A new report on COVID-19’s impact on policing found some dissatisfaction among officers with how the Fairfax County Police Department responded to the pandemic, along with a significant decrease in community engagement.
Made public earlier this month, the report looked into the pandemic’s impact on policing in Fairfax County. The study was a partnership between the police department and George Mason University’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy (GMU-CEBCP).
A new kind of tech-inspired mini-golf experience is coming soon to Comstock’s Reston Station.
Puttshack, which describes itself as an upscale and tech-infused experience with global food and drink signed a lease at 1850 Reston Row Plaza. The 29,000-square-foot lease is part of phase two of Reston Station’s development.
Fairfax County’s Guide to Halloween — “It’s time for scary, silly and all kinds of costumes in all corners of our community. Here are a few things to know about Halloween in Fairfax County,” including where to find the most elaborately decorated houses and tips for handling trick-or-treating. [Fairfax County Government]
Free COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic in Reston Today — Reston Community Center is hosting a Covid vaccine clinic from 1-4 p.m. at 2310 Colts Neck Road. Pfizer doses will be available for people 12 and older. Those interested can make an appointment through the county’s Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS), but walk-ins are welcome too. [Melanie Meren/Twitter]
Updated at 4:25 p.m. — Elden Street in Herndon has reopened, as police continue to investigate a crash that involved two pedestrians.
Earlier: Two pedestrians were struck by a vehicle on Elden Street in Herndon, per a police report, with one suffering injuries that were initially considered life-threatening.
(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) Booster COVID-19 vaccinations for kids aged 5 to 11 were put on hold late last week, as the Fairfax County Health Department transitions to updated vaccines that target omicron variants of the disease.
Federal health officials expanded their recommendation for the bivalent booster vaccines to include that younger age group on Wednesday (Oct. 12), saying the updated shots will provide better protection against “more transmissible and immune-evading” variants.
(Updated at 3:30 p.m.) A demonstration that brought tents to the North County Government Center in a push for more supportive housing in Reston has come to a close after the final tent was officially removed late last week.
Reston Strong, the nonprofit organization behind the protest to increase Fairfax County’s affordable housing stock, announced that the last tent in front of Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn’s office was removed after it was first installed on April 4.
A new circulator through the Town of Herndon is set to open when service for phase two of the Silver Line officially begins.
The Herndon Circulator — run through the Fairfax Connector — will include weekday and weekend service through the Herndon Metro station, Spring Street, Downtown Herndon, Elden Street, Parcher Avenue and Worldgate Drive.
Hunter Mill Road Traffic Stoppages Today — “On Mon 10/17 from 9AM-3PM, Hunter Mill Rd will have full traffic stoppages of up to 10 minutes each between Crowell Rd and Cobble Mill Rd to install beams as part of the Colvin Run bridge project. Expect delays and consider using alternate routes.” [VDOT/Twitter]
Racial Disparities Persist in Virginia Marijuana Arrests — “While marijuana arrests overall dropped in the year since Virginia became the first state in the South to legalize, Black adults accounted for nearly 60 percent of marijuana-related cases before the state’s general district and circuit courts…despite Black people accounting for about 20 percent of the state population.” [The Washington Post]
The weekend is almost here. Before you check out the Richmond Highway corridor’s first parklet or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.
Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:
Market conditions remain unfavorable for the redevelopment of Downtown Herndon, a public-private partnership that is led by developer Comstock and the town.
At a Herndon Town Council meeting earlier this month, Town Manager Bill Ashton II said Comstock remains committed to pausing the development for up to two years. Currently, Comstock is unable to approve financing for the project and conditions remain economically unfavorable for the project to proceed.
