Reinforcements are on the way to bolster Fairfax City and the Town of Vienna’s restaurant industry.
The two localities are seeking applicants for a new Culinary Careers Collaborative program intended to train future chefs, bartenders and other food service workers for potential jobs with local businesses.
Opening day has arrived for Primark’s first store in Virginia.
The Ireland-based fashion company will cut the ribbon on its new, two-story shop at Tysons Corner Center at 11 a.m. today (Tuesday), welcoming customers with free tote bags, complimentary sweets from Georgetown Cupcakes and other giveaways.
Poll Shows Trump Lead in Virginia — “Former president Donald Trump leads President Biden in Virginia by three percentage points in a new Virginia Commonwealth University-Wilder School poll, but the numbers reflect an anemic showing for both candidates and a decline in Biden’s support instead of a surge in Trump’s.” [Washington Post]
Annandale Pickleball Advocates Plan Legal Action — “The Broyhill Crest pickleball players are still fighting for the chance to play the sport at their neighborhood courts. They are in the process of hiring legal counsel to help them advance their argument that the Park Authority didn’t follow its own guidelines and policies when it banned pickleball from Kendale Woods Park.” [Annandale Today]
TJ Students Seek to Prevent Deer-Related Crashes — “A pair of seniors at Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, have been hard at work on a device that could steer deer away from cars. Anmol Karan and Shaurya Jain are in the process of developing a prototype incorporating artificial intelligence, ultrasonic pulses, and animal or human sounds.” [WTOP]
Man Charged in Fairfax City Stabbing — “A 37-year-old Alexandria man is facing an aggravated malicious wounding charge in connection with a stabbing that took place last December at a Fairfax City motel…A preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was stabbed by an acquaintance following an argument.” [Patch]
GMU Studies Potential Solar Flare Impacts — Researchers at George Mason University, led by astronomy and physics professor Peter Becker, and the Naval Research Laboratory “recently secured a $13.6 million federal grant to continue their work studying solar flares and so-called coronal mass ejections that can wreak havoc on Earth’s electromagnetic field.” [Washingtonian]
Herndon Police Donate Bicycles to School — “The Herndon Police Department is donating used patrol bicycles to the Herndon Middle School Bike Program, where students will disassemble, assemble and repair them for other children to ride.” [WJLA]
Vienna Theater Group Stages ‘Newsies‘ — The Vienna Youth Players will have chosen “Newsies,” the stage adaptation of Disney’s 1992 musical movie, as their summer production. “The show opens on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at 7 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center. Tickets are $18 each and can be purchased in advance online” or at the door until showtime. [Town of Vienna]
It’s Tuesday — Sunny and hot conditions marked by a high near 101 and heat index values reaching up to 108. There’s a 20% chance of precipitation, namely isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. At night, there’ll be partly cloudy skies and a low around 78. [NWS]
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is gearing up to vote on landmark zoning regulations for data centers, potentially making this a pivotal week for the industry’s future in the area.
The board will hold a public hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) on zoning ordinance amendments that, if approved, would bar data centers from being built by-right in commercial and medium industrial districts and remove over a dozen heavy industrial districts from potentially allowing data centers.
Fairfax County will receive millions of dollars in state funding for major transportation improvements, but it didn’t get everything it asked for from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA).
Members of the regional organization, including Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, adopted a new six-year program for fiscal years 2024-2029 on Thursday (July 11) that allocated $696.6 million to 23 projects designed to reduce congestion and add travel options, including five projects in Fairfax County and two in Fairfax City.
Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA and D.C. with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or Laura@GuidingYourMove.com.
This heat wave is hard on our houses, just like it’s hard on our bodies. It’s important to be mindful of home maintenance during this time.
We’ve lost power already this summer and I’m sure it’ll happen again, so please keep these tips in mind to care for your home:
1. Check your trees! Limbs have been falling on wires, on the street and on homes. The excessive heat and storms are powerful and can cause so much damage. Have an arborist come look at a tree if you’re worried about it, or if it’s leaning, consider the health of the tree and whether to remove it. If it’s dead, definitely remove it. I’ve personally used JL Tree Service in the past with success.
2. Make sure you have batteries and flashlights. The power goes out at the most inconvenient times, right? We lost power just as my kids were going to bed and we didn’t have enough batteries to power their clocks, their sound machines, plus a flashlight as a night light and you know how much you want your kids to just go to bed right? Batteries will help.
