Update: A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s order freezing federal grants and loans minutes before it was set to take effect at 5 p.m.
Earlier: Fairfax County officials are scrambling to assess how a new federal directive halting financial aid programs might impact local services and capital projects.
The push to allow a casino in Fairfax County has officially entered new territory.
After tabling similar legislation proposed by state Sen. Dave Marsden (D-35) last year, the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee voted 9-6 this morning (Tuesday) to report Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell’s (D-34) bill to add the county to Virginia’s list of eligible casino hosts to the full chamber.
Fairfax County leaders have joined hundreds of municipalities across the nation in pledging to do more to help the monarch butterfly’s survival.
The county’s Board of Supervisors agreed during its Jan. 14 meeting to sign on to the National Wildlife Foundation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge Program, which commits local governments to take various actions to stem loss of habitat for pollinators.
A pair of apartment buildings in north central Tysons recently changed hands, resulting in a name change for one of the properties.
Hanover Tysons, a 412-unit residential building at 1500 Westbranch Drive, has been rebranded as The Jones at Tysons after its original developer, The Hanover Company, sold the property to the financial services firm Mesirow Financial late last year.
Hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s technology meltdown, Fairfax County Park Authority officials are making revisions to their 2025 spring and summer camp registration procedures.
The biggest change: The first day of registration will vary depending on where a camp program is located.
Groveton Apartments Targeted by ICE Raid — “Some residents of an apartment complex in Fairfax County, Virginia, say they’re alarmed and frightened after waking up to loud door knocks from federal agents before sunrise on Sunday.” The raid at the Beacon Hill Apartments was one of many carried out nationwide by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 26, leading to more than 1,170 arrests. [NBC4]
Two Virginia Children Die From Flu — “The Virginia Department of Health on Monday reported two influenza-associated pediatric deaths, the first reports for the 2024–25 flu season. One death occurred in a young school-aged child between the ages of 5 of 12 years old in Virginia’s Eastern Region and one in a teenage child between the ages of 13 and 17 years old in the Central Region, which is in the southern part of the state.” [Inside NoVA]
Senate Passes Bill to Protect Voting ‘Quiet Period’ — The state Senate voted 20-18 yesterday (Monday) to pass a proposal from Sen. Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) “to clarify the federal 90-day threshold for voter roll removals and extend the response time for flagged individuals to contest their potential purge.” Removals of voters flagged as “non-citizens” last year led to a lawsuit and reports of people being erroneously dropped from voter rolls. [Virginia Mercury]
Longtime Radio Anchor Dies — “WTOP evening anchor Dimitri Sotis, whose deep, warm voice informed and kept listeners in the D.C. region company during storms, elections and breaking news, has died at the age of 55 … Sotis was the evening anchor at WTOP for more than two decades; listeners heard his distinctive timbre weekdays from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.” [WTOP]
N. Va. Business Leaders Optimistic About Economy — “Northern Virginia business owners are overwhelmingly optimistic about the region’s economy in the new year, but affordability has become a top concern for business leaders trying to attract new talent and new businesses to the region,” according to a recent survey conducted on behalf of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce. [WTOP]
Fairfax City Police Make Arrest After Gunshots Reported — “City of Fairfax Police have apprehended a suspect in connection to the attempted malicious wounding that occurred Friday morning in the 3100 block of Campbell Drive … Investigators recovered shell casings on the scene. No injuries were reported and no property was reported damaged, according to police.” [Patch]
Falls Church Advances Accessory Unit Policy Update — “Falls Church officials are nearing a decision on an ordinance that would make it easier to build accessory-dwelling units … At a Council work session last week, however, there was a split between elected leaders and top staff on how much remaining public input is advisable before the matter goes to a vote.” [ARLnow]
Local Students Compete in World Diving Championships — “Carter G. Woodson High School senior Nathaniel Grannis and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) senior Rem Turatbekov have gone international. Nathaniel and Rem recently returned from the Junior World Diving Championships in Rio de Janeiro, where Nathaniel represented the U.S. and Rem dove for his birth country, Kyrgyzstan.” [FCPS]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny conditions today with a high of around 52 degrees and west winds at 7 to 12 mph, increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon, with potential gusts up to 33 mph. The evening will bring mostly clear skies and a low of about 31 degrees. [NWS]
Overall depth, including victories in two relays and three in individual races, and many more top-five finishes helped the Flint Hill Huskies win their second straight swimming and diving league championship.
The Oakton private school’s boys high school team won the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference private-school title on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Catholic University with 162.5 team points. The Huskies’ neighborhood rival Potomac School Panthers were second with 127.
An entertaining individual shootout occurred involving three top scoring leaders when neighborhood rivals met on Saturday, Jan. 25 in a girls’ high-school basketball game.
The Potomac School Panthers defeated the host Flint Hill Huskies, 73-53, for their second straight win in that Independent School League private-school clash. The loss snapped the Huskies’ four-game victory string, as Flint Hill stands 12-6.
Vienna’s Juneteenth celebration could march into town with some additional pomp this year.
The First Baptist Church of Vienna, which typically hosts the now-annual event commemorating the U.S.’s “second independence day,” has proposed kicking off the 2025 festivities with a parade.
Congressional Republicans are once again pushing to rename Dulles International Airport after President Donald Trump.
North Carolina Rep. Addison McDowell introduced H.R. 691 last Thursday, Jan. 23 to designate the Northern Virginia airport as “Donald J. Trump International Airport,” proclaiming the move a fitting parallel to former president Ronald Reagan’s moniker gracing Washington National Airport in Arlington.
