Opinion | FFXnow

Poll: Have you gotten sick this winter?

Published January 12, 2024 at 11:00AM | Updated January 12, 2024 at 12:05PM

A tissue box with a mug (via Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash)

(Updated at 12:05 p.m.) Colds are in the air this winter, as a new COVID-19 variant has joined forces with the flu and RSV to produce a particularly challenging respiratory illness season.

Covid-related hospitalization levels remain low in Fairfax County, where 145 patients were admitted in the week that ended on Dec. 30 — a 46% increase from the previous week. But hospital visits and deaths are on the rise in Virginia and nationally, with the U.S. death toll exceeding 1.1 million people since the first case in 2020.

Poll: Fairfax County’s air quality is hazardous today. Have you limited your outdoor activities?

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 8, 2023 at 9:45AM | Updated June 8, 2023 at 10:28AM

The Capital Beltway at Lewinsville Road is hazy and congested (via VDOT)

(Updated at 10:30 a.m.) It’s another day of poor air quality for Fairfax County and the rest of the D.C. area.

As wildfires continue to burn in Canada, the resulting smoke has clouded the East Coast in a sometimes orange-tinted haze of particulate matter. As of 9 a.m., Fairfax was at 313 on the Air Quality Index (AQI) — a Code Maroon for hazardous air that’s even more severe than yesterday’s Code Red.

Help improve FFXnow by taking our annual reader survey

By FFXnow.com

Published May 24, 2023 at 12:30PM

A cherry blossom-themed LOVE sign at Tysons Corner Center Plaza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

We’ve come a long way, from our beginnings 10 years ago as RestonNow.com to expanding to cover the entire county as FFXnow.

Our team wants to continue growing and improving our local coverage, but we need your help to do it. Our annual reader survey is back for 2023 and your feedback will help shape the direction of FFXnow over the coming year.

Poll: Northern Virginia has D.C. area’s best shopping, survey finds. Do you agree?

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 11, 2023 at 9:30AM

Tysons Corner Center remains the biggest and one of the busiest malls in the D.C. area (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Northern Virginia is the place to be if you’re shopping in the D.C. area, a recent poll of local residents found.

A handy 61% of respondents favored Northern Virginia when asked what’s the best place to shop in the region by the Washington Post and George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, which conducted the wide-ranging poll from Feb. 17-27.

Poll: As state of emergency ends, how are you approaching Covid?

By Vernon Miles

Published March 1, 2023 at 10:30AM | Updated March 24, 2023 at 2:36PM

A worker conducts a COVID-19 test for sick visitor at Fairfax County Government Center site (courtesy Fairfax County Health Department)

This month marks the third anniversary of the first Covid case in Fairfax County, and the Board of Supervisors has voted to bring the state of emergency to a close.

The emergency declaration that has been in place since March 17, 2020 officially ends today (Wednesday).

Poll: Are you ‘all in’ on a potential Fairfax County casino?

By Vernon Miles

Published January 23, 2023 at 9:30AM | Updated March 24, 2023 at 2:39PM

Casino (image via Kvnga/Unsplash)

A new set of bills before the General Assembly would allow a casino to be built somewhere along the Silver Line corridor, Washington Business Journal first reported.

The casino could be placed somewhere around Tysons, the Reston Town Center or Herndon based on the stipulations of the proposed legislation, which would allow a casino in an urban county with at least 1 million residents.

Here are FFXnow’s top 10 most-read stories of 2022

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 30, 2022 at 11:45AM

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue crews respond to reports of gunfire at Tysons Corner Center (staff photo by James Cullum)

New Year’s Eve is right around the corner, closing out an exciting first year for FFXnow.

Since officially launching on Feb. 22, the new home of Tysons Reporter and Reston Now has pushed to bring the local news reporting from those sites to other corners of Fairfax County, from Chantilly to Huntington, while maintaining their focus on the Tysons and Reston areas.

Poll: How often do you use the express lanes in Northern Virginia?

By Vernon Miles

Published November 22, 2022 at 9:30AM | Updated March 24, 2023 at 2:43PM

The newly constructed I-66 Express Lanes from Gainesville to Centreville will open ahead of schedule (courtesy FAM Construction)

If you’re driving along the highways in Northern Virginia, do you usually hop into an express lane or do you prefer to tough it out in the normal lanes with the rest of the proletariat?

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced last week that the new I-66 Express Lanes running from the Beltway down to Centreville are set to fully open today (Tuesday).

Most-read Fairfax County stories of the week: Nov. 14-18

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 18, 2022 at 3:00PM

A Metro employee hands out pennants commemorating the Silver Line Phase II grand opening (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The weekend is almost here. Before you hop on (or lament) the latest addition to the I-66 toll lanes 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:

Most-read Fairfax County stories of the week: Oct. 31-Nov. 4

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 4, 2022 at 3:00PM

A tree in Reston stands out as others lose their leaves (photo by Ray Copson)

The weekend is almost here. Before you prepare to turn back the clock on Sunday (Nov. 6) 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: