When it comes to preserving economic development gains in challenging times, localities need to have strategies to play offense and defense, and Fairfax County has room for improvement in both cases, a consultant told the Board of Supervisors earlier this week.
Economic success is “not something to take for granted,” Camoin Associates CEO Rachel Selsky said at an economic initiatives committee meeting on Tuesday (March 25).
Local high school girls’ basketball teams recently wrapped up their winter season with a pair of all-star games as part of the recent 20th annual Northern Virginia Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (NVWBCA) Suburban Classic.
The contests, preceded by a three-point shootout, consisted of seniors from high schools throughout the area. The afternoon classic on Sunday, March 16 was held in front of a sizable crowd at Oakton High School.
Partial Solar Eclipse May Be Visible — NASA says a rare partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of North America early tomorrow (Saturday) morning. “The eclipse will be visible from the Washington, D.C., area up to Maine and parts of Canada and across the Atlantic Ocean to portions of Africa and Europe, according to a map from NASA.” [NPR]
New Details on Potential Federal Worker Cuts — “Federal officials are preparing for agencies to cut between 8 and 50 percent of their employees as part of a Trump administration push to shrink the federal government, according to an internal White House document.” Sources said “planning remains fluid,” but the draft included reductions at the IRS, Interior Department and more. [Washington Post]
Alleged East Coast Gang Leader Arrested — “The alleged leader of the violent MS-13 street gang on the East Coast has been arrested in Virginia, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday.” The 24-year-old man from El Salvador was taken into custody in Manassas on an outstanding ICE warrant and charged with illegal gun possession. [Associated Press]
Va. Could Limit Speeds of Reckless Drivers — “Virginia is poised to become the first state to implement a high-tech speed-limiting device in the vehicles of convicted reckless drivers. HB2096, which Gov. Glenn Youngkin returned to the House with an amendment, would establish the Intelligent Speed Assistance Program.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Local Students Head to International Art Contest — The U.S. will be represented in this year’s International Aviation Art Competition in Switzerland by three Fairfax County students: Andrew Yang of Great Falls, Aspen Xing of Vienna and Lalitha Kuchipudi of Chantilly. They were chosen from 140 participants in the national contest, which followed a state competition also dominated by local residents. [Virginia Department of Aviation]
Student Concerned by Potential Loss of After-School Activities — “Poe Middle School student Diego Egas said he takes part in the after-school program from Monday through Friday.” With Fairfax County proposing to eliminate funding for the middle school program in its budget, Diego shared his concerns at a virtual town hall hosted on Wednesday (March 26) for the Mason District. [WJLA]
Vienna Library Gets Farewell Celebration — “Patrick Henry Library will hold a community farewell event Saturday ahead of construction. The library, which has been around for 54 years, is expected to close in late spring or early summer for the renovation and expansion project.” [Patch]
Monthly Asian Market Returns to Annandale — “The monthly Asiantique night markets are coming back to Annandale. The first one this season will be Sunday, March 30, 5-9 p.m., in the parking lot behind the Elmer Timberman Masonic Lodge at 6911 Columbia Pike. There will be about 25 food vendors offering mostly Thai specialties plus two craft vendors.” [Annandale Today]
It’s Friday — Showers are possible after 2pm, with partly sunny skies and a high near 68. There’s a 30% chance of precipitation. At night, there’s still a 30% chance of showers before 8pm, followed by partly cloudy conditions and a low around 59. [NWS]
The Fairfax County Police Department has wrapped up the first “wave” of its now-annual campaign cracking down on traffic violations.
Launched on March 17 in partnership with the Virginia State Police (VSP), the 2025 Road Shark campaign aims to deter aggressive driving and reduce crashes by boosting enforcement in areas known to be problematic and promoting traffic safety through social media, educational events and community outreach.
Fairfax County officials are likely headed back to the drawing board after a veto of a bill that would have let Northern Virginia localities host a pilot program to reduce vehicle exhaust noise.
H.B. 2550, which was introduced in the Virginia General Assembly by local Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6), was one of 157 bills vetoed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday (March 24).
Fairfax County officials plan to put additional millions in fiscal reserves as they brace for the economic fallout from Trump administration policies to take hold.
County staff are recommending that the Board of Supervisors allocate $2.4 million more for reserves, with an additional $8.1 million available that also could be sent there or used to address other priorities.
For the immediate future at least, further expansion of rail lines across the D.C. region is likely to take a back seat to more modest upgrades to transit service moving forward.
That seemed to be a consensus, albeit not a unanimous one, as members of the regional DMV Moves task force met Monday (March 24) to narrow options for improving the area’s transit — and paying for a Metro system that’s now estimated to cost between $450 million and $600 million more per year.
