morning notes

Gallows Road Study Identifies Safety, Traffic Issues — “The Gallows Road Multimodal Study is exploring ways to make the seven-mile corridor safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users, while reducing traffic congestion…FCDOT found most of Gallows Road is uncomfortable for pedestrians, due to the large number of lanes, the 35 mph speed limit, and narrow buffers between the sidewalk and roadway.” [Annandale Today]

D.C. Area Healthcare Workers Authorize Strike — “Some 3,800 union healthcare workers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., are threatening to go on strike at the end of this month if the leadership at Kaiser Permanente and the union cannot agree to a new contract addressing staffing shortages and low pay for workers.” The company’s facilities include medical centers in Fair Oaks and Burke. [Maryland Matters]

Local and State Candidate Forum Tonight — “The South County Federation, a non-partisan umbrella group of homeowners, civic and citizens associations in the greater Lorton area, plans to hold an in-person and virtual candidate forum Sept. 20 for several general election races…All 20 invited candidates said they would participate.” [On the MoVe]

Charges Dropped in Sexual Battery Case — At a preliminary hearing Monday (Sept. 18), a Fairfax County judge dismissed sexual battery and abduction charges against a 20-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Chantilly in July, saying there wasn’t probable cause for a trial. The man remains in jail on separate charges in Loudoun and Prince William. [WUSA9]

Lawsuit Seeks to Disqualify School Board Candidate — The Fairfax County Republican Party and three residents argue Marcia St. John-Cunning should be removed from the Franconia District race, saying six signatures on her campaign petition are invalid. Endorsed by local Democrats, St. John-Cunning is competing against GOP-endorsed Kevin Pinkney to succeed Tamara Derenak-Kaufax, who isn’t seeking reelection. [Patch]

Singer Challenges Wolf Trap’s Merchandise Sales Commissions — Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts has drawn some criticism after acoustic singer Sarah Beth Tomberlin told fans that the venue was seeking a 41% cut of all her merchandise sales. Tomberlin instead opted not to sell merch when she opened for Ray LaMontagne on Sunday (Sept. 17). [DCist]

One Injured in Herndon Vehicle Crash — Yesterday afternoon (Sunday), Herndon police shut down “two lanes into town and one lane out of town on Sterling Rd…due to a crash investigation. Light pole blocking 3 lanes. Dominion power responding. One patient has been transported w non life threatening injuries.” [Herndon Police/Twitter]

Fairfax City Opens Addiction Recovery Center — “With a ribbon cutting held Friday, the city’s new 6,700-square-feet addiction recovery center run by the Chris Atwood Foundation stands to help those in the community fighting the disease and looking for resources, particularly low-income families.” [WTOP]

Virginia Reps Raise Alarm Over Potential Federal Shutdown — “The fractious, divided House of Representatives has until the end of the month to approve the funding needed to keep the federal government open. If…the government runs out of money, it’ll likely have dire consequences for the D.C. region, which is home to hundreds of thousands of federal workers, contractors, and military service members.” [DCist]

Lee Chapel Road Hill Removals Fully Funded — State Sen. George Barker shared on Wednesday (Sept. 13) that the state will provide $4 million to eliminate two hills along a stretch of road where two teens were killed in a crash, Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity confirmed yesterday. Fairfax County has already allocated $5 million to the project. [WTOP]

FCPD Shares Results of Vehicle Crime Crackdown — “Throughout…August, officers from our 2023 Summer Crime Prevention Initiative made over 50 felony arrests and over 50 misdemeanor arrests in an effort to take dangerous drugs out of our communities and hold criminals accountable. In August, our officers focused on vehicle-related crimes.” [FCPD]

Amazon to Fund Housing for First-Time Owners — “Working with the nonprofit National Housing Trust (NHT), the company said it will give housing developers or local organizations grants to come up with strategies on how to create ‘affordable homeownership’ opportunities. Then, the housing trust and Amazon will offer those organizations loans to build or preserve housing units set aside for low- and middle-income families.” [Washington Post]

Deadline to Pay Car Taxes Looms — “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…To help vehicle owners, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved 10% tax relief for personal property taxes” for 2023. [Fairfax County Government]

FCPS Tightens Grading Policy on Missing Assignments — “In an update to its grading policies, Fairfax County Public Schools said teachers can now give students a zero for an assignment that’s not turned in. The change marks a departure from previous guidance, which said 50% is the lowest grade a teacher can give to a student who doesn’t turn in work.” [WTOP]

Fire Department Fills the Boot With Over $187K — “The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department’s Fill the Boot campaign raised $187,300 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Firefighters stood at intersections from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3 collecting donations from motorists and pedestrians.” [Annandale Today]

Fairfax Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Porn — “A Fairfax man pleaded guilty today to receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), receipt of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children, and possession of CSAM…He faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment for each charge.” [U.S. Attorney’s Office]