Apartment rental rates across Fairfax County pushed higher in August, bucking a national downward trend during the month.
Year-over-year median rental rates were up in six of the seven areas of the county surveyed by Apartment List. Updated figures were reported Aug. 28.
YouTube Star Visits Tysons Mall — “The YouTube streamer known as iShowSpeed drew crowds during stops he made in Northern Virginia and D.C. on Monday [Sept. 1], most of which streamed to millions of followers.” His appearance at Tysons Corner Center drew “several hundred people,” prompting Fairfax County police to respond for crowd control. [WJLA]
Oakton Doctor in Drug Case Must Pay Victims — “An Oakton doctor sentenced to prison in a ‘pill mill’ scheme has been ordered to pay restitution and give up two properties. Multiple fatal drug overdoses were tied to the doctor’s drug prescribing scheme.” The order follows David Allingham’s sentencing in May t0 13 years in prison for distributing oxycodone and amphetamines, among other charges. [Patch]
Lake Accotink Water Lowered — “The Fairfax County Park Authority will lower the water level at Lake Accotink after Labor Day in order to complete an assessment of the dam. The assessment is being conducted to evaluate the integrity of the structure and identify any maintenance or repair needs, the Park Authority states.” [Annandale Today]
Woman Charged With Stealing Slushie Machines — “An officer from the Mount Vernon Police District has arrested a woman responsible for stealing more than a dozen Ninja Slushi appliances from stores across Fairfax County, totaling over $10,000 in theft.” The incidents date back to May and primarily targeted Target stores in Springfield and Seven Corners. [FCPD]
Library Unveils New Logo — Fairfax County Public Library is debuting a new logo that evokes ” the endless possibilities available at your library once you step through our doors or open a book.” Coinciding with Library Card Sign-Up Month, the new logo will be incorporated into library materials and displays over the coming months, and FCPL is holding a contest through Sept. 30 to come up with new library card designs. [FCPL]
Route 29 Lane to Close — “The right lane of southbound Route 29 will be closed from Buckleys Gate Drive/Summit Drive to Meadow Estates Drive/Hampton Forest Way between 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, and 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5, to perform water main tie-ins as part of the Route 29 widening project … Drivers should expect delays and are advised to use alternate routes.” [VDOT]
Bikeshare Stations Relocated — “We’ve moved the Becontree Ln & Goldenrain Ct station to N Shore Dr & Washington Plaza/Lake Anne in Fairfax County. Additionally, the Vantage Hill Rd & Wainwright Dr station has been relocated to Westwood Center Dr & Sheraton Tysons Dr.” [Capital Bikeshare/X]
Tickets on Sale for ArtsFairfax Awards — “Following three years of sell-outs for the event, ArtsFairfax has moved the luncheon to the Hyatt Regency Reston, a larger location enabling the nonprofit to sell single tickets and increase sponsorships.” The awards ceremony will be led by former WUSA9 reporter Peggy Fox and feature musical performances. [ArtsFairfax]
It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high of around 81°F, with calm winds picking up from southeast at around 5 mph during the afternoon. Wednesday night will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of around 63°F and south winds at 6 mph. [NWS]
Dems Reject More GMU Board Appointees — “On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections rejected 14 appointments: four for the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), four for the University of Virginia (UVA) and its affiliates and six for George Mason University (GMU).” GMU’s board of visitors now lacks the eight members needed for a quorum, stalling any potential action affecting President Gregory Washington. [Virginia Mercury]
Two-Alarm House Fire in Centreville — Fairfax County firefighters responded Sunday morning (Aug. 31) to a two-alarm house fire in the 15400 block of Meherrin Court. “Units arrived to fire showing from all levels and through the roof of the home.” No injuries were reported, but an investigation into the fire is still underway. There was also a fire at a townhouse in the Herndon area south of the Innovation Center Metro station on Saturday (Aug. 30). [FCFRD/Facebook]
New Contender for Possible Braddock District Race — “Sabrina Mattin, a small business owner and community activist, is running as a Democrat for the Braddock District seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. That position will be vacant if Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw is elected to Congress in a special election on Sept. 9.” [Annandale Today]
Feds Pause Charitable Campaign — “The Office of Personnel Management has paused, at least temporarily, the Combined Federal Campaign, a longtime program allowing federal employees to give part of their paycheck to participating nonprofits.” The Chantilly-based organization America’s Charities began warning its nonprofit partners that the program’s end might be announced after Labor Day, but an OPM spokesperson said Friday (Aug. 29) that “no decision has been made.” [Washington Business Journal]
Herndon Graduate Wins Pole Vault Championship — “Austin Miller, a 2012 graduate of Herndon High School and a 2016 graduate of High Point University, captured the USA Track and Field National Championship title in the pole vault. He will represent Team USA at the World Championships in Japan later this month.” [Reston Letter]
Bakery Opens in Fairfax City — “Tatte Bakery & Cafe took a different approach to celebrating the grand opening of its new location in Fairfax City on Wednesday [Aug. 27]. Rather than having a ribbon-cutting ceremony, city officials and business leaders helped the bakery’s staff to cut a garland to mark the occasion.” [Patch]
Reston Condos Add EV Charger — Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn recently “attended the ribbon cutting for the new electric vehicle charging station at the Midtown North Condos in Reston … This 75-unit condo association installed their new dual-port level 2 EV charger in their garage with help from Charge Up Fairfax.” [Hunter Mill District News]
Thumbs Up for Annandale Eatery — Despite her skepticism of its viral “walking taco,” Northern Virginia Magazine’s food critic has been won over by Flavor Hive’s first brick-and-mortar location, which opened in July near K Market in Annandale. “The thing that I’ll remember is the tingle of spice. Layers of piquancy build with each bite of chicken, sauce, marinated vegetables.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
It’s Tuesday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures reaching a high near 78 degrees and a mild north wind around 6 mph. As for Tuesday night, the skies will be mostly clear with temperatures dropping to a low around 58 degrees, accompanied by light and variable winds. [NWS]
Competing rallies outside at Luther Jackson Middle School in Merrifield yesterday (Thursday) quickly commanded attention away from Fairfax County’s first school board meeting of the new academic year.
