Year-over-year apartment rents continue to trend upward in Northern Virginia, even as fears of economic upheaval loom.
The growth also comes despite a national year-over-year decline in median apartment rental prices.
Reston
Lawsuit Accuses School Board Member of Embezzlement — At-large Fairfax County School Board member Kyle McDaniel has been “accused in a lawsuit of embezzling and misappropriating $175,000 from his former employer and spending the money on non-work expenses, including strip clubs and his political campaign.” [Patch]
Local Legislators Attend Anti-Trump Protest — Rep. Don Beyer and Delegates Kathy Tran and Paul Krizek were among the lawmakers representing Fairfax County who attended the “Hands Off” protest in D.C. on Saturday (April 5). There were reportedly more than 1,200 demonstrations across the U.S. “denouncing the Trump administration and DOGE, which have been working to shrink the federal government by slashing funding and laying off federal workers.” [WTOP]
Falls Church HS Student Navigates Ban on Trans Girls in Sports — “This wasn’t how Eliza imagined it would go when she tried out for track in February. But that month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender girls like Eliza from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams. Days later, the organization that regulates high school sports in Virginia, where Eliza lives and goes to school, followed suit.” [Washington Post]
Tysons Contractor Settles Allegations Against Employee — “Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. (BAH), located in McLean, agreed to pay $422,557 to settle allegations that a BAH employee assigned to work on a General Services Administration (GSA) contract overreported his time resulting in BAH issuing invoices for services under the contract that were not performed.” [U.S. Attorney’s Office]
Inova Opens Annandale Family Clinic — “Inova celebrated the grand opening of the Inova Cares for Families (ICF) clinic in Annandale on April 4. The clinic is located in an office building at 7617 Little River Turnpike. It’s one of six ICF facilities in Northern Virginia.” [Annandale Today]
Vienna to Hold Public Hearings on Budget — “The Vienna Town Council wants to know what the community thinks about the proposed FY2026 budget before it takes a final vote in May.” A public hearing on the budget and sewer rates will be held at 7:30 p.m. today, and the real estate tax rate, which isn’t proposed to change, will get a public hearing on April 28. [Town of Vienna]
County Celebrates National Library Week — “Join us from April 6-12 as we celebrate National Library Week! For its 2025 celebration, Fairfax County Public Library wants to remind you of all the amazing things you can do FREE at your library.” [Fairfax County Public Library/Instagram]
Vienna School Promotes Acts of Kindness — “At Kilmer Middle School, behavior referrals are at an all-time high. More than 1,600 students have been written up, but not for the reason you might be thinking. This past fall, Kilmer began writing students up, for acts of kindness.” [WUSA9]
It’s Monday — Expect rain mainly before 11am, with patchy fog from 7am to noon, and a high near 51. There’s a 60% chance of precipitation, with amounts ranging from a tenth to a quarter of an inch. Tonight, there’s a 20% chance of showers before 2am, with clouds giving way to partly cloudy skies and a low around 35. [NWS]
Members of a Fairfax County School Board committee appear divided on whether high schools should adopt blanket rules and regulations for their graduation ceremonies, or whether each school should retain a degree of autonomy.
The matter arose as members of the board’s governance committee met Tuesday (April 1) to evaluate proposed updates to a host of Fairfax County Public Schools policies.
While the future of foreign aid faces uncertainty, a Fairfax County-based disaster response task force has not yet felt trickle-down effects of ongoing cuts at the federal level.
Virginia Task Force 1 is operating like things are business as usual, even with the Trump administration moving to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), according to John Morrison, a planning manager for the task force.
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Contractors in Fairfax County appear to be feeling the effects of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to slash federal funding.
Mitre Corporation will lay off 442 employees primarily at its Tysons headquarters campus on June 3, while Reston-based Leidos will eliminate 29 workers based in its Lincolnia office, effective May 30, according to notices that both companies filed this week with the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.
Over the next two days, residents and visitors at Reston Station will be treated to the sight of people rappelling down a 17-story office building for charity.
The Google-anchored building at 1900 Reston Station Blvd will be the site of an Over the Edge fundraiser tomorrow (Saturday) to benefit the National Military Intelligence Foundation (NMIF), a Clifton-based nonprofit that supports national security and intelligence workers through professional development and student scholarships.
