morning notes

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]

High School Students Will Get Free Virtual Mental Health Services — “Fairfax County Public Schools has partnered with Hazel Health, giving some 61,000 students access to the service, according to the county’s contract…A pilot program was expected to launch by the beginning of January but was delayed. Access to Hazel Health’s services is expected to be available later this spring” [WTOP]

Doctor Gets Prison Time for Prescribing Drugs in Fatal Overdose — A federal judge sentenced Dr. Robert Cao, 39, of Lafayette, Louisiana, to 15 months for “illegally prescribing controlled substances to a man who died of an overdose” in Fairfax in May 2021. A former Falls Church resident, Cao wrote prescriptions for oxycodone and hydrocodone to the victim at least five times despite not being his doctor. [NBC4]

County Advertises Flat Real Estate Tax Rate — “The advertised real estate tax rate is $1.11 per $100 of assessed value. That is the county’s current rate and was proposed to remain the same under County Executive Bryan Hill’s fiscal year 2024 budget proposal. The same rate or a lower rate can be adopted during the budget process, but a higher rate can not be considered.” [Patch]

Eight Displaced by Pimmit Hills House Fire — Fairfax and Arlington county firefighters were dispatched to the 2000 block of Griffith Road at 9:02 p.m. on Monday (March 6) after an unattended candle ignited a fire in the one-story house. No one was injured, but eight people were displaced and the fire caused about $30,000 in damages. [FCFRD]

FCPD Uses Tech to Track Guns Used in Crimes — “A computer technology that can match the unique marks a gun makes on cartridge casings is helping detectives in Fairfax County, Virginia, to track down people suspected of violent crimes more quickly…Fairfax County is the only local department in the region with the system.” [NBC4]

County Highlights Women’s Stories — “In honor and recognition of Women’s History Month, we are sharing a few stories of amazing women leaders throughout Fairfax County, as well as events in March that highlight compelling stories about women’s contributions to society.” [Fairfax County]

Regional Earthquake Fundraiser Officially Launches — “On Friday, March 3, Northern Virginia elected leaders and officials gathered to launch a fundraising effort organized by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) to collect money to purchase food packages for those impacted by the earthquakes” that hit Turkey and Syria in early February. [Fairfax County]

Person Burned in Herndon Townhouse Fire — “Units are on scene of a townhouse fire in the 300 block of Reneau Way in Herndon. Arriving units found and quickly extinguished a fire on a deck. One person transported with burn injuries. No reported firefighter injuries.” [FCFRD/Twitter]