Morning Notes

Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against FCPS Moves Forward — A federal judge has rejected a request by Fairfax County Public Schools to dismiss a lawsuit filed in 2019 by a former student who says she was raped and sexually abused by classmates when she was in seventh grade. The school board said in November that it had evidence that the allegations were fabricated. The lawsuit will now go to trial in March. [Associated Press]

Reston Man Skis to South Pole for Charity — “A Reston businessman recently found himself at the polar opposite of where he hoped to be nearly a year ago — literally. Instead of standing at the North Pole, Len Forkas instead skied 60 nautical miles to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.” The trek was intended to raise awareness of his nonprofit Hopecam, which helps kids diagnosed with cancer. [Patch]

Study Finds Park Authority Fees Limit Access — An equity study presented to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (Jan. 30) found that the fees charged by the Fairfax County Park Authority “make programs unaffordable and therefore inaccessible” to many residents. The report recommends updating the agency’s fee structure, which was originally developed during segregation. [WTOP]

Police Look to ID Huntington Carjacking Suspects — “Fairfax County police are asking for help from the public in identifying three teen boys who carjacked two men in a Huntington parking garage. The three approached the men, who were inside a black Lexus, displayed handguns, and told the men to get out of the vehicle, the police said in a news release.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Health Food Chain Coming to Fair Lakes — “Philadelphia-based fast casual restaurant honeygrow will open another D.C.-area location this summer at Fair Lakes Center…Honeygrow has other locations in Tysons Corner, Reston Town Center, Rockville Pike, and, its most recent addition, in Mount Vernon Plaza on Richmond Highway in Alexandria.” [WTOP]

Mobile Pet Food Business Now Operating — Arlington resident Laura Tartaro-McGowan and her son, Ian McGowan, launched Pet Wants Falls Church after encountering the healthy pet food concept at a farmers market. The mobile unit “pops up at events and offers delivery to local communities like Falls Church, Annandale, Alexandria, Arlington and Tysons. They are looking to open a brick-and-mortar location in Falls Church around late 2024.” [Patch]

Vienna Town Council Sets Priorities for 2024 — “As they did last year, the Vienna Town Council agreed Jan. 29 to set four top priorities as its goals for the year ahead.” This year’s list includes two repeats — tree preservation and a master parks plan — and adds diversifying the town’s housing stock and any zoning changes not addressed by last year’s code update. [Gazette Leader]

Pedestrian Safety Improvements Planned for Route 1 Schools — “The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is in the early stages of planning pedestrian safety improvements” near Hybla Valley and Mount Eagle elementary schools. The Hybla Valley project will add sidewalk, while the Mount Eagle project will “consolidate two crosswalks across North Kings Highway at the school and add a pedestrian hybrid beacon.” [On the MoVe]

It’s Thursday — Expect a mostly sunny day with a high of 53°F and gentle southwest winds blowing at 5-8 mph. As night falls, skies will turn mostly cloudy, and the temperature will drop to approximately 41°F. The southwest wind will reduce to around 6 mph before becoming light and variable. [Weather.gov]

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