Firefighters, medics and other Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department employees will have a union represent them in the county’s first collective bargaining negotiations for public workers in over 40 years.
Over 800 FCFRD workers participated in a 13-day election last month to determine whether to have union representation for contract talks with the county government, which will establish pay, benefits and other working conditions.
If you plan on driving the newly extended I-66 Express Lanes next month, make sure there are at least two other people in the car to avoid paying a toll.
The entire length of the I-66 toll lanes will shift from HOV2 to HOV3 in early December, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) recently announced.
County Chair Reacts to Club Q Mass Shooting — “I want to be unequivocal: I stand with our LGBTQIA+ community. The repugnant violence we saw in Colorado Springs has no place in society. We will never give in to the forces of hate or oppression. My heart breaks for the victims and their families.” [Jeff McKay/Twitter]
Developer Hopes to Obtain Land for Housing at Innovation Station — “While the details haven’t been hammered out, Peterson hopes the county would sell or ground lease its parcel for some nominal price, Taylor Chess, Peterson’s president of development, said in an interview. Such a deal would help to make the project economically viable over the long haul” [Washington Business Journal]
The weekend is almost here. Before you hop on (or lament) the latest addition to the I-66 toll lanes or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.
Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:
Fairfax County’s new online platform for permitting, zoning and other land use activities has hit a speed bump.
A backlog of applications has emerged since the county finished rolling out its Planning and Land Use System (PLUS) on Oct. 31 due to issues with the technology, Fairfax County Land Development Services confirmed.
Tysons ID Verification Company Under Investigation — ID.me may have misled the public and Congress with “baseless claims” that the U.S. lost $400 billion to fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims. A House subcommittee says new evidence suggests the company used claims of “rampant” fraud “to increase demand” for its services, making it harder for those who needed aid to receive it. [Gizmodo]
Mixed Bag for Metro — “New Silver Line riders, an increase in train availability, shorter wait times and an apparent decrease in fare evasion provided tempered optimism to Metro leaders in the face of a new financial snapshot Thursday that showed rail ridership continuing to struggle…Metro said it recorded about 7,000 trips Tuesday at the new Silver Line stations.” [The Washington Post]
Drivers on the Dulles Toll Road can expect to pay higher tolls beginning next year.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s Board of Directors voted yesterday morning to increase fees for users of the toll road — bringing tolls to $6 for the average driver.
Reminder: I-495 Exit to Toll Road Changes Today — “Beginning on or about November 17, drivers traveling on northbound I-495 (Capital Beltway) to westbound Dulles Toll Road will take an earlier exit, rather than the existing left exit (Exit 45), which is closing to allow room for construction of a new, replacement I-495 bridge over the Dulles Toll Road ramps.” [VDOT]
FCPS Considers Changes to Grading Policies — Fairfax County Public Schools is considering altering its high school grading policy for the first time in five years “after principals reported variation in grading processes from school to school.” Possible changes include whether to continue with a 100-point scale or shift to “a standards-based scale,” and how to determine a student’s final grade. [WTOP]
The cold and rain didn’t dampen enthusiasm for the opening of Metro’s long-awaited, $3 billion Silver Line Phase II.
Yesterday marked the much-anticipated public opening of the 11.4-mile extension of the rail line from Reston into Loudoun County. Along with six new stations, this marks the first time that locals can take a train to Dulles International Airport.
ArtsFairfax, the county’s designated arts agency, is expanding its artist residency program for 2022-2023 throughout the county.
Through a $55,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the residency program will place performing and visual artists at county parks, libraries, schools, community centers, and affordable housing complexes.
