Countywide

As the use of chatbots and other types of “artificial intelligence” continues to grow, Fairfax County is working to ensure its government employees are educated on the opportunities and risks associated with the technology.

During an information technology committee meeting on Tuesday (June 4), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors received an update on the use of generative AI within the county government — including how to “deliver improved business outcomes” while maintaining the county’s “rigorous security standards.”


News

It remains unclear how the Herndon Police Department (HPD) will obtain and train new officers after the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy cut off the department over a disagreement with Police Chief Maggie DeBoard.

Fairfax Deputy County Executive for Safety and Security Thomas Arnold told HPD on March 18 that the criminal justice academy would terminate its affiliation with the town’s department, effective June 1, after DeBoard reportedly complained about the academy’s director, Major Wilson Lee, signing his name in Chinese on graduation certificates.


Countywide

Early voting in the upcoming Virginia primaries will expand this weekend, with Fairfax County opening additional in-person sites starting this Saturday (June 8).

Voters will determine representatives for Virginia’s 10th and 11th Congressional districts, as well as the Republican who will challenge Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine this fall. Early voting for the June 18 primary began on May 3 and will continue in-person through June 15.


Event

Spend the evening with Washington Spirit alum and former USWNT player Joanna Lohman, a true DMV women’s soccer legend.

This is your chance to meet Joanna in person, hear the stories behind the career, the competition, and The Amazing Race, and experience the kind of sports moment you’ll still be talking about long after the night is over.


Around Town
The entrance to the McLean Metro station in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Thursday afternoon commutes to and from Tysons are about to get more melodious for transit users.

Throughout the summer, musicians will serenade riders at one of the area’s four Metro stations every week for a free “Metro Musicians” concert series organized by the Tysons Community Alliance (TCA) and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The concerts will be held every Thursday at 5-6:30 p.m., starting tonight with acoustic soul duo Zach Cutler and Deborah Bond at the McLean Metro station. The series will continue through Aug. 29.

According to the TCA, the series is part of WMATA’s Art in Transit program, where the transit agency collaborates with visual and performing artists around the D.C. region to bring their work to Metro facilities.

The program has introduced murals, sculptures, digital displays and poetry at various Metro stations and buildings. It also ran a contest where students submitted designs for Earth Day-themed bus wraps.

The full Metro Musicians schedule is below:

  • June 6: Zach Cutler & Deborah Bond (McLean Metro station)
  • June 13: Dupont Strings (Tysons Metro station)
  • June 20: Dance Flamenco D.C. (Greensboro Metro station)
  • June 27: Moosejaw Duo (Spring Hill Metro station)
  • July 11: Zach Cutler & Deborah Bond (Tysons)
  • July 18: Dupont Strings (McLean)
  • July 25: Dance Flamenco D.C. (Spring Hill)
  • Aug. 1: Zach Cutler & Deborah Bond (Greensboro)
  • Aug. 8: Dupont Strings (Spring Hill)
  • Aug. 15: Dance Flamenco D.C. (McLean)
  • Aug. 22: Moosejaw Duo (Greensboro)
  • Aug. 29: Moosejaw Duo (Tysons)

Around Town

The Farm at Halley Rise is gearing up for a busy summer of gardening, yoga and more.

The urban farm run by Up Top Acres at 2025 Fulton Place in Reston announced its schedule of summer events yesterday (Wednesday), starting with a “Growing in Small Spaces” gardening workshop on June 17. From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., an Up Top Acres farmer will offer tips on how to grow food when space is limited.


News

Three people were killed last night (Wednesday) after being hit by a cargo train near Lake Accotink, police say.

Two adults and a child appear to have been walking on the train tracks above Accotink Creek near the Accotink Park Road crossing, according to the police and the Norfolk Southern Railroad Company, which operates the tracks.

“All were declared deceased on scene,” the Fairfax County Police Department said.

A Norfolk Southern spokesperson confirmed that a crash involving a northbound train occurred around 8:20 p.m. yesterday on the bridge over Accotink Creek. There were no reported injuries to the train crew, they told FFXnow.

Per scanner traffic on Open MHz, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department units were dispatched for a “medical emergency” on the train tracks at 8:25 p.m. By 8:38 p.m., responders reported that they had located all three victims on the creek banks under the railroad bridge.

The train tracks were shut down by Norfolk Southern, a dispatcher said at 8:38 p.m.

