Fairfax County’s plastic bag tax has pulled in more than $6 million in revenue and taken an estimated 3 million plastic bags out of circulation nearly two years after it was enacted, county officials say.
“There are 3 million fewer plastic bags in circulation in Fairfax County since the bag tax was enacted, which 100% shows the intention is working,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said during an environmental committee meeting last Tuesday (Dec. 10).
A number of regional leaders are pushing back on the incoming Trump administration’s goal of having federal workers quickly return to offices five days a week.
Despite concerns about the impact of work-from-home patterns on local transit and the commercial office sector, requiring federal workers to be back in the office full-time brought concerns from speakers at a recent Dulles Area Transportation Association (DATA) forum.
Two Injured in Two-Alarm Apartment Fire — A two-alarm fire at a “garden-style” apartment building in the 4200 block of Buckman Road in Woodlawn yesterday (Sunday) led to a civilian and a firefighter being taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. “Units arrived to fire showing from the lower level of the 3-story building. Firefighters rescued multiple people.” [FCFRD/Facebook]
Oakton Condo Residents Report Drone Sightings — “Groups of drones seen flying around the suburbs of Washington, D.C., in recent days are leaving many people perplexed and wondering what — if anything — they should do. Residents of the Hawthorne Village Condominiums in Fairfax, Virginia, say drones began flying nearby about 8 p.m. and stuck around for a few hours.” [NBC4]
Reston Office Buildings Get New Owner — “Bernstein Management Corp. purchased Reston Crossing, a 334K SF property next to the Dulles Toll Road, for an undisclosed price, it announced this week. The two-property complex is 54% leased, it said.” Seller “Tishman Speyer had been planning to redevelop the 14-acre site next to the Silver Line since January 2018.” [Bisnow]
Gun Confiscated at Dulles Airport — “Authorities at Washington Dulles International Airport intercepted the 26th firearm of the year, breaking the record for most guns TSA has detected in a single year, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The previous record of 25 was set in 2022.” [Patch]
Korean BBQ Restaurant Opens in Fairfax City — “Chosun Hwaro, a Korean barbecue restaurant that first opened in Ellicott City, Maryland, is coming to Fairfax City. The restaurant began its soft opening … December 12. The new location is at 10790 Fairgrounds Dr. in the new Boulevard VI development.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Falls Church Movie Theater Anticipates Spring Launch — “The seven-screen Paragon Theaters will be located at 112 Founders Row in a mixed-use building with multifamily housing, restaurants, and underground parking. Jared Comess, a vice president at Paragon Entertainment Holdings LLC, anticipates it will open the first week of May with several special events.” [Annandale Today]
New Cafe Serves Tea and Pastries in Falls Church — “A cozy cafe serving Japanese matcha and French pastries opened its doors last month in Falls Church. Offerings at Midori Tea House include sparkling fruit drinks, hot tea, petite desserts — and of course, the cafe’s specialty, matcha.” [ARLnow]
It’s Monday — The day will be cloudy with a high near 50 and a 40% chance of rain, along with possible patchy fog before 10am. Cloudy conditions continue in the evening with a low around 48, and south wind at 7-13 mph. The chances of precipitation are 40% in the day and 60% at night. [NWS]
Fairfax County elected officials intend to take the same position on a proposed Tysons casino in 2025 that they held during the 2024 legislative session.
While some individual members have expressed explicit opposition to the possibility, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors as a whole has hedged its bets: it has concerns but isn’t averse to getting the power from Richmond to conduct a referendum on the matter.
As Fairfax County Public Schools considers revising its cell phone storage policy, students are calling for a more consistent approach across classrooms, citing concerns about uneven enforcement.
The school system is currently testing a phone-free pilot program at select middle and high schools to evaluate the impact of stricter limits on student cell phone use. Once the pilot concludes, the school board plans to use the collected data to develop an updated policy aligned with new Virginia Department of Education guidelines, which must be adopted by school boards statewide by Jan. 1, 2025.
