Fairfax County has now seen close to a month of plummeting COVID-19 case rates.

With 267 new cases reported today (Monday), the Fairfax Health District, which includes the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, is averaging 448 cases per day for the past week, a steep decline from the seven-day average of 2,590 cases recorded when the omicron variant-fueled surge peaked on Jan. 13.

The current seven-day average is the lowest that the district has seen since Dec. 20, when it was at 403 cases, according to Virginia Department of Health data.

The level of community transmission is still considered high, though, with the county seeing 293 new cases per 100,000 people and a 8.5% testing positivity rate for the week of Jan. 30 through Feb. 5.

In total, 172,751 district residents have contracted the coronavirus during the pandemic. Covid has put 4,424 people in the hospital, and killed 1,333 people, including 52 deaths reported since last week.

The majority of those deaths likely occurred in January due to the time it takes for deaths to be reported and the cause confirmed. VDH said on Friday (Feb. 4) that it was just starting to receive an influx of death certificates related to the omicron surge.

“Certified death certificates continue to be reported, so VDH will continue to receive new death certificates for the deaths that occurred in January 2022 and those that will occur subsequently over the next few weeks and months ahead until the Omicron surge dissipates,” the department explained.

VDH added in the news release that “the best defense against COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death remains vaccination.”

As of Jan. 17-29, the Covid infection rate in Virginia was 4.7 times higher for people who aren’t unvaccinated compared to those who have gotten at least two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

According to the Fairfax County Health Department, 90% of all Fairfax Health District residents 18 and older have received at least one vaccine dose, as of today.

At least one dose has been administered to 954,019 residents overall, or 80.6% of the population, including:

• 95.5% of 16-17 year olds
• 91% of 12-15 year olds
• 48.9% of 5-11 year olds

The district has 845,140 fully vaccinated residents — 71.4% of the population, including 80.2% of adults.

Photo via CDC/Unsplash

The Fairfax County Health Department is investigating a possible measles exposure in the area.

Health officials believe an individual with the disease may have exposed residents earlier this month, they announced today (Monday).

Three possible dates are being investigated:

• Grand Centreville Plaza on Feb. 1 between 11:45 a.m. and 3 p.m., and on Feb. 3 between 2:15 and 5 p.m.
• Inova Fairfax Hospital’s pediatric and adult emergency departments on Feb. 3 between 5;30 and 9 p.m.

Measles is highly contagious and is spread through coughing, sneezing and contact with droplets in the area. Symptoms first manifest in the first stage with a high degree fever, runny nose, watery red eyes and a cough.

The second stage begins when a rash is visible on the face and spreads over the entire body.

Based on the date of exposure, health officials believe that residents could develop symptoms as late as Feb. 24.

Here’s more from the health department on what to do if you believe you may have been exposed:

If you have received two doses of a measles containing vaccine (either the measles, mumps, and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles only vaccine which is available in other countries) you are protected and do not need to take any action.

If you have received only one dose of a measles containing vaccine, you are very likely to be protected and your risk of being infected with measles from any of these exposures is very low. However, to achieve complete immunity, contact your health care provider about getting a second vaccine dose.

If you have never received a measles containing vaccine nor had a documented case of measles, you may be at risk of getting measles from this exposure. Contact your local health department or health care provider for advice on possible intervention to decrease your risk of becoming infected or other precautions you need to take. If you notice the symptoms of measles, stay home and away from others, and immediately call your primary health care provider or health department to discuss further care. Call ahead before going to the office or the emergency room and tell them that you were exposed to measles.

The Virginia Department of Health offers information about the illness online. Residents with questions can call the county at 703-688-3471.

Photo via Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

A report recommending that Fairfax County rename its portions of Route 29 and Route 50 will go before county leaders tomorrow (Tuesday), even as concerns about the financial impact linger.

