morning notes

One Found Dead in Christmas Morning Fire — “One person was found dead in a Christmas morning fire at a townhouse in the Centreville area of Fairfax County, according to firefighters. Firefighters from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue arrived at the home in the 14100 block of Red River Drive early on Monday morning, they said in a release.” [NBC4]

Affair at Center of Frying Pan Area Killings — “A website that caters to people with sexual fetishes may have been used as part of a ploy to draw a man to a Herndon home before he and a woman living in the house were killed, according to new allegations laid out in the Fairfax County bond hearing of an au pair charged with murder in the case.” [Washington Post]

Region’s Busiest Travel Period Underway — “If you’re someone who travels out of the D.C. region for the holidays, one of the busiest winter holiday travel days has arrived…While the regional airports might sound busy, AAA Mid-Atlantic predicts the vast majority of travelers in the D.C. metro area, 98%, will be driving to their destinations.” [WTOP]

Two Arrested for Fatal Franconia Shooting — “Two juvenile suspects have turned themselves in for their involvement in the Franconia shooting that left a Woodbridge man dead. [On Wednesday], officers were notified of two juvenile suspects who turned themselves in to Arlington Police. Both juveniles were transported to Fairfax County and charged.” [FCPD]

Report Recommends Options for Closing Metro Funding Gap — “The report, issued Tuesday by a working group of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, suggests boosting local jurisdictions’ collective subsidies to Metro by as much as $462 million, plus various additional compromise measures.” Suggestions include fare increases and “targeted service reductions” that could be less drastic than the partial Silver Line closure proposed by WMATA. [Washington Business Journal]

Three Arrested for Theft and Fraud at Tysons Clothing Store — “The Tysons Urban Team (TUT) detectives arrested a crew believed to be responsible for multiple fraudulent transactions and recovered property belonging to U.S. Postal Service (USPS). At 2:14 p.m. on December 15, detectives responded to the Diesel store in the McLean area for a suspicious person call. A store employee recognized several suspects from a fraudulent purchase that was made a few weeks prior.” [FCPD]

Next Phase of Dulles Airport Taking Shape — “A team of planners at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is working on a new vision for Dulles — one that could vastly expand the airport’s footprint and include construction of a new runway, concourses and completion of the AeroTrain system. The new master plan also could incorporate the next generation of transportation options…known as air taxis.” [Washington Post]

Burke Man Charged With Indecent Exposure —  “At 12:46 p.m. on December 16, officers responded to a sex offense at the intersection of Coffer Woods Court and Blincoe Court in Burke. A victim observed a man running on a nearby trail exposing himself.” Police arrested a 53-year-old man, who “may have exposed himself on multiple other occasions along the Pohick Stream Valley Trail.” [FCPD]

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]