Championship seasons ended for the Potomac School Panthers girls and boys high-school soccer teams with recent semifinal losses in private-school state-tournament action.
The No. 3-seeded and defending champion girls (12-5) lost to the host and No. 2 seed Bishop O’Connell Knights, 2-0, in the four-team Northern Virginia Independent Schools State Invitational.
Just one more game stands between the Madison High School varsity football team and an undefeated regular season.
The 9-0 Warhawks visit the Centreville Wildcats on Friday (Nov. 8) in their final game prior to the region playoffs.
The D.C. area’s historic rain-free streak continues after a predicted chance of precipitation this morning (Thursday) failed to materialize.
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) announced today that it has extended a drought watch that has been in place since July, urging nearly 6 million residents and businesses in the region to take voluntary steps to conserve water.
After reporting record turnout levels in 2016 and 2020, Fairfax County saw a noticeable dip in voter participation for this year’s general election.
The county reported a voter turnout of 68.35%, with 561,368 of its 821,347 registered voters casting a ballot either on Tuesday (Nov. 5) or during the 45-day early voting period, according to unofficial results that will be certified after noon tomorrow (Friday), the deadline for the county’s elections office to receive mail-in ballots.
A new restaurant specializing in cuisine from the Arabian Penninsula, particularly Iraq and Kuwait, is moving into the Town of Vienna.
Dar Mariam anticipates opening in late December at 107 Maple Avenue West, the storefront that was vacated this summer by Donutchew, according to its Instagram profile.
RealtyPeople promises full-service representation while only charging $500 plus 1%.
Over the past year, the residential real estate industry has undergone major changes.
In late 2023, the National Association of Realtors and major brokerages were subject to legal action, resulting in implementation of new rules requiring more transparency in commissions.
According to Michael Gorman, the founder of RealtyPeople, this has created a desire among consumers for a more value-oriented service offering in residential real estate brokerage.
Mr. Gorman is a former senior executive at Long & Foster and has also conducted more than $2 billion in real estate transactions as one of the top agents in Northern Virginia. His new company, RealtyPeople, provides full-service representation for buyers and sellers at a cost of $500 plus 1% of the home’s sales price. According to Mr. Gorman, this puts more money into clients’ pockets, given that prevailing commission rates are closer to 3%.
Mr. Gorman is often asked how the company can make money when charging such low fees. He asserts that the key driver is volume. Most conventional real estate agents only complete a few real estate transactions per year, and that necessitates that they earn substantial commissions on each transaction. Mr. Gorman’s model is based on agents completing multiple transactions each month. Even when charging low commissions, he and his agents earn more than most agents at other brokerages.
Mr. Gorman doesn’t see RealtyPeople as a competitor to the area’s larger brokerages. In his view, conventional agents will attract clients based on strong personal relationships and specific neighborhood expertise. On those transactions, many clients will see value in paying 3% for representation.
But for those buyers and sellers who may consider transacting without representation, who are looking for a lower fee alternative to other brokerages, or simply wish to maximize their proceeds, RealtyPeople could be a compelling choice.
Visit www.realtypeople.com for additional information on the company’s approach and pricing.
Just two days after winning reelection to Congress, Rep. Gerry Connolly announced that he has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
Connolly learned of his diagnosis “a few days ago” after experiencing “some intermittent abdominal aches and pains,” but no other symptoms, he said in a statement posted on his social media pages this morning (Thursday).
Metro Bus Redesign Set for Vote — Metro’s board is scheduled to vote today (Thursday) on “an overhaul of the bus network in and around D.C. — the first major redesign of the system in half a century.” Expected to take effect next summer, the proposed routes were revised from a plan unveiled in July based on public feedback. [Washington Post]
Woman Killed in I-495 Crash — “A Massachusetts woman died and three others were injured in a five-vehicle, chain-reaction crash Tuesday on Interstate 495 near Alexandria. Troopers were called to the wreck in the through lanes of westbound I-495 near Telegraph Road at 5:33 p.m. after a Dodge Ram struck the right rear of a Lexus sedan stopped in traffic, state police said in a release.” [Inside NoVA]
Trump Could Upend D.C. Area’s Economy — “Trump has called for creating an office of efficiency that would be tasked with slashing $2 trillion from the federal budget by, among other things, reducing the government workforce, moving some of those jobs outside of the region and even eliminating federal agencies such as the Department of Education.” [Washington Business Journal]
Fairfax Resident Sentenced for Jan. 6 Role — “A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former member of an alleged Alexandria-area militia was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation for his role in the Capitol riot. Fi Duong, 30, of Fairfax County, was arrested in July 2021 and pleaded guilty in April 2023 to one felony count of civil disorder.” [WUSA9]
Fairfax City Reelects Mayor — “Mayor Catherine Read defeated challenger Susan Hartley Kuiler in the Fairfax City mayor’s race, according to unofficial results reported by the Virginia Board of Elections.” City voters also weighed in on new school board members and a public schools bond referendum. [Patch]
Murder Suspect Arrested at Dulles Airport — “A man wanted in connection with a 2022 robbery and murder in Woodbridge was arrested Sunday at Dulles International Airport as he tried to board a one-way flight to El Salvador, federal authorities said.” [Inside NoVA]
Fort Hunt Butcher Shop Under Construction — “Construction kicked off in late October at the former Top It Off space at Hollin Hall Shopping Center … When The Cut opens early next year, it will sell a variety of meats, seafood and provisions like wine and cheese.” [On the MoVe]
It’s Thursday — There’s a 40% chance of precipitation, with showers mainly before noon, followed by partly sunny skies and a high near 77. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures around 50 and precipitation chances dropping to 20%. [NWS]
The top seed Langley Saxons and Chantilly Chargers held serve by winning recent district-tournament volleyball championships.
Langley (23-1) won its third straight girls Liberty District crown and Chantilly (19-2-1) was first in the Concorde District high-school competition.
Fairfax County supervisors remain supportive, in concept, of enacting a pilot program lowering speed limits from 25 mph to 20 mph on some streets.
But the availability of resources to implement a fully countywide program down the road remains an open question.
