Fairfax County Animal Shelter is trying to drum up some attention for its older furry occupants.
Starting today (Friday), the shelter has waived adoption fees for all dogs and cats 6 years and older as part of a “Vintage Tails” event that will continue through Sunday, July 28.
Local Couple Behind Drug Ring Going to Prison — “A Fairfax County woman and her husband have been sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison after being convicted of running a massive drug operation. Court documents say they distributed tens of thousands of dangerous fentanyl pills per month in Virginia.” [NBC4]
Gum Springs Cemetery Restoration Planned — “A decaying cemetery in Gum Springs that dates back to the 18th century will be restored and maintained as part of a preservation project between Fairfax County and various stakeholder organizations.” Residents interred at Peake Family Cemetery include friends of George Washington and descendants of Gum Springs founder West Ford. [On the MoVe]
Clifton Road Lane Closures Scheduled — “Weather permitting, lane closures will occur on northbound and southbound Clifton Road/Stringfellow Road (Route 645) between Regal Crest Drive and Autumn Willow Drive Sunday night, July 28; Monday night, July 29 and Tuesday night, July 30 for milling and paving at the Route 29 intersection.” The work is part of the Route 29 widening project. [VDOT]
Georgetown Getting More Visitors Than Tysons, BID Claims — The Georgetown Business Improvement District says the D.C. neighborhood got 12.3 million visitors last year and have been up 5% so far in 2024, “outpacing Tysons Corner.” The organization is studying new designs for its streateries, which have drawn both crowds and complaints. [Axios D.C.]
Tennis Courts Slated for Repair — “The Fairfax County Park Authority will soon begin repairing tennis courts #1 and #2 at Woodley Hills Park and #1 and #2 at Country Club View Park…Contractors are scheduled to mobilize onsite in early August weather permitting, and active construction is anticipated to be completed by mid-September 2024.” [FCPA]
Incoming FCPD Officers Graduate From Academy — “Session 86 is comprised of 32 newly sworn Fairfax County Police Officers. This latest graduating class is a unique and diverse session where eight different languages are spoken by 15 different officers…After graduation, officers will be assigned to one of the Fairfax County Police Department’s eight district stations and enter a 12-week field training period. [FCPD]
Animal Shelter Hosts Seminar on Chicken Care — “Kelly Rutkowski, managing director of Adopt a Bird Network, is hosting a free seminar on chicken behavior Sunday in Lorton, Virginia, in conjunction with the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. Topics that will be covered include chicken health, pecking order drama, feeding tips and more.” [WTOP]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies today with the temperature reaching a high close to 85 degrees. Overnight, the sky will remain mostly clear, and the temperature drops to around 67 degrees. [NWS]
Get ready for more speed cameras in Fairfax County school zones.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors gave its support this week for the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) to move ahead with the installation of 50 additional speed cameras in school zones following the success of its speed camera pilot program.
Fairfax County is considering tweaking its zoning ordinance to ensure that last year’s parking requirements overhaul doesn’t lead to a decrease in accessible spaces.
Because developers build accessible parking in proportion to total parking, the number of accessible spots could go down if overall parking is reduced.
On this day 10 years ago, Metrorail arrived in Tysons and Reston, connecting two growing communities in Fairfax County to D.C. by train for the first time.
Decades in the making, the Silver Line’s Phase 1 launch on July 25, 2014 represented the D.C. region’s biggest rail expansion since the Green Line opened in 1991 and set the stage for a connection to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County that came to fruition with Phase 2 on Nov. 15, 2022.
