The annual vehicle tax that owners pay Fairfax County based on market prices could lighten many drivers’ wallets this year.

Market values from J.D. Power — the price guide used by the county to determine drivers’ bills — indicate vehicle prices are rising an average of over 33%, Young Tarry, director of the county’s Personal Property & Business License Division, told FFXnow.


FCPS Will Start COVID-19 Rollback Plan Tomorrow — Masks will be optional for both students and adults, including staff and parents, in Fairfax County Public Schools after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its health metrics so that the county is now considered to have low transmission. FCPS said on Friday (Feb. 25) that masks would be optional for students, as ordered by a state law, but still mandatory for adults. [FCPS]

Judge Calls TJ Admissions Discriminatory — The Coalition for TJ on Friday (Feb. 25) won its lawsuit against the Fairfax County School Board over changes to admissions process for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The judge found that the shift from a standardized test to “experience” factors was done in a way discriminatory to Asian applicants. The school system intends to appeal. [The Washington Post]


The weekend is almost here, and with it, FFXnow’s launch week comes to a close. Before parents start fretting over whether their kids go to school without masks or you head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the five most-read stories on FFXnow this week:


For years, Fairfax County officials have conceded that county services in the Kingstowne area are scattered and its facilities small and outdated.

The county hopes that a multi-million-dollar project for a new government campus and library will help shift that narrative.


Fairfax County has a new name for the dedicated bus service it is planning for Richmond Highway: The One.

Transit officials revealed the name today (Friday) at a branding event for the bus rapid transit (BRT) service, which will operate starting in 2030 using new lanes separated by a grass median.


Fairfax County Public Schools will comply with the new Virginia law prohibiting local school boards from enforcing universal mask requirements.

Face masks will be optional on school property for students starting Tuesday (March 1), Superintendent Scott Brabrand confirmed today (Friday) in a message to families.


Hollin Hills could soon get another layer of oversight to preserve the hundreds of stylistic, mid-20th century homes built in the area.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission voted on Wednesday (Feb. 23) to recommend designating Hollin Hills as a Historic Overlay District, which would require approval from the county’s Architectural Review Board for certain projects, such as demolitions and the design of properties.


Inova Health Systems still hopes to begin construction on its planned Franconia-Springfield expansion in 2023, even after encountering delays in Fairfax County’s rezoning process.

The nonprofit health care provider spent more than $40 million in 2020 to acquire property in a residential area near its Inova HealthPlex at 6355 Walker Lane, turning the site into a 21-acre campus.


Tysons Mass Vaccine Site Tweaks Hours — “Beginning Tuesday, March 1, the Tysons Community Vaccination Center (CVC) located at 7950 Tysons Corner Center, McLean, will be open five days a week, Tuesday-Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.” [Fairfax County Health Department]

Alleged Serial Killer Still Not Charged in Fairfax County — Local police and prosecutors have yet to find enough evidence to charge a man that police dubbed the “Shopping Cart Killer” in the death of California resident Stephanie Harrison, one of two women whose remains were found in Huntington in December. [WTOP]


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