Teacher recruitment, school safety and controlling class sizes have been designated as top priorities for funding by the newly sworn-in Fairfax County School Board.
However, the county’s expected financial constraints may make it challenging for the board’s entire wish list to get funded in the upcoming budget cycle, which will start July 1.
Vehicle Crashes into Centreville House — A driver crashed into a house in the 14900 block of Carlbern Drive yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. One trapped person was extricated and taken to a hospital, but no injuries were reported. Fairfax County police are investigating. [FCPD/Twitter]
Man Sentenced for Killing Co-Worker at Target — “A Fairfax County man was sentenced to 100 years in prison Tuesday for fatally stabbing a Target co-worker in a parking lot at the store in the Baileys Crossroads area. Bazen Berhe, 25, pleaded guilty in October to first-degree murder in the April 17, 2021, killing of Hernan Leiva, 58, in what Berhe described to a judge as a fit of rage.” [Washington Post]
A stretch of the George Washington Memorial Parkway in southern Fairfax County is moving toward some major changes, as is the neighboring Mount Vernon Trail.
The National Park Service, which maintains the GW Parkway and much of the Mount Vernon Trail, plans to start “initial design work and planning for key aspects of the project” this year, per a Jan. 26 press release.
A woman hit by a vehicle in Springfield in late December has now died.
Fu-Tzu Wong, 63, was using a crosswalk to cross Huntsman Blvd at Bridle Wood Drive in the evening of Dec. 27 when “an unidentified vehicle” struck her, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
The former Sheraton Tysons Hotel is officially getting turned into permanent housing.
With no objections and minimal discussion, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a plan last Tuesday (Jan. 23) to convert the vacant hotel at 8661 Leesburg Pike in Tysons West into 544 residential units.
Forensic evidence has led to arrest of a suspect in a shooting in Woodbridge last year that left one man dead and another injured.
Prince William police on Monday served warrants for murder, malicious wounding and use of a firearm in a felony on Zaire Lee Davis, 21, of no fixed address, at the Fairfax County jail, said county police Lt. Jonathan Perok.
Fairfax County Population Continues to Fall — “The population declines that are doing the most to reshape the state are out of Fairfax County and many of the cities in Hampton Roads — and those population declines are driven by people moving out, not a declining birth rate…These figures for Fairfax County should be the brightest of red flags: Northern Virginia is the state’s economic engine.” [Cardinal News]
Bigger Mason District Police Station Approved — “The Fairfax County Planning Commission on Jan. 24 approved a project to renovate and expand the Mason Police Station. The police station shares a building with the Mason Government Center at 6507 Columbia Pike…A 4,567-square-foot addition to the police station will increase the size of the building to 34,596 square feet.” [Annandale Today]
With cooler temperatures returning after an unseasonably warm Friday (Jan. 26), a nonprofit headquartered in Reston is putting out a call for winter clothes to distribute to homeless adults throughout Northern Virginia.
An operator of wellness centers that assist people experiencing challenges with mental illness, substance use and homelessness, the Recovery Program Solutions of Virginia (RPSV) launched a winter gear clothing drive earlier this month that will continue until the end of the season.
A man already convicted of possessing child pornography has been sentenced to life in prison for shooting a fellow military veteran nearly seven years ago.
Jaeyoung Lee was sentenced to life, plus 48 years in prison for shooting Jeremy Tammone on Oct. 21, 2017, leaving him permanently injured, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced Friday (Jan. 26).
In an attempt to stem what Democratic lawmakers say is an epidemic of guns being stolen from vehicles, the Virginia Senate passed legislation Thursday that would create a $500 civil penalty for firearm owners who leave handguns on a car seat or other areas visible to passersby.
The legislation, one of the first gun control measures put to a full vote in either chamber this year, still needs to pass the House of Delegates and is likely at risk of being vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin after the session ends. Still, the issue highlights the two parties’ diverging views on how to address gun crime, with Democrats trying to reduce the number of guns flowing onto the streets and Republicans calling for tougher enforcement of existing laws.
