Fairfax County is proposing new zoning regulations for utility substations that could limit where they can be built and impose stricter standards on projects near residential neighborhoods.
The draft amendments, discussed at a Board of Supervisors Land Use Policy Committee meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 28), aim to address community concerns about the noise and industrial appearance of substations, while accommodating the region’s growing energy needs, zoning administrative staff said.
Fairfax City hopes to advance its master plan for the 36-acre Van Dyck Park under an updated capital improvement program (CIP) for fiscal years 2026 to 2030.
Laid out in a master plan approved back in 2018, the upgrades at Van Dyck Park (3720 Blenheim Blvd) are the most substantial investment proposed in the CIP, which is heading to the Fairfax City Council after getting the city planning commission’s recommendation on Monday (Jan. 27).
The future will bring new services and, potentially, a brand-new facility to Reston Hospital Center.
The hospital opened a new, 8-room unit for patients receiving cancer treatment on Dec. 20, 2024, completing the first phase of an expansion of its oncology program, HCA Virginia Health System announced last Thursday (Jan. 23).
It hasn’t taken long for Fairfax County’s own Pat Herrity to become the GOP’s top fundraiser in the lieutenant governor race.
The 64-year-old’s campaign announced more than $200,000 in total contributions within a week of its Jan. 3 launch, handily surpassing the $645.53 raised by Williamsburg businessman John Curran, who was the first Republican to declare his candidacy for Virginia’s second-highest statewide office.
When Vienna Town Manager Mercury Payton shares his proposed new budget in early March, it won’t include any meals tax increase.
The Vienna Town Council agreed on Monday (Jan. 27) to defer voting on a proposal to temporarily raise the tax on meals sold at restaurants from 3% to 4% in order to fund an aquatics and fitness center at the Annex, a 3-acre site at 301 Center Street South that was previously occupied by the Faith Baptist Church.
A Fort Belvoir woman who allegedly beat her son for not cleaning his bedroom pleaded guilty to assault charges on Monday (Jan. 27), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced yesterday.
According to court documents, China Ashley Charles, a 38-year-old woman who lived in military housing on the Army installation, called police on Oct. 8, 2024 to report that her son had run away after she “disciplined him for not cleaning” his bedroom.
Federal Workers Offered “Buyouts” — “The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is offering buyouts to all federal employees who opt to leave their jobs by next week — an unprecedented move to shrink the U.S. government at breakneck speed.” [Associated Press]
FCPS Teachers Fear Possible ICE Arrests of Students — “David Walrod, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, said educators are concerned about the ripple effects … He’s unaware of any Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents visiting Fairfax County schools in the last week, and anecdotally, he hasn’t heard about teachers reporting an unexpected number of absences since the policy switch was announced.” [WTOP]
Bill Would Update Commanders’ Name in Virginia Code — “Legislation to officially remove ‘Washington Redskins’ from the Code of Virginia and replace it with ‘Washington Commanders’ took a step forward Tuesday, advancing to the full House Transportation Committee … House Bill 2721, sponsored by Del. Adele McClure, D-Arlington, aims to update state law regarding special license plates for team supporters.” [Virginia Mercury]
Tysons Software Company Might Be Rebranding — Microstrategy, which has spent the past few years buying cryptocurrency, filed a plan with Fairfax County on Friday (Jan. 24) “to replace the exterior ‘MicroStrategy’ building sign at its 1850 Towers Crescent Plaza headquarters with a new sign that reads StrategyB — a clear reference to the business’s transformation into a bitcoin bank.” [Washington Business Journal]
Metro Launches Food Donation Drive — “Metro is inviting the public to participate in the ‘Fill-A-Bus’ campaign to drive out hunger and food insecurities in the region.” Aiming to collect enough food and raise enough money for the Capital Area Food Bank to provide about 41,000 meals, Metro will park a bus outside Giant Food stores across the region, including the one in Annandale (7137 Columbia Pike) on Feb. 13. [WMATA]
Fairfax City Hall Gets Landscaping Makeover — “Fairfax City is beginning the landscape and hardscape improvements to the front of the City Hall building, 10455 Armstrong Street, as of Jan. 27.” Expected to finish this summer, the project “includes expanding the landscaping area in front of the City Hall and replacing the stairs leading to Armstrong Street and upgrading lighting and irrigation.” [City of Fairfax]
Local Firefighters Donate Blood — “#FCFRD partnered with @IAFF2068 and Inova to host a blood drive for department members at Public Safety Headquarters. Thanks to everyone who gave their time and blood to help save lives right here in our community!” [FCFRD/Twitter]
Community Excited for New Mount Vernon Rec Center — “The Fairfax County Park Authority’s (FCPA) Jan. 23 community information meeting on the reopening of the Mount Vernon Rec Center was so popular that the parking lot quickly filled up at Belle View Elementary School … Overall, community members seem to be excited about the renovated $70 million facility.” [On the MoVe]
It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 56 degrees, accompanied by breezy conditions, including a west wind blowing at 13 to 23 mph and gusts reaching up to 44 mph. The night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 30 degrees, a northwest wind at 8 to 16 mph, and gusts peaking at 30 mph. [NWS]
Update: A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s order freezing federal grants and loans minutes before it was set to take effect at 5 p.m.
Earlier: Fairfax County officials are scrambling to assess how a new federal directive halting financial aid programs might impact local services and capital projects.
The push to allow a casino in Fairfax County has officially entered new territory.
After tabling similar legislation proposed by state Sen. Dave Marsden (D-35) last year, the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee voted 9-6 this morning (Tuesday) to report Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell’s (D-34) bill to add the county to Virginia’s list of eligible casino hosts to the full chamber.
A man traveled from Minnesota to Virginia this past weekend to engage in illicit sexual acts with a teenager, Fairfax County police say.
Officers were called to a house in the 2000 block of Blue Ridge Court near Herndon at 3:05 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25 after a resident reported finding his 15-year-old child with an adult man, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
