President Snarls Traffic on Capital Beltway — “Virginia State Police shut down the Inner Loop of the Beltway just before the American Legion Bridge in McLean, causing miles of delays toward Tysons Corner during rush hour Tuesday.” The highway was closed at Georgetown Pike for President Joe Biden’s motorcade, which was driving to a campaign event in Chevy Chase. [NBC4]

Air Quality Alert Issued for Region — “Canadian wildfire smoke…that enveloped Chicago and much of the Midwest” yesterday will descend on the D.C. area today (Wednesday), prompting the issuance of a Code Orange air quality alert. Sensitive groups could feel health impacts from being outside, but conditions aren’t expected to worsen to the Code Maroon seen earlier this month. [ARLnow]


After failing to materialize yesterday, stormy weather showed up in force around the D.C. region this afternoon (Tuesday).

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Fairfax County and the rest of the area for around 2:11-3 p.m. The National Weather Service reported that the east-moving storm had reached the Oakton and Vienna area around 2:09 p.m., bringing 60-mph wind gusts and hail the size of quarters, according to Fairfax County.


Tension Over Annandale HS Band Director’s Resignation — “By the time Tyron Barnes prepared to address Annandale High School’s band students and parents during an end-of-year banquet in the school cafeteria on June 1, the group had already learned that he had resigned…In an email that same night, Barnes wrote that it had become apparent to him that some people didn’t want him leading the band program.” [WTOP]

New Historical Marker Unveiled in Gum Springs — “Thank you to the New Gum Springs Civic Association and Queenie Cox for inviting me to the West Ford Virginia historical highway marker dedication and Juneteenth Celebration. It was an honor to attend and celebrate the life of the ‘Father of Gum Springs,’ West Ford,” a formerly enslaved man who founded the community in 1833. [Supervisor Rodney Lusk/Instagram]


(Updated at 11 a.m. on 6/27/2023) The Fairfax County School Board voted 9-1 last night (Monday) to raise member salaries to $48,000 with an additional $2,000 for the board chair, starting Jan. 1, 2024.

Aiming lower than what staff proposed, the raises are comparable to compensation for other paid school boards governing large school systems elsewhere in the country and raises approved in previous years, Mount Vernon District School Board representative Karen Corbett-Sanders said.


Man Pulled From Burning Car, Gets DWI — “Police say around 2:30 am on June 15, officers responded to Annandale Rd & Gallows Rd for a single vehicle crash. The driver struck a curb, hit a telephone pole then a tree and came to a rest on its side, according to FCPD. Officers found the car engulfed in flames and rushed to safely remove the driver. The 27-year-old driver was arrested for DWI.” [ABC7]

Metro Introduces Nighttime “Courtesy Stops” — “Metrobus customers who travel at night will have the option to get off between bus stops along the route, closer to their destination to provide a safer, better bus experience…Beginning, Sunday, June 25, customers may request a courtesy stop between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.” [WMATA]


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]


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