An especially strong March and a record-setting day in April seem to foreshadow a positive summer for Dulles International Airport.
The airport recorded 1,103,722 passenger enplanements this past March — its second-best passenger total ever for that month, according to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Chryssa Westerlund.
Voter Registration Deadline Nears — Next Tuesday (May 27) is the last day to register to vote in the June 17 Democratic primary, which will determine the party’s nominees for Virginia lieutenant governor and attorney general. Starting May 28, same-day registration will be available, but new voters must cast a provisional ballot. [Fairfax County Office of Elections]
Lane Closures Lifted for Memorial Day — “The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will be suspending many highway work zones and lifting temporary lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon on Friday, May 23, until noon on Tuesday, May 27. While lane closures will be lifted in most locations, motorists may encounter semi-permanent work zones that remain in place during this time.” [VDOT]
Connolly Remembered for Silver Line Role — “Congressman Gerry Connolly’s legacy in Northern Virginia includes his contribution to the Silver Line project and its lasting impact. Transportation Reporter Adam Tuss takes a look back.” [NBC4]
FCPS to Continue Early Release Days — “Fairfax County Public Schools will continue the early release schedule for elementary schools next year but will switch from Mondays to Wednesdays. During the current year, FCPS launched a pilot program in which elementary students were dismissed three hours early on select Mondays” to give teachers more planning and training time. [Annandale Today]
Tysons Office Building for Sale — Morning Calm Management is marketing the seven-story building at 1945 Old Gallows Road for sale. The office building was 55% leased when the Florida-based investment firm acquired it in 2019, but after a $1.5 million renovation completed in 2020, it’s now 92% leased, proving particularly attractive to medical tenants. [Washington Business Journal]
Lake Accotink Park Now Hiring — “Lake Accotink Park in Springfield, Virginia, is hosting drop-in interviews every Tuesday from noon to 6 p.m., starting May 20 through June 10, 2025. Stop by the Visitor Center to explore job opportunities, complete an application and interview on the spot! No appointments are necessary!” [FCPA]
Parks Foundation Welcomes New Board Members — The Fairfax County Park Authority Board confirmed four new directors to the board of the Fairfax County Park Foundation, its fundraising arm. Ben Aiken, Paul Berry, Mark Buenavista and Alyssa Keefe will now serve on the foundation’s board through June 20, 2028. [FCPA]
It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures reaching around 67 degrees and a west wind blowing at 9 to 14 mph, gusting up to 23 mph. The night will be mostly clear with lows near 50 degrees and a west wind ranging from 6 to 11 mph. [NWS]
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating Fairfax County Public Schools over its admissions policy for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ).
The department announced today (Thursday) that it has opened an investigation into whether policy changes designed to diversify the magnet school’s student body violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race.
In an election year dominated by state offices, Fairfax County voters now face the prospect of also electing a new lawmaker to represent them in Congress.
Following the death of longtime Rep. Gerry Connolly yesterday (Wednesday), voters will soon need to select a new representative for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District — a critical decision given the Republican Party’s slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Fairfax County Police Department is on track to meet staffing goals by the end of the decade, if it can maintain recent hiring momentum.
“We feel really comfortable about where we are,” Police Chief Kevin Davis said in a briefing for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ Safety and Security Committee on Tuesday (May 20).
Fairfax County is seeing mixed results in its efforts to eliminate solid waste.
“We’ve made progress,” Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, chair of supervisors’ environment committee, said after the Board of Supervisors received an update on the county’s Zero Waste program on Tuesday (May 20).
Condolences for Rep. Connolly Continue — “Fairfax County joins the community, the commonwealth and the nation in mourning the passing of U.S. Rep. Gerald E. ‘Gerry’ Connolly, whose career in public office began in the county, and whose legacy will continue to shape the region for generations.” [Fairfax County Government]
Plans Shared for D.C. Military Parade — “The upcoming ‘America 250’ military parade in Washington, DC, will fall on June 14 to commemorate the Army’s 250th birthday; the date is also President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday, something that surely has no significance at all. Here is the most up-to-date information on the celebration that’s bringing, among other things, lots of tanks to the city.” [Washingtonian]
New Bookstore Planned in Falls Church — “The Dark, Unbound plans to sell books by ‘underrepresented voices in the fantasy, science-fiction, speculative fiction and horror genres,’ in a cozy, moody atmosphere. It is in the works at 112 W. Broad Street, where Dominion Camera closed in September.” [ARLnow]
Bridge Repairs to Affect Metro Service — “On Saturday May 24 through Monday May 26, free shuttle buses will replace trains between Cheverly and Eastern Market on the Orange Line and Addison Road and Eastern Market on the Blue and Silver lines.” Several stations on the eastern end of all three lines “will be closed as crews make repairs to aerial structures over the Anacostia River.” [WMATA]
Design in the Works on Library Renovation — “A project to renovate the George Mason Regional Library in Annandale is in the design phase. The interior space will be rearranged, but the footprint will not change … The $15 million project was included in a library bond referendum approved by voters in 2020.” [Annandale Today]
N. Va. Opposition to Data Centers Growing — “Such community opposition is the focal point of a recent report by Data Center Watch, a research organization tracking data center opposition. A key finding: ‘$64 billion in U.S. data center projects have been blocked or delayed by a growing wave of local, bipartisan opposition.'” [Virginia Public Media]
Chantilly Student Fixes Broken-Down Car — “Elizabeth Mulenga was about 15 minutes from home on April 13 when her car started to jerk as she drove near Chantilly High School … Using the skills he learned in auto classes at Chantilly Academy, [senior Om] Desai helped Mulenga completely fix the issue on the spot.” [WTOP]
It’s Thursday — Likely showers before 2pm, with possible thunderstorms from 2-5pm. Expect mostly cloudy skies and a high near 68. The chance of precipitation is 70%. At night, there’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, followed by a slight chance of showers until 2am. Clouds will gradually clear, with a low around 53. [NWS]
A long-coming, sometimes bitter battle over the right to represent thousands of Fairfax County government workers ended in victory last week for one union, even as another cried foul over the election process and results.
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local Virginia 512 announced last Friday (May 16) that county government workers have elected it as their exclusive bargaining unit for future contract negotiations after the largest organizing push among general government employees in Virginia history.
The battle over Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s student admissions policy isn’t quite over after all.
More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court passed on an opportunity to weigh in, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares accused Fairfax County Public Schools today (Wednesday) of “intentional” discrimination against Asian American students applying to the magnet school in Annandale.
D.C.-area leaders continue to find common ground elusive when it comes to increased collaboration between the region’s bus systems.
While the possibility of merging all local bus systems has already been taken off the table, the DMV Moves task force is still searching for the sweet spot where systems could work better among themselves and with Metrobus.
