Countywide

Franconia Supervisor Announces Opposition to Casino — “During an open house in the Franconia District on Saturday, Supervisor Rodney Lusk (D-Franconia) told attendees he had contacted Speaker of the House Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) to express his opposition to the Tysons casino referendum bill currently making its way through the Virginia General Assembly.” [Patch]

Delegate Sues Over Sexual Assault Allegations — “Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, is hitting back. Months after facing sexual assault allegations that surfaced just days before his congressional primary, Helmer has filed a $15 million defamation lawsuit, claiming the accusations were politically motivated and knowingly false.” [Virginia Mercury]

Elected Officials Address Federal Government Concerns — “Several public officeholders hailing from or representing the Mount Vernon area devoted their presentations at the 38th Annual Mount Vernon Town Meeting to defending constituent groups that have been impacted by current White House policies, and pledged support to protect the affected groups.” [On the MoVe]

Tysons Consultant Pulls Out of Pride Event — “Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH) has withdrawn as a sponsor for WorldPride 2025, to be held this spring in D.C. for the first time.” The company said it dropped out of the LGBTQ Pride celebration in response to the Trump administration’s recent executive order threatening to withhold contracts from firms that promote diversity. [Washington Business Journal]

UVA Begins Classes at Merrifield Campus — “Workers are making some final tweaks, but classes have begun at the Fairfax campus of the University of Virginia. The new campus covers two floors in the Inova Center for Personalized Health complex … The campus will hold its grand opening on February 28.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Future of Helicopter Flights at DCA Still Unclear — “As safety restrictions tighten around Reagan National Airport, Arlington’s congressman is pushing to ensure this doesn’t mean more aircraft noise over residential areas … The FAA has stopped almost all helicopter traffic over the Potomac River near DCA, pending the results of an investigation into the crash that killed 67 people.” [ARLnow]

Falls Church Theater Group to Open New Venue — “Creative Cauldron has announced that it will officially open the doors to a brand-new theater in the Broad and Washington Development on February 13, 2025. A ribbon cutting and reception will take place Thursday February 13 at 1:00 p.m. at the new theater [at] 127 East Broad Street.” [Tysons Today]

McLean Community Center Seeks Board Members — “The McLean Community Center is looking for district residents to serve on its Governing Board.” Three adult seats and two youth seats will be open in this year’s election, which will start absentee voting on April 2 and conclude after McLean Day in mid-May. [MCC]

It’s Tuesday — Snow is expected, mainly after 1pm, with a high near 34. Precipitation chances are at 90% with a potential 1-3 inches of new snow. At night, the low will be around 31, and there’s a 100% chance of precipitation with an additional 2-4 inches of snow accumulation possible. [NWS]

Family Mourns Hit-and-Run Victim — “Erica Tibbs; her partner, Christian Saidi; and their son, Hezekiah, had just stepped off a bus after dinner at McDonald’s Jan. 29” when an SUV driver struck the woman and boy on Richmond Highway. Tibbs, who died at the hospital, “was loved, valued and respected in the community,” according to her aunt. [NBC4]

Advocates Propose W&OD Trail Rail Line — A new coalition of businesses, nonprofits and transit supporters called NOVA-TRAC is advocating for a commuter rail line alongside the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. “By building a consensus town by town, we hope to gain momentum to get an official feasibility study commissioned by Loudoun and Fairfax counties in partnership with state and regional agencies.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Governor Candidates React to Federal Worker Cuts — “The Trump administration’s aggressive push to cut government jobs is reverberating in the early stages of this year’s race for governor in Virginia.” Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the top Republican contender, said she “backed Trump’s effort to take inventory of federal spending,” while former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger said the gutting “will cause damage across the state.” [Associated Press]

Annandale Student Leads Anti-Trump Protest — “Hundreds of people chanted ‘stop the coup’ along with other sentiments, at a rally organized by a motivated student from Annandale. Those in attendance at the Virginia Capitol on Feb. 5 protested President Donald Trump’s recent flurry of executive orders, as well as Elon Musk’s unprecedented access to federal government systems.” [VCU Capital News Service/Annandale Today]

