Countywide

School Board Calls for Review to Address Drug Use — “As part of this review, the Board is asking the Superintendent to consider the merits of various initiatives, including creating a recovery high school, providing students and staff with access to fentanyl testing strips, placing naloxone in all classrooms with appropriately trained classroom-based staff, offering naloxone training to high school students” and more. [Karl Frisch]

Student Sports Officially Coming to Middle Schools — “For the first time, Fairfax County Public Schools is planning to launch an athletics program for middle school students. The program would start with cross country this fall. An outdoor track program would be offered in spring 2024. There would be no cost to students.” [Annandale Today]


News

Frequenters of Reston Town Center can expect more sip-and-stroll-style events this year.

At a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday (May 9), the board approved Reston Town Center Association‘s request to increase the number of licenses it has per year for designated outdoor refreshment areas. 


News

(Updated at 3 p.m.) The Herndon Town Council voted unanimously this week to reduce the town’s real estate tax rate for the first time in more than a decade.

At a meeting on Tuesday (May 9), the council approved a decrease of the rate from $0.265 per $100 of assessed real estate property value to $0.260 per $100 of assessed value.


Countywide

Fairfax County’s zoning ordinance has officially been modernized — for good this time.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the code overhaul known as zMod on Tuesday (May 9) even after overwhelming opposition at the public hearing. The readoption took effect immediately.


Countywide

Cats Rescued From Reston House Fire — Two people were displaced by a house fire in the 2300 block of Whitetail Court that started around 12:16 p.m. on April 29 due to an “electrical event involving a power strip” in a second-floor bedroom. Firefighters rescued two cats from the house, which totaled about $50,000 in damages. [FCFRD]

Homelessness Rates Rise Across D.C. Area — “The metropolitan Washington region experienced an 18% increase in homelessness between January 2022 and January 2023, the region’s Council of Governments announced Wednesday.” All nine jurisdictions, including Fairfax County, saw a rise, which is “pretty unprecedented,” COG’s housing program manager said. [DCist]


Countywide

After more than three years, COVID-19 will officially cease to be a federal public health emergency in the U.S. tomorrow (Thursday), bringing an end to the days of free testing and vaccinations.

The Fairfax County Health Department will still provide free services by appointment to people who don’t have insurance or otherwise can’t pay, but private insurance companies and health providers will be allowed to start billing patients, the department explained in a May 5 announcement.


News

A data analytics and intelligence firm is the latest tenant to sign a lease at Comstock’s massive Reston Station project.

Having recently signed several new retail and experiential brands including VIDA Fitness, Puttshack, and Ebbitt House, the first ever expansion of the iconic Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, D.C., we continue activating the Reston Station neighborhood to be a dynamic mixed-used and transit-oriented neighborhood that provides exciting dining, fitness, and entertainment options for our growing list of corporate office tenants and residents alike.


Sponsored

Aging research leader Mather Institute has released groundbreaking findings from its Age Well Study, shedding light on the health and wellness of residents living in Life Plan Communities across the US.

Conducted over five years and in collaboration with Northwestern University, the study surveyed more than 8,200 residents across 122 communities, comparing their responses to those of demographically similar older adults in the community at large. The results are eye-opening: residents of Life Plan Communities reported significantly better physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and vocational wellness compared to their community-at-large counterparts.


News

Some Restonians are calling on Fairfax County to invest more funds into transportation safety upgrades in local schools, particularly within the South Lakes pyramid.

In a March 30 memo to the Fairfax County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, Hunter Mill District School Board Representative Melanie Meren flagged specific, problematic areas that may need more crossing guards, signage or physical upgrades and a comprehensive evaluation of crossings and bus stops.


Countywide

County Board Officially Adopts New Budget — “Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors Tuesday adopted a budget that lowers the property tax rate for homeowners and gives county employees raises, part of a larger effort to combat the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on Northern Virginia.” [The Washington Post]

Terrorism Investigation Leads to Raid of Springfield Apartment — FBI agents recently raided an apartment on Kingsford Road and arrested a 33-year-old man suspected of providing financial support to ISIS members. Court documents filed on May 4 indicate that Mohammed Chhipa had been under investigation since 2021. [FOX5]


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