Fairfax County’s sluggish job market is expected to get a small boost in the coming months, thanks to a Reston-based contractor.
The technology company Data Machines has committed to investing $849,000 in an expansion of its headquarters in RTC West (12100 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 605), a move that will create 75 new jobs, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority announced yesterday (Thursday).
As opposition to data centers continues to mount nationwide, some unexpected alliances have emerged.
Just two days after democratic socialist Bernie Sanders shared a stage with right-wing strategist Steve Bannon, a grassroots conservative organization led by the self-proclaimed “founder of the modern day Tea Party” will stop in solidly blue Fairfax County as part of a national “Data Center Revolt” bus tour.
Amid a growing national backlash to automated license plate readers (ALPRs), Fairfax County leaders want to take a closer look at their partnership with Flock Safety, the country’s leading provider of the controversial cameras.
In response to “hundreds of emails” sent by residents to their offices in recent weeks, county supervisors, led by Board Chair Jeff McKay, voted unanimously yesterday (Tuesday) to pause the installation of new Flock cameras by the Fairfax County Police Department.
Politicians are scrambling nationally to address growing public concern over data centers, and in Northern Virginia, where many local elected leaders will be on the ballot in 2027, the issue is proving a delicate balancing act.
Fairfax County residents expect “fair rules of engagement” when it comes to addressing the impacts of data centers, Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay said at the 11th annual Northern Virginia Regional Elected Leaders Summit, held on Wednesday (Aug. 26) in Arlington.
Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and add child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states, state attorneys general announced today (Wednesday).
The agreement guarantees $353 million for Virginia alone, making it one of the largest consumer protection settlements in state history outside of settlements with tobacco companies in the 1990s, Attorney General Jay Jones said in a statement.
Community members who visit George Mason University in Fairfax this fall might notice a change in the boxy robots that putter around the campus, bringing food to hungry students.
The Austin-based company Avride announced last week that its autonomous delivery robots will roll out to more than 25 college campuses across the U.S., including GMU, by the end of September.
Fairfax County Public Schools students are heading back to the classroom today (Monday), a familiar sight that might inspire nostalgia and stress among even non-parent residents.
However, in recent months, Fairfax County and the school system have adopted a number of changes to policies and services that are taking effect during the new school year, particularly around the use of technology in the classroom.
As Fairfax County Public Schools students prepare for their first day of school next Monday (Aug. 24), the Fairfax County School Board is making its own back-to-school to-do list. Near the top of the agenda: an updated digital literacy curriculum.
A work session on Tuesday (Aug. 18) provided a glimpse of the tasks ahead for the school board this year, and staff’s efforts over the summer to implement high-profile mandates around the curriculum, including updates related to artificial intelligence literacy.
Going forward, Fairfax County Public Schools will prohibit the use of generative artificial intelligence by elementary school students, tablets and laptops in preschool and kindergarten, and student use of personal electronic communication and computing devices during instructional time.
The Fairfax County School Board approved the restrictions — which include a handful of narrow exceptions — at its July 16 meeting, along with several directives for the superintendent to report back to the board about the potential additional limitations on technology.
Fairfax County Public Schools’ integration of technology into its operations will extend to its transportation system in the coming academic year.
New identification cards that can be used to track when students get on and off a school bus will be rolled out across the division when the 2026-2027 school year starts on Aug. 24, FCPS announced on Tuesday (July 21).
