A new survey of Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) students shows local teens have been facing a decline in mental health over the last few years.
The Fairfax County Youth Survey is an anonymous and voluntary survey of students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12. The newest survey, compiled from the 2021 school year, involved the participation of 33,479 students. There was no survey during 2020, making this the first look at student health since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
The report said FCPS students were more depressed than at any other time in the past decade.
“In 2021, the rates of feeling persistent sadness or hopelessness among Fairfax County youth were highest in the past 10 years,” the report said.
FCPS is hardly alone in this: the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report earlier this year reporting poor mental health among teens and children nationwide. While Fairfax County’s figures are high, they’re still below the national average.
The report said that every measure of depression showed a marked increase over the past few years:
The greatest increase was observed in the percentage of students with persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Overall, almost two-fifths of the students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grade (38.1%) reported feeling so sad or hopeless for two or more weeks in a row in the past year that they stopped doing some usual activities. More than 41% (41.6%) of 12th grade students reported such feelings, as compared to 35.0% of 8th grade students. Overall, the percentage of students reporting this level of sadness was about 8 percentage points higher than in 2019 (29.9%), reaching the highest point in the past 10 years.
The report also found that female, Hispanic, and LGBTQ students as well as students from food-insecure homes were all more likely to experience depression.
Students also reported an increase in bullying at home from parents or other adults.
“One in four students (24.8%) reported having been bullied, taunted, ridiculed, or teased by a parent or other adult in their household in the past year,” the report said, “which increased from 22.9% in 2019, and is the highest in the past 6 years.”
Around 8% of students reported experiencing physical abuse at home.
Additional highlights from the report include:
- The rates of reporting persistent feelings of sadness/hopelessness, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts increased among Fairfax County youth this year, following the national trends.
- More than 38% of the students in 8th, 10th and 12th grade reported feeling so sad or hopeless for two or more weeks in a row in the past year that they stopped doing some usual activities (persistently sad or hopeless). Approximately 17% reported suicidal thoughts and 6% reported suicide attempts.
- Female students were more likely to express high stress, persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, consider attempting suicide and attempt suicide compared to male students.
- Students of Hispanic ethnicity and students of other/multiple races were most likely to express feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness, consider suicide and attempt suicide.
- Students who identified themselves as transgender or gay/lesbian/bisexual reported higher rates of stress, feelings of sadness/hopelessness, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. The data shows that they also face greater challenges that can affect their mental health including emotional and physical abuse by a parent or adult, forced sexual intercourse and sexual harassment.
- Students who reported a lack of food in their home were more likely to report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts than those from food-secure homes.
The full report is available online.
Photo via Christian Erfurt/Unsplash
With Election Day 2022 now underway, more than 200,000 Fairfax County residents have already voted.
That includes approximately 130,000 residents who voted early — a 66% increase from the last midterm election in 2018 — and about 72,000 votes cast in person on Election Day, as of 10 a.m.
In total, that represents about 27.5% of registered active voters in the county.
As of this morning, we’ve had an estimated 9.8% turnout countywide in today’s #midterm election. This is only for votes cast at the polls today, and early votes account for another 18% turnout before today.#ElectionDay #ElectionDay2022 #Midterms2022 #VA08 #VA10 #VA11 #Virginia pic.twitter.com/OCLtXr1jZO
— Fairfax County Votes (@fairfaxvotes) November 8, 2022
That remains short, so far, of county turnout during the 2018 midterms, when 59.5% of registered voters in the county voted. That year saw a significant jump from 2014, when only 41.6% voted.
Early voting ended Saturday (Nov. 5), and about 130,000 county residents had voted by then, either by mail or in person, Fairfax County General Registrar Eric Spicer told FFXnow in an email. Overall, that represents about 18% of the 736,000 active registered voters in the county.
That’s about 44,000 more people than 2018. Since that time, however, early voting rules and habits have changed significantly. Virginia introduced no-excuse absentee voting in 2020, leading the county to add more early voting sites with longer hours, and permanently approved ballot drop boxes last year.
In 2020, 414,000 residents voted early due to traditional high turnout related to a presidential election and the ongoing pandemic. Last year, about 170,000 residents cast a ballot early in the House of Delegates and gubernatorial elections.
This year’s early voting numbers suggest the shift in voting behavior from the last midterm election cycle has continued.
We're preparing so that after the polls close we can count the about 82,000 early in-person votes cast before today. Under public observation, election workers are pulling this data from the voting machines used for early voting.#Vote #GoVote #ElectionDay #IVoted #Midterms2022 pic.twitter.com/wL3NnaDV19
— Fairfax County Votes (@fairfaxvotes) November 8, 2022
In Fairfax County, 76,000 vote-by-mail ballots were requested, close to 10% of registered voters, Spicer said. About 67% of those ballots, or 48,000, were returned by the end of early voting.
Residents can continue to return their mail-in ballots at a drop box at any polling place.
While Fairfax County doesn’t have any races attracting significant national attention like 2021’s gubernatorial race, every seat in the House of Representatives is on the ballot this year.
The county has three congressional districts: the 8th, 10th, and 11th.