The FCPD initially described the victims as one adult and two children, but after further investigation, officers and detectives have identified the victims as 28-year-old Annandale resident Diego Arriaza, 28-year-old Lincolnia resident Yeraldin Pardo, and Pardo’s 8-year-old child.

Police believe the three people were walking on the northbound elevated train tracks when they “encountered a travelling freight train.”

“Detectives believe Arriaza was struck by the train, and Pardo and the child fell from the bridge,” the FCPD said.

Based on a preliminary investigation, police don’t believe speed or alcohol factored into the crash for the train engineer, but detectives are still determining whether alcohol may have been “a factor” for the pedestrians.

Norfolk Southern operates about 19,500 miles of cargo railroads in the eastern U.S. that transport fuel, agriculture, construction equipment, and other goods. In April, the company reached a $600 million settlement with residents affected by a toxic chemical spill that resulted from a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2023.

Screenshot via Google Maps


Countywide
Storm clouds over the Reston Parkway and New Dominion Parkway intersection (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Plea Deal Rejected in Annandale Abduction Case — “A Fairfax County judge rejected a plea deal for a suspected child sex offender, saying it would put the community in danger. A man broke into an apartment in Annandale June 15 [2023], grabbed a 4-year-old girl from her bed and dragged her to the living room before her screams woke her mother, police said.” [NBC4]

Culmore 7-Eleven Focus of Police Crackdown — “The Mason Police District is cracking down on public drinking, drug abuse, and shoplifting at the 7-Eleven in Culmore, said station commander Maj. Erin Weeks. The police will be meeting with 7-Eleven officials to strengthen security and ban trespassing at the store at 3337 Glen Carlyn Drive.” [Annandale Today]

Fairfax City Council Considers Pay Raises — “Mayor Catherine Read and members of the Fairfax City Council met at Historic Blenheim Tuesday night for their annual retreat. They discussed a variety of issues, including whether to enact raises for elected officials and to extend the terms of councilmembers from two to four years.” [Patch]

Capital Bikeshare Sets Monthly Ridership Record — “Capital Bikeshare (CaBi) broke the all-time monthly ridership record in May 2024, recording 515,394 trips across the Washington, DC, metro area. Annual ridership is up 31.3% through May 2024…The CaBi system has now seen year-over-year monthly increases in ridership for 29 consecutive months.” [Greater Greater Washington]

County Sets Mosquito Traps — “From May to October, Fairfax County’s Health Department is conducting mosquito surveillance, with 75 traps set all across the county weekly…So far the county hasn’t found anything unusual, but the species that typically transmit West Nile Virus will come later in the summer in August and September.” [WJLA]

Real Estate Company to Boost Tysons Office — “Divaris Real Estate has recruited a team of veteran brokers from Long & Foster Commercial as it seeks to beef up its retail and office brokerage business in Northern Virginia.” The Virginia Beach-based firm says the eight additional brokers will double the staffing at its office in Tysons (8150 Leesburg Pike, Suite 501). [Washington Business Journal]

Dulles Airport Has U.S.’s Most Expensive Domestic Flights — “For the third year in a row, it’s been named as the domestic airport with the highest average fares. Flights on average cost $488.40 out of Dulles, according to FinanceBuzz, which looked at 2023 U.S. Department of Transportation data on domestic airfares from the nation’s 45 busiest airports.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Public Art Reston Redesigns Website — Public Art Reston has launched a revamped website that highlights the nonprofit’s programs and a “catalogue of 90+ temporary and permanent public artworks around Reston, complete with images, detailed information, and maps so visitors can easily find them.” [Tysons Today]

It’s Thursday — Storms are expected throughout the day, especially between 11am and 5pm, and a high temperature near 84°F. There is a 70% chance of precipitation. At night, the chance of rain decreases to 30%, with partly cloudy skies and a low around 65°F. [NWS]


News

The fourth graduating class of the Global Leaders of Fairfax County program was recognized at a ceremony held May 19 at Woodson High School. A total of 130 Fairfax County high-school seniors successfully completed the program.

Global Leaders of Fairfax County, founded in 2020 by Ryan McElveen (a Fairfax County School Board member) aims to prepare “fellows” to be global citizens and change agents in their local community and the world. Throughout their senior year of high school, fellows have opportunities to engage with leaders from various fields and undertake field trips to civic institutions to advance their understanding of international affairs and global issues.