morning notes

Man Charged With Stealing FBI Car — “A man working as a contractor at FBI headquarters in downtown D.C. stole a bureau car from the building’s basement garage Tuesday and was arrested hours later after trying to drive onto the grounds of an FBI facility in Northern Virginia, authorities said.” The man allegedly posed as an agent in a failed attempt to access the Vienna facility. [Washington Post]

Overdose by Herndon HS Student Reported — “A non-fatal student overdose was reported by the Fairfax County Public Schools District Tuesday night. The overdose, which was reported by Fairfax County police, involved a student from Herndon High School. Officials said the overdose did not happen at the school.” [WJLA]

Third Person Dies After Braddock Road Crash — “A third passenger in the crash that occurred early Sunday morning at the intersection of Braddock Road and Bradfield Drive in Annandale has been pronounced deceased at the hospital.” Detectives were notified yesterday that Yan Zhou, 68, of Burke, died from her injuries, bringing the county’s traffic death toll for the year up to five people. [FCPD]

County Seeks Feedback on Workforce Housing Policy — “Fairfax County is opening a period of public comment to review and provide feedback on the revised WDU sales prices,” which drop units for households earning 120% of the area median income and add 70% AMI households. Recommended by a task force, the changes are open for comment until 4 p.m. Thursday, March 7, 2024. [Housing and Community Development]

Grammy-Winning Annandale Teacher Returns Home — “On Sunday, [Annie] Ray attended the Grammy Awards Show in Los Angeles. She spoke to Meryl Streep, who told her a music teacher inspired her. She took a picture with Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, and Oprah asked her many questions.” Back at Annandale High School yesterday (Tuesday), the orchestra director said the chance to talk about her work at the school “was the highlight.” [WTOP]

FCPD Arrests Man Wanted for Murder — “Fairfax County police arrested a suspect in Annandale Feb. 6 who was wanted for a 2022 murder in Frederick, Md.” The 27-year-old man was identified as one of two suspects in “the first-degree murder of Michael Isaih Olaniyi, the Frederick Police Department reported.” [Annandale Today]

Metro Optimistic Worst Budget Cuts Can Be Avoided — “Metro is likely to escape extreme cuts that would have decimated the region’s public transportation after D.C., Maryland and Virginia leaders vowed to make up nearly half a billion dollars of the transit system’s budget shortfall, Metro officials said Monday. The infusions must still be finalized through votes…over the coming months.” [Washington Post]

Murder Charge Dropped in Hybla Valley Shooting — “D’Mari Norris, a young father, died after he was shot three times outside the Mount Vernon Square Apartment Homes in Fairfax County in late August 2022…In court on Monday, the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office dismissed the murder charge against the accused killer,” stating that they lacked the evidence to disprove the defendant’s self-defense argument. [NBC4]

State Legislators Plan Town Hall on Casino — Sen. Jennifer Boysko, Del. Karen Keys-Gamarra and other Fairfax County representatives will hold a town hall at McLean High School tomorrow (Saturday) “to hear public concerns and comments” about the bill to allow a casino in Fairfax County. The legislation won’t get a vote this year, but it “will re-emerge during the 2025 General Assembly Session and can be voted on by the Senate.” [Jennifer Boysko]

County Library Marks 85th Birthday — “We are incredibly proud of how far we have come in providing access to books, programming and other resources in the last 85 years. We have a lot planned by way of celebrating this milestone so we hope you join us, not only as we look back, but also as we look forward to what we can achieve in the many years to come.” [Fairfax County Public Library]

Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against FCPS Moves Forward — A federal judge has rejected a request by Fairfax County Public Schools to dismiss a lawsuit filed in 2019 by a former student who says she was raped and sexually abused by classmates when she was in seventh grade. The school board said in November that it had evidence that the allegations were fabricated. The lawsuit will now go to trial in March. [Associated Press]

Reston Man Skis to South Pole for Charity — “A Reston businessman recently found himself at the polar opposite of where he hoped to be nearly a year ago — literally. Instead of standing at the North Pole, Len Forkas instead skied 60 nautical miles to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.” The trek was intended to raise awareness of his nonprofit Hopecam, which helps kids diagnosed with cancer. [Patch]

Vehicle Crashes into Centreville House — A driver crashed into a house in the 14900 block of Carlbern Drive yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. One trapped person was extricated and taken to a hospital, but no injuries were reported. Fairfax County police are investigating. [FCPD/Twitter]

Man Sentenced for Killing Co-Worker at Target — “A Fairfax County man was sentenced to 100 years in prison Tuesday for fatally stabbing a Target co-worker in a parking lot at the store in the Baileys Crossroads area. Bazen Berhe, 25, pleaded guilty in October to first-degree murder in the April 17, 2021, killing of Hernan Leiva, 58, in what Berhe described to a judge as a fit of rage.” [Washington Post]

Fairfax County Population Continues to Fall — “The population declines that are doing the most to reshape the state are out of Fairfax County and many of the cities in Hampton Roads — and those population declines are driven by people moving out, not a declining birth rate…These figures for Fairfax County should be the brightest of red flags: Northern Virginia is the state’s economic engine.” [Cardinal News]

Bigger Mason District Police Station Approved — “The Fairfax County Planning Commission on Jan. 24 approved a project to renovate and expand the Mason Police Station. The police station shares a building with the Mason Government Center at 6507 Columbia Pike…A 4,567-square-foot addition to the police station will increase the size of the building to 34,596 square feet.” [Annandale Today]

Cut-Through Traffic Restrictions Proposed for McLean — “To protect McLean neighborhoods overrun by commuters cutting through to avoid bottlenecks on Route 7, Interstate 495 and other major roads, newly elected Fairfax Supervisor Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville) wants to restrict peak-hour traffic in those neighborhoods, but exempt residents living there using a vehicle-sticker program.” [Gazette Leader]

Bill to Regulate Marijuana Sales Advances — “Three years after Virginia lawmakers voted to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults, the General Assembly is finally moving ahead with efforts to create a marketplace for the manufacture and sale of recreational cannabis. There’s a long way to go. And even supporters don’t agree on an approach — or know whether Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) will go along.” [Washington Post]