Update — The Virginia Department of Transportation announced on Thursday, June 25 that the Dulles Toll Road lane split will be postponed until after the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
“We will send out an update once everything is confirmed,” a VDOT spokesperson told FFXnow.
Storm Hit Burke With 90 MPH Winds — “Teams from the National Weather Service surveyed storm damage Tuesday morning in Burke following Monday evening’s severe storms across the region and determined the cause: A one-mile long, 500-foot wide ‘microburst’ carrying 90 mph winds.” [Inside NoVA]
Arrest in Annandale Abduction Case — “On Tuesday, the Fairfax County Police Department said the suspect who exposed his genitals and then tried to grab a woman and pull her into the woods was taken into custody … Police said there was no threat to the community.” [DC News Now]
Military Flyovers Planned for America 250 — “The U.S. military notified D.C. that it will conduct aircraft flyovers near the National Mall from Wednesday, June 24, through Friday, July 10, as part of America’s 250th-anniversary celebrations, according to AlertDC … The latest round anchors the Great American State Fair, a 16-day exposition on the Mall running June 25 to July 10 and organized by Freedom 250.” [ARLnow]
ACLU Seeks to Speed Up Ex-Felon Voting Registration — “As thousands of Virginians with certain past felony convictions remain in a voting registration limbo, a civil rights group filed a motion on June 18 seeking an expedited remedy. The group accused election officials of violating a voting rights lawsuit previously won earlier this year.” [Virginia Mercury]
Child Support System Update Shut Down — “After already spending millions, Virginia’s Department of Social Services shut down a two-year long IT project to overhaul the state’s outdated child support enforcement system … State officials are now trying to figure out what to do with the system,” which was already considered “antiquated” back in 1998. [VPM News]
Fairfax City Local Candidates List Finalized — “On Thursday afternoon, Fairfax City’s Office of Elections released the official list of candidates who have qualified to run for city offices in the Nov. 3 General and Special Election … In the mayor’s race, incumbent City Council Member Tom Peterson is running against Kirsten Sides Lockhart” after current Mayor Catherine Read announced she won’t seek reelection. [Patch]
Former RA CEO Takes Job in Austin — “Austin has named its next head of economic development initiatives, as city leaders back a renewed push to attract and support more local economic investment. The city announced the appointment of Michael ‘Mac’ Cummins as Austin Economic Development’s next director June 16.” Cummins, who resigned as CEO of Reston Association in January, will officially step into his new position on July 27. [Community Impact]
McLean Home on Market for Nearly $6M — “Just a short walk from Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, this single-family home offers modern living amongst nature. With six bedrooms and eight bathrooms, 938 Saigon Rd., McLean is situated on 1.4 acres. The custom residence features a home theater, golf simulator, fire pit patio, and elevator.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
It’s Wednesday — Sunny with a high of 81°F and a northwest wind at 7 mph. At night, expect mostly clear skies and a low of 62°F, with calm winds. [NWS]
There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.
Fairfax County leaders are about to take steps to address the likelihood of an increasing penny shortage in the nation’s future.
At its meeting today, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors authorized a public hearing on Tuesday, July 14 to consider revisions to how change is provided to those paying by cash for local government services.
Virginia lawmakers want to examine consolidating Northern Virginia’s transit agencies to assess potential cost savings and service improvements.
The proposal, which is included in the two-year budget lawmakers passed Monday, directs the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to include in its report not only the cost savings and long-term financial impacts of merging multiple systems, but also how potential changes would affect riders through fare structures, service reliability and accessibility.
Thousands of residents in Fairfax County, particularly the Burke area, are grappling with the aftermath of yesterday’s thunderstorm.
As of 11 a.m., more than 1,400 homes and businesses in the county were still without electricity, including about 700 customers in the Burke, Springfield and Fairfax area south of George Mason University’s campus, according to Dominion Energy.
A network of about two dozen bus rapid transit (BRT) systems could be running through the local region in coming decades.
But the effort won’t succeed without buy-in from local governments, a top transit leader told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on June 16.
