Issues with a communications system in Warrenton resulted in a temporary suspension of most flights coming into the D.C. area, including at Dulles International Airport and Reagan National Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a “ground stop” shortly after 6 p.m., pausing departures to the D.C. area so that repairs could be made to a communications system at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control facility in Warrenton.
This past spring, Fairfax County Public Schools launched a new Twilight Program to assist students whose “life circumstances” beyond the classroom complicated their ability to attend classes.
The program operates outside of the traditional 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. high school day with the goal of helping students graduate on time, FCPS Special Projects Administrator for the Non-Traditional Schools and Programs Joe Thompson says.
Reminder: Last Day to Ride Self-Driving Shuttle — “Relay, the autonomous electric shuttle, is scheduled to take its final spin around Merrifield’s Mosaic District on Friday. The pilot project designed to test the effectiveness of driverless public transportation will be coming to an end.” [Patch]
McLean’s Spring Hill Road to Close — Spring Hill Road between Georgetown Pike and Old Dominion Drive will be closed from Monday, June 26 through Thursday, June 29 between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. each day “for a pipe replacement…Through traffic will be detoured via Old Dominion Drive, Towlston Road (Route 676) and Georgetown Pike” [VDOT]
FCPD Adopts Bean-Bag Shotguns — “Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, are repurposing a long-carried weapon in patrol cars — the shotgun. But now, those weapons are being converted to only contain ‘less-lethal’ bean bag rounds…Since March, the department has removed all 800 of its shotguns and replaced the weapons with 630 less-lethal beanbag shotguns.” [WTOP]
Workshop on Parking Overhaul Tonight — The Fairfax County Planning Commission will hold a workshop at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the “Parking Reimagined” initiative, the county’s first major overhaul of its parking regulations since 1988. Proposed changes include bicycle parking requirements and a tiered system for off-street parking. There will also be a public open house on June 29. [Zoning Administration Division]
Fairfax County’s General Assembly delegation will look drastically different next year after a pivotal Democratic primary yesterday (Tuesday) that also bolstered incumbents in most county-level races.
In two upsets, Sully District school board representative Stella Pekarsky eked out a win over veteran state Sen. George Barker for the 36th District nomination, while Fairfax Young Democrats vice president Saddam Azlan Salim ousted Sen. Chap Petersen in the 37th District.
For the second year in a row, the DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival is returning to Dulles Expo Center (4320 Chantilly Shopping Center) on Oct. 7 and 8.
Tickets for the event are currently on sale for 50% off until 11:59 p.m. on June 30. With the discounted rates, general admission tickets start at $8.00, and VIP tickets are priced at $13.50.
Metro Warns of $750 Million Budget Gap — “Tuesday, Metro painted a dire picture of what would happen if the problem festers: service cuts that would ‘devastate the region.’ These cuts would include eliminating two-thirds of bus and rail service resulting in worse service quality and degraded safety and accessibility.” [DCist]
County’s Auditor to Review Recent Police Shootings — “Because of the ‘dramatic uptick’ in officer-involved shootings by Fairfax County police in the past two years, the county’s Office of the Independent Police Auditor in coming months will review all 15 police shootings of people since 2017.” A nonprofit is also reviewing shootings since 2021. [Gazette Leader]
(Updated at 1 a.m. on 6/21/2023) The Fairfax County Democratic Committee has congratulated incumbent Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano as its nominee in one of the most closely watched races in the 2023 Democratic primary.
Descano received about 55.4% of the vote over challenger Ed Nuttall, who ended with 44.6% after shrinking a larger early deficit, according to the Virginia Department of Elections’ unofficial results.
Voter turnout for today’s Democratic primary has been more of a trickle than a stream, despite some pivotal races appearing on the ballot in Fairfax County.
By 1 p.m., just 2.6% of registered voters had cast a ballot today, the Fairfax County Office of Elections reported. That put the total turnout for the primary at an estimated 7.2%, including early in-person and mail voting.
As homelessness increases in Fairfax County, affected residents can use revamped county resources to cope with extreme summer heat.
The county will activate its extreme heat response when the National Weather Service issues a heat advisory, excessive heat watch or excessive heat warning.