Compiled by the 26-person Confederate Names Task Force, the report details the process used to determine that Lee Highway and Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway should get new names and recommends five possible replacements for each road:

Recommended Top Five Alternative Names for Lee Highway (Route 29)

Cardinal Highway, 13 votes
Route/Highway 29, 12 votes
Langston Boulevard/Highway, 6 votes
Lincoln-Douglass Highway, 6 votes
Fairfax Boulevard/Highway, 5 votes

Recommended Top Five Alternative Names for Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway (Route 50)

Little River Turnpike, 16 votes
Unity Highway, 12 votes
Route 50, 6 votes
Fairfax Boulevard, 4 votes
Blue & Gray Highway, 3 votes

Appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last July, the task force voted 20-6 on Nov. 30 in favor of changing the name of Lee Highway and 19-6 for Lee-Jackson Memorial.

Task force chair Evelyn Spain will present the final report to the board during its regular meeting tomorrow, which will begin at 9:30 a.m.

“The Board set up this important committee to review the names of two major arterials and now we are eager to hear their report,” Board Chairman Jeff McKay told FFXnow in a statement. “Any decision to change street names is one our Board will take seriously as we consider the report as well as other community input before any decisions are made. I am proud that this Board has a strong record of focusing on racial inequities and advancing our community together.”

The two highways are among 150 landmarks in the county identified as bearing names tied to the Confederacy, according to an inventory that the Fairfax County History Commission presented to local leaders in December 2020.

The commission found that the Virginia General Assembly established Lee Highway in 1922 as a statewide route serving as a national memorial for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

That same year, the state House and Senate Roads Committee also agreed to rename a section of Little River Turnpike after Lee and fellow Confederate Gen. Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson.

The task force recommended that both highways get new names to “accommodate the equity initiatives and growing diversity in Fairfax County,” the report says. It also acknowledges that the changes “will likely be major impositions upon the residences, businesses, and communities” in those corridors.

The group suggests that the Board of Supervisors consider providing financial assistance to those affected, if it ultimately approves the name changes.

The final report features several letters from the task force members who opposed or abstained from voting on the name changes. Objections include:

• A public survey found 23,500 respondents want to keep the names as they are and 16,265 in support of changes
• The cost to make the change, which could total $1 million to $4 million, according to county staff
• Even though the institution of slavery was evil, the name switch “erases history”

“We believe the $1M to $4M required to rename these two roads would be more effectively spent pursuing a community engagement project (e.g. an African-American Heritage Trail, a museum, and/or new historic markers),” the dissenters said, noting that Prince William County is adding to its African American History Trail. “We encourage Fairfax County to pursue similar projects.”

To coincide with Black History Month, the county launched a project last week focused on local Black and African American experiences, including support for students to identify options for new historical markers.

Angela Woolsey contributed to this report.

Fairfax County Public Schools will continue requiring face masks after notching a victory in its lawsuit against Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order prohibiting school mask mandates.

Arlington County Circuit Court Judge Louise DiMatteo granted a temporary injunction today (Friday) to Fairfax County and the six other school boards suing Youngkin, allowing them to enforce their mask requirements until a permanent ruling is made.

“This temporary order takes immediate action to protect the health and wellbeing of all students and staff and reaffirms the constitutional right of Virginia’s local school boards to enact policy at the local level,” FCPS said in a statement.

The school boards argued in a hearing on Wednesday (Feb. 2) that Youngkin’s optional mask order violates Virginia’s Constitution as well as Senate Bill 1303, which required schools to provide in-person learning while following federal COVID-19 health guidelines “to the maximum extent practicable.”

In her opinion, DiMatteo makes clear that the temporary injunction was granted based not on the benefits of universal versus optional masking, but on whether Youngkin had the authority to issue his executive order.

“The single issue before the Court is whether the Governor, via his emergency powers, can override the decision of local school boards delegated to them under SB 1303,” the judge wrote. “On this pivotal point, the Court concludes that the Governor cannot.”

As local school and health officials stated in a virtual town hall earlier this week, FCPS reiterated in a message to families that requiring mask-wearing inside schools remains necessary to limit Covid’s spread so students can keep learning in person:

Dear FCPS Staff and Families,

Just a short time ago, a judge in Arlington Circuit Court agreed to a temporary injunction requested by FCPS and six other Northern Virginia school districts, that takes immediate action to protect the health of our community and also reaffirms the constitutional right in the Commonwealth of Virginia of school boards to make policy decisions for their districts.

