There has been no shortage of thinkpieces about how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed workplaces, from the waning demand for office space to widespread staffing deficits as workers reevaluated their goals and working conditions.

One trend that may be here to stay is the growing acceptance of remote work, with many people who can telework saying they would do it all or most of the time, if given the option.

While available, detailed data on remote work is limited, about a third of workdays are now being done from home, a decline from the height of office shutdowns in 2020 but well above pre-pandemic levels, The Washington Post reported in August.

According to the Post, remote work has been most prevalent in white-collar sectors, like finance and technology. Northern Virginia, including Fairfax County, is among the places with the highest remote-work rates.

Though many offices have reopened, commuting remains down in the D.C. region. In Virginia, 35.9% of businesses increased telework during the pandemic, and 64.7% of them intend to stick with it after the pandemic, the Northern Virginia Regional Commission says based on federal labor statistics.

Has the pandemic changed where or how you work? If you have the option to work remotely, are you taking advantage of it, or do you prefer going to a physical workplace?

Photo via Clay Banks/Unsplash

Before you soak in the last summer rays before leaf-gathering season arrives or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the five most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. BREAKING: Del. Mark Keam resigns from General Assembly, triggering special election
2. Fast-casual Indian restaurant to open in the Town of Herndon
3. Fairfax County to move forward with proposal for new Reston library, apartments
4. Inaugural ‘Reggae at the Lake’ festival set for this month in Reston
5. Trash troubles persist in Fairfax County, with residents reporting missed pick-ups

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!

Labor Day weekend is almost here. Before you soak in the last summer rays before leaf-gathering season arrives or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. Trash troubles persist in Fairfax County, with residents reporting missed pick-ups
2. Vienna Police cite pickleball players for making racket at Glyndon Park
3. Naked man accosts woman on W&OD Trail in Reston, may be involved in other exposure incidents
4. New space center in Reston to take off at local public viewing of NASA’s historic moon mission
5. FCPD seeks help identifying suspect in attempted abduction, assaults on W&OD Trail
6. Reconstruction of Baron Cameron Avenue intersection underway
7. UPDATED: Bystander helped detain suspect in Hybla Valley fatal shooting
8. Fairfax County Public Library board sticks by materials selection policy
9. Fairfax medical cannabis dispensary will open this week near GMU
10. Fairfax Wawa will open its doors this week, bringing free coffee for all

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!

Trash collection has become a hot mess in Fairfax County of late.

After FFXnow reported earlier this week on local officials’ efforts to address an avalanche of complaints, many community members added their tales of woe to the ongoing saga of late or entirely neglected pickups, ineffectual communication, and reductions in service without accompanying decreases in fees.

One commenter hasn’t gotten pickups in four weeks, while another said that American Disposal Services — the private hauler that has emerged as the primary troublemaker — misses over half their scheduled collection days. Accumulating garbage and recycling has spawned a rat infestation at the Hollybrooke Condominiums in Seven Corners, according to a tipster.

In addition, multiple community members confirmed that they’d been notified of an impending 10% rate increase by American Disposal, which reduced pickups from twice to once a week this spring, citing staffing challenges.

While it’s difficult to gauge just how widespread the issue is, local government officials told FFXnow that comments they’ve gotten or seen on social media — and their own experiences — suggest residents across the county have been affected.

Have you seen a noticeable deterioration in your trash service lately? Feel free to vent or perhaps brag (within the bounds of our comments policy) about your waste collection experiences below.

The weekend is almost here. Before you welcome a new kitty or bunny into your home or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. 22-year-old arrested for allegedly raping woman at knifepoint in her Reston apartment
2. JUST IN: Woman sexually assaulted in Reston apartment, police say
3. Study group considers new future for Reston National Golf Course
4. District Taco plans two new franchise locations in Springfield and McLean
5. Another pedestrian dies after crash on Dulles Toll Road in Reston area
6. A free and privately funded shuttle is coming to Reston Town Center
7. Busara Thai has closed its Tysons restaurant after 26 years
8. NEW: Fairfax County could end local Covid state of emergency next month
9. FCPD: Community member finds body near Huntley Meadows Park
10. Family mourns loss and seeks justice for pedestrian killed in Seven Corners parking lot

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!

