Fairfax County Public Schools got a greenlight from voters this week to sell bonds in order to pay for school renovation and construction projects.
The 2025 school bond referendum was approved by 70.7% of voters in the general election on Tuesday (Nov. 4), a margin generally in line with previous years, according to Virginia Department of Elections data.
Northern Virginia’s two major airports are among the 40 directed by the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce flights, starting tomorrow (Friday), in response to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The FAA announced yesterday that it will reduce air traffic by 10% across “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers go unpaid and exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown, which has now stretched on for a record 37 days.
With Halloween in the rearview mirror, Tysons Corner Center is racing right into the winter holiday shopping season, announcing a number of upcoming retail openings and festive events.
New retail
Just under 10% of Fairfax home-sellers cut their asking prices last week, but more prospective buyers were on the hunt for homes in the county, according to new data.
Countywide, listing prices were reduced for a total of 9.9% of active listings during the week that ended last Sunday (Nov. 2), according to figures reported by Bright MLS, the region’s multiple-listing service.
Va. Constitutional Amendments Loom — “Four proposed amendments to Virginia’s state constitution could reach voters as early as the spring, after Tuesday’s election gave Democrats a bigger edge in the House of Delegates.” Measures to enshrine the right to reproductive freedom, prohibit denials of marriage licenses for same-sex couples, restore felons’ right to vote and allow redistricting could be on the ballot if they pass the General Assembly a second time. [WTOP]
N. Va. Support Decisive for Spanberger — “In the region’s four counties and five cities, Spanberger, the Democrat, won 72.3% of the total vote to just 27.4% for her Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. Across the rest of Virginia, the margin was much tighter, with Spanberger winning 51.2% to 48.7% for Earle-Sears.” [Inside NoVA]
South Lakes Alum Elected NJ Governor — “Mikie Sherrill was elected to be New Jersey’s next governor, and she was born right in Northern Virginia … Sherrill was born in Alexandria in 1972 and grew up in NoVA. She graduated from South Lakes High School in Reston in 1990.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Reston Contractor Leaders Take Pay Cuts — ICF International executives agreed to temporary 20% pay cuts “to show support for affected federal employees and clients” during the government shutdown. The company estimates it will lose $8 million in revenue due to the shutdown, on top of a nearly 30% year-over-year decline attributed “to contract funding curtailments and a slower pace of new requests for proposals.” [Virginia Business]
Reston Company Considers Layoffs — “Data analytics provider Qbase LLC, an affiliate of Reston technology contractor Tyto Athene LLC, announced it could lay off up to 60 employees” starting on Dec. 30, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification dated Oct. 31.” A spokesperson declined to comment on the reason for the filing, which could be rescinded if contract funding is restored. [Washington Business Journal]
Lawyers Road Closure Planned — Lawyers Road will be closed for a second consecutive weekend for construction work to replace drainage pipes. Through traffic will be detoured around the closure, which will be in place between Hunter Mill Road and Garrett Street from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. this Saturday (Nov. 8). [VDOT]
HVAC Issues Close Vienna Library — The temporary Patrick Henry Library at Cedar Park Shopping Center has been closed in recent days due to an HVAC issue. “Temperatures in the public area were too cold to comfortably open. It is likely going to be completely resolved today or tomorrow,” a Fairfax County Public Library spokesperson says, though patrons are advised to check the library website for updates. [FCPL]
It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high of around 57 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 8 to 11 mph and gusts reaching up to 22 mph. As for Thursday night, the weather will be mostly clear and the temperature will drop to a low of about 38 degrees, with a light and variable wind. [NWS]
A new fitness option is coming to the Mosaic District.
Onelife Fitness will open a 53,000-square-foot health club in the Merrifield neighborhood next year, taking over most of the office space at 2910 District Avenue vacated earlier this year by the customized apparel brand Custom Ink.
After Virginia Democrats exceeded expectations in yesterday’s elections, optimism is high among Fairfax County lawmakers.
Flipping each of Virginia’s statewide offices with Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones winning, respectively, for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general was only a portion of the party’s statewide success on Election Day.
Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert will serve a third term, and Sandra Allen emerged as the odd person out in last night’s Vienna Town Council elections.
Pursuing her first reelection bid after narrowly winning in 2023, Allen was one of seven candidates vying for the council’s six seats. She received 3,146 votes, trailing the next lowest vote-getter, Dann Nash, who secured 3,917 votes, according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections.
By LISA MASCARO and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown has entered its 36th day, breaking the record as the longest ever and disrupting the lives of millions of Americans with federal program cuts, flight delays and federal workers nationwide left without paychecks.
Just a few months after Greenheart Juice abruptly closed its doors in Vienna, a new homegrown, health-focused cafe has moved into the nearly-century-old building it occupied off the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail.
As rumored, the gourmet toast chain Toastique took over Greenheart’s space at 208 Dominion Road NE and now anticipates opening to the public at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15.