A final hearing will be held at a future date. In the meantime, Fairfax County Public Schools will continue our mask requirement for all students, staff, and visitors, a regulation that is overwhelmingly supported by our staff and families. Read our statement on today’s decision.

Universal mask wearing has been a critical safety measure throughout the pandemic, especially during this most recent surge. We are committed to providing all students safe and in-person instruction. We believe that in order to do so, masks and our other layered prevention strategies must remain in place for now. As a reminder, all students are required to wear a face covering while indoors on school property or during FCPS-provided transportation, unless they have an exemption.

We are working with health experts to determine a safe and effective plan to scale back when it is appropriate to do so. FCPS will continue, as it has since this pandemic began, to prioritize the health and safety of all students and staff.

Some of you will be relieved by today’s decision and others will be frustrated. We understand. We ask everyone to treat each other with kindness, respect school procedures, and work together to safely move forward.

Fairfax County Public Schools

A date for the court hearing on a possible permanent injunction has not been set yet.

The steady rain that has fallen over Fairfax County throughout the past two days could result in flooding, forecasts indicate.

Citing “excessive rain,” the National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for the county that’s expected to remain in place until 6:45 p.m. today (Friday).

“Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations is imminent or occurring,” the alert says. “Low-water crossings may be inundated with water and may not be passable.”

Some flooding has already been reported, with Prosperity Avenue currently closed near Mantua, Fairfax County confirmed.

[2/4 at 3:16 PM] A Flood Warning is in effect until 6:45 PM this evening. Between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain has fallen and additional amounts up to 0.25 are possible. Prosperity Avenue is closed near Mantua due to flooding. Remember, Turn around, don’t drown! #VaWx #FloodSafety pic.twitter.com/reacd5KnDv

— Ready Fairfax (@ReadyFairfax) February 4, 2022

Here are more details from the warning, which went out at 2:52 p.m.:

– At 246 PM EST, radar indicated heavy rain had occurred in the warned area. Broadcast media reported that flooding is already occurring. Between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain have fallen.

– Prosperity Avenue is closed near Mantua due to flooding, and other typical flood prone areas may also flood shortly.

Additional rainfall amounts up to 0.25 inches are possible in the warned area.

– Some locations that will experience flooding include…
Reston… Annandale… Springfield… Vienna… Mantua… Burke… Oakton… Tysons Corner… Wolf Trap… Great Falls… Merrifield… West Springfield… Dunn Loring… North Springfield… Ravensworth… Belleview…

Flood Warning for parts of Fairfax County until 6:45PM. Broadcast media confirmed that flooding is already occurring. Typical flood prone areas may also flood shortly. Turn Around, Don’t Drown. #vawx pic.twitter.com/LoMP5gLi1X

— Washingtonian Weather Geeks (@WashingtonianWx) February 4, 2022

Fairfax County plans to hire a neutral observer this year who will help handle activities involving county government workers’ unions.

Although unions can move ahead with elections now, groups appear content to wait for the labor relations administrator to be in place.

“The labor relations administrator will be the neutral person, so they don’t work for us. They don’t work for any of the employee groups,” Fairfax County Human Resources Director Cathy Spage told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday (Feb. 1) at a Personnel and Reorganization Committee meeting. “They’re going to be like a judge.”

The person will be tasked with establishing and publishing union vote procedures and overseeing secret ballot elections, among other duties. Fairfax County government plans to use a contractor for the position and will accept proposals from Wednesday (Feb. 9) through March 9.

The Board of Supervisors could approve the new position on May 24, allowing the administrator to start this summer for a four-year term.

The county approved a historic ordinance in October allowing public-sector unions to negotiate wages, benefits, and working conditions on the behalf of county government employees.

The move was made possible by a 2020 General Assembly law that overruled a 1977 state Supreme Court decision barring public workers from collective bargaining.

According to the ordinance, if a union seeks to hold an election before the labor relations administrator is in place, the county would secure services from an impartial agency provider, such as the American Arbitration Association or another group.

As of Tuesday (Feb. 1), no union filings have begun. Units representing police, fire and general county government employees will be allowed to collectively bargain.

