All Fairfax County Public Schools employees will get a bump in their paychecks, starting next year, after the school board unanimously approved 2% raises last week.
The additional pay was made possible by the budget that the Virginia General Assembly belatedly adopted in early September, which provided money to raise teacher salaries across the state. But school board members and FCPS workers argue that overall state funding for education falls far short of what they need.
The trend of hot chicken continues to spread its wings in the area with the coming of another restaurant.
The Red Bird is set to open at South Lakes Village Center, according to signage posted at the Reston shopping center.
The best place to eat in Northern Virginia right now is an upscale restaurant tucked away in an office building outside Merrifield that also houses the U.S. headquarters of defense contractor BAE Systems.
At least that’s the designation bestowed upon 2941 by Northern Virginia Magazine’s food critics, whose ranking of the 50 best restaurants in the region for 2023 hit newsstands on Friday (Oct. 27) as part of its November issue.
An effort to preserve dark skies in Great Falls recently got a vote of support from the Fairfax County Planning Commission amidst contention within the community.
At a heated Oct. 18 meeting, the commission unanimously recommended approval of regulations to preserve dark skies around Turner Park Farm Observatory Park. Public testimony, however, was divided into two camps.
As Metro considers ways to address a looming $750 million shortfall and stave off changes to its operations, officials are requesting jurisdictions, including Virginia, review their options to help address the funding deficit that threatens thousands of jobs and various services.
Metro hopes policymakers in the commonwealth will consider adjusting the state law that sets a 3% cap on the growth of Virginia’s annual payment to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Dedicating more funding to Metro and overlooking the demands of other transportation projects, however, concerns some lawmakers and transportation leaders.
Centreville Shooting Started Over Parking — “Two men are in the hospital suffering from gunshot wounds after an argument about a parking space in Centreville, Virginia, police say. Residents say the incident started when a car with a group of men inside pulled into a parking spot outside a townhouse community on Golden Oak Road Thursday night. [NBC4]
Route 7 Improvements Made in Culmore — “In a follow-up to a meeting on pedestrian safety for Leesburg Pike in Culmore in August 2022, transportation officials presented an update at a community meeting Oct. 25 on what has been done and what’s in the pipeline…In one major improvement, the speed limit along Leesburg Pike between the City of Falls Church and the City of Alexandra has been reduced from 40 to 35 mph” [Annandale Today]
River-Sea Chocolate Factory is moving its chocolate production facility to Reston, though its retail store and hot chocolate cafe will remain in Chantilly at 4520 Daly Drive, Suite 100.
While the company isn’t ready to share the exact address yet, co-founder Krissee D’Aguiar tells FFXnow they are in the process of working with architects and engineering experts to plan the build-out for the Reston location, which is expected to start operations next year.
Live Fairfax is a bi-weekly column exploring Fairfax County. This recurring column is sponsored and written by Sharmane Medaris of McEnearney Associates. Questions? Reach Sharmane at 813-504-4479.
Have you been here YET?
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a plan for single-family homes near a historic area of Lake Fairfax Park at a Tuesday meeting.
The plan by developer SEM Fairfax Land Associates calls for eight single-family homes at the site of J.R.’s Custom Catering’s former Fairfax Hunt Club along Lake Fairfax Drive in Reston. The property features a historic log house that will be preserved as part of the redevelopment and an unmaintained and unnamed cemetery.
Halloween Events Galore This Weekend — “Whether you’re looking to be scared silly or for some Halloween events for kids to just have some good old-fashioned family fun this year, check out the activities below to find the perfect Halloween activities. And beware, you never know what could turn up on these hallowed grounds at these Halloween events.” [Visit Fairfax]
Escaped Inmate Arrested at Springfield Hotel — “Naseem Roulack, 21, was arrested at approximately 9 a.m. at a hotel in the 6700 block of Commerce Street…Roulack was serving a 13-year sentence for charges of aggravated malicious wounding, grand larceny and hit-and-run when he escaped custody, but is also facing kidnapping, armed robbery, armed carjacking, first-degree assault and vehicle theft charges for a Sept. 1 incident in Gaithersburg, Maryland.” [U.S. Marshals Service]