The weekend is almost here. Before you live up the last days of summer before school returns or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. Fairfax County volunteer’s petition urging Home Depot to stop sales of invasive plants takes root
2. Personnel emergency declared as FCPD tackles staffing challenges
3. Pizza restaurant brings new ‘scratch kitchen’ to Herndon’s Aslin Beer Co.
4. Expanded W&OD Trail, Occoquan adventure center and more planned for Fairfax County
5. New future thawing for former Ice House Cafe in Herndon
6. UPDATED: Man shot in Huntington, prompting police search
7. Tysons Galleria’s upcoming dine-in movie theater has a premiere date
8. Man killed in head-on motorcycle crash west of Burke Lake
9. Appeals court sides with transgender woman in lawsuit over treatment at Fairfax County jail
10. Capital One Hall revives ‘Broadway in Tysons’ for new season

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!

The weekend is almost here. Before you sneak in one last visit to The Water Mine this summer or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. BREAKING: No gunshots at Tysons Corner Center, mall says after evacuation
2. Fairfax County adopts fees for using its electric vehicle charging stations
3. BREAKING: Police look for homicide suspect around Seven Corners condos
4. Bridge planned to connect Loudoun and Fairfax counties over Dulles Toll Road
5. Rescued beagles arrive at Fairfax County shelter in anticipation of adoptions
6. Major mixed-use development approved near Herndon Metro station
7. Fairfax County police charge driver after fatal crash in Herndon
8. Free fresh food marketplace coming to Reston this week
9. Weird Brothers plans to relocate in Herndon
10. ‘Fresh Baguette’ promised at McLean bakery opening this fall

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!

It’s August, and we have fully arrived at the hell’s front porch portion of the D.C. area’s seasonal cycle.

Over the past week or so, thermometers have been clocking in the upper 80s and 90s, but with the humidity adding an extra 10 degrees to every day, the summer heat offers an almost tangible reminder that, despite all the concrete, asphalt and landscaped lawns, Fairfax County is still a wetland at heart.

Like other kinds of extreme weather, heat can be dangerous, contributing to hundreds of deaths per year in the U.S., and climate change will likely push that toll higher.

Absolutely gross humidity right now. Reagan National reporting dew point of 78…awful. It's just 87 but that makes it feel like 100. pic.twitter.com/CiTBd4DWer

— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) August 8, 2022

To take your mind off the prospect of hot, muggy days becoming even more of a norm in the future, what’s your go-to method of handling this summer weather? Do you try to escape with a vacation, or are you more apt to seek relief at the nearest swimming pool or ice cream shop?

If you have other tips and secrets for cooling off, feel free to share them below.

Photo via john labelette/Unsplash

The weekend is almost here. Before you cool off at the nearest swimming pool or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. Proposal to convert Vienna bank into modern diner gets key approval
2. Fannie Mae campus redevelopment in Reston approved despite access concerns
3. Proposed Inova office repurposing would add housing, park space in Merrifield
4. Most expensive Fairfax County homes sold in July
5. Planning commission OKs Inova’s plan for new Franconia hospital
6. Tysons East affordable housing project lands $33M in public funds
7. Metro contemplates October opening for Silver Line Phase 2
8. Reston’s Vantage Hill redevelopment moves forward on expedited timeline
9. JUST IN: Man arrested for exposure incidents in Tysons West, police say
10. Circuitous Reston pedestrian refuge redesigned after community pressure

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!

The weekend is almost here. Before you read up on local history or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. Fairfax County shelter to help with adoptions of beagles rescued from a research facility
2. National outbreaks of salmonella include cases in Northern Virginia
3. First pieces of Reston’s Isaac Newton Square development in the works
4. Virginia Tech campus redevelopment finds new life with possible Falls Church sale
5. Big fitness facility inks deal for next phase of Reston Station
6. Opening this week, Indian restaurant Rasa brings heat to Mosaic District
7. One injured during Herndon assault and carjacking over the weekend
8. Fairfax County plans for new Covid vaccine, as cases hold steady
9. Korean steakhouse, Shake Shack in the works at Tysons’ Pike 7 Plaza
10. Traffic, back-up concerns dominate proposal to demolish Reston Taco Bell

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!