“Right now we are not ready to do elections,” Spage said. “We haven’t received any petitions to do elections.”

Following an election, a union acting as the exclusive bargaining agent must start contract negotiations on or before July 1 and conclude by Oct. 15 in order for an agreement to be in place for the next fiscal year.

That means the first collectively bargained agreement for Fairfax County government workers could take effect on July 1, 2023.

Fairfax County voters will have at least one primary on their hands in this year’s midterm elections.

Ally Dalsimer, an environmental advocate whose experience includes work under the Obama administration, is campaigning against Rep. Gerry Connolly for Virginia’s 11th District seat, which represents most of Fairfax and Prince William counties.

Dalsimer kicked off her candidacy in June but is now ramping up her campaign, with a virtual meet-and-greet on Sunday (Feb. 6), where she hopes to be able to talk to the public and listen to their concerns.

“I would just like the chance to talk to the people, tell them my thoughts and what I can do for them. And I want to hear back from them, questions, comments, the issues they’re concerned about,” Dalsimer told FFXnow.

Set for June 21, this will be the second Democratic primary that Connolly has faced since first assuming his current office in 2009. He previously defeated challenger Zainab Mohsini in 2020.

Dalsimer believes her professional and personal experiences have prepared her to serve in Congress as someone willing to reach across the aisle.

The daughter of a Scottish immigrant mother and a father in the U.S. Foreign Service, Dalsimer and her family spent time living in Central and West Africa before moving to Northern Virginia when she was 8.

She credits those experiences abroad with teaching her the value of respecting other’s differences and embracing other cultures, a message that she hopes to carry through efforts like her campaign sharing resources for the Afghan refugees.

“At the end of the day, in spite of the small differences between us, we’re all just people,” Dalsimer said.

Dalsimer’s career in environmental preservation began at a nonprofit foundation after she graduated from Georgetown University with a master’s degree in public policy, environmental law, and economics.

From there, she went on to manage the Department of Defense’s Natural Resources Program, co-found several national conservation initiatives, and implement policy changes for natural resources while serving on the White House Climate Council under President Barack Obama.

In addition to the environment, Dalsimer is passionate about health care, particularly after losing her husband to cancer in 2015, mere days before his 52nd birthday.

While her husband had health insurance, Dalsimer is aware that there are others who aren’t as lucky, especially after the historic job losses triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. She supports the single-payer, universal health care system touted by progressives like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“I don’t think anyone should be left without any way to get medical help just because they lost their job,” said Dalsimer.

Dalsimer also cites war as a subject she wants to tackle if elected. Her legislative goals include a law that would prohibit corporations from profiting from the sale of weapons and equipment meant for war.

“It’s one thing to sell an airplane for the purposes of travel and profit from the sale, that’s fine. That’s the free market,” Dalsimer said. “But to sell a plane meant for war and to gain a profit from it is just wrong in my view.”

Dalsimer says her interest in running for Congress grew out of the tumultuous events of 2020, including the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests in response to George Floyd’s murder, as well as the Trump administration’s actions on the environment, such as the dissolution of the White House Climate Council.

After watching “Knock Down The House,” a 2019 documentary that followed four women running for Congress, Dalsimer got her son’s support to run for office and spent the next six months asking her neighbors and county residents for their opinion of her potential campaign.

She says the response was positive, especially since those she talked to were less than positive about Connolly.

“He’s against universal health care, and said he’d never vote for it,” she said. “He’s allowed corporations to profit from the sale of weapons of war, and there are those in the LGBTQIA+ community who say he hasn’t done anything for them.”

FFXnow contacted Connolly’s office for comment but did not get a response by press time.

Fairfax County is exploring the possibility of using public money to help fund new startups, particularly those from underrepresented entrepreneurs.

The county government has proposed a two-year pilot program called the Fairfax Founders Fund, where young businesses would get up to $50,000 in grant money.

The program could reverse a competitive disadvantage for the county and fill a gap that traditional angel investors have avoided, providing fairer levels of capital to Black- and female-owned businesses, county staff suggested at an Economic Initiatives Committee meeting on Tuesday (Feb. 1).

