controversy | FFXnow

Report: Costs of relocating FBI HQ to Springfield site were overstated

Published February 4, 2025 at 9:45AM

The General Services Administration Warehouse in Springfield, potential site of the FBI's new headquarters (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The federal agency that led the search for a new FBI headquarters site provided some inaccurate estimates of the costs associated with a Springfield relocation, possibly hampering Fairfax County’s bid for the project, a new report found.

The inaccurate cost information was one of a few issues with the site selection process identified by the inspector general for the General Services Administration (GSA), which began a review in late 2023 in response to complaints from Northern Virginia’s Congressional delegation and concerns raised by the FBI.

News

Planning commission backs new Dunn Loring Elementary School

By Scott McCaffrey

Published January 16, 2025 at 2:30PM

Dunn Loring Elementary School front entrance rendering (via Fairfax County Public Schools)

Fairfax County Public Schools won the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s support yesterday (Wednesday) for construction of a new Dunn Loring Elementary School.

The zoning recommendation, which now goes to the Board of Supervisors, will help support “decades of [student] growth to come,” Providence District Commissioner Jeremy Hancock said.

News

Edison HS suspends basketball coach over player eligibility issues

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 16, 2025 at 9:00AM

Thomas Edison High School in Rose Hill (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Allegations of player recruiting irregularities have engulfed another Fairfax County high school sports team.

Tre Ford, the head coach for Edison High School’s varsity boys’ basketball team, has been suspended after administrators learned that several athletes who played for the school in a tournament last summer weren’t enrolled as students at Edison, principal Mandy Burke said in a message to the community on Tuesday (Jan. 14).

Countywide

NEW: Potential developer makes case for Tysons casino and entertainment district

By Scott McCaffrey

Published January 8, 2025 at 10:15AM

Comstock is proposing to build a casino-anchored entertainment district on a vacant lot near the Adaire Apartments and Spring Hill Metro Station in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Almost two years after talks of a casino in Fairfax County’s Silver Line corridor emerged, prospective developer Comstock Companies has publicly commented for the first time on its plan for a gaming and entertainment hub in Tysons.

The proposal represents “an opportunity to bring an entertainment anchor” to Tysons, Comstock Executive Vice President for Development John Harrison told community members Tuesday (Jan. 7) at an online forum hosted by the Fairfax County NAACP.

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Superintendent lays out timeline for revising FCPS athletic policies

By Scott McCaffrey

Published December 23, 2024 at 11:15AM

Superintendent Michelle Reid (staff file photo by James Jarvis)

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid outlined a timeline on Thursday (Dec. 19) for revising policies related to student athletics following a controversy over alleged football-recruiting irregularities at Hayfield Secondary School.

Engaged in ongoing damage control, the superintendent told the Fairfax County School Board at its last meeting of the year that “clear, bright-line rules and regulations” will be rolled out in coming months.

Countywide

McKay: County board’s position on possible casino remains unchanged

By Scott McCaffrey

Published December 13, 2024 at 2:30PM

Casino (image via Kvnga/Unsplash)

Fairfax County elected officials intend to take the same position on a proposed Tysons casino in 2025 that they held during the 2024 legislative session.

While some individual members have expressed explicit opposition to the possibility, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors as a whole has hedged its bets: it has concerns but isn’t averse to getting the power from Richmond to conduct a referendum on the matter.

News

Local leaders want to maintain pressure on Maryland over American Legion Bridge

By Scott McCaffrey

Published December 12, 2024 at 9:00AM

Traffic heads from McLean into Maryland on the American Legion Bridge (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Virginia leaders plan to keep prodding their Maryland counterparts in the direction of revitalizing the American Legion Bridge to both ease existing congestion and provide additional transit options.

At a Dec. 5 forum sponsored by the Dulles Area Transit Association (DATA), Northern Virginia leaders acknowledged being irked by Maryland’s more cautious approach to addressing the transportation bottleneck.

Countywide

Fairfax County School Board declines to review rights of student journalists

By Scott McCaffrey

Published December 10, 2024 at 11:15AM

The Fairfax County School Board discusses a proposed review of Fairfax County Public School policies protecting student journalist rights at its meeting on Dec. 5, 2024 (via FCPS/YouTube)

A Fairfax County School Board member’s desire to affirm the defined rights of student journalists in the wake of the Hayfield Secondary School athlete-transfer uproar died on a 9-3 vote at the Dec. 5 board meeting.

At-large board member Ryan McElveen introduced the measure as part of a broader discussion of the Hayfield athletics matter. He said it was in reaction to allegations, which have not been independently confirmed, of student journalists at Hayfield having their work on the issue censored.

Countywide

‘I am sorry’: Superintendent works to make amends following uproar over Hayfield football

By Scott McCaffrey

Published December 9, 2024 at 1:15PM

Superintendent Michelle Reid (staff file photo by James Jarvis)

Fairfax County School Board members and Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid took formal steps last week to address the alleged athletic recruiting irregularities at Hayfield Secondary School that have roiled the entire community.

At the school board meeting on Thursday (Dec. 5), Reid offered her first public mea culpa for the crisis of confidence in Fairfax County Public Schools leadership sparked by its handling of the controversy around Hayfield’s football program.

Countywide

Fairfax City school board calls for transparency in Hayfield football investigation

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 5, 2024 at 11:15AM

Hayfield Secondary School (staff photo)

Leaders of Fairfax County Public Schools are under growing pressure from both the Fairfax City School Board and their own school board to shed light on accusations of recruiting violations at Hayfield Secondary School.

The City of Fairfax School Board approved a resolution on Monday (Dec. 2) formally requesting that FCPS contract an independent investigator “with expertise in athletic ethics and compliance to conduct a thorough review” of Hayfield’s football program.