morning notes

County Expands Electric Vehicle Pilot — The Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination recently picked five new communities to join its Charge Up Fairfax pilot program, which helps neighborhoods install electric vehicle charging equipment. The latest participants are the Colonies at McLean, Strathmeade Square Community, Villa Ridge Condominium, Washington Plaza Cluster Association and Waterford Square Condominium Unit Owners Association. [WTOP]

School Board Members Share Identity Through Books for Inauguration — “Four returning members and eight newcomers were sworn onto the board at the ceremony Wednesday evening. Some members brought sentimental Bibles, some brought stacks of books they connected with and others used no book at all. A number of members saw the ceremony as an opportunity to demonstrate their stance on the rise of book challenges.” [Washington Post]

FCPS Considers Later Middle School Start Times — Fairfax County Public Schools “is exploring the possibility of starting middle school classes at 8 a.m. or later, it said. Currently, middle schools in the county start classes at 7:30 a.m…The goal is for the new start time to be in place for the 2025-26 school year, the school system said.” [WTOP]

Hybla Valley Man Arrested in Stolen Car — “A Hybla Valley man accused of committing five burglaries in 24 hours was arrested Tuesday. Then released on bond Thursday. Now, he’s back in jail.” When the 22-year-old man was arrested again Friday (Dec. 15), he was in a Hyundai Sonata stolen from the West Springfield Police District station earlier in the day. [WUSA9]

Elected County Officials Sworn In — “Family, friends and area leaders all came together to mark new terms of office for our Board of Supervisors, constitutional officers and Soil and Water Conservation District directors. The inauguration ceremony was held at the Government Center on Dec. 13 for these local officials, who will guide the county for the next four years.” [Fairfax County Government]

Fairfax Delegate Proposes Discrimination Protections for Ethnicity — “With the recent spike in reports of antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias, lawmakers will soon consider whether to add ethnicity to Virginia’s hate crimes and discrimination law. Del. Dan Helmer…introduced a bill — HB 18 — that would expand the groups protected against unlawful discrimination.” [WTOP]

Mixed Reactions to N. Va. Move for Wizards and Capitals — “Officials announced plans to bring the Washington Capitals and the Washington Wizards to a new arena in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood. The new $2 billion arena, leased to Monumental Sports & Entertainment, is scheduled to break ground in 2025 and open sometime in late 2028.” [ALXnow]

Fundraiser Supports Family of McLean Man Found in House Fire — “The fire broke out Monday morning at a home on the 4000 block of Ridgeview Circle in McLean…A GoFundMe campaign for his family was launched Tuesday and has already raised more than $10,000.” [ARLnow]

Metro Would Slash Service in Proposed Budget — “Metro proposed a budget Tuesday with service cuts officials say would make the transit system ‘unrecognizable’ and have a devastating economic impact on the region. On the table are across-the-board service cuts, including the closure of 10 Metro stations, earlier station closing times, the elimination of nearly half of all current Metrobus routes, fare hikes, layoffs, and salary and hiring freezes.” [DCist]

Federal Officials Grilled on FBI HQ Choice — “Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), chairman of a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee with oversight of public buildings, called the hearing to examine why a GSA official selected Greenbelt despite a three-member panel’s unanimous recommendation to put the FBI headquarters in Springfield.” [Washington Post]

First Snow of the Season Arrives — The D.C. area saw its first snow yesterday (Monday), thanks to a cold front that dropped temperatures overnight from 60 degrees on Sunday. In Fairfax County, preliminary snowfall totals ranged from 0.5 inches in Springfield to 1.5 inches in Mount Vernon, already topping the 0.4 inches recorded last winter at Dulles International Airport. [Washington Post, Inside NoVA]

Wizards and Capitals Could Move to Virginia — “A group of Virginia state lawmakers voted Monday in favor of a deal to bring the Washington Capitals and Wizards to a new arena in Northern Virginia, according to four people with knowledge of the situation.” The plan, which still needs to be approved by the General Assembly and local officials, would move the hockey and basketball teams to a facility in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard. [Washington Post]

Community Helps Family of Student Who Fatally Overdosed — “A Justice High School student died after overdosing while video chatting with a friend [last] week, now a GoFundMe is aiming to help the student’s family.” Shared by the Justice High School PTSA, the fundraiser drew more than $5,000 as of Friday (Dec. 8). [WUSA9]

Firefighter Checked for Injuries After Lorton Townhouse Fire — “Units [were] on scene of a townhouse fire [on Saturday] in the 9800 blk of Hagel Circle in the Lorton area. Crews arrived with smoke and fire showing. The fire is under control. One firefighter is being evaluated for injuries. No reported civilian injuries.” [FCFRD/Twitter]

Fairfax County Resident Wins “Squid Game” Reality Show — “Mai Whelan — also known as Player 287 on Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge — is one of the DMV’s newest multimillionaires. [On Wednesday] night, she took home the top $4.56 million prize in the game show’s finale, beating out 455 other contestants, including Falls Church native Shelby Hoefling.” [Washingtonian]

New Funding Goes to N. Va. Rail Projects — “Elected officials announced Thursday the state has received $729 million in federal funding. The money will go toward the construction of a new Long Bridge over the Potomac River. Currently a major chokepoint on East Coast, the project will double the bridge’s capacity.” [WTOP]

Washington Post Workers Walk Out in Bid for Union Contract — “Unionized journalists and other staff at The Washington Post in D.C. and around the world are set to strike for 24 hours starting Thursday…In a letter to readers, the Guild asked subscribers to not ‘engage with any Washington Post content’ during the span of the strike.” [WTOP]

Virginia Requires Teamwork for Local Water Supply Plans — “Virginia’s State Water Control Board amended regulations last week that will require local governments in the same river basin to work together in crafting plans for water supply and use. Previously, the state allowed local governments to choose whether they wanted to submit such plans independently or work with other localities in a regional approach.” [Virginia Mercury]

Justice HS Student Dies From Drug Overdose — “Officials notified the community of the fatal overdose involving a Justice High School student on Tuesday afternoon…FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid provided resources for parents and families on substance abuse,” stating that “we all play a role in reducing the stigma associated with substance use disorders, while also focusing on substance misuse.” [WJLA]

Vienna Town Council Opposes Idea of Casino — “Faced with rumblings that some state legislators again might try to authorize a gambling casino in Fairfax County, Vienna Town Council members on Dec. 4 formally signaled their opposition to that prospect…Council member Nisha Patel…successfully moved to have the casino-opposition statement placed within the 19-item legislative agenda’s Top 5 priorities.” [Gazette Leader]