“People of color don’t have the same access,” Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said. “We believe that is wrong. We believe that we can get a better cultural and social return on investment.”

First proposed in July 2021, the pilot program is still being tweaked but could go before the board for approval this spring.

While celebrities such as Pharrell and Serena Williams and companies like Wells Fargo have sought to change that funding landscape, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority Vice Chair James Quigley said, in general, that money is not going to early-stage businesses.

Officials also said that Black and women-owned businesses are underrepresented in investment opportunities, with the D.C. region far behind other states in drawing venture capital dollars.

According to the staff presentation, new Black-owned businesses start with just a third of the capital granted their white-owned counterparts. While 12% of the U.S. working population is Black, they only constitute 2% of startup executives.

Latino individuals constitute about 18% of the country’s working population and just 3% of startup executives.

In comparison, 79% of startup executives are white, even though data indicates that businesses with ethnically diverse leadership teams tend to be more profitable.

As currently proposed, the Fairfax Founders Fund would be open to for-profit technology companies based in Fairfax County that have earned up to $250,000 in gross revenue over the past 12 months. The business would match the county’s investment.

Staff have proposed devoting $500,000 to the program from the county’s Economic Opportunity Reserve, which was created in 2017 as part of its efforts to stimulate economic growth. The county would not get any kind of ownership in the companies.

However, officials caution that the program will require some patience from the county. Quigley, who cofounded the Reston-headquartered tech company GoCanvas, said there won’t be a Google startup coming out of it in three months.

Lee District Supervisor Rodney Lusk expressed excitement about the program.

“We do need to make Fairfax County a bit more competitive, and this program is going to be able to help us do that,” he said.

The Fairfax County Health Department will stop investigating every COVID-19 case to identify close contacts who may have been exposed to the disease.

County staff will instead focus their contact-tracing efforts on outbreaks and cases in high-risk settings, such as long-term care and healthcare facilities, the department announced today (Wednesday).

The move away from investigations of individual cases extends to schools and childcare facilities. Starting at 5 p.m. Friday (Feb. 4), the FCHD will only investigate outbreaks, defined by the Virginia Department of Health as three or more linked cases.

While health department staff will continue assisting with preventative measures, they will no longer investigate and provide guidance for every individual who tests positive for Covid.

“School Divisions and Private schools may choose to continue contact tracing close contacts, but this is no longer encouraged by recent VDH guidance due to the reasons cited above,” Dr. Robin Wallin, FCHD’s school health division director, said in an emailed statement. “VDH has developed a flowchart for parents to access as well to help them determine if they or their child should isolate or quarantine.

The county has released a toolkit with guidance on what people should do when they test positive. The health department also has a call center at 703-267-3511 that’s available to anyone with questions.

The changes reflect a shift in approach at the state level after VDH announced on Jan. 25 that it will start prioritizing outbreaks in long-term care and other congregate settings, as well as healthcare facilities and other high-risk settings.

Though Covid transmission in Fairfax County has declined over the past couple of weeks, health officials say the omicron variant spreads too quickly for it to still be feasible and effective to investigate every single case.

The county added 624 new cases today and is averaging 620 cases per day for the past week.

The FCHD reiterated that the best way to prevent Covid’s spread for everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated and boosted, in addition to following health protocols, such as wearing a well-fitting face mask and maintaining six feet of social distancing.

Local businesses trying to revive operations could soon get more help as they seek to ward off persistent challenges due to COVID-19.

Fairfax County plans to create a new program called Fairfax Thrive that would use American Rescue Plan Act money to provide technical assistance to small businesses for digital marketing, financial planning, and staff retention, among other areas.

“The majority of our small businesses continue to report negative impacts from the pandemic,”  Economic Development Initiatives Director Rebecca Moudry told the Board of Supervisors’ Economic Initiatives Committee yesterday (Tuesday).

Up to $10,000 in services could be provided for each company, which would allow the program to assist 620 small businesses, according to a staff presentation at the committee meeting. The effort could use $7 million in ARPA funds that the county government received to provide COVID-19 relief.

The county has already devoted millions of dollars in relief funds to support local businesses during the pandemic.

