expected to reach the mid-Atlantic region.
The National Weather Service has issued Tornado Watch for the D.C. area, including Fairfax County, in anticipation of the storm, which first made landfall in Florida as a hurricane on Monday (Aug. 5). Fairfax County also faces a Flood Watch and a Coastal Flood Advisory.
Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors plans to use $260.6 million in unspent funds for improvements to roads, schools, parks, public safety and other community services.
The surplus is due to increased revenue, decreased spending and funds left from the American Rescue Plan Act, County Executive Bryan Hill said in a July 29 memorandum to the board.
Tropical Storm Debby Coming to Area — “Tropical moisture from Debby will track northward with excessive rainfall potential from the Carolina’s and eventually into the Northeast corridor…The heaviest period of rain is predicted for Thursday,” while the strongest winds are anticipated tomorrow (Friday). [Fairfax County Emergency Information]
Report Highlights Metro Worker Conditions — “The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, citing that incident and others, is exploring whether it has the power to force Metro to change its rules related to employee fatigue, a subject of contention between workers and the agency for years.” The watchdog’s latest report found an increase in trains running red lights intended to prevent collisions. [Washington Post]
McLean Candy Company Eyes Merger — “Mars Inc., Greater Washington’s largest private company, is [in] advanced talks to purchase the maker of Pringles, Cheez-It crackers and Eggo waffles, according to multiple reports.” The potential acquisition of Chicago-based Kellanova would reportedly be worth as much as $30 billion, though it could “face regulatory scrutiny” like the pending Capital One and Discover merger. [Washington Business Journal]
Animal Shelter Seeks Owners of Found Pets — The Fairfax County Animal Shelter (FCAS) is trying to find the owners of nine different pets found around the county between July 30 and Aug. 3. The animals include dogs, cats, a rabbit and a parakeet. “Found pets may be located at our Lorton Campus or Michael R. Frey Campus in Fairfax; please call or email us to confirm the pet’s current location.” [FCAS/Facebook]
Public Transportation Survey Still Open — “How can we improve transportation in the Metropolitan Washington area? We want to hear your feedback! Complete the DMVMoves Survey by Sunday, Aug. 11.” The DMV Moves task force, which launched in June, is collecting public input to inform a long-term plan for funding Metro and other public transportation systems in the D.C. region. [Fairfax County/Twitter]
Kayakers to Race on Potomac River — “Crowds will gather in Great Falls Park this month to watch as advanced whitewater kayakers take to the water, racing one by one down the 60-foot vertical drop of rushing water.” The 36th annual Great Falls Race will return this Saturday (Aug. 10) with the race starting at race at 10 a.m. and a festival at 2 p.m. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Indigo Girls Coming to Wolf Trap — “Margot Robbie cruised to their music last summer in the box-office blockbuster ‘Barbie.’ Now, the folk-rock duo Indigo Girls plays Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia, on Aug. 24 and Aug. 25, sharing a bill with Melissa Etheridge by swapping who will open and close each night.” [WTOP]
Local Author to Give Memoir Tips — Former George Mason University biology professor Dr. Caroline Crocker will talk about memoir-writing at Lorton Library on Saturday. Crocker, who has written multiple historical non-fiction and children’s books, will have books for sale and sign books after her presentation. [Fairfax County Public Library]
It’s Thursday — Expect showers and potential thunderstorms, with a high near 80. There’s an 80% chance of rain, potentially up to half to three-quarters of an inch. Anticipate similar conditions at night with a low around 75. [NWS]
The regional electric grid that supplies power to Virginia during times of extreme weather announced a 1,400% increase in some electric costs after its most recent capacity auction. But Dominion officials were quick to assure customers that they would not see an increase in their bills before the end of next year.
PJM Interconnection, which oversees the electric grid serving several mid-Atlantic states, including Virginia, announced the increase for its capacity market. Dominion buys electricity off of capacity markets during peak, or emergency, demands.
Fairfax County has gained a couple spots in an annual ranking of the healthiest communities in the U.S.
The county snagged 14th place, up from 17th in 2022, in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 rankings of the nation’s healthiest communities. It came in higher than Fairfax City (no. 15) and Arlington County (no. 19) but couldn’t beat Falls Church City, which claimed the top spot.
Virginia Declares State of Emergency — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon ahead of Tropical Storm Debby, which is expected to bring multiple days of heavy rainfall and storms to Virginia starting on Wednesday evening.” [Patch]
Reston Pool to Reopen After Vandalism — Lake Newport Pool has closed since Monday (Aug. 5) “due to vandalism. There is broken glass on the pool deck and in the water.” Reston Association announced around 5 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday) that the facility has been cleaned and repaired, so the pool will reopen at noon today. [RA/Facebook]
N. Va. Gets Noticed for Wine — “Northern Virginia was named America’s next great wine region by The Wall Street Journal’s wine columnist Lettie Teague.” Dave McIntyre, the Washington Post’s wine columnist, attributes the region’s growing reputation to more experienced winemakers, state support and marketing. [WTOP]
Fort Hunt Restaurant Changes Ownership — The “popular” Italian restaurant Via Veneto closed on Aug. 1 “so its new owners can make minor changes and reopen later this week under the same name.” The eatery is slated to reopen tomorrow (Aug. 8) at 4 p.m. under Sarai and Jose Navarette, who own the carryout restaurant Roseina’s that’s directly next door. [On the MoVe]
Glasses Recycling Site Moves to Annandale — “When the Lions Clubs’ Eyeglass Recycling Center of Northern Virginia lost its home, Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez stepped up to offer space in the Mason Government Center. Local Lions Clubs collect eyeglasses from people who no longer need them, fix them up, and ship them overseas.” [Annandale Today]
WaPo Rave for New McLean Restaurant — “David Guas, the veteran chef behind Bayou Bakery in Arlington, has rolled out a second place to eat, Neutral Ground Bar and Kitchen in McLean.” Opened in June, the American eatery that replaced Assaggi Osteria & Pizzeria has been dubbed “the most captivating new restaurant in Northern Virginia” by critic Tom Sietsema. [Washington Post]
Falls Church Draws More Grocery Stores — “Already home to a Giant, a Harris Teeter and an Aldi, the city is expected to add a new Whole Foods and Grocery Outlet within the next year or so, according to Economic Development Division Chief Becky Witsman. A Fresh Market is also slated to arrive within the next few years.” [ARLnow]
It’s Wednesday — Showers and thunderstorms are expected, becoming more likely after 2pm, with a cloudy high of 86°F. There’s a 70% chance of precipitation. The night will remain cloudy, with a low around 72°F. [NWS]
