morning notes

Fire at Commercial Building in Merrifield — Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units responded to a building fire in the 2800 block of Dorr Avenue in Merrifield around 6 p.m. yesterday (Wednesday) that reached two alarms. The fire was extinguished after about an hour, and no injuries were reported. [FCFRD/Twitter]

Ribbon Cut on Penn Daw Development — “I was thrilled to speak at the South Alex ribbon cutting ceremony. In 2020 this entire building complex fell victim to a devastating fire, and now just three years later, we are here celebrating the completion of the renovations!” The grocery store Aldi is set to open at the development next week. [Jeff McKay/Twitter]

County Task Force Back After Assisting With Turkey Earthquake Rescues — “After an intense 11 days searching for survivors in the wreckage of collapsed buildings, members of Virginia Task Force 1 have returned home. They arrived at their base in Chantilly just before midnight on Monday, to a hero’s welcome organized by family and friends.” [WTOP]

Firefighters Tackle Brush Fires in Springfield — “As winds picked up across the DMV Tuesday evening, crews in Fairfax County dealt with several outside fires. According to a spokesperson from the Fairfax County Fire Department (FCFD), crews worked to extinguish multiple outside fires on Old Keene Mill Road near Harwood Place in West Springfield.” [WUSA9]

Fire Danger Heightened Today — “There is an increased fire danger for Tuesday, February 21st. Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged during this time and remember to properly dispose of smoking material.” [Ready Fairfax/Twitter]

Mount Vernon School Board Rep to Retire — “Karen Corbett Sanders, the Mount Vernon District representative to the Fairfax County School Board, announced Feb. 15 that she will not be running for a third term later this year…Corbett Sanders told On the Move that her decision not to pursue a third term was difficult and one that she didn’t take lightly.” [On the MoVe]

FCPD Focuses on Stopping Teen Distracted Driving — “Police in Fairfax County…are ramping up traffic enforcement during distracted-driving month, partnering with schools to educate the most distracted drivers — teenagers…Officers have written 5,000 more citations and warnings to speeding and distracted drivers than this same time last year.” [WTOP]

Fire Department Adds Data Dashboard — “Our Fire and Rescue Department is constantly updating the ways it provides service to meet the needs of residents…The department launched RescueVision to provide real-time situational awareness and decision support at the 911 dispatch center.” It offers a look at service availability, transport locations and how coverage compares to other departments. [Fairfax County Government]

Turkey Earthquake Rescue Worker Shares Experience — “Dr. Murteza Shahkolahi has helped to pull survivors from the rubble several days after the quake first hit…Shahkolahi is with Virginia Task Force 1, the team from Fairfax County, Virginia, which gets deployed around the world to respond to natural disasters.” [WTOP]

Politicians Pitch Springfield for FBI HQ — “A bipartisan group of Virginia’s federal, state and local leaders met in Springfield Wednesday, calling on the General Services Administration to choose the 58 acres of federally-owned land at the GSA Franconia Warehouse Complex for the new FBI headquarters.” [Inside NoVA]

Architect of the Capitol Fired After Reckless Driving Probe — “President Joe Biden has fired the embattled Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, following a scathing inspector general report on his personal and professional management and calls for his removal.” The inspector general found that Blanton’s family was misusing his work vehicle after a 2021 reckless driving incident involving his daughter near the Tysons Walmart. [NBC4]

Springfield Lego Center Chooses Master Builder — “Andrew Litterst’s [most impressive LEGO creation] is a bunch of LEGO Star Wars spaceships mounted on an electric LEGO train so that they chase each other on tracks around the room. So it’s no wonder he was just named LEGO’s Master Builder in the D.C. region — the first to hold that title at the soon-to-open LEGO Discovery Center” [DCist]

Key Tysons Developer Dies — “Theodore N. ‘Ted’ Lerner, a self-made billionaire developer who became principal owner of the Washington Nationals and oversaw the team’s rise to prominence, capped by its victory in the 2019 World Series, died Feb. 12 at his home in Chevy Chase, Md. He was 97.” [The Washington Post]

Emergency SNAP Benefits End This Week — “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government passed a law to temporarily increase SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits to support families. The law has recently changed, and the benefits will end Feb.16. Effective in March, SNAP benefits will return to normal, without the added supplement.” [Fairfax County Government]

Super Bowl Flyover Includes Springfield Pilot — “After months of planning and multiple training sessions, an all-women crew is ready to fly over the State Farm Stadium in Arizona on Super Bowl Sunday in honor of 50 years of women in naval aviation. Among them is a woman from Springfield, Virginia who said she was ecstatic to get the call that she would be joining the crew.” [WUSA9]

Oak Marr Rec Center Closed This Morning — “Due to a temporary water service disruption, Oak Marr Rec Center will open at Noon on Feb. 13. New water heaters are being installed at the center. The building will also be without hot water from Feb. 13-16.” [FCPA/Twitter]

ICYMI: Speed Camera Program Launches Today — Speed cameras will be installed near eight schools across Fairfax County today (Friday). For the first 30 days, drivers who go 10 mph or more over the speed limit will get a warning with no citation. After that, fines could go up to $100. [FFXnow]

How to Help Victims of Turkey Earthquake — “While our Fairfax County @VATF1 continues their efforts in #Türkiye, you may be wondering if there are ways we can help out. The Turkish Embassy is collecting donations now through Sunday!” Donations can be taken directly to the embassy in D.C., but there will also be a collection box in the Target lobby at the Mosaic District until Feb. 26. [Jeff McKay/Twitter, Dalia Palchik]

Beware of Tax Scam — “Some residents may have received a ‘distraint warrant’ letter from the ‘Tax Assessment Securities.’ This scam alleges that a warrant has been issued against the recipient due to delinquent tax debt and states the Federal Tax Authorities may take enforcement action to satisfy the debt. Fairfax County did not send this letter and is not connected with it in any way.” [Department of Tax Administration]

Virginia Task Force 1 Lands in Turkey — “WHEELS DOWN: Two flights carrying @usaid search and rescue experts from @vatf1 @ffxfirerescue & @LACOFD just touched down in #Türkiye. Team members will soon be working to search for survivors of these deadly earthquakes.” [USAID/Twitter]