Reston

Countywide

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com
The streak of a plane descends over Royal Lake Park in Burke (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Thanksgiving Closures — Fairfax County government offices will be closed tomorrow and Friday (Nov. 25), though some facilities like the county rec centers will only close for Thanksgiving Day. Fairfax Connector buses will operate Sunday service tomorrow and holiday weekday service Friday, while Metro will have a Sunday schedule tomorrow and resume regular service Friday.

Person Dies in Lincolnia House Fire — “One person was found dead inside a home following a fire in Fairfax County, Virginia, late Monday night. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire on Monday night in the 6600 block of Pine Road in the Lincolnia area.” [WTOP]

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News

Proposed Vantage Hill townhouses will allow EV charging, solar panels

By Fatimah Waseem
The townhouses will start in the 700s, according to the development team (Photo via Craftmark Homes).

A project to redevelop a portion of the Vantage Hill condominiums property in Reston with townhouses is barreling to final approval from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

At a Nov. 16 meeting, the Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of a plan to replace an abandoned swimming pool on the property at 11600 Vantage Hill Road with 28 townhouses.

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Countywide

With 23 pedestrians dead, advocates call for action to make Fairfax County roads safer

By Angela Woolsey
Each candle represents a pedestrian killed in a crash in Fairfax County this year (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated at 10:40 a.m. on 12/5/2022) Even with one month left, 2022 is the deadliest year for Fairfax County pedestrians in more than a decade.

Through October, vehicle crashes have killed 22 people on streets and highways in the county — the most since at least 2010, the earliest year in Virginia’s Traffic Records Electronic Data System (TREDS). The previous high came in 2018 and 2019, when there were 17 fatalities each.

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News

Reston triathlon will return as part of new “Racing in Reston” series

By Fatimah Waseem
The triathlon will return next year (Photo via CORE Foundation).

Restonians can officially enjoy a series of multi-sport events for adult and youth athletes, including a Reston staple: the Reston Triathlon.

CORE Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to address charitable needs, has launched “Racing in Reston,” a series of events that grows out of the popular Reston Sprint Triathlon, which started out as a singular community event in 2007.

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Countywide

Poll: How often do you use the express lanes in Northern Virginia?

By Vernon Miles
The newly constructed I-66 Express Lanes from Gainesville to Centreville will open ahead of schedule (courtesy FAM Construction)

If you’re driving along the highways in Northern Virginia, do you usually hop into an express lane or do you prefer to tough it out in the normal lanes with the rest of the proletariat?

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced last week that the new I-66 Express Lanes running from the Beltway down to Centreville are set to fully open today (Tuesday).

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Countywide

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com
A robot putters around George Mason University (photo by Susan Woolsey)

I-66 Express Lanes Fully Open Today — “The eastbound direction of the new 66 Express Lanes from Route 28 in Centreville to I-495 (Capital Beltway) is on track to open on Tuesday, Nov. 22…When this final section opens, the entire 22.5-mile 66 Express Lanes corridor from Route 29 in Gainesville to I-495 will be open with tolling and HOV-2+ rules in effect.” [VDOT]

Mini Satellite Built by TJ Students Going to Space — “On Tuesday, November 22, at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, NASA is scheduled to launch the TJ REVERB CubeSat as part of the SpaceX-26 Commercial Resupply Service Mission en route to the International Space Station…Led by Robotics lab director Kristen Kucko, many students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology have had a hand in this historic launch.” [FCPS]

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Countywide

Virginia history standards criticized by local teacher unions sent back to drawing board

By Matt Blitz
The Virginia Board of Education held a public hearing last week on new draft standards for history and social studies (via VDOE/YouTube)

Fairfax County’s teacher unions expressed relief after new state-proposed history standards were rejected by a governor-appointed board late last week.

On Thursday evening (Nov. 17), Virginia’s Board of Education voted unanimously to again delay approving new history standards drafted by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

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News

Reston Association board OKs yearly fee increase with $1 million surplus to limit hike

By Fatimah Waseem
Reston Association

Reston Association members will see a 3% increase in annual assessment dues next year.

At a meeting on Thursday (Nov. 17), RA’s Board of Directors voted to increase member fees from $740 to $763 as part of its $20.7 million budget for 2023.

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Countywide

Fairfax County firefighters vote to unionize for historic contract talks

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue engine ladder (file photo)

Firefighters, medics and other Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department employees will have a union represent them in the county’s first collective bargaining negotiations for public workers in over 40 years.

Over 800 FCFRD workers participated in a 13-day election last month to determine whether to have union representation for contract talks with the county government, which will establish pay, benefits and other working conditions.

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Around Town

Annual holiday parade set for Friday in Reston Town Center

By Fatimah Waseem
The annual parade returns to Reston Town Center next week (Photo via TAA Public Relations).

Reston Town Center’s holiday parade is set for this Friday (Nov. 25), kicking off a series of holiday events for the season.

The annual parade, now in its 31st year, will march down Market Street at 11 a.m.

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