Rep. Don Beyer speaks to crowd under new Fort Belvoir wildlife crossing (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Beneath a bustling stretch of Fairfax County Parkway lies a little-known wildlife crossing that might hold the key to reducing animal-vehicle collisions in Virginia.
Last Wednesday (Oct. 30), Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and State Sen. David Marsden (D-35) toured the underpass nestled between Davison Army Airfield and Fort Belvoir. Constructed in the 1990s and still one of the state’s few such installations, the 192-foot-long, 20-foot-high structure facilitates safe migration for species from deer and bears to snakes and turtles.
Dunn Loring Elementary School design (via Fairfax County Public Schools)
Fairfax County school officials will try again this month to win planning commission support for the proposed new Dunn Loring Elementary School.
“Clearly, we need to do a little more work — [to] get all the pieces right,” Providence District Planning Commissioner Jeremy Hancock said last Wednesday (Oct. 30) after more than two hours of presentations, discussion and public comment.
Woman working from home (via Annie Spratt on Unsplash)
Fairfax County’s unemployment rate saw little movement in year-over-year in new data, while those seeking to rent apartments across the county are likely to be paying more than they would have a year before.
The new figures represent employment conditions recorded in September and housing costs in October.
Fairfax County police say these images show a man suspected of burglarizing homes in Reston (courtesy FCPD)
Fairfax County police are turning to the public for help identifying a man who allegedly tried to burglarize several homes in Reston’s Edgewater neighborhood.
Police determined that the incidents were connected after responding to a report of a burglary at a townhome in the 12000 block of Edgemere Circle on Oct. 2, at 6:50 p.m., the Fairfax County Police Department says.
An aerial view of the Reston Town Center skyline in early November, taken by a drone (photo by Chris Carlson of DullesDrone.com)
‘Ghost Gun’ Seller Settles Lawsuit over FatalShooting — “The sellers of a ‘ghost gun’ kit that a Fairfax County teenager used to build a working pistol, and then kill two of his classmates, agreed Friday to pay more than $2 million to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the parents of the slain teens.” [Washington Post]
Alleged Drivers in Tysons Street Race Arrested — “Two drivers featured in a video of an illegal street race posted on social media were identified and arrested, according to the Fairfax County Police Department… A Tesla Cybertruck and Lamborghini illegally raced Oct. 13 near Leesburg Pike and Westwood Center Drive in Tysons, authorities said.” [Patch]
Safety Watchdog Sues MetroAgency — “The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission sued Metro on Thursday, alleging that WMATA authorities, who operate D.C. Metrorail and Metrobus, did not hand over information related to its workers’ safety, including a required asbestos program.” [WUSA9]
Fairfax Man Convicted Based on Drone Footage — “A Virginia man was found guilty of second-degree assault in Montgomery County after a jury trial where drone footage from Montgomery County’s Drone as a First Responder (DFR) Program showed him stabbing a man in Silver Spring. This case marks the county’s first jury conviction using drone evidence.” [MoCo Show]
Local TV News Anchor to Retire — “Longtime DC-area news anchor Dave Lucas will step down from the anchor desk this month to retire, 7News/WJLA-TV announced in a news release [Friday]. Lucas, the weekday anchor of WJLA’s 24/7 news at noon and the afternoon editions between 2 and 5 p.m., will host his final afternoon newscast on November 22.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Sample of Early Voters in Annandale Favors Harris — “With the election just two days away, we dropped by the Mason Government Center on Saturday, the last day of early voting, to ask random people who they were voting for for president. We then asked them to give a reason in one or two sentences.” [Annandale Today]
Park Authority Proposes Fee Changes — The Fairfax County Park Authority is accepting public comments on proposed adjustments to the fees it charges for use of its golf courses, rec centers and other facilities. Currently under review by the park authority board, the changes would take effect on Jan. 1, 2025. [FCPA]
It’s Monday — Expect a partly sunny day with a high near 63, and a light southeast wind between 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Monday night brings patchy fog between 1 am and 4 am, but it will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 53 and a southeast wind at 3 to 6 mph. [NWS]
ADA parking spaces at the Spring Hill Rec Center in McLean (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Those with disabilities would see more accessible parking spaces connected to new development under new rules vetted Wednesday (Oct. 30) by the Fairfax County Planning Commission.
The body voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve a proposal to tweak accessible-parking ratios. Instead of the current minimum of one Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant parking space for every 25 spaces in a lot or garage, the ratio would be changed to one for every 15.
Construction cranes mark the site of the forthcoming Somos at McLean Metro workforce housing development in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
The developer behind Somos at McLean Metro is ready to begin construction on the affordable housing project’s second phase.
SCG Development announced yesterday (Thursday) that it has officially closed on the financing for the 225-unit apartment building, which will be constructed on top of an existing three-level parking garage at 1750 Old Meadow Road in Tysons.
Fairfax County Government Center (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Fairfax County supervisors will advocate for data center regulation to be a primary focus of the General Assembly’s 2025 legislative agenda.
Board members expressed support this week for several new recommendations from county staff aimed at granting state agencies and local governments broader authority to regulate data centers, including increased oversight of their environmental impacts.
A courtroom sketch depicts former Abu Ghraib prison detainee Salah Al-Ejaili at the trial of CACI, a Reston-based military contractor accused of contributing to the abuse and torture of detainees in U.S. District Court in Alexandria on April 16, 2024. (image by Dana Verkouteren via AP)
By MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A military contractor accused of contributing to the abuse of detainees at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison two decades ago is again on trial in a federal courtroom after a long-awaited civil case earlier this year ended with a hung jury.
Pumpkin Palooza disposal bin (courtesy of Fairfax County)
Fairfax County is inviting residents to turn their post-Halloween jack-o’-lanterns from holiday decor to “compost gold” at this year’s Pumpkin Palooza.
Through Nov. 15, the Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program is accepting used pumpkins and gourds for composting at the I-95 Landfill Complex (850 Furnace Road) and the I-66 Transfer Station (4618 West Ox Road).
