Countywide

(Updated at 3:05 p.m.) A transgender woman’s lawsuit alleging discrimination at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center will be allowed to move forward in a potentially landmark decision in the fight for trans rights.

Former inmate Kesha Williams can pursue her complaint arguing that the harassment she experienced at the county jail violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, a U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled in an opinion released today (Tuesday).


Around Town

Thousands of spectators converged at Lake Anne Plaza over the weekend for the annual Lake Anne Cardboard Boat Regatta.

This year, the event returned after a two-year pause due to the pandemic. More than 40 boats took part in the race, with Hunters Woods Elementary earning first place in the cadet category.


Countywide

Once McLean resident Lauren Taylor learned how to identify invasive plants in Fairfax County’s parks, she couldn’t stop noticing them.

They take a variety of forms, from shrubs like Japanese barberry — distinctive for the red coloring and spatula-like shape of its leaves — to creeping vines such as wintercreeper and English ivy that essentially strangle trees.


News

The empty shell of one of Herndon’s longest-running restaurants — the Ice House Cafe — is poised for a new future.

A future restaurant is planned for the location, according to Dennis Holste, the town’s economic development manager.


Countywide

Local entrepreneurs now have a direct line to do business with Fairfax County.

On Aug. 1, the county launched an online portal that allows businesses to pitch a business idea, product or service to county agencies, departments and Fairfax County Public Schools. County agencies and departments can in turn take advantage of pitches that have already been vetted within the portal.


Countywide

First Responders Train for Silver Line Phase 2 — “More than a hundred fire and emergency personnel will converge on the new Ashburn Station on the Silver Line Extension as part of a full-scale emergency drill Wednesday, August 17. Metro is conducting the exercise in coordination with Fairfax County, Loudoun County and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) as part of preparations for the opening of the Silver Line Extension expected later this fall.” [WMATA]

Route 1 Trailer Park Residents Build Community — “Poverty often takes from people. It snatches. It steals. It can leave people with empty bellies, low self-esteem and a lost sense of security. That’s why the women want people to know what they’ve created in that trailer park on Route 1. From a shared struggle, they have built something special — a network of moms who regularly check on one another, inform one another and push one another.” [The Washington Post]


News

In what used to be storage space for Aslin Beer and Co.’s, a new scratch kitchen concept developed by Aslin’s co-founders is brewing. 

IZZI — a restaurant that offers coffee, baked goods and pizza — is an extension of Aslin in the Town of Herndon. It’s officially a rebrand of the concept that first launched in Alexandria. 


Countywide

Fairfax County’s COVID-19 community level has dropped from “medium” to “low,” as anticipated based on a steady decline in case numbers over the past month.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed the county’s community level with its weekly update on Thursday (Aug. 11), as its case rate of 187.71 cases per 100,000 residents dipped below the 200 mark for the first time since early May.


Countywide

Within the next decade, Fairfax County could see pedestrians and bicyclists split up along its stretch of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, among other potential changes at its regional parks.

In a new, five-year strategic plan released last Tuesday (Aug. 9), the Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority (NOVA Parks) proposes expanding the “dual trail” design introduced last year in Falls Church to other segments of the 45-mile, cross-county park.


News

The Herndon Police Department is poised to upgrade its body camera equipment five years after the program officially began.

Police spokesperson Lisa Herndon tells FFXNow that move was necessary because the police department’s old system became “antiquated.”


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