It wasn’t unanimous, but the leaders of Virginia’s largest locality have gone on record supporting a regional plan for funding to sustain Metro into the future.
With a 8-1 vote on Dec. 9, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors backed the DMV Moves initiative started by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to identify dedicated funding options for the rail and bus transit system.
Democratic Primary Today for House Seat — Polls will be open at three locations until 7 p.m. today (Tuesday) for the Democratic Party’s firehouse primary to select its nominee to succeed former 11th House District delegate David Bulova. Five candidates qualified for the ballot, with the winner potentially facing a Republican in a special election on Jan. 13. No Republican candidates have been announced so far.
Fox Rescued After Getting Stuck in Fence — “Last week, our Animal Services Officers received a call from a concerned community member about a fox stuck in a fence. It was believed the fox had been there for several hours before being found. Our officers safely freed the fox and consulted with professional rehabilitators to address the injuries to their rear legs.” [Fairfax County Animal Shelter/Facebook]
Annandale Man Sentenced on Drug Charges — “A federal court sentenced an Annandale man to 10 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, the FBI reported Dec. 11.” The 28-year-old man was arrested on June 3 after Fairfax County police stopped his vehicle and seized drugs as well as a handgun he had purchased illegally as a previously convicted felon. [Annandale Today]
Metro Expands New Bike Lockers — “The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority installed the first of 450 new covered bike storage lockers at the Eastern Market and Foggy Bottom Metro stations in late November. As of Saturday, a total of nine stations now have the new lockers. It’s part of an effort to get over 3.5 percent of Metro riders biking to stations by 2030.” [Washington Post]
Youngkin Quiet on Future Plans — “Almost from the moment that Glenn Youngkin became Virginia’s governor four years ago, the political world has wondered what’s next for a Republican who seemed to keep one foot in the MAGA movement and the other in the party’s traditional country club establishment. He’s still not ready to say.” [Associated Press/WTOP]
Shenandoah Valley Trail Proposed — “The Virginia Department of Transportation stunned Virginia’s transportation community by proposing a plan last Tuesday to potentially develop a multi-use trail and restore a deteriorated rail corridor in the Shenandoah Valley, with a possible price tag of nearly $700 million.” [Virginia Mercury]
GMU Serves Hot Sauce Concocted by Graduates — “Who knew that 10 years after three George Mason University students were just trying to get through their classes, they’d create a hot sauce that would become the official staple of the GMU dining hall? … Ask the founders what makes SOSS special, and they’ll tell you it’s the flavor balance no one else has mastered.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Police Academy Welcomes New Recruits — Yesterday, “Assistant Chief Eli Cory welcomed 48 recruits at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy, marking the start of their 25-week basic training and the initiation of their careers in law enforcement.” At the academy, recruits will learn “basic instruction in the procedures, techniques, principles of law enforcement, incident report writing, criminal law, traffic enforcement, and first aid.” [FCPD]
New Legal Notice — Day spa seeks Retail Marketplace on-premises wine and beer license. [Public Notices]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high temperature near 37 degrees, accompanied by light and variable winds. The night will be mostly clear, with lows around 28 degrees, and a south wind blowing at 3 to 6 mph. [NWS]
It won’t be long before a fast-expanding chain offering gourmet toast dishes opens up in Great Falls.
Toastique, which opened a location in Vienna just last month, expects to begin serving customers at 9891 Georgetown Pike sometime in the next few months.
Fairfax County is requiring future electrical substations to be built at least 100 feet away from residential property lines.
At its meeting last week (Dec. 9), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a zoning ordinance amendment governing substations.
While Fairfax County’s overall office market is still mired in a post-pandemic slump, Reston continues to attract new businesses.
Preceding Booz Allen Hamilton as a newcomer to the area is Vibrint, a national security technology contractor that opened a 15,000-square-foot office at 11600 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 440, earlier this month.
