morning notes

Tolls on First Day of New I-66 Lanes Top $6 — “Washington-bound drivers paid an average of $6.10 during the Monday morning commute to use new Interstate 66 toll lanes from Gainesville to Centreville, according to the toll operator. The highest toll in the eastbound lanes was $6.50 at the peak of the commute, officials said.” [The Washington Post]

Monkeypox Vaccine Eligibility Expands — “The VDH announced eligibility expansion for JYNNEOS, the monkeypox vaccine to include people of any gender or sexual orientation living with HIV/AIDS or who were diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection in the past three months.” [Fairfax County Health Department/Twitter]

Rat Causes Tysons Power Outage — “Rats! Power Outage in Tysons area tonight was caused by a rat that infiltrated a piece of equipment. 1,588 customers lost power. All customers restored in 1 hour and 5 minutes.” [Peggy Fox/Twitter]

Reston Woman Arrested for Leaving Kids With Stranger — “Herndon Police arrested 24-year-old Paola Alejandra Salinas Padilla of Reston for child abuse after she left her two children at a stranger’s home on Thursday, according to a post on the department’s official Twitter account. Salinas Padilla left her two children around 3 p.m., on Thursday…telling the strangers that she would pick them up by 11 p.m., according to police.” [Patch]

Reminder: Early Voting Begins — “[It’s] the first day to #voteearly in the congressional #midterms! The 8th, 10th & 11th U.S. House seats are up for election and there are three sites open for #earlyvoting on weekdays” [Office of Elections/Twitter]

Sexual Battery Trial Against Former Teacher Cut Short — “A Fairfax County, Virginia, circuit court judge has dismissed an indictment alleging aggravated sexual battery against a former music teacher who gave lessons to students out of his house. The dismissal came Monday, Sept. 12, in the midst of the jury trial of Roger McKay, according to court records obtained by WTOP.” [WTOP]

County Needs More Taxing Power, McKay Says — Like other Northern Virginia leaders, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay has long pushed for Virginia to expand local authority, an uphill battle particularly under Gov. Glenn Youngkin. McKay says “he would like the option for the county to levy taxes on personal income or other services to diversify the county’s revenue, which is about 90% dependent on property taxes.” [Axios D.C.]

Democrats Plan Caucus for 35th District Nominee — The Fairfax County Democratic Committee announced yesterday (Wednesday) that it will hold a caucus on Oct. 8 to select its nominee to fill the seat vacated by Mark Keam. Voters in the district, which includes Tysons, Vienna, Dunn Loring and Oakton, will be able to participate at three locations, along with an early voting site at the FCDC headquarters. [Patch]

I-66 Lane Shift in Fairfax Area Starts Today — “The travel lanes on I-66 West and East between Route 50 and Route 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) will be shifted into a new configuration during the early morning hours Wednesday, September 21, and Thursday, September 22. These temporary lane configurations are part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project.” [VDOT]

First X-Men Among Items Stolen From Local Comic Book Store — Tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of comic books were stolen from Victory Comics in Falls Church City early yesterday (Tuesday) morning, police reported. Store founder and president Jeff Weaver said the losses include rare, vintage comics and could total as much as $100,000, though police put the estimate at over $40,000. [NBC4]

Car Taxes Due Next Month — “Personal property taxes — better known as car taxes — are due on Wednesday, Oct. 5. Bills were mailed this summer, and there are many convenient ways to pay…Car tax bills increased on average by 33% this year, due to the pandemic-induced shortage of new and used cars.” [Fairfax County Government]

Six Displaced by North Springfield Fire — A malfunctioning propane grill ignited a fire on the deck of a one-story house in the 7500 block of Inzer Street at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 17). No injuries were reported, with one resident going to the hospital for a check-up, but the fire displaced six people and resulted in approximately $93,750 in property damages. [FCFRD]

Extended Route 50 Lane Closure in Seven Corners Starts Today — “The northbound lane of the bridge over Route 50 (Arlington Boulevard) just west of Route 7 (East Broad Street/Leesburg Pike) that connects the eastbound Route 50 service road with the westbound Route 50 service road will be closed from 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 19 through Friday, Oct. 7 for cleaning and painting” [VDOT]

Four Sentenced in 2019 West Falls Church Gang Murder — “Four individuals were sentenced Monday and yesterday to multiple life terms and 26 years in prison for numerous charges relating to a murder, a violent gang enterprise, and a drug trafficking conspiracy operating in Virginia, California, and several other states.” [DOJ]

Crews Extinguish Fire in Mount Vernon Home — A fire broke out at a house on the 8700 block of Oak Leaf Drive in the Mount Vernon area around 2:30 a.m. today (Thursday). No injuries were reported. An investigation is underway. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]

Trail Upgrades Planned Near Dulles Access Road — “In just about two weeks, a Fairfax County Park Authority trail improvement project will get underway on the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail in Difficult Run Park near the Dulles Access Road. On or around Sept. 22, 2022, site prep work will begin on a trail maintenance project that will alleviate the issue of constant standing water on the trail, reinforce the trail to protect it from washouts, and overlay the existing trail.” [Fairfax County Government]

Most Parents Believe FCPS is a Safe Environment — “Over 90% of Fairfax County, Virginia, parents who responded to a family engagement survey agreed their child feels safe at school and their child’s school is safe… the survey found 91% of the 35,109 parents and guardians who responded agreed or strongly agreed that their child feels safe at school, while 89% agreed or strongly agreed that their child’s school is safe.” [WTOP]

Advocates: County Not Doing Enough to Limit Deportations — “A Fairfax County policy aimed at protecting undocumented immigrants from deportation is not being implemented aggressively enough, a coalition of immigrant advocacy groups said — although they also acknowledge that Fairfax has been more aggressive than other jurisdictions on the issue.” [The Washington Post]