By LISA MASCARO and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown has entered its 36th day, breaking the record as the longest ever and disrupting the lives of millions of Americans with federal program cuts, flight delays and federal workers nationwide left without paychecks.
Dems Sweep N. Va. House Seats — “Democratic candidates won all 30 of Northern Virginia’s seats in the Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday as the party seemed likely to significantly expand its 51-49 majority in the state’s lower chamber. As of 9 p.m. Democrats had already picked up four seats statewide, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.” [Inside NoVA]
Virginia Launches Statewide Food Drive — “Building on a temporary state-level version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) announced last week, state agencies are collaborating on a food drive effort to further bolster food-insecure communities around Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday morning.” [Virginia Mercury]
DCA Flight Evacuated for Bomb Threat — “All flights were grounded at Reagan National Airport midday Tuesday while a United Airlines jet was evacuated over a reported security threat … The main runway reopened at 12:50 p.m. but many flights were delayed by about an hour ‘due to security,’ according to the FAA.” [ARLnow]
Bus Driver Crashes on Dulles Toll Road — “Crews with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department responded to a crash involving a bus at around 6 a.m. on Route 267, just before the Wiehle Avenue exit.” The Fairfax Connector bus had hit a guardrail, and the trapped driver had to be extracted before getting taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No passengers were on board, as the bus wasn’t in service at the time. [DC News Now]
Former Va. Rep. Weighs in on Shutdown — Former Virginia Rep. Tom Davis, “a Republican who served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and preceded the late Rep. Gerry Connolly in Congress, said the House of Representatives has done its part to try and end the shutdown by passing a continuing resolution. But, he said, the Senate needs to take action, which would require ‘bipartisan buy-in, and at this point, we don’t have it.'” [WTOP]
Fairfax City Names New Schools Head — “At Monday night’s regular meeting, the City of Fairfax School Board announced that it will be appointing Dr. Dustin Wright as the new superintendent, effective Dec. 1. He will succeed former Superintendent Jeff Platenberg, who retired in July.” [Patch]
Algae Bloom Spotted at Reston Lake — “Lake Thoreau is experiencing a minor algae bloom impacting cove areas in the areas surrounding South Lakes shopping center. RA Environmental staff members are testing the area and advise people and animals avoid contact with the water at this time.” [Reston Association]
McLean Student Tests Drinking Water — “Virginia high schooler Hera Lu-Yang set out in the spring to determine how safe drinking water is in Northern Virginia by conducting tests in numerous localities, including Alexandria, for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances, also called PFAS.” The BASIS Independent School student found “that Alexandria’s water contains a high level of PFAS chemicals — almost three times that of neighboring localities.” [Alexandria Times]
It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 70, accompanied by a southwest wind of 7 to 16 mph, with gusts reaching up to 32 mph. Wednesday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 45. The southwest wind will blow at 13 to 16 mph but will shift to the northwest after midnight, with potential gusts as high as 43 mph. [NWS]
Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the governor’s race in Virginia today (Tuesday), defeating Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, the Associated Press declared at 7:58 p.m.
Spanberger will succeed Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is not allowed to run for a second consecutive term. Her victory aligns with recent voting patterns in Virginia, which picks its governors the year after a presidential election and tends to elect someone of the opposite party of the president.
It hasn’t taken long for Fairfax County food banks to feel the effects of the federal government shutdown.
More empty shelves than expected greeted Rep. James Walkinshaw during a visit to Food for Others in Merrifield yesterday (Monday). He had stopped by the Western Fairfax Christian Ministries’ food pantry in Chantilly earlier that day.
Voters across Virginia are now casting their Election Day ballots, but many in Fairfax County have no need for a last-minute trip to their polling place.
Just shy of 190,000 voters in Fairfax County cast a ballot during the early voting period, which ran from Sept. 19 through 5 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 1). That’s a jump of 7.4% compared to 2021, which is the last time the three statewide races were on the ballot.