Watch Olympics Opening Ceremony at Library — “Let the games begin! Join us to watch a live steam of the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Games in Paris at the library! Light refreshments will be provided. No registration required. All ages.” The viewing begins at 2 p.m. tomorrow (Friday) in the Centreville Regional Library meeting room. [Fairfax County Public Library]
Part of GW Parkway to Close Temporarily — The George Washington Memorial Parkway’s northbound lanes will temporarily close between Spout Run Parkway and Route 123 “to install drainage systems and conduct other required rehabilitation work.” The closures will last from 8 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday for the weekends of July 26-29 and Aug. 2-5. [ARLnow]
Fairfax City 7-Eleven Robbed at Knifepoint — “City of Fairfax Police arrested a 28-year-old man they say robbed a city convenience store at knifepoint early Monday morning. Officers responded around 12:54 a.m. to the 7-Eleven at 3810 University Drive for the report of a robbery.” [Patch]
Korean Bar Opens in Annandale — “1943 Classic, a Korean fusion bar and restaurant at 7220 Columbia Pike in Annandale, is having a soft opening. The vibe is dark and classy, with a low-hanging chandelier at the entrance. 1943 Classic is a popular nightspot in Korea, where the franchise has dozens of locations.” [Annandale Today]
Vida Fitness to Host Grand Opening in Reston — Vida Fitness will throw a grand opening party for its new Reston Row location from 7-11 p.m. this Saturday (July 27). The dress code calls for cocktail party attire “with black, gold, silver, and white strongly encouraged, and the festivities will include craft cocktails, live music and appetizers. [Vida Fitness]
Update on Dulles Airport Development — “At their July 17 meeting, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board members were briefed by chief capital development officer Roger Natsuhara on the status of a number of key projects at Ronald Reagan Washington National and Washington Dulles International airports.” [Gazette Leader]
LGBTQ Center Creates Community Hub in Oakton — “The NoVA Prism Center in Oakton has emerged as a hub for LGBTQ community engagement in Northern Virginia. Leon van der Goetz, a transgender man, founded NoVA Prism Center in 2022 after he returned to the U.S. from Japan where he had been an English teacher. The organization has steadily grown since.” [Washington Blade]
Local Evangelical Pastor Embraces Tough Topics — “As lead pastor for megachurch McLean Bible Church, [Rev. Mike] Kelsey draws parallels between biblical context and current events for the thousands of congregants who call him their pastor. Provocative issues — race, social injustice, and politics — are on people’s minds and in his sermons.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
It’s Thursday — Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms, increasing in likelihood after 5pm, under cloudy skies with a high near 85. At Thursday night, shower chances dwindle after 11pm, with skies turning from cloudy to partly cloudy and a low of 69. [NWS]
Despite steady growth in employment numbers, office vacancy rates in Fairfax County continue to rise.
Stephen Tarditi, director of market intelligence at the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), presented recent data on office vacancies to the Board of Supervisors during an economic advisory committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday).
Fairfax County officials are exploring privatizing the police department’s school crossing guard program as a potential solution to address staffing challenges and reduce the burden on officers.
The Fairfax County Police Department has struggled to meet the demand for crossing guards in recent years, leading sworn police officers to step in and provide additional support, Assistant Police Chief Bob Blakley told the Board of Supervisors at a Safety and Security Committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday).
Pedestrian Injured in Herndon Crash — A pedestrian was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries after being hit by the driver of a car on Sterling Road near Herndon Parkway last night (Tuesday). Sterling Road reopened around 3 a.m. [Herndon Police/Twitter]
Idylwood Man Battles Damaging Golf Balls — “For more than half his life, Forrest Hatcher has dealt with near-daily damage from errant golf balls flying from Jefferson Park Golf Course. The balls have shattered his windshield, dented his van, and damaged his home’s siding, trim and windows…Netting was put up to stop the golf balls, but Hatcher said it’s not high enough.” [NBC4]
Va. Democrats Back VP for Nomination — “Nearly all of Virginia’s 119 delegates to next month’s Democratic National Convention have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the party’s presidential ticket in November, after President Joe Biden abandoned his reelection bid.” [Virginia Mercury]
Capital One Reports Drop in Profits — Tysons-based Capital One Financial Corp. reported a profit of $597 million for the second quarter of 2024, down 54% from the first quarter and 57% from Q2 2023. The decline reflects an increase in “credit card chargeoffs” and “the termination of its credit card partnership with Walmart Inc.” [Washington Business Journal]
Annandale Commercial Building Up for Sale — “A small commercial building at 7229 Little River Turnpike in Annandale is up for sale. The current tenant, HanmiPost, has a three-year lease. HanmiPost moved to that space in April 2023 after its previous building on Columbia Pike burned down.” [Annandale Today]
Reston Realtor Collects Backpacks for Students — “Nicki Moravitz, a Realtor with Century 21 New Millennium in Reston, will be celebrating her birthday on Saturday by collecting new backpacks for local children in support of Cornerstones’ Annual Back-to-School Backpack Drive…Cornerstones will be accepting in-person donations of new backpacks from Monday, July 29-Friday, Aug. 2.” [Patch]
Vienna Planning Commissioner Wins Award — “Stephen Kenney, a member of the Vienna Planning Commission, has been presented with the 2024 Chandler Award for Citizen Planner of the Year by the Virginia chapter of the American Planning Association (APA Virginia).” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Wednesday — The day will be mostly cloudy, reaching a high near 85 and a 70% chance of precipitation. Showers and possible thunderstorms are expected before 8pm, continuing with a chance afterward. The night will remain mostly cloudy with a low around 74. [NWS]
Fairfax County Public Schools has adopted a new boundary adjustment policy to help manage transportation issues and overcrowding.
The Fairfax County School Board approved the policy 9-2 at a meeting last Thursday (July 18) that drew a raucous crowd. The board also directed the superintendent to implement boundary changes for Lincolnia’s Glasgow Middle School that were put on hold while the countywide policy was reviewed.
