Pending final agreement with a key bargaining unit, Fairfax County government officials are ready to move forward with a consolidation of animal care and protection services.
The change, which was approved last year as part of the county’s fiscal year 2025 budget, will move operations currently handled by the Animal Protection Police (APP) within the Fairfax County Police Department to the county’s Department of Animal Services (formerly the Department of Animal Sheltering, or DAS).
The legislation to make Fairfax County eligible for a casino isn’t officially dead, but it appears to be in active need of resuscitation.
A House of Delegates appropriations subcommittee’s decision to pass by Senate Bill 982 after a 30-minute hearing on Wednesday (Feb. 12) brought celebratory statements from the community groups and local elected officials who had vocally opposed the proposal to allow a casino in Tysons.
For Fairfax County Public Schools officials, an already daunting budget season has been complicated by a new financial risk: the possibility of losing federal funding.
Last month, the federal Office of Management and Budget issued a memo directing federal agencies to halt spending so it can review financial assistance programs to ensure they align with administration priorities — which include eliminating diversity initiatives, rolling back environmental regulations, and restricting immigration.
Another member of the gang MS-13 will serve decades in prison for participating in multiple murders, including ones in Reston.
Henry Leonel Barrera Ayala, 26, was sentenced by a federal judge to 50 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced yesterday (Thursday).
Metro Work to Affect Service This Weekend — “Metro has trackwork on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and adjusted service hours on Monday due to the Presidents’ Day holiday.” The Blue Line will operate only from Franconia-Springfield to Greenbelt, while the Orange and Silver lines will be split into two segments, with shuttle buses replacing trains from Foggy Bottom to the Pentagon and Clarendon. [WMATA]
Federal Workers Get Layoff Notices — “Federal workers have begun receiving layoff notices as the Trump administration moves ahead with plans to drastically downsize the government. While the full scale of layoffs isn’t yet clear, the first round of cuts appeared to target employees who were recently hired and still on probationary status.” [NPR]
Beer Garden Replacing Falls Church Motel — “Demolition has begun at the vacant Stratford Motor Lodge in Falls Church, where a local business owner plans to construct a restaurant and beer garden. Under new ownership, the site at 300 W. Broad Street is slated to become Stratford Gardens, the latest project by Arash Tafakor.” [ARLnow]
Statewide Spring Burn Ban to Take Effect — “Virginia’s statewide burning law, which prohibits outdoor burning between midnight and 4 p.m., is in effect from Saturday, Feb. 15 through April 30. Violation of the burning law is a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable with a fine of up to $500.” [Inside NoVA]
Fabric Store to Close Fairfax Locations — “Joann announced yesterday that it plans to close approximately 500 of its U.S. stores. Thirteen of the stores are in Virginia; five are in Northern Virginia.” Out-of-business sales at the closing stores, including ones at Fairfax Towne Center and in Seven Corners, are expected to begin tomorrow (Saturday). [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Revisions to Fairfax Connector Routes Proposed — “The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will host two virtual public meetings, on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Join Fairfax Connector for a lunch and learn session that will begin at 12 p.m. followed by an evening meeting at 7 p.m. to discuss proposed service adjustments and realignments to several routes.” [FCDOT]
Vienna Tech Startup Raises $30M — “Antithesis Operations LLC, a Vienna software testing startup whose tools find bugs in computer programming code, has raised $30 million in new funding.” Founded by two former Apple engineers in 2018, the company hopes to double its workforce to “about 140 employees over the next year, primarily by adding marketing and product development teams in San Francisco, where it recently added an office.” [DC Inno]
Riverside McLean Mansion Lands Buyer — “A seven-bedroom home along the banks of the Potomac River has found a buyer, and the listing’s land may have been the driving factor. 1260 Crest Lane (map), on the market for $15.5 million with Piper Yerks and Ben Roth of Washington Fine Properties, went under contract with contingencies earlier this week.” [DC UrbanTurf]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies and a high around 38 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind ranging from 8 to 13 mph, and gusts reaching up to 21 mph. At night, clouds will increase as temperatures drop to around 27 degrees. [NWS]
The current school year will be the last official one for King Abdullah Academy.
After close to a decade in the Herndon area, the Islamic private school announced in late January that it will close for good after the 2024-2025 academic year, citing challenges with identifying a “viable financial path to self-sustainability.”
Fairfax County Public Schools is facing a legal and financial dilemma after the Virginia High School League’s (VHSL) executive committee voted to ban transgender student athletes from competing in girls’ sports.
The league, which governs public school sports and other competitions across Virginia, announced the policy change on Monday (Feb. 10) after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to withhold funding from educational and athletic institutions that let transgender girls and women to compete in female sports.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors reacted tepidly this week to a staff proposal that would shift wildlife management responsibilities from the county’s police department to the Fairfax County Park Authority.
“We need a little more time to discuss this [and] make sure we think this through, very carefully,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said at a meeting of the board’s safety and security committee on Tuesday (Feb. 11).
Lawmakers deciding on a controversial bill to develop a casino and entertainment complex in Tysons Corner tabled a decision Wednesday after House leadership moved the bill between House committees for consideration.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell’s Senate Bill 982 would have added Fairfax County to the list of Virginia localities eligible to develop a casino that backers say would bring jobs and revenue for the county and commonwealth.
FCPS Reopens After Snow Day — After earlier snow, warmer temperatures yesterday (Wednesday) “have been good for area road conditions and for the clearing of sidewalks. With that in mind, all Fairfax County public schools and offices will open on time tomorrow, Thursday, February 13, 2025. We look forward to seeing everyone at school.” [FCPS]
Metrobus Resumes Regular Service — “Metro plans to resume normal Metrobus service starting at 4 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13. All 193 routes will operate on a regular schedule, reflecting improvements in road conditions across the region. In addition, Metrorail and MetroAccess will be running normal service.” [WMATA]
Bodies of DCA Crash Victims Illegally Filmed — “An airport dispatcher admitted to illegally recording surveillance footage showing deceased victims after last month’s fatal midair crash, police say.” The Maryland man allegedly took “photos and videos of crash victims being transferred from a first-responder boat to a staging area at Reagan National Airport,” according to a criminal complaint. [ARLnow]
Reston Man Convicted in Sex Crimes Cases — “A Reston man has been sentenced to at least seven years in prison for multiple sex crimes in Arlington. Matthew Coble’s sentencing, handed down Friday by Circuit Court Judge Daniel S. Fiore II, follows his convictions for aggravated sexual battery and indecent liberties with a minor.” [ARLnow]
Cyberattack on Va. Attorney General’s Office — “A ‘sophisticated cyberattack’ struck the offices of Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares on Wednesday, forcing the agency to shut down computer systems and resort to paper court filings as Virginia State Police and the FBI investigate.” [Washington Post]
Taste of Annandale Planning to Begin — “The community is invited to a meeting on March 5 to help plan the next Taste of Annandale. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Mason Government Center. The 2025 Taste of Annandale is scheduled for Sept. 20 at the Eileen Garnett Civic Space at 7200 Columbia Pike.” [Annandale Today]
Tysons Couple Celebrates 65th Anniversary — “Like something out of a romance novel, Ed, 80, and Helen Okunak, 81, have been going strong since 1960. The Tysons residents first dated as juniors at Lyndhurst High School in New Jersey.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
It’s Thursday — Expect rain to subside before 10am, followed by increasingly sunny skies and a high of 52. A south wind will shift northwest at 6-13 mph and gusts up to 23 mph. 60% chance of precipitation. Thursday night will be mostly clear with lows around 26. [NWS]
