morning notes

Reminder: Car Tax Payments Due Today — “Personal property taxes — better known as car taxes — are due on Thursday, Oct. 5. Bills were mailed this summer, and there are many convenient ways to pay…If you have a question or concern about your tax bill, contact the Department of Tax Administration.” [Fairfax County Government]

Silver Line Phase 2 Ridership Tops 3 Million — “One million people have used the Dulles International Airport Metro station since it opened last fall, Metro and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) announced Wednesday…Ridership passing through the six new stations has surpassed 3 million, with Dulles station accounting for about one-third of riders.” [Washington Post]

Reston Pub Makes Leap to D.C. — “Makers Union, Thompson Restaurants’ 4-year-old tavern in Reston, Virginia, busts out of the suburbs with a shiny new D.C. edition serving tomahawk dinners for two, ‘sea-cuterie’ boards, and lots of brown liquors — plus a neon-lit reminder to ‘get nauti’ in its Southwest Waterfront neighborhood.” The second location opened on Monday (Oct. 2). [DC Eater]

Dranesville District Supervisor Candidates Face Off — “While frequently exchanging unpleasantries at a forum hosted Sept. 27 by the Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA), candidates seeking to become the next Dranesville District supervisor fielded questions on taxes, the environment, law enforcement, Metro funding and drag-queen shows.” [Gazette Leader]

Brace for Emergency Alert Test Tomorrow — “The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 2:20 p.m.” The EAS will send an alert to all cellphones, while the WEA will be broadcast on radio and TVs. [Fairfax County Emergency Information]

Person of Interest in Burke Lake Park Death Arrested — “A man has been arrested in the death of a Virginia woman found inside a tent…Police had earlier called Rami El Sayed a ‘person of interest’ in the death of Cara Abbruscato, 40, of Fairfax. He was arrested Monday in New Jersey on a charge of second-degree murder, and will be extradited to Northern Virginia, police announced on social media.” [WTOP]

Metro Still Recovering From Derailment Near National Airport — “Most Metrorail customers will see nearly normal train service [Monday], even as Metro continues to inspect the fleet’s oldest railcars…However Blue and Yellow line trains will depart every 15 minutes while work continues to repair tracks damaged in Friday’s derailment.” [WMATA]

County Seeks Input on Pedestrian and Bicycle Projects — “Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) has developed a proposed list of projects that will be narrowed down further with input from the community to receive a portion of $100 million funding allocated by the Board of Supervisors.” Virtual meetings will be held at 7 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) and noon on Thursday (Oct. 5) to discuss the projects. [FCDOT]

State Senate Candidate Almost Fired by FCPD — “Republican state Senate candidate Bill Woolf, who is running in Virginia’s Nov. 7 election on his record as a former Fairfax County Police detective and human-trafficking foe, would have been fired had he not resigned in 2017 during an ongoing internal affairs investigation into hours he reported on duty while at another job, according to police records.” [Washington Post]

What a Government Shutdown Would Mean for Virginia — “A government shutdown would be a double whammy for Virginia, a state that’s home to more federal civilian employees and active-duty military personnel than almost any other.” The funding halt would also affect public programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supports about 15,490 people just in Fairfax County. [Washington Post, Associated Press]

Developer Hosts Political Fundraisers at Possible Reston Casino Site — “Perhaps to bolster its efforts to build a casino at or near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station, Comstock scheduled fundraisers for two Democratic Party candidates who may be leading the Virginia General Assembly during the 2024 Session.” [Patch]

County Takes Over Volunteer-Based Nonprofit — “The Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services is pleased to announce it will assume administrative and programing responsibilities for GrandInvolve, a non-profit organization that places older adults as volunteers in Title I schools, effective Nov. 1, 2023.” [NCS]

Where to See Fall Foliage in Fairfax County — “Autumn is officially here and our estimated 44 million trees will be putting on a spectacular show of colors lasting a few weeks in October (though this year’s drought-like conditions may impact some colors)…Check out Visit Fairfax’s best locations for leaf peeping” [Fairfax County Government]

Metro Shares Options to Address Budget Gap — “Metro said Tuesday it is considering three options for addressing a $750 million budget shortfall next summer, but all would require additional money from D.C., Virginia and Maryland to prevent service cuts that transit leaders say would irreparably harm its rail and bus networks.” [Washington Post]

Get Prepared for Flu Season — “The Fairfax County Health Department is encouraging everyone six months and older to prepare for flu season by getting a flu vaccine and reminding yourself of the steps to take to help avoid flu…September through October is typically the best time to get a flu vaccine.” [FCHD]

Car Shot on I-66 Near County Border — “Virginia State Police are investigating a reported shooting on Interstate 66 in Northern Virginia on Monday morning when a car driving on the interstate was struck by a bullet…Police said it happened around 10:30 a.m. near the 47-mile marker near the Prince William County and Fairfax County line.” [WTOP]

McLean Woman Sentenced for Fatally Shooting Daughters — “Prosecutors said [Veronica] Youngblood methodically killed her daughters at her apartment at 1519 Lincoln Circle as an act of revenge toward her former husband, Ron Youngblood.” A jury convicted Youngblood of first-degree murder earlier this year and recommended a prison sentence of 78 years. [Washington Post]

Child Partially Paralyzed After Richmond Highway Crash — “Next month Trenton Gatlin-Ketter will turn 6 years old. Instead of playing outside and enjoying his special day, he’ll be in his wheelchair. The child was partially paralyzed after police say a drunk driver crashed into him and his mom.” [WUSA9]

Early Voting Begins in Fairfax County — Three locations will open for early voting, starting with the Fairfax County Government Center at 8 a.m., and more will follow on Oct. 26. The Nov. 7 general election ballot includes all local and state races, along with a $435 million school bond referendum. [Fairfax County Government]

Coastal Flood Watch Issued for Saturday — “A Coastal Flood Watch is effective late Saturday night. The worst flooding will be with the Saturday afternoon and evening high tides. Turn around, don’t drown. More than half of all flooding deaths occur in vehicles!” [Ready Fairfax/Twitter]