Countywide | FFXnow

Morning Notes

Published March 2, 2022 at 7:30AM

A Shell gas station and car wash on Franconia Road in Rose Hill is going to be replaced with a 7-Eleven, per permit applications (staff photo by Brandi Bottalico)

Expanded DMV Service Starts Today — “The Virginia DMV will offer both appointments and walk-in service Monday through Friday at all 75 locations starting Wednesday, March 2, Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller said in a news release. Walk-in service will still be an option at some offices on Saturdays.” [WTOP]

Local Students Learn About Russia-Ukraine Conflict — A political science and current affairs class at Langley High School has turned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine into a central topic of discussion. Teacher David Kuhn says his students, some of whom have lived in Russia, have shared “perspectives…beyond what their [years] would indicate.” [WUSA9]

Navy engineer proposes rehab for historic White Gardens house

By Brandi Bottalico

Published March 1, 2022 at 3:45PM

A proposal to restore the house at Margaret White Gardens in West Falls Church is being reviewed and will face a virtual public hearing on March 29.

Under the resident curator program, the Fairfax County Parks Authority is seeking someone to live rent-free in the home, which is near Sleepy Hollow Elementary School, and rehabilitate and maintain it out of pocket under a lease.

County allocates $5M of Covid funds to Capital Area Food Bank expansion

By Brandi Bottalico

Published March 1, 2022 at 3:00PM | Updated March 1, 2022 at 3:39PM

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will allocate $5 million toward the expansion of the Capital Area Food Bank facility in Newington (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted last week to allocate $5 million of coronavirus recovery funding to the Capital Area Food Bank to expand its Newington warehouse due to increased need.

The project to build a 45,000-square-foot facility is expected to cost $35 million and take two years to complete. CAFB also sought funding from other private partners and the Northern Virginia local governments and communities they serve. Fairfax County is the first to make a formal announcement of funding, CAFB spokeswoman Hilary Salmon told FFXnow.

Cirque du Soleil will return to Tysons this summer

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 1, 2022 at 2:15PM

Cirque du Soleil is bringing its show "Kurios" to Tysons this summer (courtesy Cirque du Soleil)

The circus is coming back to Tysons.

Cirque du Soleil announced yesterday (Monday) that it will erect its Big Top tents in Lerner Town Square (8025 Galleria Drive) near Tysons Galleria on July 29, marking its first appearance in the D.C. area in three years.

Court ruling on Thomas Jefferson High School admissions changes draws mixed reactions

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 1, 2022 at 1:30PM

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (via Google Maps)

A federal judge’s ruling that recent changes to the admissions process for Fairfax County Public Schools’ prestigious magnet school were discriminatory has inspired both praise and condemnation.

As first reported by The Washington Post, U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton issued an opinion on Friday (Feb. 25) finding that the elimination of a standardized test and other alterations to how students are admitted into Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) were made “to the detriment of Asian-Americans.”

Fairfax County should rename Lee and Sully districts, committee says

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 1, 2022 at 11:15AM

The Sully District Governmental Center (via Google Maps)

A committee appointed to guide Fairfax County’s redistricting process last year will recommend that two of the county’s magisterial districts get new names.

In a draft report released on Feb. 22, the Redistricting Advisory Committee (RAC) says that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors should consider renaming Lee and Sully districts as part of its ongoing effort to move away from place and landmark names with historical ties to the Confederacy or slavery.

Fix to lengthen Burke passenger rail platform nears completion

By David Taube

Published March 1, 2022 at 10:30AM

VRE's existing Rolling Road Station is undergoing upgrades (staff photo by David Taube)

A $5 million project to extend the platform for Virginia Railway Express’ Rolling Road Station is close to opening.

Crews have been finalizing the Burke project that began last year. Improvements include extending the existing 380-foot platform by 290 additional feet, VRE says on a project page.

Morning Notes

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 1, 2022 at 7:30AM

A Metro rider uses an updated fare gate at the Vienna Metro station (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Reminder: Old Metro Cards Stop Working Today — “SmarTrip cards purchased before 2012 are no longer compatible with new, faster, modern faregates already installed in many stations. In an announcement more than 10 months ago, Metro advised customers that the old cards would need to be replaced as stations are equipped with new faregates.” [WMATA]

County Circuit Court Ends Mask Requirement — Fairfax County Circuit Court Chief Judge Penny Azcarate announced yesterday (Monday) that masks will be optional to enter the Courthouse effective immediately in accordance with the county’s new policy. Rules in courtrooms “are at the discretion of the presiding judge.” [Circuit Court]

County replaces damaged headstone for Revolutionary War patriot

By David Taube

Published February 28, 2022 at 3:45PM

A Revolutionary War stone will be returned to the Summers family cemetery in Lincolnia (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A damaged headstone for a Revolutionary War patriot is being replaced, part of a sweeping effort to preserve cemeteries in Fairfax County.

The headstone for Francis Summers is located in the Summers Family Cemetery in Lincolnia, where the remains of a few dozen people have been buried. A rededication ceremony is planned for 11 a.m. on April 30 at the site, which is located on Lincolnia Road between Deming Avenue and Barnum Lane.

With Covid transmission now ‘low,’ Fairfax County drops mask mandate

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 28, 2022 at 3:00PM

A sign indicating that a face mask should be worn (via Waldemar Brandt/Unsplash)

For the first time since early August, face masks are no longer required for staff or visitors inside most Fairfax County facilities.

County Executive Bryan Hill shared the news in an email to all local government workers yesterday (Sunday) after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced new metrics for measuring community COVID-19 transmission levels on Friday (Feb. 25).