morning notes

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]

Teen Charged With Murder Released on Bond — A 14-year-old charged with fatally stabbing a 17-year-old boy in Annandale earlier this month was released on bond before trial, the victim’s brother says. “The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said prosecutors asked the judge to keep the suspect in jail until trial, but the judge released him with the ankle monitor on Tuesday.” [NBC4]

Dispute Leads to Stabbing on Fairfax Connector Bus — “A juvenile was injured in a stabbing on a Fairfax Connector Bus Thursday evening in Hybla Valley, according to Fairfax County police. Officers said they responded to the 4300 block of Lawrence Street around 3 p.m. for a report of a juvenile male with a stab wound to their upper body.” [WJLA]

Fairfax County Casino Bill Advances — A Senate committee voted 10-4 yesterday (Wednesday) to advance the bill that would make Fairfax County eligible for a casino despite opposition from many local residents, homeowners’ organizations and some county and state elected officials who represent Reston and Tysons. “The bill now goes to the Senate Finance Committee for another round of review.” [Associated Press]

Vote Deferred on Housing at Franconia Government Center — “The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to defer its decision on the transfer of the Franconia Governmental Center property to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. At a public hearing prior to the Board of Supervisors’ vote, many residents expressed opposition to plans to build multifamily affordable housing at the site.” [Patch]

Annual Homelessness Count Starts Tonight — “Fairfax County, along with the greater Washington D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virgina region, will conduct a ‘Point-In-Time’ count of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, beginning in the evening on January 24, 2024, and continuing through the morning of January 25.” [Housing and Community Development]

Region’s Economy Lagging, Forum Speaker Says — “The Vienna Department of Economic Development’s first-ever ‘State of the Economy’ event provided information, spectacle, tasty food and town-promoting swag to about 70 people who filled the Vienna Community Center’s auditorium Jan. 18.” Keynote speaker Keith Waters said the D.C. region’s “economic output has been lagging the nation’s for about 13 years.” [Gazette Leader]

D.C. Area Restaurant Week Extended — “The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington has decided to keep Winter Restaurant Week going from Jan. 22 to Jan. 28, doubling the amount of time visitors to participating D.C. restaurants can get multi-course meals at high-end restaurants for much cheaper prices. RAMW decided on the extension after this week’s snowstorms moved through the area.” [NBC4]

Fairfax Man Pleads Guilty to Having Machine Guns — “A 67-year-old Fairfax man pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of possessing an unlawful machine gun, according the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. [The man] admitted in court that he possessed four fully automatic machine guns” without “a valid Federal Firearms License or a Special Occupational Tax.” [Patch]

N. Va. Officials Push State to Pay More for Metro — “In Virginia (as usual), the funding picture is more complicated. The state pays a little less than half of the regular bill for Metro, with the six Northern Virginia jurisdictions served by Metro picking up the rest of the tab. Now, those jurisdictions say they’re counting on the state to also go halfsies on the stopgap funds.” [DCist]

Rules for Temporary Outdoor Dining Advance — “Proposed new outdoor-dining rules, modeled on ones implemented during the pandemic, on Jan. 10 earned the unanimous recommendation of the Fairfax County Planning Commission.” Hunter Mill District Commissioner John Carter got support for a motion to have no size limits on outdoor dining areas and an amendment to require the same operating hours as the restaurant. [Gazette Leader]