Options for Disposing of Pumpkins — “Don’t trash your pumpkins — compost or recycle them instead … Washingtonians have plenty of eco-friendly ways to chuck pumpkins through November,” including “Pumpkin Madness” catapulting events coming this weekend at Centreville’s Cox Farms. [Axios DC]
No Pumpkin Recycling at Frying Pan — Frying Pan Farm Park, however, isn’t accepting pumpkins for recycling this year. “Instead of bringing them here, turn your leftover Halloween pumpkins and gourds into something useful! Now through mid-November, you can drop them off at the I-66 Transfer Station,” where they will be processed for composting or to feed livestock. [Friends of Frying Pan/Instagram]
How N. Va. Could Influence Election — “Democrats currently have a slim majority in Virginia’s House of Delegates, and two competitive Northern Virginia races could help determine which party controls that chamber of the state’s General Assembly,” according to University of Mary Washington political science professor Stephen Farnsworth, who also says “turnout in Northern Virginia is one of the key things to monitor.” [WTOP]
FCPD Launches Gift Card Drive — “The Fairfax County Police Department’s Victim Services Division (VSD) is proud to announce the launch of its 12th Annual Holiday Gift Card Drive, an initiative dedicated to supporting child victims and witnesses of domestic violence, sexual violence, and families grieving the loss of a loved one to homicide.” Gift card donations can be dropped off or mailed to the division until Dec. 19. [FCPD]
Renovated Hybla Valley Park Opens — “More fun, more play! The Hybla Valley Park is officially OPEN! The newly renovated park is packed with awesome features for everyone,” such as dedicated futsal and basketball courts, a new playground “suitable for all ages and abilities” and updated site furnishings. [Fairfax County Park Authority/Facebook]
Troubled Trail Project Costs Rise — “Following a lengthy discussion during Tuesday night’s work session, the Fairfax City Council delayed making a decision on how to address the additional $4.6 million in construction costs required to build the controversial George Snyder Trail.” The council had voted in June to continue with the project as is after debating potentially canceling or downsizing it. [Patch]
Dulles Could Add Direct Service to Taiwan — The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority recently secured a five-year agreement with Taoyuan International Airport Corp. “that commits both sides to conduct market research, airline outreach and marketing campaigns to build the case for a nonstop Dulles-Taipei connection.” The agreement could pave the way for other long-haul, nonstop flights to Asia that were halted during the pandemic. [Washington Business Journal]
The Wiggles Tour to Stop in Tysons — “The group’s new Tree of Wisdom Spectacular Tour is heading to North America. And The Wiggles will be stopping in Tysons on August 18, 2026. The performance at Capital One Hall is just one of 17 planned for across the continent.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunshine and a high temperature of around 62, accompanied by west winds blowing at 8-11 mph and gusts up to 21 mph. As night falls on Tuesday, there will be mostly clear skies with lows close to 41, with west winds gradually calming at around 5 mph. [NWS]
The Fairfax County Government Center will be open tomorrow (Tuesday) for election voting and little else.
Most government facilities will be closed for Election Day, which is a designated holiday for the county. Operations affected by the closures include all Fairfax County Public Library branches and Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) programs.
As early voting in Virginia’s November elections came to a close on Saturday (Nov. 1), Fairfax Del. Dan Helmer (D-10) was on the road in a final push to secure a victory not just for himself, but for Democratic candidates across the state.
As the campaigns chair for the Virginia House Democratic Caucus, a role he landed based on his defeat of Fairfax County’s last Republican delegate, Tim Hugo, in 2019, Helmer has been tasked with overseeing races in all 100 House districts — every single one of which will have a Democrat on the ballot.
Fairfax County in October saw rising year-over-year apartment rents in most corridors except Tysons, which saw a decline but remains the priciest area countywide.
Six of seven areas across Fairfax posted median rent increases ranging from less than 1% to 7%, according to figures reported Oct. 30 by Apartment List.
Police Sergeant Arrested for Drinking in Public — “On November 1, the Leesburg Police Department arrested Sergeant Brett Choyce, 43, of Hamilton, a 23-year veteran of the department, who was off-duty at the time of the incident. The Sergeant has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs Bureau Investigation.” [FCPD]
Pedestrian Hospitalized From Route 50 Crash — Fairfax County police officers responded Friday night (Oct. 31) to a “pedestrian crash at Arlington Blvd and Woodlawn Ave near West Falls Church. The pedestrian, an adult male, was transported to the hospital in life-threatening condition. The driver of the striking vehicle remained on scene.” [FCPD/X]
Early Voting Up From 2021 — “Virginia voters this year are casting their ballots early at a higher rate than in the 2021 election, as both Democrats and Republicans have sought to drive early turnout in their bids to win the governorship and a majority in the House of Delegates.” [Washington Post]
Warner on Sidelines of Shutdown Talks — “Not so long ago, if there was a bipartisan group getting together to solve a problem in the Senate, you could count on Mark Warner to be involved … But as his colleagues hunt for a way out of the 31-day-and-counting government shutdown, Warner this time is hanging on the sidelines.” [Politico]
Teen Who Fled Police Back in Custody — “The 17-year-old suspect was in custody for trespassing and possession of Schedule I/II narcotics, when he fled from a county police officer around 3 p.m. [on Oct. 30] in the 4300 block of Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax City.” After a search of the School Street and Chain Bridge Road area that included assistance from a Fairfax County police helicopter, officers located the teen “a short time later” and took him back into custody. [Patch]
Baking Pop-Up to Close Next Year — King Arthur Baking Company is sticking around in Fairfax County through the rest of 2025. “After opening its doors at Fairfax Corner in September 2024, the pop-up location will serve its last customer on January 15, 2026. The store was originally slated to close in July 2025.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
University Appointee Fight Goes to Supreme Court — “Governor Glenn Youngkin asked the Supreme Court of Virginia Thursday to allow him to put a handful of appointees on state college Boards of Visitors. The brief hearing comes after state senators denied the appointments in a committee meeting and Youngkin claimed more steps were needed.” [WHRO]
Braddock District Candidate Forum Coming — A second candidate forum for the Braddock District supervisor race will be held this Wednesday (Nov. 5) at 7:30 p.m. by the North Springfield Civic Association Board. Interested community members can attend in person at North Springfield Elementary School or online via Zoom. [North Springfield Civic Association Board/Facebook]
It’s Monday — The weather will transition from mostly cloudy to sunny, reaching a high of around 62°F. Calm winds will shift to the west at 5 to 7 mph during the afternoon. Monday night will be clear, with temperatures dropping to about 44°F. Expect a northwest wind at around 10 mph and gusts up to 18 mph. [NWS]
