When Peter F. Murphy joined the Fairfax County Planning Commission, Ronald Reagan was in the White House, Marie Travesky was Springfield District supervisor and the county was home to about 640,000 people — half a million fewer than today.
The year was 1982, and when Murphy was appointed as the commission’s Springfield District representative that December, few might have anticipated the changes he would witness and, in many cases, help shape across Fairfax over the course of two generations.
Poplar Heights is officially getting a new water storage tank with a capacity of 1.25 million gallons, despite continued objections from many residents of the single-family Idylwood neighborhood.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday (Oct. 22) — with Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn absent — to approve Fairfax Water’s request for a special exception allowing the facility to replace an existing standpipe tank at 7407 Tower Street that can hold 700,000 gallons of water.
Fairfax County may need to invoke eminent domain to secure more than a dozen properties along Richmond Highway for its new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.
Earlier this week, the Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to move ahead with acquiring land rights to 13 commercial and residential properties — including a Wells Fargo bank, a pet hospital, and a hotel — by early December for the new bus route, known as “The One,” regardless of whether settlement agreements are in place.
Officials Celebrate Woodson HS Renaming — “Wednesday’s rededication, school officials said, served as a reminder of the previous namesake’s troubling past and an opportunity to acknowledge it and move forward.” The Fairfax County School Board voted last Nov. 9 to name the Fairfax school after historian Carter G. Woodson instead of former superintendent W.T. Woodson. [WTOP]
NASA Robot Added to Smithsonian Museum — “NASA’s retired space shuttle Discovery has been reunited with one of its last crew members. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum debuted Robonaut-2 (R2), NASA’s first dexterous humanoid robot flown into space, on Thursday (Oct. 24)… R2 is now on exhibit at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center” in Chantilly. [Collect Space]
Vienna Halloween Paradegoers Share Election Thoughts — “Wednesday night WUSA9 went to the annual Vienna Halloween parade to find a cross section of voters. As the local clubs and civic groups paraded down Maple Avenue, we found families parading around in costumes. We also found some strong political opinions.” [WUSA9]
Tennis Court Renovation Complete — “The newly renovated tennis courts at Woodley Hills Park in Mount Vernon are ‘open and ready for business,’ in the words of the Fairfax County Park Authority. The repair work to the two courts, which began this past summer, wrapped up in mid-October, according to Park Authority spokesperson Ben Boxer.” [On the MoVe]
Annandale Dunkin’ Offers Free Donuts — “The new Dunkin’ in Annandale is celebrating its Grand Opening on Saturday, Oct. 26, by offering a free donut with a beverage purchase. The shop, at 8205 Columbia Pike, is along the route of the Annandale Parade, which starts Saturday at 10 a.m.” [Annandale Today]
Pumpkin Display to Light Up Local Business — Set to return to Franconia this November, Nalls Produce & Garden Center’s annual Pumpkin IllumiNIGHT “invites pumpkin lovers and families to help light up Beulah Street following Halloween by adding their own carved pumpkins to its jack-o-lantern display. The drive-by display is expected to feature over 100 pumpkins.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Woodlawn Park Welcomes New Playground — “Join the Fairfax County Park Authority and Supervisor Rodney Lusk for an afternoon of free outdoor fun on Monday, Nov. 4, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Muddy Hole Farm Park located at 7941 Kidd St.” Activities will include the mobile Wonder Wagon and a ribbon-cutting ceremony “for the new playground at the park.” [FCPA]
It’s Friday — Expect sunshine and a high temperature around 68 degrees alongside light and variable winds turning southwest at around 6 mph in the afternoon. Friday night will be partly cloudy, with lows near 54 degrees. South winds at 5 to 7 mph will shift to the west after midnight. [NWS]
Democratic candidates maintain cash-on-hand advantages in two of three significant Northern Virginia races for the U.S. House of Representatives.
