News

Worker Rescued on Dulles Toll Road Ramp — “On August 27, at 11:28 a.m., #FairfaxsBravest responded to a technical rescue on Route 267 WB at the exit ramp to Dolley Madison Boulevard. Units arrived to find a worker trapped approximately 20 feet above the ground in a bucket truck that had lost power.” The ramp had to be temporarily closed, but the worker was uninjured. [FCFRD/Facebook]

Va. IDs Available in Apple Wallet — “To prove their identity, Virginia residents can now upload their driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet, the Virginia DMV announced this week. The tech functions similarly to a digital credit card. Instead of presenting a physical ID, people with an iPhone or Apple Watch can now simply tap their device against an identity reader.” [ARLnow]

Flight of Accused Killer Could Lead to Reforms — “Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger is promising changes after an accused killer fled the U.S. while on unsupervised release from a Fairfax County mental health facility.” The governor’s office said in a statement that she “will work aggressively to make changes in the system that allowed this to happen.” [FOX5]

Arrests in Child Exploitation Sting — “A proactive enforcement operation led by the Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes Bureau’s Child Exploitation Unit (CEXU) resulted in the arrest of nine men, the majority of whom traveled to Fairfax County intending to engage in criminal encounters with minors.” [FCPD]

Proposal on Data Center Power Supply — “PJM, the regional grid operator for most of the East Coast, is asking federal regulators to approve a rule requiring new large-load customers, namely data centers, to bring their own power supply to the grid. With Virginia among the 13 states served by PJM, the proposal … could mean further changes to how the state regulates the growing industry.” [Virginia Mercury]

No More Tree Commission — “The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 9-1 Tuesday to dissolve the county’s 53-year-old Tree Commission before unanimously restructuring” the Environmental Quality Advisory Council. Some advocates expressed concern that the new Fairfax County Environmental Commission will have reduced “independent oversight, specialized expertise and opportunities for residents to participate.” [Patch]

Local Reporter Reunited With Cat — Fairfax County waste management and animal shelter staff helped WTOP reporter Neal Augenstein track down his family’s cat Mike this week. “After he and his wife, Paula, tossed out some old furniture, they realized one of their cats was missing, launching a search that took him to a Northern Virginia warehouse, trash transfer station and two animal shelters.” [WTOP]

Back-to-School Celebrations Abound — Tomorrow (Saturday) will bring multiple community events to ease the transition out of summer break with family fun. Catch a “School of Rock” screening at the Back 2 School Boro Bash in Tysons, take in live music and birds of prey at Reston Town Center’s KidFest, or check out local vendors and entertainment at Springfield Town Center’s first-ever Back to School Bonanza.

It’s Friday — After 2pm, expect a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Otherwise, it will be partly sunny with a high of about 87°F. Night will be mostly cloudy with a low of around 69°F and a 20% chance of precipitation. [NWS]

Va. Seeks to Fill SNAP and Medicaid Gaps — “The General Assembly set aside more than $500 million in the 2026-2028 biennial budget to cover new administrative costs and cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.” Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed an executive order Tuesday (Aug. 25) focused on mitigating the impact of the federal spending cuts but “acknowledged that the state will not be able to absorb the full cost.” [Cardinal News]

Flags Lowered for Dolly Parton — “Gov. Abigail Spanberger has ordered all state and local flags to fly at half-staff to honor the memory of country music icon Dolly Parton. Parton died Tuesday at the age of 80.” Her publicist said she passed away after “a brief battle with cancer.” [Inside NoVA]

Two-Way I-95 Toll Lane Study Underway — “News4 has learned that a study is now underway to transform the I-95 express lanes into a two-way operation at all times instead of just the one direction the lanes go in now. There could also be another expansion of those express lanes south past Fredericksburg.” [NBC4]

Legislators Concerned by License Plate Readers — “License plate readers are being used by many governments and law enforcement agencies. But details about the data are secret … Senator [Danica] Roem and Delegate [Irene] Shin both say they would like to see members of the General Assembly allow for more transparency when they gavel into session in January.” [WVTF]

County Adds AI Chatbot to Website — “Our new ‘Ask Fairfax’ Generative AI chatbot is designed to help you quickly find information across fairfaxcounty.gov … It’s similar in style to tools like Copilot, ChatGPT and Claude, but focused exclusively on county information so you can get answers from trusted sources.” [Fairfax County Government]

SOL Scores Tick Up — “Virginia students continued to make progress in reading and math last school year, posting gains that moved them closer to pre-pandemic performance levels, the Virginia Department of Education announced Tuesday.” [Virginia Mercury]

Asphalt Plant Proposed in Springfield Area — “Vulcan Materials Co. is proposing to add an asphalt plant to its Edsall concrete production facility on Industrial Drive in the Springfield area of Mason District. The company plans to file an application with the county within the next few days.” [Annandale Today]

Jeff Goldblum Headlines GMU Arts Lineup — “Actor and jazz pianist Jeff Goldblum will headline a fall performing arts lineup at George Mason University that also includes international dance and vocal groups, two major orchestras and student productions. Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra will perform Oct. 3 during the 21st annual ARTS by George! benefit at the Center for the Arts.” [Patch]

It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 90, though there’s a 30% chance of rain, mainly after 2pm. At night, there’s a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, especially before midnight, with a low around 69. The sky will be mostly cloudy, and winds will become calm. [NWS]

Support local journalism. Join the FFXnow Press Club to boost our reporting and to get upgraded newsletters.