Federal Grant Funds Pulled From Covid Programs — “The federal government is withdrawing up to $425 million in grant funding for several COVID-related programs operated by the Virginia Department of Health. The cuts have already led to ongoing layoffs and the early cancellation of existing contracts across the state.” [Virginia Public Media]
Families of DCA Crash Victims Plan to Sue — “An attorney now representing more than a half dozen families of victims of the Flight 5342 tragedy says his firm is ready to file suit against the federal government the moment a six-month review period is up.” The lawsuits from seven families will target the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Army. [WUSA9]
Bill Protecting Reproductive Health Data Signed — “Public concerns about menstrual health data privacy have flared in Virginia since the overturn of federal abortion protections and changes to state laws relating to the procedure. Gov. Glenn Youngkin has helped put some of those fears at bay by signing Senate Bill 754 by Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Fairfax.” [Virginia Mercury]
Gubernatorial Candidates on Federal Job Cuts — “In what could be a preview of public debates on the campaign trail in Virginia’s race for the governorship this year, the leading candidates from both parties spoke with WTOP about the sweeping federal job cuts being carried out by President Donald Trump’s administration — and how they might affect Virginia.” [WTOP]
Lane Closures on Route 28 Start Next Week — “Weather permitting, Route 28 (Centreville Road) will have daytime single-lane closures at the Fairfax County/Prince William County line Mondays through Thursdays from Monday, March 31 through Thursday, April 24 for repairs to the bridge over Bull Run.” [VDOT]
Indian Restaurant Chain Eyes Fairfax Location — “An Indian restaurant chain called Hyderabad House is planning its first Northern Virginia location in Fairfax County. Hyderabad House will be taking over the space vacated by the Pho Golden Express restaurant … in the Fairfax Court shopping center off Fairfax Boulevard and Waples Mill Road.” [The Burn]
Vienna Seeks Feedback on Parks Plan — “Heads up! The Town wants to hear your thoughts about the future of Vienna Parks and Recreation! Head to the community meeting [today], March 27, at 6 p.m. at Vienna Community Center and don’t forget to take the online survey.” The draft parks master plan can be found on the town’s website. [Town of Vienna/Facebook]
Reminder Not to Interfere With Wildlife — “Every spring, Fairfax County’s animal protection police and wildlife management office get lots of calls about young wildlife that appear to be orphaned or abandoned. In most cases, these baby animals are not in danger and people should leave them alone.” [Annandale Today]
It’s Thursday — The weather will be mostly sunny with temperatures reaching near 60 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 6 to 9 mph and gusts reaching up to 18 mph. In the evening, expect partly cloudy skies with lows around 44 degrees and southwest winds at approximately 6 mph. [NWS]
Federal Layoffs May Be Affecting Home Sales — Turmoil in the federal workforce may have impacted last month’s home sales across Virginia, which were down 9% year-over-year to 6,129. “February’s slowdown in sales could be an early signal that there is some hesitancy in some of our regional markets due to growing concerns around federal employment,” Virginia Realtors chief economist Ryan Price said. [Virginia Realtors]
Drivers in Viral Tysons Street Race Found Guilty — “The drivers involved in a viral street race video in Fairfax County were convicted Monday of multiple charges. A traffic divisions court judge found [a 48-year-old man from Vienna and a 38-year-old man from Sterling] guilty of reckless driving and stopping on a highway.” [WUSA9]
Recreational Weed Sales Bill Vetoed — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin has again vetoed legislation that would have allowed people to buy cannabis in Virginia for recreational use. The General Assembly passed bills from Del. Paul Krizek (D–Fairfax) and state Sen. Aaron Rouse (D–Virginia Beach) … aimed to establish a regulated and taxed recreational cannabis marketplace with retail sales starting in May 2026.” [Virginia Public Media]
Fentanyl Testing Bill Named After Local Teen to Become Law — “After Absolon and Thurraya Kent of Annandale lost their 17-year-old son, Malcolm, to a drug overdose two years ago, they discovered he could have been saved if the hospital had tested him for fentanyl poisoning.” Del. Irene Shin’s bill, signed on March 21 by Youngkin, will require emergency rooms to test for fentanyl as part of urine screenings. [Annandale Today]
Falls Church Considers Tree Planting Requirements — “Falls Church officials are considering requiring future commercial developers to meet minimum tree-planting requirements. The number of projects that any change could impact might be small, however.” [ARLnow]
Herndon Names New Communications Head — “The Town of Herndon has named Brent M. Heavner as chief communications officer. Heavner replaces Anne Papa, who is retiring from the town after more than 19 years of dedicated service.” Most recently a communications lead for the U.S. Education Department, Heavner will officially join the town on April 14. [Town of Herndon]
Historic GMU Basketball Seasons Conclude — George Mason University’s female basketball team saw its first-ever March Madness experience come to a quick end on Saturday (March 22) with a 94-59 loss to Florida State. After a record 15 A-10 wins, the men’s team beat the Sanford Bulldogs last week in the National Invitational Tournament but lost to Bradley 75-67 in the second round. [GMU]
Fire Department Hands Out Smoke Alarms — “Over the weekend, #FCFRD joined multiple county partners to install 160 smoke alarms and increase the safety of 193 residents at Penn Daw Terrace … This collaborative effort improved fire safety and strengthened community resilience, ensuring residents are better protected and informed with various prevention, safety, and resource information.” [FCFRD/Facebook]
It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high temperature of around 56 degrees. The day will be breezy as a northwest wind increases to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon, with gusts reaching up to 36 mph. The night will be mostly clear with a low of approximately 35 degrees. [NWS]
Key Republican leaders have Fairfax County in their sights over a proposal that would introduce instruction on gender identity at an elementary school level.
Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and a close ally of Donald Trump, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) shared a video of a parent who said they didn’t want to send their child to Fairfax County Public Schools as a result of the possible change.