With Election Day looming on Nov. 5, the financial margin is closest in the 10th District, where Democrat and current state Sen. Suhas Subramanyam held a robust but not overwhelming cash-on-hand lead at the start of October over Republican Mike Clancy, a lawyer, according to the latest figures from the Federal Election Commission as reported by the Virginia Public Access Project.
Those parking in certain residential lots across Fairfax County with expired registration decals or inspection stickers now have a grace period before facing the possibility of a tow.
Fairfax County supervisors moved on Tuesday (Oct. 22) to bring the county code into compliance with a new state law that requires towing operators to give vehicle owners written notice before any towing action. The vote by supervisors was unanimous and came after a public hearing that didn’t draw any community or board comment.
Building Burning for Firefighter Training — “On Thursday, 10/24, 8:30am-1:00pm, #FCFRD will be conducting live burn training at an acquired structure in the 3000 blk of Popkins Ln in the [Groveton area] of @fairfaxcounty. Expect to see smoke and FCFRD apparatus and personnel in the area.” [FCFRD/Twitter]
Judge to Hear Lawsuit over Virginia Voter Removals — “More than 1,600 Virginians have had their voter registrations canceled since August under a state program that the Justice Department and advocacy groups contend is illegal.” The Justice Department will make its case for blocking Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s effort to drop people flagged as “noncitizens” from voter rolls at a hearing today (Thursday). [Associated Press]
Metro to Open Early for Marathon — All Metro stations will open two hours early at 5 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27 for the 2024 Marine Corps Marathon, which will start and end near Arlington National Cemetery. “All lines will operate frequent all-day service and fares are up to $2.50 flat rate for any one-way trip.” [WMATA]
Huntington Club Development May Restart — After stalling due to financing challenges, developer IDI Group says there’s a “strong possibility” it can resume work on plans for a mixed-use community in 2025, thanks to falling interest rates. Fairfax County officials have discussed making the Huntington area eligible for economic incentives to encourage revitalization. [Washington Business Journal]
Fairfax Veterinary Clinic Nears Grand Opening — “Bond Vet, the new veterinarian clinic in the Scout on the Circle development in Fairfax City, is celebrating its grand opening with a Halloween-themed open house event. The Fairfax City community is invited to join the celebration from 12 to 2 p.m. on Saturday.” [Patch]
Turkish Dessert Shop Coming to Annandale — “Pasha Castle, a dessert, ice cream, and tea shop in Georgetown, is opening a second location in Annandale. The café will open in a building being renovated at 7228 Columbia Pike.” [Annandale Today]
GMU Students Research Language Barriers at Courthouse — “Members of a team of 15 volunteer students from the Jurisprudence Learning Community (JPLC) … are spending time in the hallways and offices of the busy [Fairfax County] court complex conducting a survey project aimed at helping the court understand the accessibility needs of court users.” [GMU]
McLean Library to Host Local Author Talk — Writer Mark Aldrich, who has also acted on Broadway and TV, will visit Dolley Madison Library at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26 to discuss his fantasy book series “The Peripherals.” Advance registration is required for the event, which still had seats available, as of press time. [Fairfax County Public Library]
It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 65 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 14 to 16 mph and gusts reaching up to 25 mph. As for Thursday night, it will be clear with a low temperature around 43 degrees, and a northwest wind at 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]
The D.C. area is facing an increased risk of fires tonight into tomorrow (Thursday) morning, the National Weather Service says.
The NWS has issued a reminder that there’s an “elevated fire danger” until 4 a.m. for Northern and Central Virginia, eastern West Virginia, D.C. and Maryland due to “persistent dry conditions” and “increasing winds,” followed by a cold front tomorrow.
A man who shot at police officers during a chase that came to an end in Fairfax County has pleaded guilty to three charges.
Ricardo Singleton, 30, pleaded guilty on Oct. 16 to three counts of assault on law enforcement in Fairfax County Circuit Court.
A new online tool will give people in Fairfax County a quick way to identify and report illegally parked commercial vehicles.
The county launched the “Parking Violation Public Report” tool yesterday (Tuesday), Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck announced during the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting.
