Concerns by Fairfax County officials helped convince state lawmakers to take a deeper look at proposed changes to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) rules intended to make decision-making at the local-government level more transparent.
The measure patroned by state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-39) had sailed through the Virginia General Assembly’s upper chamber unanimously on Jan. 31.
Based on initial measurements, yesterday’s snowstorm didn’t quite measure up to the one that passed through in January, but combined, they’ve given the D.C. region its snowiest winter of the 2020s.
In Fairfax County, snowfall amounts ranged from 5.2 inches in the Town of Herndon, as of 7 a.m., to 8.5 inches spotted in Hybla Valley at 2:30 a.m., according to preliminary estimates reported by the National Weather Service at 10:28 a.m. today (Wednesday).
The Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to whittle down the federal workforce have found favor with at least one Fairfax County elected official.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, the only Republican on the county board, revealed earlier this week that he “fully” agrees that the federal government’s “size and scope” needs to be reduced, claiming that there’s a “broad consensus across America” in support of a downsizing.
Discussion of legislation permitting a referendum on a Tysons casino has moved to the powerful House Committee on Appropriations.
Members of the House Committee on Local Government were directed by Speaker Don Scott (D-88) yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) to send the bill to the chamber’s appropriations committee without acting on it.
National Airport Runways Reopen — “Two runways were reopened at Reagan National Airport and a section of the Potomac River was restored Tuesday following a deadly midair collision last month, according to officials … In addition to the reopening of Runways 4/22 and 15/33, the Federal Aviation Administration has increased the hourly arrival rate to 28 aircraft for DCA.” [WTOP]
VHSL to Ban Transgender Female Athletes — “The Virginia High School League (VHSL) has announced that it will comply with the executive order banning transgender athletes assigned male at birth from competing in girls’ sports … This announcement comes after Gov. Glenn Youngkin posted on Facebook urging the league to comply” with the order signed by President Donald Trump on Feb. 5. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Bird Flu Spiking in Virginia — “Virginia is facing the worst bird flu spike since the nationwide outbreak started in 2022, USDA data shows … The Commonwealth has the seventh highest number of birds in the U.S. affected by avian influenza, per confirmed reports from Jan. 4 to Feb. 3.” [Axios Richmond]
Carjacking Attempted Near Huntington Metro Station — “Detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau have charged a 30-year-old man with carjacking in Huntington. On February 9, at 10:45 p.m., officers responded to the 5700 block of Metroview Parkway in Huntington for a robbery. The victim reported that a man assaulted him and attempted to take his vehicle.” [FCPD]
Fresh World Supermarket Nears Opening — “The much-anticipated international supermarket at the Mount Vernon Square retail center is officially slated to open the second week of March, said Joshua Kim, property manager of Mount Vernon Square … More details on the grand opening will be forthcoming.” [On the MoVe]
County Offers Free Tax-Prep Resources — “Eligible residents and their families can get free assistance filing their federal and state income taxes at locations around the county through the AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide program and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program.” [Fairfax County Government]
Environmental Improvements Recommended for Mason District — A Greener Mason Advisory Committee convened last April presented a final report at a community meeting on Monday (Feb. 10). “The committee was charged with proposing both long-term and short-term actions for making the environment in Mason District more sustainable, greener, healthier, and more attractive.” [Annandale Today]
It’s Wednesday — Snow, freezing rain, and sleet are expected, with rain becoming likely after 4pm. The day will be cloudy with a high near 36. Precipitation probability is 70%. For Wednesday night, rain will persist mainly before 4am, with a low around 34 and a 100% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
With winter weather currently blanketing the D.C. region, Fairfax County Public Schools has declared tomorrow (Wednesday) a snow day.
All schools and offices will be closed tomorrow, and activities on school grounds have been canceled. Students were dismissed three hours early today (Tuesday) in anticipation of snow starting to fall this afternoon into the evening.
Virginia’s attorney general is apparently seeking to revive a Fairfax indecent exposure case against a person who was subsequently charged with allegedly exposing himself in a girls’ locker room at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington.
In a Feb. 11 letter to Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, Attorney General Jason Miyares accused the county’s top prosecutor of undermining public safety after a case charging Richard Kenneth Cox with indecent exposure at a Planet Fitness in Fairfax City was dismissed last summer.
Its future remains uncertain, but legislation in Richmond could bring the towns of Herndon, Vienna and Clifton more money to spend on environmental and social-service initiatives.
A bill patroned by Del. Marty Martinez (D-29) would allow Virginia towns to get a portion of the plastic bag tax revenue collected by their surrounding county. After passing the House of Delegates on a 52-45 vote on Jan. 23, the measure advanced from a Senate Committee on Local Government on a party-line tally of 8-7 on Monday (Feb. 10).
A new program launched by the Fairfax County Police Department hopes to take advantage of the increasing popularity of Ring doorbells and other at-home security systems.
Connect Fairfax County, announced by the department at the end of January, will allow law enforcement to leverage surveillance cameras to hopefully speed up investigations.
A longtime fixture of the Spectrum at Reston Town Center is gone.
On the Border, which has occupied a standalone building at 11880 Spectrum Center since the mid-1990s, closed with no apparent warning late last week. The location was the Texas-based Mexican chain’s last remaining spot in Fairfax County.