The Fairfax Relief Initiative to Support Employers (RISE) program awarded over $52 million in grants in 2020 to over 4,800 businesses and nonprofits, and the PIVOT Business Recovery Grant Program, which launched last summer, gave over $16 million to over 1,000 businesses, focusing specifically on the hospitality and arts industries.

The Fairfax Thrive program is seeking to reach more businesses than those previous efforts, with a potentially multi-year outreach.

“We’re proposing an expansive program in terms of who’s eligible,” Moudry said.

Eligible businesses could involve sole proprietors, home-based as well as commercial enterprises, and certain nonprofits. They would need to have fewer than 50 full-time workers per location and be negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike previous programs that had limited windows to apply, the new program envisions a rolling applications process. 

As the pandemic stretches toward the end of two full years, top needs for small businesses now involve finding and keeping qualified workers, obtaining financial planning assistance or additional capital, and increasing digital marketing or brand development, the county found through a survey.

“At this point, financial assistance is no longer the No. 1 need that businesses require,” Moudry said, noting that cash was the top concern a year ago.

County officials are expected to further tweak the program based on feedback during the committee. The outreach could involve providing seminars or forums to swaths of businesses, such as those looking to hire more staff.

The Board of Supervisors could approve the program this spring, possibly launching it this summer. Supervisors said they would like it to start as soon as possible.

Wanted: a superintendent for the 10th largest school division in the U.S.

Desired traits include, but are not limited to, effective communication skills, experience interacting with diverse communities, a willingness to listen without being swayed by the loudest critics, and the ability to find creative solutions to existing problems while also planning for the future of education — one that is, hopefully, post-pandemic.

Finding someone with all those qualities, as well as the educational and professional qualifications needed to lead a school system with 178,227 students and nearly 25,000 full-time employees, would be challenging in ordinary times.

With current Superintendent Scott Brabrand set to depart on June 30, the Fairfax County School Board has been tasked with hiring a new leader at a time of heightened political tensions over public education, when school board meetings can devolve into arrests and gun threats and classroom lessons are subject to legislation, tip lines, and book bans.

Fairfax County Public Schools is far from the only place looking for a new superintendent, according to Gary Ray, president of GR Recruiting, the human resources firm hired to conduct the nationwide search for Brabrand’s successor.

“I’ve been doing this for nearly 40 years, and this is the most, the very most vacancies that I’ve ever seen,” Ray told the school board at a work session yesterday (Monday). “…This certainly will not only be a challenge for us and the board. It’s a challenge for a lot of districts out there.”

After spending December and January gathering staff and community input, GR Recruiting will move into a new phase of the search process with plans to start advertising the superintendent position this week.

The job posting and a more detailed candidate profile are being developed based on feedback from the school board and the public, which had the opportunity to weigh in through an online survey, virtual town hall meetings, and stakeholder meetings.

According to GR Recruiting’s presentation, the survey, which was open from Jan. 4-18, drew 9,523 responses, 57% of them from parents and guardians of current FCPS students. The six town hall meetings held on Jan. 12, 13, and 18 drew 337 participants.

Dr. Gloria Davis from GR Recruiting reported that the firm also met with 45 different stakeholder groups that represented staff, community members, and FCPS leadership.

Participants consistently cited effective and timely communication as a priority for the new superintendent, along with transparency, decisiveness, good listening skills, and an appreciation of the county’s diversity.

The need to put students first and address disparity in access to different academic programs were also recurring themes, according to Davis.

“It was expressed that, in light of the many challenges that Fairfax County faces as well as school divisions across the country, they want a superintendent who is brave and courageous,” Davis said. “Those were the exact words used often.”

Several school board members expressed concern about the relatively low survey response rate. GR Recruiting said it sent invitations to the survey to 225,761 parents, students, and staff.

While they floated the idea of resending the survey, the board ultimately seemed to agree that it might not be worthwhile, given the tight timeline for the search.

According to Davis, the deadline for candidates to apply for the job will be March 4. GR Recruiting will then review the applications and present a slate of candidates to the school board on March 17.

