Countywide

If you don’t need one immediately, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) officials suggest waiting out the current rush for REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identity cards.

“At the Virginia DMV, there’s no deadline to get a REAL ID — just plenty of good days to apply, as customers are able to apply for one year-round,” Camila Barco, a spokesman for the state agency, told FFXnow.


Countywide

The ranks of unemployed Fairfax County residents ticked up nearly 8% month-over-month and 37% year-over-year in March, according to new state data, as Northern Virginia’s economy takes a hit from the federal government’s downsizing and collateral economic impacts.

A total of 20,836 Fairfax residents were counted as unemployed for March, according to figures reported this week by the Virginia Employment Commission. That compares to 19,315 in February and 15,171 in March 2024.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools is one of two Virginia school divisions that reportedly declined to sign a form committing it to complying with federal anti-discrimination laws and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that barred race from being considered in college admissions.

Superintendent Michelle Reid instead sent a “modified certification and assurance document” to Virginia education leaders last week affirming FCPS’ compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Virginia Mercury reported yesterday morning (Tuesday).


Countywide

A survey of Northern Virginia business leaders found high levels of uncertainty after months of turmoil from tariff policies and federal job cuts.

The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce (NVC) and communications agency Pinkston released a Q2 Business Leader Survey yesterday (Tuesday) that collected feedback from business organizations in Fairfax, Falls Church, Reston and other locations around Northern Virginia.


Countywide

More than a dozen international students at George Mason University have recently had their visas terminated or revoked by the federal government, the university says.

The U.S. departments of state and homeland security apparently changed the statuses of 15 students without any involvement by or prior notice to university officials, GMU President Gregory Washington and Vice President for University Life Rose Pascarell told the community yesterday (Tuesday).


Countywide

Even without taking into account the global economic havoc being wreaked by new tariffs, the Trump administration’s gutting of the federal workforce could have worse impacts on the D.C. region than Covid, Fairfax County authorities say.

A 20% reduction in the federal workforce could devastate the economy in Fairfax County, where approximately 80,000 residents — about 13% of the workforce — are employed by the federal government, according to updated data from the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA).


News

Rona Hitlin-Mason is afraid for the future she leaves behind for her grandchildren.

Hitlin-Mason and over 50 other residents or friends of residents at Woodleigh Chase — a retirement community off Braddock Road in Kings Park West — took to the streets on Saturday (April 5) to join in a day of nationwide protests against President Donald Trump.


Countywide

While the future of foreign aid faces uncertainty, a Fairfax County-based disaster response task force has not yet felt trickle-down effects of ongoing cuts at the federal level.

Virginia Task Force 1 is operating like things are business as usual, even with the Trump administration moving to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), according to John Morrison, a planning manager for the task force.


News

Contractors in Fairfax County appear to be feeling the effects of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to slash federal funding.

Mitre Corporation will lay off 442 employees primarily at its Tysons headquarters campus on June 3, while Reston-based Leidos will eliminate 29 workers based in its Lincolnia office, effective May 30, according to notices that both companies filed this week with the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.


Countywide

The Fairfax County Police Department has a message for those affected by the Trump administration’s downsizing of the federal government: Come check us out.

The department launched a dedicated recruitment initiative on Tuesday (April 1) “aimed at hiring experienced professionals seeking stable and rewarding career opportunities in public safety.”


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