(Updated at 1:05 p.m.) Traffic on northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway is being detoured after a man was hit by a vehicle near Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) in McLean this morning (Friday).

The U.S. Park Police (USPP) says its officers responded to the area of the GW Parkway and Route 123 interchange around 8:50 a.m. for a crash that involved “a vehicle and a person on foot.”


The Virginia Board of Education is asking the General Assembly to develop a plan for changing the state’s existing school funding formula to help divisions strapped for money but isn’t backing a proposal to remove a cap that limits the number of support positions the state will fund.

According to an earlier report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which conducts analysis and provides oversight of state agencies on behalf of the General Assembly, changing the formula could help address the underfunding of schools.


A plethora of administrative and logistical issues led to the Town of Herndon’s decision to permanently put the Herndon Festival to bed after a 43-year run, staff say.

At a Herndon Town Council meeting on Tuesday (Dec. 12), Town Manager Bill Ashton II laid out several issues that nearly derailed the festival in previous years and ultimately prompted the permanent cancellation of the four-day event, announced earlier this week.


Elected County Officials Sworn In — “Family, friends and area leaders all came together to mark new terms of office for our Board of Supervisors, constitutional officers and Soil and Water Conservation District directors. The inauguration ceremony was held at the Government Center on Dec. 13 for these local officials, who will guide the county for the next four years.” [Fairfax County Government]

Fairfax Delegate Proposes Discrimination Protections for Ethnicity — “With the recent spike in reports of antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias, lawmakers will soon consider whether to add ethnicity to Virginia’s hate crimes and discrimination law. Del. Dan Helmer…introduced a bill — HB 18 — that would expand the groups protected against unlawful discrimination.” [WTOP]


Town of Herndon officials are seeking $1.5 million in federal funds for major improvements along Sterling Road.

At a Herndon Town Council work session on Dec. 5, town staff noted that no local match is required to proceed with the project. The town is also requesting $500,000 for ADA-compliant sidewalk and trails improvements throughout Herndon.


Dark smoke was seen wafting over Route 7 near the Tysons Commerce Center office building (8219 Leesburg Pike) earlier this afternoon.

Alan Henney, a local crime and public safety watcher, reported hearing an “explosion [that] sounded like a transformer with fire” in the 8200 block of Leesburg Pike around 12:30 p.m. Photos and videos of the scene showed black smoke billowing up from near the office building, which is across the street from PetSmart.


A man was arrested in Maryland earlier this week for allegedly following a woman, assaulting her and trying to break into her house in Bailey’s Crossroads.

Fairfax County police officers and detectives were called to the home in the 5700 block of Poplar Lane near Bailey’s Crossroads at 12:31 a.m. on Dec. 8 for an assault and burglary, according to a news release.


Holiday decorations will look a little different this year in the Town of Herndon.

The town will not install its usual holiday wreaths on Elden Street’s poles because the process poses significant safety risks to the town’s workers, Town Manager Bill Ashton II told the Herndon Town Council at a meeting on Tuesday (Dec. 12).


(Updated at 9:25 a.m. on 12/15/2023) The long-running effort to bring bus rapid transit (BRT) service to Route 7 is about to enter a new stage of planning, but for some Fairfax County leaders, the milestone doubles as a reminder of how much more still needs to be done to turn Northern Virginia’s vision into a reality.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement at its Dec. 5 meeting to help fund an engineering study and environmental analysis required to implement the bus system, which will serve the corridor from the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons to the Mark Center in Alexandria.


A Woodbridge man died Tuesday (Dec. 12) after getting shot in the Kingstowne area earlier that afternoon.

Fairfax County police officers were called to the 5300 block of Harbor Court Drive at 1:47 p.m. for a report of a shooting. A 911 caller said they saw someone pull out a gun and shoot at a black Dodge Charger, which drove off, according to the dispatch on Open MHz.


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