Another round of spring rainstorms is expected to hit Fairfax County later this afternoon (Friday).
The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for the D.C. region, but a wet Friday night should give way to calmer weather over the weekend, DC News Now metereologist Jackie Layer says.
FCPS Teachers Struggle to Afford Living in Fairfax — “Fairfax County teachers largely can’t afford to rent or buy a house near the school where they teach, according to a new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality. The report said Virginia’s largest school district is one of the Top 10 least affordable places in the nation when it comes to new teachers and housing.” [WTOP]
Laid-Off Federal Workers Flood Job Market — “At least 121,000 federal workers have been laid off or singled out for layoffs since Jan. 20, estimates CNN, and the DMV likely doesn’t have enough white collar jobs to absorb the number of local former feds now looking for new positions, per Indeed.” [Axios DC]
Youngkin’s Budget Vetoes Rejected — “The clerk of Virginia’s House of Delegates on Wednesday night rejected three of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s recent vetoes in the state’s revised two-year budget.” The vetoes of items related to Medicaid and state employee health benefits were deemed impermissible under Virginia’s constitution by Keeper of the Rolls Paul Nardo. [Virginia Mercury]
Korean Street Food Restaurant Opens — “Oiso, a restaurant focusing on Korean street food, is having a soft opening on May 15. The restaurant, located at 7133-C Columbia Pike, Annandale, is in the space formerly occupied by Gom Ba Woo … Oiso will have a Grand Opening on May 22, with free Yoju (soju and yogurt) cocktail tastings 4-8 p.m.” [Annandale Today]
Retired Nats Star’s Former Home for Sale — “Former Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg sold his McLean home just last year following his retirement from baseball. Now, that home is coming back on the market. The nearly 12,000 square-foot house will be listed for sale this Friday for $9.25 million.” [DC UrbanTurf]
Accounting Firm to Open Tysons Office — “WithumSmith + Brown PC, one of the country’s largest accounting firms, is closing its Bethesda and Baltimore offices and opening new offices in Columbia and Tysons.” The Tysons office will be 11,000 square feet in size and located at 1800 Tysons Blvd. [Washington Business Journal]
Clothing Diverted From Landfill — “Fairfax County staff joined regional partners for a tour of the Helpsy textile recycling facility, where unwanted clothing is baled for reuse or recycling Since January, Fairfax residents have helped divert over 10,000 pounds of clothing from landfills.” [Fairfax County Government/X]
It’s Friday — There’s a 60% chance of rain, with showers and thunderstorms likely before 11 am. Cloudy skies will gradually become mostly sunny, reaching a high of 87. Friday night, there is a 50% chance of severe showers and thunderstorms, as temperatures drop to approximately 69. [NWS]
The Fairfax County Courthouse will be closed again tomorrow (Friday) due to ongoing technical issues.
All courts fully suspended operations today (Thursday) to address “ongoing technical difficulties” that the county hoped would be quickly resolved. When announcing this afternoon that the closure will be extended a day, the county elaborated that the issue is related to the courthouse’s “electronic access control system.”
Fairfax County leaders believe they and other Northern Virginia leaders are getting an unfair deal when it comes to state transportation funding.
The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday (May 13) to send a letter to Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sheppard Miller III, expressing concern about being passed over in the latest round of “Smart Scale” funding for transportation improvements.
Technical Issues Close County Courts — The Fairfax County Courthouse is closed today (Thursday) “due to ongoing technical difficulties.” Cases scheduled to appear in the county’s Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court “will be continued to another date,” as staff work to resolve the issue. [Fairfax County]
Bike to Work Day Is Here — Fairfax County is hosting more than two dozen pit stops today (Thursday) for this year’s Bike to Work Day, which encourages commuters to hop on a bicycle instead of getting in a car and is taking place throughout the D.C. region. “The first 16,000 who register and check into a pit stop by bike will receive a free T-shirt (this year’s color is red).” [FCDOT]
Recession Possible, GMU Researcher Says — “Terry Clower, director of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, told WTOP the region is not in a recession yet, but what happens in the next several months will determine how severe the economic downturn is and how long it will last.” If the Trump administration’s federal government cuts are fully enacted, a recession is “undoubted,” Clower says. [WTOP]
Flight Attendant Training Center Opens — United Airlines will open its new 20,000-square-foot flight attendant training center in Chantilly today. “This is the first facility of its kind in the DC area, and will train flight attendants servicing Dulles International, Reagan National, and Baltimore-Washington International airports.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
New Reston Startup Launches — Kovr.ai “has emerged from stealth with $3.6 million in funding to scale its federal compliance assistance product it says can save millions of dollars and years of document procurement for companies looking to do business with the federal government.” CEO Andrew Black and Chief Technology Officer Sri Iyer both worked for Amazon Web Services before leaving in 2024 to found the new company. [Washington Business Journal]
Annandale School Searches for New Principal — “Fairfax County Public Schools is beginning the search for a new principal for Poe Middle School, but many teachers and parents already know who they want for the job — Interim Principal Sarah Eqab,” who came on board in March after working at Annandale High School. [Annandale Today]
Pet Supply Donation Drive Underway — “The Department of Family Services cares about every family member, including pets. To help keep pets with the families, DFS is hosting a pet supply drive during National Pet Month in May. The drive will run from Sunday, May 11, to Saturday, May 24, with all donations benefiting Fairfax County Animal Shelter’s Pet Pantry.” [Fairfax County DFS]
It’s Thursday — There’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Patchy fog before 11am will shift to clouds and then mostly sunny skies, with a high near 79. Chance of precipitation is 50%, dropping to 40% at night with a low around 66. [NWS]
Hundreds of Fairfax County Public Schools students could be directed to different schools under initial redistricting scenarios developed as part of a systemwide boundary review.
