Countywide

Fourth of July Safety Tips — “As we prepare to celebrate America’s independence with fireworks, barbecues and community gatherings, we are sharing July 4th safety tips to help you have a safe and fun celebration.” The Fairfax County Police Department has advice for going to events, celebrating at home and traveling. [FCPD]

Korean Restaurant Opens in Herndon — In the works since early 2023, H Pot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot opened in Herndon Centre at 400 Elden Street in late June. Diners can “choose from a large selection of meats and other items” that can be cooked on a grill or in a simmering pot at their table. [The Burn]

Court Hearing Delayed in Fairfax City Shooting — “An Arlington man charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Fairfax City resident and DonorSee CEO Gret Glyer had his competency hearing pushed back to August, according to court records.” Joshua Danehower, 33, appeared in Fairfax County Circuit Court for a scheduled hearing on Friday (June 28), but it got postponed since the judge hadn’t gotten the results of his evaluation. [Patch]

Fireworks Light Up Lorton — “Friends and families packed the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton Saturday night for early Fourth of July festivities, including a dance party, live music, performances, food vendors and, of course, fireworks.” See photos of the scene. [Inside NoVA]

Fairfax City to Move Turtles for Pond Dredging — “Turtles in a popular City of Fairfax pond will be safely relocated in the next few days and weeks, ahead of a monthslong dredging and construction project at Ashby Pond.” The turtles will be moved this month before work to remove sediment from the stormwater pond starts in the fall. [WTOP]

Dulles Airport Revives Nonstop Flight to Mexico City — “Aeromexico had its inaugural nonstop flight from Dulles Airport to Mexico City on Monday. It is a return to the D.C. area for Aeromexico, which ended service at Dulles in 2019. The daily flights depart Dulles at 4:40 p.m. and depart Mexico City for Dulles…at 8:40 a.m.” [WTOP]

N. Va. Ice Cream Wars Has a Winner — “After a month of voting, Northern Virginians have selected Nathan’s Dairy Bar as the winner of the first-ever NoVA Wars: Ice Cream Edition. The Manassas ice cream spot was a top vote-getter each round, topping Moo Thru (which has NoVA locations in Herndon, Warrenton, and Hillsboro) in the final round.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 88. As night falls, the weather will shift to partly cloudy skies with a low of approximately 72. Independence Day has a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 pm, partly sunny skies, and a high of 95. The heat index may reach 101. [NWS]

McLean Bank Is Go-To Funder of Republican Campaigns — “Chain Bridge Bank, privately owned and with some 70 employees, has worked with the campaign of every Republican Party presidential nominee since John McCain in 2008, including Donald Trump.” The one-branch bank on Laughlin Avenue was founded by former Republican Senator Peter Fitzgerald and announced in May that it might go public. [Reuters]

FCPS Tweaks Grading Policies — “Fairfax County schools will allow students to retake tests for full credit and will add a D-minus to their grading scale as the district and others try to rethink how to measure student performance.” Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid says the new approach to grading will create more consistency and be clearer to communicate. [Washington Post]

Hybla Valley Affordable Housing Slowly Filling — “As of June 24, 2024, the Residences at North Hill had a total of 61 occupied units (22% occupancy) with 26 more units in-process according to Ivy Dench-Carter, senior vice president of development at Pennrose, which both owns and manages the property…Their goal is to have the residences at least 95% occupied by October.” [On the MoVe]

International Grocery Store Eyes Summer Opening — “Ummah Market, an international grocery store in Bailey’s Crossroads, could have a soft opening by the end of July and a grand opening by the end of August, says owner and CEO Jawad Yousufi…Yousufi describes the store as a ‘Mediterranean version of Whole Foods,’ featuring natural and healthy items from Turkey, Afghanistan, and the Middle East.” [Annandale Today]

Sheriff, Commonwealth’s Attorney Get Pay Raises — “Fulfilling a state-code requirement, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted June 25 to raise pay rates for three constitutional officers, effective July 1.” The new annual salaries for the clerk of the circuit court, commonwealth’s attorney and sheriff are $184,141, $204,274.49 and $259,158.99, respectively. [Gazette Leader]

Fire Department Celebrates First Hires — “75th ANNIVERSARY: On July 1, 1949, the first 10 career #FCFRD firefighters were hired. They served primarily as daytime apparatus drivers. Today we are the largest fire dept in Virginia and one of the best in the nation with w/ 1,400 career FFs, 170 civilians, & 370 volunteers.” [FCFRD/Twitter]

County’s Door-to-Door Shuttle Changes Departments — The Fairfax County Department of Transportation has taken over management of Fastran from the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS). “The realignment will streamline responsibilities and eliminate redundancies, allowing for improved service delivery and enhanced collaboration.” [NCS]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny conditions, reaching a high of approximately 85°F. In the afternoon, light wind will increase to 5-7 mph from the southeast. At night, the sky will turn partly cloudy and temperatures will drop to around 65°F. [NWS]

New Laws to Take Effect Monday — “Most laws that were passed by the General Assembly during the 2024 legislative session take effect in Virginia on Monday, July 1.” Highlights include a law championed by Fairfax County that will allow speed limits under 25 mph in business and residential areas, fines for moving violations in highway work zones and a ban on altering gun serial numbers. [Fairfax County]