The candidates will be narrowed down with two rounds of interviews in late March, the second of which will include a panel of community members appointed by the school board. The new superintendent is expected to be announced in the first or second week of April.

“I don’t know why we didn’t get more involvement [in the survey], so I’m not really sure if reopening it would garner more results at this point and taking into consideration we’re bumping up against these tight timelines,” said school board chair Stella Pekarsky, who represents Sully District. “I am feeling the pressure to go ahead with advertising this.”

Irene Shin, the first Korean American woman to serve in Virginia’s House of Delegates, believes it’s time the Commonwealth gave kimchi its due.

Shin, who started representing the 86th District this year, has introduced a bill to celebrate Nov. 22 as Kimchi Day, a tribute to the classic Korean fermented vegetable dish.

Del. Marcus Simon, who represents Pimmit Hills, Merrifield, and the City of Falls Church in the 53rd District, has signed onto the legislation as a cosponsor.

California became the first U.S. state to make such a designation last year, and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) also celebrates the day each year.

“I think it’s really an incredible opportunity to celebrate the cultural heritage and the contributions they’ve made [through] cultural diversity, especially in the northern Virginia region,” Shin said.

Called H.J. 147, the bill recognizes Korean culture’s influence and reach around the world, from K-pop music to Korean dramas.

It notes that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization “recognized Korea’s traditional process of preparation and preservation of kimchi, known as kimjang, as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage Item” in 2013.

The proposal also speaks to the region’s changing demographics. The largest Korean population in metropolitan areas in the U.S. is Los Angeles, followed by New York and D.C., according to 2019 data, the Pew Research Center found.

According to the 2020 Census, Fairfax County is now Virginia’s second most racially diverse county, in part due to an increase in its Asian population, though the data was not broken down into more specific ethnicities or nationalities.

Growing up, Shin felt the dish might be unfamiliar to people when they visited her home, but she’s seen its prevalence and popularity rise over the years. She’s eager to help celebrate that diversity like other parts of the country have, even if it means introducing the cuisine to legislators who may not have tried it.

“In Virginia, Korean is the third most spoken language other than English,” she noted. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the Commonwealth.

To mark the occasion of being sworn into office on Jan. 12, Shin wore her family’s hanbok, a traditional Korean dress.

“I hope it will serve to remind us that diversity makes our Commonwealth great,” she said on Twitter.

I wore my family’s hanbok (traditional Korean dress) to honor their sacrifices & legacy, & I hope it will serve to remind us that diversity makes our Commonwealth great. I’m ready to get to work. pic.twitter.com/HBxGM5L6SL

— irene shin (@ireneshintweets) January 12, 2022

Photo via Portugese Gravity/Unsplash

The omicron wave continues to subside in Fairfax County, which is now seeing only a third as many COVID-19 cases as it was half a month ago.

The county is averaging 753 new cases a day for the past week, compared to 2,520 cases at the current surge’s height on Jan. 13. The caseload is still above last winter’s peak of 697 cases on Jan. 17, 2021, but at this rate, it could drop below that level within a week.

The Fairfax Health District, including the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, reported 321 new cases today (Monday) — the fewest in a single day since Dec. 16, when the new variant was just starting to emerge in Virginia.

Even with cases plummeting, the pandemic’s danger has not passed. The county recorded nine more Covid-related deaths in the past week, bringing its death toll for January up to 20 people.

Death counts tend to lag behind cases, sometimes by weeks, due the amount of time it takes for death certificates to be filed and reported.

The district has reported a total of 169,612 COVID-19 cases, 4,416 hospitalizations, and 1,280 deaths during the pandemic.

While community transmission is still high, the Fairfax Health District has seen the pace of vaccinations flatten over the past couple of weeks, suggesting that demand in the area is nearing its ceiling.

At least one dose has been administered to 951,265 residents, or 80.4% of the population, including:

• 89.8% of people 18 and older
• 95.2% of residents aged 16 and 17
• 90.7% of 12-15 year olds
• 48.1% of 5-11 year olds

According to the Fairfax County Health Department, 842,180 residents are fully vaccinated, which amounts to 71.2% of the overall population and includes 80.1% of adults.

