The U.S. Department of Education is investigating Fairfax County Public Schools over its admissions policy for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ).
The department announced today (Thursday) that it has opened an investigation into whether policy changes designed to diversify the magnet school’s student body violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race.
Fairfax County leaders now have a new tool in addressing the flood-prone properties in the county.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously accepted a new report last Tuesday (May 13) updating and detailing the county’s list of “repetitive-loss areas” — properties that have seen two or more claims of over $1,000 in losses through the National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP.
In an election year dominated by state offices, Fairfax County voters now face the prospect of also electing a new lawmaker to represent them in Congress.
Following the death of longtime Rep. Gerry Connolly yesterday (Wednesday), voters will soon need to select a new representative for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District — a critical decision given the Republican Party’s slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Fairfax County Police Department is on track to meet staffing goals by the end of the decade, if it can maintain recent hiring momentum.
“We feel really comfortable about where we are,” Police Chief Kevin Davis said in a briefing for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ Safety and Security Committee on Tuesday (May 20).
A person was shot this morning (Thursday) at the CIA’s headquarters in McLean.
Patrol officers were dispatched to the 900 block of Dolley Madison Blvd shortly before 4 a.m. to assist CIA Police with managing traffic after a “non-fatal shooting” on the intelligence agency’s property, the Fairfax County Police Department says.
Fairfax County is seeing mixed results in its efforts to eliminate solid waste.
“We’ve made progress,” Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, chair of supervisors’ environment committee, said after the Board of Supervisors received an update on the county’s Zero Waste program on Tuesday (May 20).
Reston Association is bringing back its annual poolside movie screenings starting late next month.
Started over 20 years ago, the Family Dive-In Movies have become reliably popular community events, where guests can see movies while going for a swim at a local pool.
Condolences for Rep. Connolly Continue — “Fairfax County joins the community, the commonwealth and the nation in mourning the passing of U.S. Rep. Gerald E. ‘Gerry’ Connolly, whose career in public office began in the county, and whose legacy will continue to shape the region for generations.” [Fairfax County Government]
Plans Shared for D.C. Military Parade — “The upcoming ‘America 250’ military parade in Washington, DC, will fall on June 14 to commemorate the Army’s 250th birthday; the date is also President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday, something that surely has no significance at all. Here is the most up-to-date information on the celebration that’s bringing, among other things, lots of tanks to the city.” [Washingtonian]
New Bookstore Planned in Falls Church — “The Dark, Unbound plans to sell books by ‘underrepresented voices in the fantasy, science-fiction, speculative fiction and horror genres,’ in a cozy, moody atmosphere. It is in the works at 112 W. Broad Street, where Dominion Camera closed in September.” [ARLnow]
Bridge Repairs to Affect Metro Service — “On Saturday May 24 through Monday May 26, free shuttle buses will replace trains between Cheverly and Eastern Market on the Orange Line and Addison Road and Eastern Market on the Blue and Silver lines.” Several stations on the eastern end of all three lines “will be closed as crews make repairs to aerial structures over the Anacostia River.” [WMATA]
Design in the Works on Library Renovation — “A project to renovate the George Mason Regional Library in Annandale is in the design phase. The interior space will be rearranged, but the footprint will not change … The $15 million project was included in a library bond referendum approved by voters in 2020.” [Annandale Today]
N. Va. Opposition to Data Centers Growing — “Such community opposition is the focal point of a recent report by Data Center Watch, a research organization tracking data center opposition. A key finding: ‘$64 billion in U.S. data center projects have been blocked or delayed by a growing wave of local, bipartisan opposition.'” [Virginia Public Media]
Chantilly Student Fixes Broken-Down Car — “Elizabeth Mulenga was about 15 minutes from home on April 13 when her car started to jerk as she drove near Chantilly High School … Using the skills he learned in auto classes at Chantilly Academy, [senior Om] Desai helped Mulenga completely fix the issue on the spot.” [WTOP]
It’s Thursday — Likely showers before 2pm, with possible thunderstorms from 2-5pm. Expect mostly cloudy skies and a high near 68. The chance of precipitation is 70%. At night, there’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, followed by a slight chance of showers until 2am. Clouds will gradually clear, with a low around 53. [NWS]
Some restaurants whose names may be familiar to Fairfax County residents will be cropping up at Dulles International Airport in the coming months.
The airport, which sits just west of the border in Loudoun County, plans to revitalize and expand its shopping and dining experience with eight new venues over the coming year. Another three retail tenants will be added at Reagan National Airport.
A long-coming, sometimes bitter battle over the right to represent thousands of Fairfax County government workers ended in victory last week for one union, even as another cried foul over the election process and results.
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local Virginia 512 announced last Friday (May 16) that county government workers have elected it as their exclusive bargaining unit for future contract negotiations after the largest organizing push among general government employees in Virginia history.