Metro Fares Set to Increase — “Metro rail and bus riders: plan to start paying about 12 percent more per trip. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) reminded passengers this week that fares on its whole system will be going up starting June 30.” The increase was approved in April to help Metro address a $750 million budget deficit. [Washingtonian]

Kids to Get Free VRE Rides — “The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) will make modest adjustments to its fare schedule for the first time in five years and eliminate fares for those ages 18 and under beginning Monday, July 1, 2024. Adult fares will increase approximately 5 percent, well below the rate of inflation since 2019.” [VRE]

Route One BRT Starts Engineering — “The Richmond Highway Corridor’s future bus rapid transit (BRT) system has taken another significant step forward with the news that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) approved the project’s entry into the Engineering phase” of a grant program that Fairfax County hopes will cover nearly half of the $937 million price tag. [On the MoVe]

N. Va. Restaurants Awarded for Their Wine — “Looking for a great selection of wine when you go out for dinner? Wine Spectator announced its 2024 Restaurant Awards on Tuesday, highlighting the best restaurants in the world for wine — and there are 31 winners in Northern Virginia.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Parking Restrictions Proposed around Madison HS — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors authorized a July 30 public hearing on whether to expand the Madison Residential Permit Parking District in response to a petition by residents on Carey Lane in Vienna. Residents say “large numbers” of James Madison High School students are taking up parking between Jerry Lane and Vale Road. [Gazette Leader]

Reston Arts Curator to Leave Post — “Jaynelle Hazard will be stepping down as executive director and curator of Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art on Aug. 1 to become the director and chief curator of Georgetown University Galleries.” She joined the Reston arts nonprofit — then known as the Greater Reston Center — in March 2020 and oversaw its rebranding in 2021. [Patch]

Park Authority Rolls Out Wonder Wagon for Summer — “The Park Authority’s new mobile nature center launched its 2024 Summer Activation series on June 19 at Justice Park with a wagonload of guided and fun-filled activities for the community. With 10 additional parks included in the series, our team invites you to accelerate your summer experience in a park near you” [FCPA]

It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures reaching 84 degrees, accompanied by a gentle 8mph northeast breeze that will shift southeast later in the afternoon. Cloud cover will increase during the night, bringing temperatures to a low of 71 degrees. [NWS]

Animal Shelter Waives Fees for Small Critters — “The Fairfax County Animal Shelter is currently caring for a higher-than-usual number of small animals. To encourage adoptions and find loving homes for these pets, the shelter is hosting an ‘It’s a Small World’ fee-waived adoption event for all small pets from Thursday through Sunday, June 27 through 30.” [FCAS]

Some Parents Object to FCPS Early Release Days — “During a community meeting Tuesday, about a dozen Fairfax County parents and community members told the leader of Virginia’s largest school district that the decision to add extra elementary school early release days next year is disruptive and will impact their students’ learning.” [WTOP]

Compass Coffee Faces Unionization Battle — “Unionizing Compass workers allege the recent influx of new hires — 124 across five stores in total — is an attempt from Compass Coffee CEO Michael Haft to stymie the unionization push, as workers across the chain’s DC and Virginia locations seek higher wages and more workplace protections.” [Washingtonian]

Pickleball Lines Officially Gone From Annandale Courts — “Contractors hired by Fairfax County removed the pickleball markings from the courts in Kendale Woods Park June 25, as a security guard stood watch and a reporter from WUSA9 interviewed pickleball players…Park Authority Executive Director Jai Cole said pickleball was removed from the courts because the residents of one nearby home complained about the noise.” [Annandale Today]

Tysons and Route 1 Boosters Share Vision — The Tysons Community Alliance and Southeast Fairfax Development Corp. “serve different constituencies, but are using similar techniques to foster ‘placemaking’ and business growth.” They shared their strategies, which utilize public art, parks and gathering spaces, and events to promote their areas, with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at an economic initiatives committee meeting. [Gazette Leader]

Board Chair Voices Support for Extending I-495 Express Lanes — While Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson expressed concern that express lanes “would make future rail plans unfeasible,” Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said at a recent Northern Virginia Transportation Authority meeting that “toll lanes were a stepping stone toward rail rather than an obstacle.” [ALXnow]

Uyghur Restaurant to Expand to Falls Church — “Dolan Uyghur Restaurant will open its second NoVA restaurant and its third in the DMV in early September in the Falls Church spot where Pizzaria Orso was.” The business currently has locations in Chantilly and in D.C.’s Cleveland Park neighborhood. [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Traffic Safety Crackdown Produces Thousands of Tickets — “FCPD’s Road Shark campaign has successfully wrapped up its third wave. Officers and Troopers issued over 8,500 citations and warnings, with over 200 citations for reckless driving on our roadways.” A fourth wave of the initiative, which aims to improve traffic safety, will begin on Aug. 5. [FCPD]

It’s Thursday — Showers are possible before 8am, followed by cloudy conditions until mid-morning when skies will gradually clear. The high is expected to be around 88. The chance of precipitation stands at 30%. For Thursday night, expect mostly clear skies, a low of approximately 69. [NWS]