morning notes

Family of Man Killed by Police Sees Footage — Ahead of a public release at 1 p.m. today (Thursday), the “family of Timothy McCree Johnson, an unarmed Black man fatally shot by Fairfax County police outside Tysons Corner Center last month, watched body-camera footage of his killing. Their lawyer asserted afterward that the video showed Johnson had posed no threat to law enforcement.” [The Washington Post]

McLean Woman Convicted of Killing Daughters — A Fairfax County jury convicted 37-year-old Veronica Youngblood yesterday (Wednesday) “of killing her two daughters — Sharon Castro, 15, and Brooklynn Youngblood, 5 — on Aug. 5, 2018. The mother admitted to officials that she fatally shot her children, but she pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.” [The Washington Post]

Inova Gets Go-Ahead for Springfield Hospital — “Inova Health System just got the Virginia Department of Health’s green light to proceed with plans to bring a new hospital to Springfield — despite VHC Health’s attempt to block the project. The Falls Church-based health system secured the certificate of public need Tuesday afternoon for the nearly 1 million-square-foot hospital” [Washington Business Journal]

State Police Add Red Lights to Vehicles — “Virginia State Police are equipping the newest vehicles in their fleet with emergency light bars that also include red lights to improve visibility and safety…The enhanced emergency lights are on the road now in new police vehicles, which will gradually replace the older vehicles in the fleet.” [WTOP]

Metro Adds Trains to Speed Up Service — “Metro is ramping up service across much of the rail system starting [Monday], promising ‘an infusion of trains.’ This comes as ridership has been on the upswing, hitting new post-pandemic records, and as the transit system has been allowed to bring back more 7000-series railcars.” [DCist]

County Launches Fund for Tech Startups — “The Fairfax Founders Fund (FFF), a grant and technical assistance program providing funds to early-stage Fairfax County-based startups, will begin accepting applications on April 10. FFF will provide up to $50,000 in capital to help start-ups develop their business and prepare for later-stage investment.” [Department of Economic Initiatives]

Developers Seek to Add More Housing in Fair Lakes — “Proposed updates to Fairfax County’s land use regulations, preliminarily earmarked for the county staff’s highest priority, signal that the sea-changing real estate market wants to see Fair Lakes, like elsewhere in the county, shift away from suburban office and toward new residential development.” [Washington Business Journal]

Reston Fire Station Introduces New Engine — “Thursday, Station 25. Reston, A-Shift placed new Engine 425 in service. A ‘push In’ ceremony was conducted by the shift. This tradition dates back to the days of horse-drawn equipment when firefighters had to push the equipment back into the station. E425 responded on its first call, an outside fire, a short time later.” [FCFRD/Facebook]

Strep Throat Diagnoses Rise in Fairfax County — “Data from emergency departments and urgent care centers in the community have shown an increase in the number of people who have been diagnosed with strep throat since late January 2023. For the week of March 5-11, there were more visits to ED and urgent care facilities for strep throat than at any time in the past 3 years” [Fairfax County Health Department]

BB Gun Appears During Fight at Annandale HS — “Video obtained by 7News captured a fight at Annandale High School in Fairfax County Wednesday where a BB gun ended up falling to the floor…Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) also confirmed to 7News the presence of the BB gun following the fight during a ‘class change.'” [ABC7]

Man Arrested for Pointing Laser at Police Chopper — Fairfax County police detectives arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly pointing a laser at the department’s Fairfax 1 helicopter around 11:25 p.m. on Saturday (March 11). The Fairfax 1 crew was assisting Virginia State Police with a search and traced the laser’s source to an apartment in the 9200 block of Ashland Woods Lane. [FCPD/Facebook]

Dunn Loring Metro Escalator Replacements Underway — Metro began work on Monday (March 13) to replace the two platform escalators at the Dunn Loring station, part of a push to upgrade 130 escalators in the rail system by 2028. Construction will be done on one escalator at a time, with the open one being treated as stairs. The project is expected to take about eight months, finishing around the end of October. [WMATA]

Fairfax Student Hospitalized After Possible Overdose — “Just hours after a student suffered a possible overdose at Fairfax High School on Monday, the school district held a meeting with parents to discuss the school system’s growing drug problem. Rescue crews rushed to the high school after a male student was suspected of overdosing on fentanyl, according to 911 dispatch.” [NBC4]

Medicaid Enrollment Requirements Resume — After letting all Medicaid members stay covered during the first years of the pandemic, all states are now reevaluating members’ eligibility. Coverage won’t be canceled or reduced before Virginia reaches out to each person, but members should update their contact information to ensure they get the notification. [Fairfax County Public Assistance and Employment Services]

Wind Advisory Expected Today — “There is a Wind Advisory in effect from 2 PM Tuesday (3/14/23) to 2 AM Wednesday (3/15/23). Northwest winds from 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph are expected. Use extra caution when driving and secure objects that could blow around outside.” [Ready Fairfax/Twitter]

Fatal Car Crash Victim’s Family Not Satisfied With Sentencing — The family of a woman killed in a DWI crash on I-495 near Telegraph Road says prosecutors should’ve pursued higher charges. The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney sought 10 years in prison for former D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission chairperson Devon Lesesne, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, but Judge John Tran sentenced him to just four years, one of which has already been served. [WUSA9]

Fire Destroys Multiple Annandale Businesses — “Fairfax County and Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene of a building fire in the 7200 block of Columbia Pike. Four Annandale businesses, two restaurants, a shipping company, and a hair salon, sustained what fire officials called catastrophic damage.” [DC News Now]

FCPS Denies Attorney General’s Racism Allegations — “Jason Miyares is alleging that a Fairfax County middle school discriminated against students based on race, color, and national origin in an email sent to families regarding a college preparatory program offered by the county…A statement from Fairfax County Public Schools called Miyares’ assertions ‘false and damaging.'” [DCist]

School Board Member Joins Race to Replace Ken Plum — Karen Keys-Gamarra won’t return as an at-large member of the Fairfax County School Board, instead filing to become delegate in Virginia’s new House District 7. She is the fifth candidate vying to succeed Del. Ken Plum, who confirmed last month that he won’t seek reelection after representing Reston for 44 years. [Patch]

County Breaks Ground on New Government Center — “We celebrated the beginning of construction on the new Franconia Governmental Center and Kingstowne Regional Library this week. The new facility — projected to open in 2025 — will provide a safe, convenient and friendly environment for the residents of the Kingstowne area to gather and to access county services in one central location.” [Fairfax County]