morning notes

A Dive into the World’s Data Center Capital — “Most people don’t give data centers a second thought — or even know what they are — until one affects their lives. In Northern Virginia, though, a lot of people do a lot of thinking about data centers.” [WTOP]

County Seeks Proposals for Land Use — “Fairfax County is now accepting nominations or proposals for land-use changes within the county to give people a more hands-on approach to shaping land use. ccording to a news release, the site-specific plan amendment process allows people to propose a land use change in the county’s comprehensive plan.” [Inside NOVA]

Police Investigate Shooting in Annandale — One individual was shot on the 6200 block of Little River Turnpike yesterday evening. Preliminarily, police believe the incident was isolated. [Fairfax County Police Department]

School Board Supports Inclusive Teaching with Key Caveat — “The Fairfax County school board adopted last-minute changes to a resolution on Thursday evening focused on a commitment to “protect and support educators” in their work delivering inclusive classroom instruction. The final version softened earlier language and deleted a reference to a fractured political climate around Northern Virginia schools.” [DCist]

Suspect Arrested in Connection with Herndon Shooting — A suspect has been arrested in connected with a shooting at the 2600 block of Logan Wood Drive in Herndon. The victim was hospitalized with injuries that are not life threatening. [Fairfax County Police Department]

School Board Member Apologizes After Using Slur — “Fairfax County School Board member Karen Keys-Gamarra was heard using a slur about people with disabilities during a hot mic moment at the board’s Thursday meeting… Keys-Gamarra sent a statement to WTOP, saying she deeply regretted using the word.” [Inside NOVA]

I-66 Ramps in Fair Lakes Area to Close Next Week — The I-66 East ramps from Monument Drive and Stringfellow Road will begin closing as early as 10 a.m. on Monday (Oct. 24) “to accommodate continued construction related to the 66 Express Lanes.” They will reopen by the end of this year with the rest of the eastern section of the interstate’s new toll lanes from Route 28 in Centreville to I-495. [VDOT]

County Police End Weekly Crime Reports — “The Fairfax County Police Department is no longer putting out weekly crime reports that list incidents for each police district. Instead, the FCPD has adopted CityProtect, an online map that shows the location of incidents with very limited details.” [Annandale Today]

Poor Conditions Reported at County-Owned Annandale Apartments — “Residents of the Wedgewood Apartments in Annandale are increasingly fed up with their living conditions — and an unresponsive landlord. Among the complaints: mice, bedbugs, water outages, broken pipes, flooding in laundry rooms, mold, rats by the dumpsters, crime, and speeding in the parking lot.” [Annandale Today]

Crab Cab Bar + Kitchen Opens in Penn Daw — “A woman-owned food truck business that has specialized in high quality, fresh seafood fare for nearly 10 years held its soft opening Oct. 17 at the Krispy Korner shopping center in Penn Daw…The restaurant is open Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight.” [On the MoVe]

Health Department Urges Flu Shots — “As the weather cools down and more time is spent indoors, the Fairfax County Health Department encourages everyone 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine this Fall, preferably by the end of October…If you are eligible for your COVID-19 booster, it is safe to get your flu shot at the same time as your booster.” [FCHD]

D.C. Man Indicted in Fatal I-495 Crash — A Fairfax County grand jury indicted D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission member Devon Lesesne yesterday (Tuesday) for involuntary manslaughter in the death of Katherine Aileen Reyes, 20, of Alabama. Lesesne was allegedly driving drunk when he crashed into Reyes, whose vehicle was disabled on I-495 near Telegraph Road on March 5. [WTOP]

Fairfax County’s Guide to Halloween — “It’s time for scary, silly and all kinds of costumes in all corners of our community. Here are a few things to know about Halloween in Fairfax County,” including where to find the most elaborately decorated houses and tips for handling trick-or-treating. [Fairfax County Government]

Free COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic in Reston Today — Reston Community Center is hosting a Covid vaccine clinic from 1-4 p.m. at 2310 Colts Neck Road. Pfizer doses will be available for people 12 and older. Those interested can make an appointment through the county’s Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS), but walk-ins are welcome too. [Melanie Meren/Twitter]

Hunter Mill Road Traffic Stoppages Today — “On Mon 10/17 from 9AM-3PM, Hunter Mill Rd will have full traffic stoppages of up to 10 minutes each between Crowell Rd and Cobble Mill Rd to install beams as part of the Colvin Run bridge project. Expect delays and consider using alternate routes.” [VDOT/Twitter]

Racial Disparities Persist in Virginia Marijuana Arrests — “While marijuana arrests overall dropped in the year since Virginia became the first state in the South to legalize, Black adults accounted for nearly 60 percent of marijuana-related cases before the state’s general district and circuit courts…despite Black people accounting for about 20 percent of the state population.” [The Washington Post]

Fire Department Unveils Platform for Sharing Emergency Information — “Community Connect is a free, secure, and easy to use platform that allows residents and/or business owners to share critical information about their home or business that will aid FCFRD firefighters and paramedics during an emergency.” [FCFRD]

Last New Route 7 Lane Opens in Reston — “The third westbound lane along Rt 7 between Riva Ridge Dr and Reston Ave is now open! It arrives ahead of schedule just like the third eastbound Rt 7 lane a couple weeks ago as part of the Route 7 Corridor Improvements Project.” [VDOT/Twitter]