(Updated 11:00 a.m.) Visitors to Fairfax County’s website may have noticed that it recently got a digitized makeover.
Going live on Friday, July 7, the website update offers a range of upgraded services, including a bilingual virtual assistant with added Spanish language features and a “more readily available” language translation tool. Plans for the update were announced late last year.
Army Acquisition of Mason Neck Land Halted — The Army had recommended a transfer of 50 acres of public land in the Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area “for long-term usage” by horses in its Caisson Platoon, which supports military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. Congress dropped the language from its draft defense budget after an outcry from the community. [On the MoVe]
Overhaul of Virginia Education Funding Recommended — “Virginia’s complicated formula for funding K-12 schools needs an overhaul in order for the state to adequately fund public education, according to the results of a major legislative study presented Monday…School divisions receive 14% less funding from the state than the 50-state average, JLARC found, equal to about $1,900 less per student.” [Virginia Mercury]
Locals are hunting for Waldo throughout Reston and Herndon this month.
Scrawl Books, a local bookstore in Reston Town Center, has launched a scavenger hunt that challenges individuals to find Waldo all month long at various locations around Reston and Herndon.
Your summer schedule awaits!
And of course, to wrap up summer, save the date for our 2nd annual Silent Dance Party, September 8 from 7-8:30 p.m.
This biweekly column is sponsored by The Mather in Tysons, Virginia, a forward-thinking Life Plan Community for those 62 and better.
If summer has you thinking about beach reads, barbecuing, and browsing farmers’ markets, go for it! You’ll be supporting your health. “Many leisure activities provide opportunities to socialize, learn, be active, and carry out your life’s purpose — each of which has been proven to support health and well-being,” explains Cate O’Brien, PhD, the VP and Director for Mather Institute.
Improperly discarded fireworks from a Fourth of July celebration were the cause of a Herndon house fire that resulted in $371,290 in damages.
The fire broke out around 12:55 a.m. in the 600 block of Stuart Court in Herndon, according to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.
Overnight Traffic Stops Coming to I-495 — The southbound I-495 collector-distributor road near Georgetown Pike (exit 44) in McLean will be closed in 30-minute increments between midnight to 5 a.m. today (Wednesday) through Friday (July 14). “Following each stoppage, one lane will reopen to clear traffic before the next stoppage is implemented…These traffic stoppages are necessary for crews to remove overhead roadway signs.” [VDOT]
Youngkin Pushes Early Voting for Republicans — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) on Tuesday rolled out a web portal aimed at encouraging Republicans to register for absentee ballots and vote early in this fall’s legislative elections, embracing many of the voter-access policies enacted by Democrats in the past few years.” [The Washington Post]
The years-long process to overhaul the Reston Comprehensive Plan will take a little longer than expected.
At a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting today (Tuesday), Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn announced that changes to Virginia’s laws regarding public notice and hearing requirements will push public hearings on the long-running update to the plan into September.
The Fairfax County Park Authority is asking people to stop fighting with kites.
Last week, the park authority issued a warning about the dangers and harm caused by kite fighting, which is prohibited at county parks.
Children’s National, ranked as the fifth best children’s hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, and is the only hospital in the area nationally ranked in all ten pediatric specialties.
With six convenient locations in Northern Virginia, including Fairfax, Arlington, Gainesville, Reston, Leesburg and Fredericksburg, innovative children’s care is now right nearby.