Alleged Herndon Rape Suspect Broke Jail Cell Door — “A man charged with raping a woman on the Washington & Old Dominion trail escaped his jail cell at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center last month and tried to enter a nurse’s station while someone was inside, according to court documents.” [Washington Post]
Elon Musk Visits CIA Headquarters — “Elon Musk visited the CIA headquarters on Monday [March 31] for talks on government efficiency, the spy agency director of public affairs Liz Lyons told Axios.” The discussion with CIA officials reportedly focused on the agency can be “more efficient without compromising national security.” [Axios]
Virginia to Allow Vehicle Speed-Limiting Devices — “Judges in Virginia will soon be able to order reckless drivers convicted of going over 100 miles an hour to install speed-limiting technology in their vehicles.” The General Assembly adopted Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s amendments to the bill sponsored by Arlington Del. Patrick Hope on Wednesday (April 2). [WTOP]
Reston Contractor Settles Whistleblower Lawsuit — The defense contractor Intelligent Waves “agreed to pay $1.95 million in order to settle False Claims Act allegations involving two Air Force contracts, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office release.” Two former employees alleged that the company knowingly sold unauthorized equipment to the Air Force and submitted invoices for work it didn’t do. [Patch]
State of D.C. Area Restaurant Industry — A closer look at the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s recent survey of the region reveals less dramatic numbers than the widely reported stat that 44% of full-service, casual establishments could close. “All combined: 29 percent surveyed said they were likely to close — 9-percent ‘very’ and 20 percent ‘somewhat.’ Not a single restaurant surveyed in the Maryland or Virginia suburbs said they were likely to shutter.” [Washingtonian]
Nearby: Pride Flags Taken From Ashburn Church — Crossroads United Methodist Church Lead Pastor Tim “Ward said they’ve placed several flags supporting the LGBTQIS+ community next to their sign on Ashburn Farm Parkway at Crossroads Drive, but someone keeps taking them. He said the small signage has a huge significance for members of this congregation and the surrounding community.” [NBC4]
Park Authority Recognized for Intern Program — “The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) is proud to announce that we have been recognized as a 2025 Top Employer for Interns by the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (VA-TOP). This recognition highlights FCPA’s dedication to providing meaningful work-based learning experiences that empower the next generation of leaders.” [FCPA]
It’s Friday — Expect showers and thunderstorms with a high around 68 degrees and a north wind of 6 to 9 mph, with a 50% chance of precipitation. Friday night could also bring showers and thunderstorms, with a low of around 55 degrees. [NWS]
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The owners of Reston National Golf Course have teed up another redevelopment proposal, but this time, with public opposition expected to remain high, they’re considering a backup plan that would involve renovations and more limited housing.
Property owner War Horse Cities enlisted the developer NVR to nominate the 168-acre golf course at 11875 Sunrise Valley Drive for a Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan amendment that would allow housing on part of the site, while turning the rest into publicly accessible recreational or open space.
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This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.
By John V. Berry, Esq
We have been representing and advising numerous federal employees regarding the Reductions-in-Force (RIF) that have recently been issued by several different federal agencies.
As most people have started to realize, these RIF actions have not been thought out very well and have been designed for speed as opposed to accuracy or compliance with the meaning of law and regulation. The question now is what to do if you receive an RIF.
What is a Federal Employee RIF
Federal employee RIFs are simply notices which start the separation process for federal employees. RIFs are supposed to be issued due to restructuring, department elimination, or lack of funding or work. RIFs are also supposed to follow laws, rules, and regulations. A federal employee is also supposed to be given 60 days’ notice before separation.
What We Have Been Seeing Lately
In many of the cases we have seen, most federal employee RIF notices simply state that their entire competitive areas have been eliminated. These mass RIF actions were never anticipated when the laws and regulations governing them were issued. The rules were supposed to be based not on speed but rather on a thoughtful process of eliminating positions that were no longer needed when government funds were low or when an agency needed to restructure.
In reality, the RIFs appear to simply be a means of getting rid of as many federal employees as quickly as possible based on a directive from the President. In most of the notices we have seen, there has been no consideration for performance ratings, years of service, or prior military service. The federal agencies directed to conduct these RIFs have simply looked at cutting numbers and not needs or proper reorganization. This is extremely unfortunate.
International migration is helping to keep Fairfax County’s population on the rise, despite a continued trend of people moving away from Northern Virginia.
Updated Census data shared last month by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) showed that international migration to Fairfax rose sharply last year, as the county bounces back from a drop in the early years of the pandemic that could be seen nationwide.