Dozens of activists from pro-LGBTQ+ group FCPS Pride showed up to applaud the school board for supporting transgender students, while the anti-abortion organization Students for Life of America gathered to condemn Fairfax County Public Schools officials over recent allegations of employees helping students obtain abortions.
The Fairfax County School Board is suing the Trump administration for withholding federal funds in retaliation for its refusal to scrap policies supporting transgender students.
At its meeting last night (Thursday), its first of the new academic year, the school board authorized a lawsuit against the U.S. Education Department alleging that its denial of funds to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) violates federal laws and the Constitution, Superintendent Michelle Reid announced today.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Chantilly field office, typically used for administrative proceedings, is being turned into a “makeshift” detention facility, dozens of immigrant rights advocacy groups say.
With arrests surging during the ongoing federal takeover of D.C., ICE has begun detaining individuals for “several days at a time” in a holding room intended to keep people just for a few hours during processing, according to organizations in the Free Them All VA Coalition.
Fairfax County is set to host its inaugural expungement clinic on Saturday, Sept. 13 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hybla Valley Community Center (7950 Audubon Avenue).
The event offers an opportunity for those with non-conviction criminal charges from Fairfax County or Fairfax city to determine eligibility and petition for removal of the charges from their records, Fairfax County Circuit Court spokesperson Rafael Arancibia, Jr. said in a news release.
While Virginia’s unemployment rate has been ticking up for months, the state’s Republican leadership contends the jobless rate is just one piece of a larger, more complex economic puzzle.
“Virginia has jobs,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in an Aug. 19 statement accompanying the latest batch of state employment figures. “This month’s reports reflect modest payroll growth, continued positive revisions in recent months, and strong labor force demand, reinforcing the resilience of Virginia’s job market.”
Record Labor Day Weekend Travel Expected — “Labor Day weekend travel is expected to surpass last year’s record levels, with the Transportation Security Administration preparing to screen hundreds of thousands more passengers than during the 2024 holiday.” Today (Friday) is expected to be the busiest day with airports preparing for 2.91 million passengers. [Axios]
Early Voting Expands — An additional nine sites will be open for early voting in the 11th Congressional District special election, starting today through Saturday, Sept. 6. All locations will be available Monday through Friday from 1-7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Regular polling places will open on the day of the Sept. 9 election, which will be a school-free day for Fairfax County students. [Fairfax County Government]
Cookie Shop Opens in Tysons Mall — “Chip City Cookies will be celebrating the grand opening of its new Tysons Corner Center location on Friday by giving a free cookie to the first 100 customers with any purchase. The doors will open at 11 a.m.” This is the oversized cookie company’s third Northern Virginia location and first in Fairfax County following openings in Arlington. [Patch]
Firefighters Train in West Falls Church Homes — “Before Fairfax County tears down nine houses on Barrett Road in the Falls Church area, the Fire Department is using the vacant houses for training exercises … On Aug. 26, a crew from the Edsall Road (#26) fire station was at Barrett Road to practice rescuing a firefighter trapped in a burning building – although they didn’t set the house on fire.” [Annandale Today]
Contract Dispute Heads to Trial — A legal battle involving two Reston-based federal contractors is likely heading for a jury trial following recent procedural rulings by a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge. CACI International sued Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) in July 2024, alleging that the other company breached a joint U.S. Air Force contract by not paying CACI its full share and poaching employees. [Washington Business Journal]
Students Seek to Encourage Civil Discussions — After observing how often conversations about hot-button issues escalate into yelling, Peter Kisselev, “Sam Stankiewicz and Abhi Tiwari, students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia, launched ‘Normal Debate.’ The website, the three said, provides users with the opportunity to create posts about politics and other topics.” [WTOP]
Preview of Tysons Fall Market — The Tysons Mixed Market, now in its third year, will return this fall with a season-opening event next Thursday, Sept. 4. Hosted by The Boro and the Tysons Community Alliance, the market “brings together nearly 30 local vendors and artisans, small businesses, and more community-focused features all tucked in the middle of Fairfax County’s economic powerhouse that is Tysons.” [Out and About Fairfax]
Falls Church Festival Returning — “The annual Falls Church Festival is approaching, bringing back a day of live music, activities and tastings from local restaurants. Over 90 vendors and civic organizations will join the fun as the festival returns for its 49th year from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13.” [ARLnow]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny conditions and a high temperature near 80 degrees during the day, accompanied by a northwest wind at 5 to 9 mph. By Friday night, the skies will turn partly cloudy, while the temperature dips to a low around 57 degrees. A 6 mph north wind is anticipated throughout the night. [NWS]
Fairfax leaders unanimously agreed on Tuesday (Aug. 26) to reinforce existing local economic development work, while criticizing efforts at the state level.
“Virginia’s economy is dependent in no small part on Fairfax County’s success,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said. “Now is the time to double down. If Virginia is not going to step up … we will.”