The Connecticut-based firm Thru Consulting, which was hired by the Fairfax County School Board last September, will present its first draft of potential boundary changes at a series of community meetings starting tomorrow (Thursday).
Memorial Day Travel Projections Released — “Memorial Day travel is projected to beat a 20-year-old record high this year, according to AAA data released Monday … Americans’ deep pessimism about the economy isn’t deterring them from traveling to celebrate the unofficial start of the summer season.” [Axios]
Dem Candidates for Lt. Gov. Make Their Case — “With six candidates on the ballot, that means this year’s winner could emerge victorious with a fraction of the votes cast … We asked all six Democratic candidates for their take on key issues facing the commonwealth, including federal spending cuts, data centers, housing, education, and how they’d approach the job.” [WAMU]
Bailey’s Crossroads Restaurant Nears 50 Years — “When he opened Peking Gourmet Inn in a small Falls Church, Virginia, strip mall nearly five decades ago, Eddy Tsui had a simple vision. The key to any successful restaurant, he believed, is food and service.” The restaurant, now owned by son George Tsui, “has been drawing guests from around the region, and the globe,” to the Culmore neighborhood since 1978. [WTOP]
GMU to Honor Record Number of Graduates — “George Mason University will celebrate Spring Commencement on Thursday by honoring a record-setting number of students earning degrees, and nearly 11,800 students total will be recognized for earning degrees or certificates. Class of 2025 graduates represent 117 countries, 49 states, and the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and military installations.” [GMU]
Maintenance Planned for Woodrow Wilson Bridge — “Heads up, drivers — expect some overnight delays on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge this week. The Virginia Department of Transportation says the bridge will have maintenance openings from 10 p.m. on Thursday (May 15) to 5 a.m. on Friday (May 16), weather permitting.” [ALXnow]
Chantilly Student Prepares for Spelling Bee — “Let’s be real — A lot of us have a hard time with spelling, but not Nikita Ramakrishnan. The eighth grader at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, Virginia is headed to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.” [NBC4]
Local Teacher Awarded Free Year of Donuts — “Dunkin’ presented Rodney Lopez, a Spanish teacher at Fairfax High School, with a year’s worth of free coffee on Thursday, in recognition of his excellence in teaching and unwavering commitment to student success.” Lopez was nominated to be the chain’s Teacher of the Year by Fairfax High School principal Dr. Georgina Aye. [Patch]
It’s Wednesday — The high will be near 75 degrees with a southeast wind at 5-7 mph and an 80% chance of precipitation. At night, anticipate showers and potentially thunderstorms especially before 11pm, though there’s a chance of rain until 2am. The low will be around 64 degrees. [NWS]
Fairfax County Public Schools staff will receive most, but not all, of their planned salary increases under a revised fiscal year 2026 budget proposal shared last week by Superintendent Michelle Reid.
However, in order to preserve as much of the promised raises as possible, some positions and services will be cut after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors declined to approve Reid’s full funding request.
Fines for Passing School Buses Begin — “As of Monday morning, drivers who pass a school bus that’s picking-up or dropping-off students in Fairfax County, Virginia will receive a $250 citation … The county said in a statement to WTOP that last week’s violations were still being processed, but preliminary data shows the program is averaging 76 warnings per day.” [WTOP]
Driver Still Hospitalized After Lorton Crash — A woman remains hospitalized in life-threatening condition in the wake of a two-vehicle crash that occurred at Telegraph Road and Newington Road on Saturday (May 10). The other driver wasn’t injured. Detectives are continuing to investigate, the Fairfax County Police Department says. [FCPD]
Car Fire in Lorton Under Investigation — “A driver was hospitalized after a car fire in Fairfax County Monday morning, and firefighters are still working to learn how it happened.” Crews that responded to the 9800 block of Old Colchester Road around 10:45 a.m “found a car ablaze, and a person outside the car was also on fire.” [WUSA9]
Report Forecasts Va. Economic Downturn — “One in seven jobs in Virginia is directly or indirectly linked to the federal government. Cuts to the federal workforce and government spending will mean a significant hit to Virginia’s economy this year, according a new economic forecast.” [WTOP]
New Seven Corners Fire Station Celebrated — “On Saturday, #FCFRD hosted a Grand Opening for our newest station – Fire Station 28, Fort Buffalo. The ceremony recognized all those whose hard work made the station a reality, highlighted the history and Civil War connection of FS28, and honored the vital work our firefighter do everyday to serve the FS28 community.” [FCFRD/Facebook]
Springfield School Educates Female Refugees — “Hundreds of Afghan and Ukrainian women and girls across the world are getting an education and are on the path to a better life thanks to the Eagle Online Academy. The Springfield-based school offers English language classes and skills training in such areas as cybersecurity, software development” and more. [Annandale Today]
Leadership Change at Fort Belvoir — “Fort Belvoir’s Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Hopkins passed the torch Friday to Atlanta native Brandon Creel during a change of responsibility ceremony at the garrison. The occasion was marked by the passing of the garrison colors.” [Inside NoVA]
It’s Tuesday — Rain is guaranteed with showers followed by possible thunderstorms after 5pm. The high will near 69, with new rainfall of three quarters to one inch. Showers and potential thunderstorms continue at night with a low around 63 and an additional half to three-quarters of an inch of rainfall expected. [NWS]
Though the sun was shining over Fairfax County this morning, the weather is expected to take a rainy turn soon.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for the D.C. region, warning of “excessive rainfall” that may lead to “scattered instances of flooding.”
