By OLIVIA DIAZ, STEVE PEOPLES and THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia gubernatorial candidates Republican Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger faced off Thursday for the first and only time on the debate stage in a fiery affair that was combative from the very first answer.
Vienna’s volunteer fire department needs help to keep one of its longest-running holiday traditions alive.
The department launched a fundraiser this past Saturday (Oct. 4) to provide upkeep for Santa’s special sleigh — a 79-year-old antique fire engine.
Without action, millions of Americans — including thousands across Fairfax County — will soon experience drastic changes to their healthcare coverage.
Federal health insurance subsidies are set to expire at year’s end, triggering increases to monthly premiums estimated at hundreds of dollars. Rep. James Walkinshaw and other House Democrats are in agreement that seeking a permanent solution is a hill worth dying on.
Though it may be small solace for not knowing when their next paycheck may come, a night of music or theater could become at least a temporary escape for the thousands of workers affected by the ongoing federal government shutdown.
That’s what George Mason University hopes to provide by offering free tickets to select artistic performances for federal employees and contractors.
More than one in four Fairfax County households meets the definition of “food-insecure,” and that figure is likely to rise in coming months as the full impacts of federal worker and funding cuts materialize.
“More challenging times are ahead,” Hilary Salmon, senior director of marketing and communications for Capital Area Food Bank, predicted when briefing board members of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) yesterday (Wednesday).
Tysons will see more construction in the new year, this time to manifest a condominium high-rise from the Ritz-Carlton.
The hospitality company has partnered with developer Renaissance Centro to bring its first residential building in Virginia to the Arbor Row neighborhood, just across the street from its hotel at Tysons Galleria.
Poisonous Spiders at Chantilly School — “Fairfax County Public Schools has confirmed its pest management team has been called out to Westfield High School in Chantilly to deal with spiders, with News4 confirming through a letter sent out to parents that they are poisonous black widow spiders.” [NBC4]
Lt. Gov. Financial Discrepancies Reported — “Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears built her political brand on transparency and accountability. But a closer look at her public filings reveals a pattern of omissions and inconsistencies in her financial disclosures — including a $12,000 ‘gift’ far above the state’s legal limit and multiple undisclosed trips funded by outside organizations.” [Virginia Mercury]
Jay Jones Cancels Fundraiser — “Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for attorney general in Virginia, has canceled a Thursday night fundraiser at the home of novelist David Baldacci, according to a person with the matter … The scrubbed fundraiser is another indication that Jones’ campaign is in crisis mode” after the discovery of texts from 2022 where he “mused about” violence against then-Virginia Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert. [Axios]
Falls Church HS Renovation to Affect Sports — While the renovation of Falls Church High School is mostly complete, “the athletic fields won’t be done until next summer or early fall. That means spring season sports will have to be conducted at other locations, said Scott Eschbach, director of design and construction for Fairfax County Public Schools, at a community meeting on Oct. 6.” [Annandale Today]
McLean Actor Appears in HBO Show — “Kelly Schwartz, a business consultant and actor based in McLean, has a role in the new HBO miniseries Task. The show, starring Mark Ruffalo, follows an FBI agent who works to stop a string of violent robberies in Philadelphia.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Publix Planning New N. Va. Store — “Publix Super Markets on Wednesday announced plans to open a new store in Ashland Square in mid-Prince William County. The new grocery store will be Northern Virginia’s first Publix, not counting the supermarket that opened in North Stafford in 2020.” [Inside NoVA]
Record Flip for McLean Mansion — “A McLean mansion that had been on the market for three years before it sold in August for $18.5 million just sold for the second time in six weeks, for $22 million.” The unknown buyer’s purchase of the 22,000-square-foot home at 6431 Georgetown Pike “appears to be the highest-recorded flip in Greater Washington history.” [Washington Business Journal]
Great Falls Fire Dept. Open House — With National Fire Prevention Week ending, the Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department (9916 Georgetown Pike) is hosting an open house this Saturday (Oct. 11) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “This will be an education-filled event, with activities for the children, games, give-always, hands-only CPR instruction, and the always popular fire truck and ambulance climb-aboard … NEW this year is a junior firefighter training course complete with uniforms for the kids to try on.” [Great Falls VFD]
It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 63 degrees, accompanied by a northeast wind between 9 and 11 mph, gusting up to 18 mph. Thursday night will be clear, with temperatures dropping to a low of around 43 degrees. [NWS]
Vienna police have identified the teens who allegedly set off fireworks during a fight at the local McDonald’s last month.
An 18-year-old girl from Falls Church and an unnamed 16-year-old have been arrested and charged with causing malicious injury to police officers, throwing a missile at an occupied building, and other offenses, the Town of Vienna Police Department (VPD) announced today (Wednesday).
Like everyone else, Fairfax County leaders remain in wait-and-see mode to determine the short-term and potential long-term implications of the federal government’s ongoing shutdown.
“It really depends on the length,” said Jennifer Imo, managing partner of client services for Ferguson Group, a lobbying organization hired by Fairfax County to represent its interests on Capitol Hill.
Fairfax County is losing Taste of NoVA to Prince William County, a consequence of the federal government shutdown stretching into a second week.
The food festival was set to unfold this weekend (Oct. 11-12) at the National Museum of the U.S. Army in Fort Belvoir, which has been closed since Oct. 1 with all events canceled as long as the shutdown continues.