3. Check your HVAC units. Especially those in the attic. If the insulation isn’t properly working on your ducts, it can cause condensation, which will cause mold eventually if the water drips on drywall or plywood. If there’s any water in your drip pan, it could also indicate there’s an issue which you’ll want to address before it gets worse. I’d also recommend having them serviced and also ask them to check for clogs in the condensation line.
4. Clear gutters if you haven’t yet. Fast and hard rain will wreak havoc on your gutters if they’re sitting full of leaves you never cleaned out.
5. On super hot days, close your blinds in rooms you’re not in. It’ll help keep it cooler and help your A/C.
Don’t forget water in the hose will be hot when you first spray it. Trex decks will be hot to the touch. Door handles will burn your hand if they’re in direct sunlight, and cars will be very hot if they’re outside.
Protect yourself and your investments from this heat!
Don’t forget you can always download my free preferred vendor guide.
It’s going to be another hot and humid start to the week in the D.C. area.
An Excessive Heat Warning will take effect across the region, including for Fairfax County, at 11 a.m. and continue until 8 p.m. today (Monday). Shortly before 1 p.m., the National Weather Service also upgraded an Excessive Heat Watch for the same time frame tomorrow (Tuesday) to another Excessive Heat Warning.
Two Injured in Clifton Crash — “The Fairfax County Police Department responded to a crash at the intersection of Old Yates Ford Road and Henderson Road in Clifton, Virginia, on Saturday.” A driver and a passenger were taken to the hospital, with the latter, an adult man, sustaining life-threatening injuries. [WUSA9]
Sentence Reduced for Fatal Lorton Hit-and-Run — “The family of a Fairfax County, Virginia, man killed by a hit-and-run driver says they’re devastated after a judge dramatically reduced the driver’s sentence on Friday. In April, Guillermo Vasquez pleaded guilty to the hit-and-run crash that killed 28-year-old Joey Lanza outside his home in Lorton in 2020.” [NBC4]
Fire Chief Condemns Violence after Fatal Shooting at Trump Rally — As president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Fairfax County Fire Chief John Butler expressed his “deepest condolences” to the family of Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief in Buffalo, Pennsylvania who was killed in the shooting at former president Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday (July 13). [Fire Chief John Butler/Twitter]
Lost Dog Found in Sewer — “Mack is back home resting following an adventure that almost sounds too unreal to be true! After he escaped his backyard and somehow ended up in the sewer system, he traveled two miles before peeking out of a curb inlet near a police station.” [Fairfax County Animal Shelter/Facebook]
Work Group Planning 250th Independence Day — “As a young man growing up in Philadelphia, Scott Stroh was thrilled with the red-white-and-blue extravaganza celebrating the nation’s bicentennial in 1976…Stroh, who now is director of historic Gunston Hall, is leading a Fairfax County group that for three years has been gearing up” to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. [Gazette Leader]
Inside Oldest Building on CIA Campus — “When buying a house on 30 wooded acres in northern Virginia, the last thing you might expect to get is a nosy neighbor. But after Margaret Scattergood and Florence Thorne moved into their new home in 1933, they got more than they bargained for – an entire campus full of spies.” [CBS News]
Potomac River Experiencing ‘Flash Drought’ — “The probability of releases from backup reservoirs to ensure an adequate drinking water supply in the Potomac River is higher than normal this year, according to the group that coordinates the three major water providers in the Washington, D.C. area.” [WTOP]
Annandale Office Building Sold — “Windows Plus has sold its building at 4321 Markham Street in Annandale. The buyer paid $1.72 million for the two-story, 3,600-square-foot commercial building, says Chris Bernard, a real estate broker with CRES Inc…The buyers, who wish to remain anonymous, do not have immediate plans to redevelop the property, Bernard said.” [Annandale Today]
It’s Monday — Showers and thunderstorms may develop after 2pm, accompanied by sunny, hot conditions with a high temperature near 100°F and heat index values reaching up to 109°F. Monday night will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 75°F. [NWS]
Amid an extended stretch of dangerous heat, humidity and potential drought, flooding hasn’t been the D.C. area’s top meterological concern this summer, but the possibility might’ve crossed some minds during a passing downpour on Wednesday (July 10) — remnants of Hurricane Beryl, which has devastated other parts of the U.S. and the Caribbean.
With climate change exacerbating storms and other extreme weather, Fairfax County has created a new grant program that will reimburse residents who shore up their home against flooding.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s recent executive order to limit phone use in Virginia schools may align with a new pilot program being considered by Fairfax County Public Schools.
Signed Wednesday (July 10), the executive order directs the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to gather feedback from parents, teachers, and administrators to create guidelines for enforcing “cell-phone-free” classrooms in public schools.
