Like some businesses, local government offices and many services are set to close for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Administrative offices for Fairfax County as well as smaller jurisdictions like Vienna, Herndon and Fairfax City will all be closed on both Thursday and Friday (Nov. 27-28). However, some services will still be available or follow modified schedules.
Fairfax County has identified new operators for three of its homeless shelters after cutting ties with New Hope Housing in September.
The Fairfax City-based nonprofit Shelter House has taken over the Eleanor Kennedy Shelter (9155 Richmond Highway) in Fort Belvoir as well as Mondloch House and Place, an emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing site (3510 Lockheed Blvd) in Groveton.
An urban forester and arborist who worked for Fairfax County was among the two people who died earlier this month in a house fire in the Herndon area.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay identified Toni Woods and her husband as the victims of the Nov. 6 fire when the board convened on Tuesday (Nov. 18) for its only November meeting.
The Fairfax County Government Center will be open tomorrow (Tuesday) for election voting and little else.
Most government facilities will be closed for Election Day, which is a designated holiday for the county. Operations affected by the closures include all Fairfax County Public Library branches and Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) programs.
Families who need someone to watch their kids before or after school sometimes languish for years on the waitlist for School Age Child Care (SACC) in Fairfax County.
Beyond the Bell, a pilot program launched this fall by the county’s Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS), is testing whether a new model for child care — one that is license-exempt and increases the maximum number of kids — can help solve that problem.
Owners of vehicles towed for improper parking on private property across Fairfax County could soon see an increase of up to 40% in the fee to retrieve them.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (Oct. 28) set a public hearing for Tuesday, Dec. 9 to consider adjustments to towing fees most recently raised four years ago.
The Fairfax City Council approved a handful of special exceptions for the forthcoming Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center last week, but not every official was on board.
Three of the councilmembers — Stacy Hall, Rachel McQuillen and Thomas Peterson — symbolically voted against each of the zoning requests at the council meeting last Tuesday (Oct. 14), though all items ultimately passed by a slim majority vote.
Update — Members of SEIU Local 512’s Fairfax County chapter officially ratified their collective bargaining agreement on Friday, Oct. 24 by a 99.9% vote, the union announced.
If approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the three-year contract will take effect on July 1, 2026.
Like everyone else, Fairfax County leaders remain in wait-and-see mode to determine the short-term and potential long-term implications of the federal government’s ongoing shutdown.
“It really depends on the length,” said Jennifer Imo, managing partner of client services for Ferguson Group, a lobbying organization hired by Fairfax County to represent its interests on Capitol Hill.
Fairfax County has cut ties with one of its homeless shelter providers in response to allegations of deteriorating conditions and mismanagement.
The Department of Housing and Community Development’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness (HCD OPEH) took control of Bailey’s Shelter & Supportive Housing, the Eleanor U. Kennedy Shelter in Fort Belvoir and other programs managed by New Hope Housing at the beginning of October after terminating its contract with the nonprofit on Sept. 30.
