As Fairfax County officials work to fill an estimated $292.7 million budget shortfall in the next fiscal year, public safety services will bear a substantial brunt of potential cuts.
Of the $59.8 million in reductions proposed in the advertised budget, which was unveiled by County Executive Bryan Hill earlier this month, approximately $26.2 million will come from the police department, fire and rescue department, and sheriff’s office.
Everyone seems to agree that Oakton’s roadways are untenable for drivers as well as pedestrians and cyclists, especially in light of recent fatal crashes.
The dividing line between supporters and skeptics of a proposed overhaul of AT&T’s office campus and other mixed-use developments in the area has become whether they believe the impending projects will alleviate or exacerbate the current congested, hazardous status quo.
Virginia school boards may soon have more control over how cell phones and smart devices are governed in classrooms. Legislation granting local districts the authority to craft their own policies cleared the General Assembly on Friday and now heads to Gov. Glenn Youngkin for consideration.
House Bill 1961, introduced by Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, and its companion measure, Senate Bill 738 by Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax, comes amid growing concerns over the impact of smartphones on children’s health. While research has linked excessive phone use to adverse effects on students’ well-being, advocates also recognize the role devices play in providing educational resources and communication tools.
Mother Killed in Crash Honored with Vigil — Loved ones gathered on Richmond Highway near Buckman Road in Hybla Valley on Sunday (Feb. 23), almost a month after Erica Tibbs, 33, was killed in a hit-and-run crash. Fairfax County police still haven’t located the driver in the crash, which also injured Tibbs’s 5-year-old son. [NBC4]
DCA Now Closes Runways for Presidential Helicopter — “Airline passengers have experienced serious disruptions at Washington’s Reagan National Airport because of new rules that trigger runway closures when President Donald Trump flies to and from the White House aboard his helicopter, according to people aware of the restrictions, flight tracking data and federal records.” [Washington Post]
Late Singer Previously Lived in Fairfax County — “Sad to learn of the passing of Roberta Flack. Not only was she an amazing musician/singer, but for a time she lived in my neighborhood and the district I represent in the Virginia General Assembly. Everyone loved her! She will be missed but her music lives forever. May she rest in peace.” [Delegate Paul Krizek/Bluesky]
Pedestrian Injured in Fairfax City Hit-and-Run — “City of Fairfax Police are asking the public to help identify a vehicle and locate the driver who investigators said was involved in a hit-and-run involving a pedestrian on Sunday afternoon. Police released photos of the car that they say struck a pedestrian around 3 p.m. at 11130 Fairfax Blvd.” [Patch]
How Federal Worker Layoffs Might Affect N. Va. Housing — “We asked some of the region’s top real estate brokers and industry experts about current market conditions and whether plans to reshape the federal workforce could significantly impact the area. The consensus: Pent-up housing demands are so great that the market should be able to withstand these changes.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
New GDC Judge Elected — Trial attorney Raymond Obregon will be the newest judge in Fairfax’s General District Court. Obregon, who has practiced locally since 1999, was unanimously elected by Virginia’s General Assembly last week. He will join the bench on April 1. [Jared Serre]
Lincolnia Plumbing Supply Store Burglarized — “Detectives from our Criminal Investigations Division are seeking the community’s assistance in identifying two suspects who burglarized a plumbing supply store in Lincolnia. On February 16, at 5:43 a.m., officers responded to the 5600 block of General Washington Drive … for a commercial burglary.” [FCPD]
It’s Tuesday — Expect partly sunny skies with highs reaching 61 degrees and light, variable winds strengthening to a northwest 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. For Tuesday night, it will be mostly clear as temperatures drop to a low of 37 degrees and a northwest wind maintains a speed of around 6 mph. [NWS]
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin had a message this week for federal workers in Virginia affected by the Trump administration’s mass layoffs: there are job openings in the Commonwealth.
Speaking at Capital One headquarters in Tysons today (Monday), Youngkin announced the launch of VirginiaHasJobs.com, a new website aimed at connecting job seekers with employment opportunities across the state.
Virginia State Police are investigating a crash on Route 28 that killed a motorcyclist yesterday (Sunday).
According to police, the crash occurred around 12:36 p.m. yesterday on the entrance ramp from southbound Route 28 (Sully Road) to the I-66 West Express Lanes in Centreville.
One of the parking garages at the Huntington Metro Station is off limits for the foreseeable future.
Metro closed the station’s north garage (2701 Huntington Avenue) at 1 a.m. on Saturday (Feb. 22) for emergency structural repairs to address the fire suppression system and other rehabilitation work, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced last Friday (Feb. 21).
A number of factors reportedly brought Prince William County’s long-gestating plans for a Route 28 bypass to a halt, but top Fairfax County officials say they were surprised to find fingers pointed at them.
The Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted 5-3 on Feb. 4 to cancel the Route 28 Bypass Project, which aimed to relieve traffic congestion by extending Godwin Drive at Sudley Road in Manassas to Route 28 (Centreville Road) near Compton Road in Fairfax County’s Centreville area.
A last-minute compromise in Richmond has kept alive one of the Fairfax County government’s key transportation initiatives of 2025.
Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly approved language on Saturday (Feb. 22) allowing Fairfax and other Northern Virginia localities to host a pilot program focused on reducing vehicle-exhaust noise.
Members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors reacted favorably Tuesday (Feb. 18) to a request that pets be allowed in more Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority apartment properties.
“That review is underway,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said in response to comments by Gina Marie Lynch, the Mount Vernon representative to the Animal Services Advisory Commission.