After issuing more than 10,000 traffic citations in early June, police are preparing to resume a traffic safety campaign targeting reckless drivers, speeding, and distracted driving later this summer.
The third phase of the “Road Shark” initiative, led by the Fairfax County Police Department in partnership with Virginia State Police, will begin Aug. 10.
Va. Lawmakers Approve Budget — “Virginia lawmakers approved a two-year spending plan Monday, ending months of negotiations as the deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown approached. The Senate approved the plan with a 23-16 vote, and the House of Delegates passed it 71-22. Now it heads to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk.” [WTOP]
Family Mourns Killed Pedestrians — “Family and a big group of friends are mourning the sudden death of a Falls Church area man. Sean King was walking home from work on the sidewalk along a Leesburg Pike service road
when a car jumped the curb and struck him. He died a short time later at the hospital.” [NBC4]
How Drought Affects Data Centers — If drought conditions persist and trigger mandatory water restrictions, data centers would be “treated the same as all other commercial, industrial and residential customers, state and local officials revealed.” [Virginia Mercury]
Measles Case Passed Through Dulles — “A confirmed measles case has been found in a Maryland resident who traveled through Dulles Airport and went to an urgent care office in the District, area health officials said … On June 17, the person traveled through Concourse C, the International Arrivals Building and baggage claim areas of Dulles International Airport between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m.” [WTOP]
Metro Contract for Fare Station Upgrades — “The region’s largest transit agency on Monday awarded a $38.9 million base contract to Indra Group, a Spanish technology firm, to design, manufacture, install and maintain 450 new ‘state-of-the-art’ customer terminal machines across 98 stations as well as at WMATA’s testing and training facilities.” The new machines will feature touch screens and accept mobile wallets, along with credit and debit cards. [Washington Business Journal]
Developers Discuss Office Space Demand — “The availability of trophy office space in Northern Virginia is dwindling as construction remains scarce. Real estate experts say it will take the right type of tenant to change that.” Comstock Chief Marketing Officer Timothy Steffan estimates that it would take leases of $85 per square foot per year for a developer “to cover skilled labor, materials and other costs” of a new trophy office building. [Bisnow]
Town Hall on Crescent Apartments Development — “Reston residents will have a chance Thursday to weigh in on a proposed Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan amendment that could allow a larger Reston Community Center presence to be included in the future redevelopment of the Crescent Apartments property near Lake Anne.” [Patch]
Local Students Perform on Broadway — Recent Oakton High School graduate John Poncy and rising Madison High School senior Allie Blanchet performed in character medleys on Broadway last night as part of a ceremony for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also called the Jimmy Awards. The pair earned spots after winning best leading actor and actress at the Brandon Victor Dixon Awards for D.C. regional high school theater. [Washingtonian]
New Book Imagines Time-Traveling Metro — “A new novel is out this week that’s partly based in D.C. and reimagines the Metro as a time-traveling portal … Retro, written by D.C. journalist Jessica M. Goldstein, is out June 23. It follows Ash, an out-of-work actress who takes a job at a time travel start-up that lets wealthy clients party in the past.” [Axios DC]
It’s Tuesday — Expect a 40% chance of showers before 3 p.m., with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 80°F. Night will be mostly clear with a low around 62°F and a gentle north wind at about 6 mph. [NWS]
Want more local news? Check out our newest sister site, WSHnow, with the latest from across the region.
The Fairfax County Circuit Court is now offering an online education hub for students and other Fairfax County residents interested in the local court system and its history to explore.
Officially launched last Wednesday (June 17), the Judicial Learning Center of Fairfax County is the first resource of its kind provided by any state trial court in the U.S., according to Fairfax Clerk of Court Chris Falcon.
Local police and parks officials across Northern Virginia are working to raise awareness of how to safely ride and share paths with electric bicycles in response to reported upticks in complaints about reckless behavior.
Over the past month, the Vienna Police Department has been sharing information about safe and legal riding practices, while also stepping up patrols in areas where concerns have cropped up as part of an E-Bike Safety Awareness Campaign launched on May 29.
