Trump and Harris campaign signs outside Cunningham Park Elementary School in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey
In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, Fairfax County Democrats are confronting a more competitive Virginia, where heightened Republican mobilization has raised alarms about their hold on power in the purple state.
While Vice President Kamala Harris won Virginia by more than 5 percentage points, her margin was notably lower than President Joe Biden’s in 2020, when he won the state by over 10 points. Similarly, in Fairfax County, Harris captured 65.44% of the vote, down from Biden’s 69.85%.
White Oaks Elementary School in Burke (via Google Maps)
White Oaks Elementary School’s principal and assistant principal have both been permanently removed from their posts after a special education teacher was charged in June with multiple assaults of students.
In a message sent to the school’s staff and families on Oct. 30, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid confirmed that principal Ryan Richardson and assistant principal Dana Chen won’t return after they were put on administrative leave this summer during a police investigation into the assaults.
Voters queue outside Herndon Fortnightly Library for early voting in the 2024 general election (staff photo by James Jarvis)
The Town of Herndon has elected a new mayor and town council.
Councilmember Keven LeBlanc will be Herndon’s first openly gay mayor after defeating fellow Councilmember Pradip Dhakal with 55.3% of the vote to his opponent’s 43.5%, according to unofficial returns from the Virginia Department of Elections.
The Fairfax County Government Center on Election Day (staff photo by Jared Serre)
Republicans Projected to ControlSenate — “The GOP has won control of the Senate as Sen. Deb Fischer secures reelection in Nebraska. With at least 51 Senate seats secured, Republicans will retake control of the chamber for the first time in four years.” [Associated Press]
Fairfax Businessmen on Trial for Selling Tech to Russia — “Two senior executives from the Fairfax-based Eleview International Inc., made their initial appearance in federal court on Monday to face charges of transferring critical systems and technologies — some with military application — to Russia.” The alleged sales violated restrictions that the U.S. imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. [Patch]
Fairfax City Candidates Hear Voter Concerns — “Candidates running for office in the City of Fairfax entered the final stretch of their months-long campaign on Tuesday, with many making a final appeal to voters at polling sites around the city. By noon on Tuesday, 2,599 people — about 14.87 percent of the city’s active, registered voters — had cast in-person ballots,” the city’s general registrar said. [Patch]
FCPS Sets Meeting Dates on Boundary Review — “Our first set of boundary review meetings will begin in a few weeks, with a meeting scheduled in each of our six regions. Families, staff, and community members will be able to share their thoughts, ask questions, and learn more about the boundary review process.” [FCPS]
New Name Proposed for Eden Center Road — “The Falls Church City Council is expected to approve a resolution on Nov. 12 to designate the section of Wilson Boulevard in front of the Eden Center as ‘Saigon Boulevard’ … It will be an honorary name, not recognized by the U.S. Postal Service.” [Annandale Today]
Tea Shop Plans Fairfax Location — The Alley, a tea shop chain with locations around the world, has chosen Fairfax City as the site of its first Virginia location. The shop will open at 11017 Main Street and appears to specialize in “bubble teas or boba teas with tapioca balls in them.” [The Burn]
Cloned Ferret Gives Birth in Virginia — A female black-footed ferret that “was created by cloning gave birth to two healthy offspring at a Smithsonian Institution/National Zoo center in Virginia, in what a federal agency called a conservation milestone. Authorities indicated that techniques used in their work with black-footed ferrets could help preserve other endangered species.” [Washington Post]
It’s Wednesday — Expect partly sunny skies with a high around 79 degrees and southwest winds at 10 to 13 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. The night will be mostly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to around 63 degrees. The southwest wind of 6 mph will become calm after midnight. [NWS]
Election signs outside the Fairfax County Government Center (staff photo by Jared Serre)
Results from today’s general election are starting to trickle in, and Fairfax County’s initial batch of tallied votes strongly favor Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race.
As of 9:24 p.m., Harris has about two-thirds or 66% of the votes that the county has counted so far, which include some early votes and Election Day results from 127 of the county’s 264 precincts, according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections.
The town’s Department of Planning and Zoning will hold two information sessions tomorrow (Wednesday) — one geared toward local businesses and the other for residents — to share its plans for updating the rules and gather feedback.
A sign for Hayfield Secondary School in Franconia (via Google Maps)
An appeals committee for the Virginia High School League is reviewing and will soon make its decision regarding whether Hayfield High School is eligible for the postseason in 2024 and 2025.
The committee met Monday to hear from the Virginia High School League and Hayfield officials.
Voting at the Fairfax County Government Center (staff photo by Jared Serre)
More than 60% of registered voters in Fairfax County have cast a ballot so far in this year’s general election.
As of 12:30 p.m., 18.7% of voters have cast a ballot on Election Day since polls opened at 6 a.m. today. Combined with the 43% of voters who participated in early voting or sent in an absentee ballot by mail, the county has seen a total turnout of 61.7%, the Fairfax County Office of Elections reported.
Electronic displays in an airplane cockpit (via Rodrigo Soares on Unsplash)
A Canadian company that makes electronic systems for airplanes is swooping into Reston.
CMC Electronics will invest $5 million to establish an office and research and development facility in Reston, bringing 89 new jobs with plans for more positions as it builds up its operations in the area, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced on Friday (Nov. 1).
Fairfax residents head to the polls during the 2024 general election (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Fairfax County saw high early voting turnout for this year’s presidential election, though the numbers didn’t reached the levels seen during the last presidential cycle.
Since early voting began on Sept. 20, over 322,000 residents, or 43% of the county’s 748,492 registered voters, have cast a vote, as of Friday (Nov. 2), the last day of in-person early voting, the Fairfax County Office of Elections posted on Twitter.