Whole Foods Opens in Falls Church — “Over 100 shoppers flocked to 103 E. Broad Street this morning (Friday) to see the new 45,000-square-foot grocery store … The new store replaces a previous Whole Foods at the Idylwood Plaza, which closed permanently Monday, Feb. 3.” [ARLnow]

Insurance Company Leases Reston Station Office — Comstock Holding Companies announced on Friday (Feb. 7) that FM Global, a commercial property insurance and loss prevention company, has signed a lease for 32,000 square feet at 1906 Reston Metro Plaza. The company serves “businesses in over 130 countries that span across a variety of industries.” [BusinessWire]

County Sells $400M in Bonds — “Fairfax County successfully held a $400 million general obligation bond sale on Jan. 22, securing a competitive interest rate of 3.57%.” The money will fund schools, public safety, parks, transportation, library and human services capital projects. [Fairfax County Government]

Park Authority Hiring for New Mount Vernon Rec Center — “The Fairfax County Park Authority is excited to announce open hire events for the newly renovated Mount Vernon Rec Center, which is reopening in May 2025 and looking to fill over 290 part-time positions across multiple departments.” [FCPA]

It’s Monday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 44, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 5 to 7 mph. As night falls, the sky will become mostly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to around 30 and a calm wind. [NWS]

Fewer Flights Will Be Allowed at National Airport — “The Federal Aviation Administration plans to announce it is reducing flight arrivals at Washington Reagan National Airport to address safety concerns, after a deadly collision between a helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet killed 67 people, according to an email seen by Reuters.” [Reuters]

Man Injured in Richmond Highway Crash — Officers responded last night (Thursday) to “a two-vehicle crash at Route 1 and Dawn Dr. in Groveton. One of the drivers, an adult male, was taken to the hospital in life-threatening condition.” The crash closed northbound Route 1 between Beddoo Street and Fairview Drive. [FCPD]

Judge Halts Deadline for Federal Worker Resignations — “A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s ‘deferred resignation’ program, which is part of a sweeping effort to eliminate government jobs … The ruling came hours before the midnight deadline for workers to apply for the deferred resignation program, which the administration promoted as a buyout.” [NBC4]

Three-Alarm Fire at Lorton Warehouse — “Fire crews in Fairfax County [were] working to extinguish a large commercial fire in Lorton early Thursday morning. The fire was first reported just after 5 a.m. in the 8100 block of Terminal Road, near the Sharpshooters Indoor Range and Pro Shop.” [WUSA9]

Gas Station Makeover Gets Support — “The owner of a Shell gas station and auto repair shop on the corner of Backlick Road and Industrial Road in the Springfield area of Mason District is planning to replace them with a new gas station and convenience store. The Fairfax County Planning Commission endorsed the project on Feb. 5.” [Annandale Today]

Tysons Company Renamed to Reflect Bitcoin Focus — “MicroStrategy, one of Northern Virginia’s oldest technology companies, has a new corporate name that it said reflects its new focus on Bitcoin. Tysons-based MicroStrategy is now Strategy. Its new logo follows the name with a stylized Bitcoin ‘B.'” [WTOP]

Popeyes Reopens in Hybla Valley — “The Popeyes restaurant at Mount Vernon Crossroads shopping plaza officially reopened Feb. 5. The New Orleans-style chicken restaurant, located at 7832 Richmond Highway, had been closed since Nov. 23 due to a kitchen fire.” The Cut Butchery and F45 Training will also open in the corridor in the coming weeks. [On the MoVe]

High School Athlete Recruitment Bill Stalls — “Legislation aimed at cracking down on high school athletic recruitment tactics — specifically barring officials from using the ‘homeless’ designation to lure student athletes — hit a roadblock Tuesday, failing to advance at the session’s midpoint. Despite the setback, the fight isn’t over, according to Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, who sponsored House Bill 1656.” [Virginia Mercury]

It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high of 47 degrees, accompanied by northwest winds between 8 to 11 mph and gusts reaching up to 20 mph. On Friday night, the sky will turn mostly cloudy with temperatures dropping to around 31 degrees. The north wind will blow at 5 to 7 mph, eventually calming as the evening progresses. [NWS]