More snow is on the way to Fairfax County, though Northern Virginia isn’t expected to see the worst of this storm.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the D.C. area, starting at 4 p.m. today (Friday) and continuing until 4 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday).

The full alert is below:

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM EST SATURDAY…

* WHAT…Snow. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches.

* WHERE…The District of Columbia, and portions of central Maryland and central and northern Virginia.

* WHEN…From 4 PM this afternoon to 4 AM EST Saturday.

* IMPACTS…Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Slow down and use caution while traveling.

When venturing outside, watch your first few steps taken on steps, sidewalks, and driveways, which could be icy and slippery, increasing your risk of a fall and injury.

Fairfax County Public Schools has canceled extracurricular programs, athletic team practices, and all other activities scheduled to take place on school grounds this afternoon and evening, as well as tomorrow morning until noon.

The Virginia Department of Transportation says its crews pretreated roads in Northern Virginia yesterday (Thursday), and approximately 2,400 trucks will start deploying around midday to treat roads as needed.

The snowstorm is expected to hit around this afternoon’s rush hour, so the department advises planning ahead to avoid non-essential travel at that time.

“Temperatures are expected to stay below freezing over the next several days, causing potential icy conditions,” VDOT said in a news release. “Treat anything that looks wet as if it could be icy, especially bridges, ramps, overpasses, and elevated surfaces. If there is snow or ice on roadways, travel is hazardous.”

In anticipation of the coming snow, Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency for Virginia yesterday, noting that areas along the state’s coastline are expected to see the biggest impact.

Fairfax County is working on ways to ensure that consistent and fair wages are linked to public construction contracts.

At a board meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 25), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to require all public construction contracts to abide by the prevailing wage — the hourly rate paid to most workers in specific niche coasts or in a labor market area.

The county was able to pass the measure after the Virginia General Assembly adopted enabling legislation in 2020 that went into effect in May of last year.

“Increasing protection of workers’ rights and ensuring that people are paid appropriately for their skills benefits not just those workers, but the community-at-large,” Board Chairman Jeff McKay told FFXnow. “Our county invests a lot of resources into our community to help struggling residents. Workers getting a fair wage helps families towards a path of self-sufficiency and into the middle class, which helps the entire community.”

Localities are allowed to adopt ordinances that require construction contracts to pay wages for their bidders, contractors, offers, and subcontractors at the prevailing wage rate.

The rate is determined by the Commonwealth’s Commissioner of Labor and Industry, which is guided by standards set by the U.S. Secretary of Labor.

County staff worked with stakeholders and professional cost estimators from the region in order to determine the impact of adopting the ordinance on construction costs. The workgroup helped the county formulate the ordinance that passed on Tuesday.

Such ordinances could have a disproportionate impact on small, women or minority-owned businesses. Other contractors and subcontractors may lack the administrative capacity to absorb the costs associated with the ordinance, a county memo noted.

However, the ordinance could level the playing field for all contractors by taking wages out of the equation, according to county staff. Minority businesses may be able to compete for county contracts, which may be underbid by low-road competition that is not from the area.

The county is working on ways to make sure that businesses have administrative support like software and resources in order to comply with the ordinance.

But it’s still unclear how adopting a prevailing wage affects construction project costs, according to county staff.

The Virginia Division of Engineering and Buildings, for example, accounts for a budget impact of 15% for construction costs. The cost impact can vary between 5 and 7.5% depending on the project type, according to the county.

Based on the county’s unique needs, the ordinance would increase costs by around 5%.

The ordinance goes into effect on July 1.

The state’s prevailing wage law — known as the Little Davis-Bacon Act — went into effect in May. The law requires contractors and subcontractors with contracts over $250,000 to pay the prevailing wage and benefits to all employees who are a part of that contract.

Contractors must verify the pay scale used for employees under the public contract. Itemization of the amount paid to workers is provided and payment records are verified.

If contractors fail to follow the law, the prevailing page must be paid, in addition to an annual interest rate of 8% that accrues when wages were first due.

The contractor is disqualified from bidding on all public contracts until workers are paid. Arlington County also has a prevailing wage ordinance.