At some point in the new year, Fairfax County residents might start seeing signs for 20-mph speed limits in their neighborhood.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation has proposed several streets for inclusion in a pilot study testing the reduced speed limits that’s tentatively expected to launch in summer 2026.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors next month will honor the efforts of local police to restore and maintain order at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
With the attack’s five-year anniversary nearing, the board voted 9-0 at its Dec. 9 meeting in support of a proposed commemorative proclamation sponsored by supervisors Rodney Lusk (Franconia) and Dan Storck (Mount Vernon) with Chairman Jeff McKay.
Plane Returns to Dulles After Engine Failure — “A United Airlines flight out of Dulles International Airport made an emergency landing after one of the plane’s engines failed during takeoff on Saturday afternoon. One of the engines of the Boeing 777-200ER suddenly failed at takeoff around 12:20 p.m., the FAA said, producing sparks and smoke.” [NBC4]
GW Parkway Rehabilitation Progresses — “From Spout Run Parkway up to the Beltway in McLean, paving is done and mainline construction is on track to conclude by the end of the month as a major rehab project announced in 2021 draws toward a close.” [ARLnow]
Man Charged With McLean-Area Burglaries — “Investigators have linked a Maryland man arrested in Tysons on Tuesday to multiple attempted burglaries in the McLean earlier this month, according to authorities.” A woman reported that the man had trespassed on her backyard on Dec. 9, and police believe he’s also behind two home burglaries that occurred in McLean on Dec. 5. [Patch]
Passenger Injured by Dulles Baggage Claim — “A passenger got stuck in baggage claim equipment at Washington Dulles International Airport on Thursday morning and is hurt, authorities say. The adult made ‘an unauthorized entry into the baggage delivery system’ and got trapped, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said.” [NBC4]
Longfellow Students Aim to Extend Science Olympiad Win Streak — “Kim is one of 30 students who secured a spot on Longfellow Middle School’s prestigious Science Olympiad team. Over 100 competed for one, taking tests and building devices, with the hope of keeping the Fairfax County school’s reputation in tact. Longfellow’s team has won 13 consecutive state titles, and is eyeing a 14th. The school has won the state championship 19 times.” [WTOP]
Food Delivery Robots Enter Alexandria — “California-based Serve Robotics Inc., in partnership with Uber Eats, recently launched its autonomous sidewalk delivery company across the city. That means that folks ordering food in Old Town, Del Ray, Potomac West and nearby neighborhoods now have the option to get their orders delivered by a driverless robot.” [ALXnow]
Nonprofit Plans Bar Crawl Fundraiser — “The community is invited to a bar crawl on Saturday, Dec. 20, at four locations in Annandale. The event is a fundraiser for Me & You, a nonprofit organization that supports projects at nine schools in the metropolitan D.C. area, including Braddock Elementary School in Annandale.” [Annandale Today]
Park Authority Hires Planning Deputy Director — “The Fairfax County Park Authority is pleased to announce the appointment of Nigel A. Fields to the position of deputy director for Planning and Development. Fields is a leader in conservation, park development and programming, and land use planning and management. He began his new role on Dec. 1 and succeeds Aimee Vosper, who is retiring from the Park Authority on Dec. 26 after 12 years of service.” [FCPA]
It’s Monday — Expect mostly sunny conditions and a high temperature of around 30 degrees during the day, with the northwest wind of 7 to 11 mph shifting to the southwest in the afternoon. Tonight, you’ll experience partly cloudy skies, with the temperature dropping to a low of about 21 degrees. The south wind will be blowing at 5 to 7 mph before becoming light and variable after midnight. [NWS]
As predicted, Fairfax County was hit by its second snowfall of the season overnight, though accumulations appear to have stopped short of the 1 to 3 inches forecast by the National Weather Service.
In anticipation of the winter weather, the Fairfax County Park Authority delayed opening its parks and facilities until 9 a.m. today (Sunday). Other county facilities opened on time.
Another snowstorm is expected to visit Fairfax County and the rest of the D.C. region tomorrow (Sunday).
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory shortly after 9 a.m. that’s expected to take effect at midnight and continue until 10 a.m.