Reston Native Engaged to Selena Gomez — “While Gomez, a global superstar, and [Benny] Blanco, a chart-topping producer, have captured worldwide attention, it’s Blanco’s Northern Virginia roots that make this romance even more special for NoVA fans.” Born in Reston, Blanco attended Langston Hughes Middle School and South Lakes High School. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Fairfax City Police Chief to Retire — “Erin Schaible announced on Thursday that she was retiring as the chief of police for the City of Fairfax Police Department. Schaible was hired as Fairfax City’s first female chief in January 2019.” The news came after the Fairfax City Council voted to terminate City Manager Laszlo Palko on Tuesday (Dec. 10), but a police spokesperson says the timing is coincidental. [Patch]
Boundary Adjustment Considered for Lincolnia School — “The Parklawn Elementary School community came together Dec. 11 to hear Fairfax County Public School’s plans for a boundary study to relieve overcrowding … The Parklawn boundary study is separate from the ongoing FCPS district-wide boundary study, which is looking at all county schools.” [Annandale Today]
Park Authority Releases Call for Farmers’ Market Vendors — “Calling all local farmers and food producers! Applications are now open for food producers to participate in the wildly popular Fairfax County Park Authority Farmers Markets in 2025. If you’re passionate about what you grow or make, this is your chance to share it with the community!” [FCPA]
Police Station Hosts Winter Clothing Donation Drive — “The Fair Oaks District Station is hosting a Winter Coat, Hat, and Glove Drive to support local children in need this winter season. [The] drive ends: Saturday, Jan. 4. Your donations will make a huge difference by keeping kids in our community warm throughout the colder months.” [Fairfax County Government/Twitter]
Pricey McLean Mansions Land Buyers — A 16,000-square-foot home at 1113 Langley Lane with “an indoor sports court that doubles as an entertainment pavilion” has a buyer who’s expected to pay over $11 million. Another mansion in the Langley Farms neighborhood — a 14,000-square-foot house at 1150 Chain Bridge Road with a sauna, tea house and outdoor koi pond — is also now under contract after being listed for over $22 million. [Washington Business Journal]
Where to See Christmas Lights in N. Va. — “Looking for the best and brightest neighborhood Christmas lights? Check out our annual list of some of Northern Virginia’s most popular neighborhood holiday light displays, plus a few professional twinkling winter wonderlands.” [Inside NoVA]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies during the day with a high temperature close to 41°F and a gentle breeze from the northeast. Heading into Friday night, the skies will turn mostly cloudy with temperatures dipping to about 28°F, accompanied by a 6 mph northeast wind. [NWS]
By the Fairfax County government’s math, local residents are being shortchanged nearly $570 million annually in education funding by the state government.
Facing a $292.7 million gap between expected revenues and expenses projected for the coming fiscal year, county leaders would like their state lawmakers to leave from Richmond next year with some of that funding in hand.
Fairfax County officials are moving forward with plans to overhaul how trash and recycling are handled, aiming to have a centralized collection system by 2030.
The Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) has proposed a “Unified Sanitation District” model to replace the current system, where most residents hire private haulers. Instead, the county would grant exclusive contracts to private companies to manage waste collection in specific geographic areas.
How N. Va. Has Changed Over Six Decades — “Any time a group of Northern Virginians get together, there’s a good chance the conversation will turn to how much the area has changed since they’ve been living here … A look back at the last 60-plus years shows the remarkable speed of the region’s transformation.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Falls Church Senior Living Complex Begins Construction — “A forthcoming senior living development with 215 apartments has broken ground in Falls Church. The Reserve — part of the expansive West Falls development project — will offer both independent living and assisted living, as well as memory care, through operator Experience Senior Living.” [ARLnow]
Metro to Reintroduce Automated Trains — “For the first time in 15 years, a computer instead of a human will be the primary controller of riders’ Metro trains. The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) — which oversees and enforces safety practices on the D.C. area’s Metrorail system — gave Metro the final approval to switch to an automatic train operation (ATO) system at a meeting Tuesday.” [NBC4]
Hot Chicken Restaurant Nears Grand Opening — The Red Bird will celebrate the grand opening of its Bailey’s Crossroads location this Saturday (Dec 14) from noon to 4 p.m. “We will have the music bumping with a Live DJ and food flowing! Get your free sandwich or bowl ticket by following this post and tagging one friend and then check your DM! Free hats, shirts and merch until out!” [The Red Bird/Instagram]
Wiehle Avenue Pedestrian Bridge Celebrated — Officials and community members gathered yesterday (Wednesday) for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail pedestrian bridge over Wiehle Avenue in Reston. Remaining construction on Wiehle is expected to wrap up next spring. [FCDOT]
Fairfax City Awards Grants to Nonprofits — “The City of Fairfax has awarded grants totaling $217,827 to eight nonprofit human services organizations through the city’s new nonprofit grant program.” The city allocated $300,000 in its budget to create the program, which offered mini-grants of up to $10,000 and standard grants of up to $50,000. [City of Fairfax]
D.C. Region’s Most Expensive Zip Codes Ranked — The ZIP code 21056 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, is the most expensive in the D.C. region with a median home selling price near $3.4 million, according to an annual list from RealtyHop. Coming in second and third are 22066 (Great Falls) with a median sales price of $2.4 million and 22101 (McLean) with a median price of $2.2 million. [WTOP]
Artists Invited to Display Work in Annandale Businesses — “Local artists are invited to participate in the second round of Art in Daily Spaces, a project that transforms Annandale businesses into temporary art galleries. Art in Daily Spaces is organized by Community Art For Everyone (CAFE) with support from ArtsFairfax. Fifteen artists will be selected to display their works.” [Annandale Today]
It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 41 degrees, accompanied by a southwest wind blowing at 10-14 mph and gusts reaching up to 22 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear with a low of 26 degrees. The northwest wind at 6 mph will become calm during the evening. [NWS]
Decision day is drawing closer, but Fairfax County leaders aren’t yet committing one way or another on whether to implement a meals tax as part of their upcoming budget deliberations.
Even if one is imposed, it won’t be the cure-all to the county government’s funding challenges, with a $292.7 million gap between anticipated revenues and expenses that must be filled in the coming year, one top official says.
