Speed Camera Added Outside Oakton HS — A speed camera has been installed for Oakton High School on Blake Lane near Sutton Road, just days after a driver was sentenced to four years. Fines will be issued after a 30-day warning period. Fairfax County anticipates expanding its pilot program to as many as 50 locations this year. [Fairfax County/Twitter]

Annandale Doctor Pleads Guilty to Over-Prescribing Opioids — “An Annandale doctor pleaded guilty [on Friday, April 26] to maintaining a drug-involved premises.” While working at Fairfax Pain Clinic between 2016 and 2020, he “prescribed high opioid dosing without first confirming diagnoses, performing relevant medical examinations, or reviewing prior medical records.” [U.S. Attorney’s Office]


Real estate taxes will likely go up for Fairfax County homeowners in the coming year, but perhaps not by as much as they could.

The Board of Supervisors plans to approve a 3-cent tax rate increase, down from the four cents that was advertised. That will reduce the average tax bill hike from about $524 to just over $450.


A proposal for 40 new townhomes in Springfield is heading to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for a vote next month.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval last Wednesday (April 24) for developer JR Real Estate Group’s plan to construct 40 single-family homes on a 5.81-acre property located near the Franconia-Springfield Parkway.


A child care company with hundreds of day care centers and preschools across the U.S. is seeking to add one in Tysons.

Primrose Schools has submitted an application for a special exception from Fairfax County that would allow it to open a day care center inside the office building at 1749 Old Meadow Road near Scotts Run.


Google plans to invest $1 billion to expand data center campuses in Northern Virginia this year, including two Loudoun County sites and a newly opened site in Prince William County.

Ruth Porat, the president, chief investment officer and chief financial officer of Google and its parent company, Alphabet, announced the funds on Friday (April 26) at the company’s Reston headquarters. They will bring Google’s total investment in the state to more than $4.2 billion to date.


Fairfax City Schedules Fireworks Test — “Fairfax City Parks and Recreation has arranged for a “test fire” of fireworks from the roof of Fairfax High School. The test fire, consisting of two 15-second bursts, will occur between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. April 30.” The test is planned in preparation for the city’s Independence Day Celebration, which is scheduled for July 4. [City of Fairfax]

Vienna Veteran Charged With Making Toxin — “A judge on Friday ordered a Marine Corps veteran and former militia member to remain jailed pending trial on charges he attempted to make ricin, a biological toxin.” The 42-year-old man was arrested about two weeks ago after “traces of ricin along with lab equipment and castor beans, from which ricin is derived,” were found in his home. [Associated Press/WTOP]


The driver behind a 2022 crash that killed two teenagers could serve up to four years in prison.

Earlier this week, 20-year-old Usman Shahid was convicted of two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the June 7, 2022 crash on Blake Lane, where he struck and killed two Oakton High School students while driving 46 mph over the 35-mph speed limit.


RELAC Water Cooling will begin delivering air-conditioning services to residents and businesses in Reston’s Lake Anne area this weekend — ahead of its official launch date of May 22.

The volunteer-run utility announced today that it will “go live” tomorrow (Saturday) to test its services, providing chilled water from the artificial lake to cool 635 residential and commercial properties.


The cost of riding Metro trains and buses will go up, starting July 1, when the transit agency’s new budget takes effect.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) board of directors approved a $4.8 billion fiscal year 2025 budget yesterday (Thursday) that will increase fares by 12.5%, including by ending the flat $2 rate for weekend and late-night rides introduced in 2021 and expanded in 2022.


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