morning notes

Pilot on Flight to Dulles Tried to Open Airplane Door — “A student pilot tried to open the door of an Alaska Airlines cockpit multiple times while the plane was in the air…The flight was traveling from California to Virginia on March 3, according to an affidavit filed by federal air marshal Thomas G. Pattinson and reviewed by CBS News.” [CBS News]

Senior Living Apartments Now Open in Tysons — “Mather…earlier in March opened the doors on its eponymous The Mather, 670,000 square feet of side-by-side glass towers rising as high as 27 stories at 7929 Westpark Drive.” The Chicago-based not-for-profit organization is “actively reviewing sites” for a possible expansion in Northern Virginia, but CEO Mary Leary “wouldn’t say precisely where.” [Washington Business Journal]

Man Charged in Beltway Tractor-Trailer Crash — “A 28-year-old man has been charged after a multi-vehicle crash shut down a portion of southbound Interstate 495 in Fairfax County for several hours Wednesday morning…Troopers responded to a crash in the southbound lanes of I-495 where a passenger vehicle and two tractor-trailers collided near Exit 45.” [WJLA]

Annandale Man Killed in Maryland Robbery — “Annandale resident Mohammad Hanif, 50, was murdered following a robbery at the convenience store he owned in the 900 block of Larchmont Avenue in Capitol Heights, Md., on March 5. The Prince George’s County Police Department is offering up to $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.” [Annandale Today]

County to Update Zoning for Data Centers — “Several board members expressed concern that some zoning districts currently allow for the development of data centers by right…Committee Chair Karen Smith (D-Sully) suggested that the board begin the process of updating the zoning ordinance at its next meeting on March 19, which received unanimous support from the other board members.” [Patch]

Covid Survivors Revisit Inova Fairfax Hospital — “This week marks four years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic and 7News Health and Wellness Reporter Victoria Sanchez caught up with two survivors after first sharing their stories in 2020. Titou Phommachanh and Rodrigo Valderrama greeted each other with a hug in front of Inova Fairfax Hospital. Before the two became the faces of COVID-19 in Northern Virginia four years ago, the men had never met.” [WJLA]

South Lakes HS Wins State Basketball Title — South Lakes High School’s varsity boys team handily defeated Patriot High School 65-39 on Saturday (March 9) to win the Class 6 state boys basketball championship. The Seahawks won with a “stellar supporting cast” led by junior guard Jordan Scott, who scored a game-high 23 points. [Washington Post, Inside NoVA]

Virginia’s Prison Population Drops — “Virginia’s prison population shrank 10.5% between 2021 and 2022, per the latest Justice Department data…That’s the greatest decline of any state during a period when the U.S. was seeing its prison population increase for the first time in nearly a decade.” [Axios Richmond]

General Assembly Approves State Budget — “Virginia lawmakers wrapped up their 60-day legislative session Saturday by approving a two-year budget that includes pay raises for teachers and state employees, increases education funding and extends the state sales tax to cover digital services.” [Associated Press]

Man Gets Prison for Killing Lorton Landlord — “A Prince William County man was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison for slaying his 72-year-old landlord in Lorton. Brian Sayrs Jr., 28, pleaded guilty in August to second-degree murder and concealing a body in the June 2021 killing of Emily Lu, who was found dead about 50 days after she vanished following what authorities said was a rent dispute with Sayrs.” [Washington Post]

Prospect Iffy for Wiz and Caps Stadium in Alexandria — “A visibly frustrated Gov. Glenn Youngkin made a last-minute appeal to the Virginia legislature to support the Potomac Yard arena ahead of the General Assembly adjourning on Saturday…Senate Finance and Appropriations Chairwoman L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) told the Washington Post [on Wednesday] that the Potomac Yard arena won’t be in the budget compromise.” [ALXnow]

Design of Route 1 BRT Stations Under Revision —  Fairfax County’s “Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project team continues to work on art design concepts for five of the nine future BRT stations…The county finalized artwork for windscreens to be located at the Lockheed, Hybla Valley, Woodlawn and Fort Belvoir stations” based on concepts submitted last year by high school students. [On the MoVe]

Fairfax Connector to Restart Service Friday — Fairfax Connector workers represented by ATU Local 689 voted yesterday (Wednesday) to ratify a new contract with bus operator Transdev, ending their strike after 15 days, the union announced. The bus system will officially resume service on Friday (March 8). [FFXnow]

Annandale Man Charged in Baby Son’s Death — “Detectives from the Mason Police District arrested Shane Frye, 37, of Annandale, in connection with the overdose death of his 4-month-old son. Officers responded to the 4200 block of Americana Drive in Annandale on June 15, 2023, for an unresponsive baby, who was being cared for by Frye.” [Annandale Today]

Polls Open for Presidential Primaries — Super Tuesday has arrived in Virginia and 15 other states that will help determine each party’s prospective nominee “ahead of the Republican National Convention from July 15 to 18 and Democratic National Convention from Aug. 19 to 22.” Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. An acceptable form of ID is required to vote in person, and all precincts will accept drop-off ballots. [Patch]

Burke Resident Advocates for Renaming — “The namesake of the unincorporated town of Burke has a dark history associated with slavery, leading some to speculate whether the time has come to change the name.” Resident David Martosko proposes renaming the area after Fenton, an enslaved child bought by Silas Burke, “but keeping the street names and shopping center names in order to force a conversation.” [WUSA9]