The 11th Congressional District includes 586,000 Fairfax County residents, the most of any of the districts. The 8th has 282,000 residents in the county while the 10th only holds 14,500 residents.
Incumbents Don Beyer, Jennifer Wexton, and Gerry Connolly are all Democrats and all favored to win against their respective Republican challengers, Karina Lipsman, Hung Cao, and Jim Myles.
The Town of Herndon is seeing competitive races, though, for mayor and town council. Incumbent Mayor Shelia Olem is running against councilmembers Sean Regan and Jasbinder Singh.
Election officers told FFXnow that, anecdotally, voting has gone smoothly so far this morning with precincts getting steady streams of voters.
However, the lead-up to Election Day saw a few hiccups. Late last month, voters in Clifton, Herndon, and Vienna got a letter directing them to an incorrect voting location. The county blamed the state for the error with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors calling for an investigation into what happened.
Last week, the county received approximately 11,000 voter registrations that were delayed in being sent over by the state. This was on top of nearly 12,000 other delayed registrations that were finally sent over at the beginning of October.
The county’s elections office said on Nov. 3 that it had successfully processed all of the registrations.
Fairfax County has a new ambassador for poetry.
Danielle Badra will serve as the second Fairfax Poet Laureate through 2024, leading a program to bring poetry-related activities to local parks, ArtsFairfax shared yesterday.
Introduced by the arts agency in 2020, the poet laureate is intended to celebrate poetry and promote the art form to new audiences through a community service project and events. The title was first bestowed on “How to Prove a Theory” author Nicole Tong for the inaugural 2020-2022 term.
“The Fairfax Poet Laureate is a remarkable example of how support to a single artist can impact the whole County,” ArtsFairfax President and CEO Linda S. Sullivan said in the news release. “Danielle’s vision to bring poetry to the parks is inspired, and we’re as excited to learn from her as we are thrilled to share her work with the Greater Fairfax community.”
Badra was selected by a six-person panel of Tong, Maryland Poet Laureate Grace Cavalieri, Poetry Daily Managing Editor Gregg Wilhelm, Beltway Poetry Quarterly Editor Kim Roberts, Fall for the Book Festival Director Kara Oakleaf, and Anya Creightney, a programs specialist for the Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Center.
The panel considered applicants’ proposed community projects, their professional activities, and the artistic merit and impact of their work, according to Arts Fairfax.
“Grace Cavalieri emphasized that Dani’s style of poetry and delivery allows her to be vulnerable, warm, friendly, and accessible, which in turn helps her meet people where they are in their poetry journey whether they are new to the form or avid fans,” the agency told FFXnow.
A Clifton resident who works as a technical writer for the county’s Land Development Services, Badra sees the poet laureate position as an opportunity to share her love of poetry with the community.
“Poetry is one of those subjects that a lot of people learn in school and never want to learn again. And I want to change that,” she told FFXnow by email. “Poetry is inspirational, it is healing, it is empowering. I want to share that with the community.”
An ArtsFairfax spokesperson says that while the selection panel was aware that Badra had a county government job, it “was not a factor in their selection,” though they saw a “potential benefit of having representation of a poet who does not work in academia.”
Originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, Badra has published two collections: “Dialogue with the Dead,” which was published in 2015 and dealt with the loss of her sister, and “Like We Still Speak,” which won the 2021 Etel Adnan Poetry Prize, according to her website.
The $1,000 prize is awarded annually by the University of Arkansas to a writer of Arab heritage for their first or second book of poetry in English. Badra is of Syrian and Lebanese heritage.
She obtained a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Kalamazoo College and a master’s of fine arts degree from George Mason University. The latter program also counts Tong as an alum.
Badra told GMU that her “Poetry in the Parks” project reflects her enthusiasm for the outdoors and nature — a source of “poetic inspiration” for her.
“Poetry in the Parks looks to not only provide inspiration for creative expression but to also advocate for environmental stewardship,” Badra told FFXnow.
Her plans for the next two years include poetry readings, workshops, a “Poetry Beneath the Stars” event, and “poetry plaques” that will display a poem and prompt at scenic stops around local parks.
The plaques will specifically appear at Riverbend Park, Huntley Meadows Park, Burke Lake, and Ellanor C. Lawrence Park. A QR code will let visitors upload their own writings.
Readings during National Poetry Month, which comes in April, will likely be held at Ellanor C. Lawrence in Chantilly, she said.
“My experiences in life and in the literary world directly inspire my vision for the next two years as Fairfax Poet Laureate,” Badra said in a statement to ArtsFairfax. “Through poetry workshops, readings, and activities in the Parks, I want to illuminate how language and our natural environment can be a source of comfort and creativity.”
A man who reportedly fired shots near an elementary school in Herndon may have been drunk, police said in an update yesterday.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, the man fired a handgun at Hutchinson Elementary School, where “a community event” was taking place.
“A man wearing a black jacket and blue jeans was reported to have discharged a handgun in the air and appeared to be intoxicated,” the FCPD said.
When police arrived at the scene shortly after 4 p.m., the man ran into the woods towards the Dulles Toll Road and was hit by a car. The man’s injuries are no longer life threatening, police said.
The driver of the 2015 Lexus that hit the man stayed on the scene of the incident. Police do not believe alcohol was a factor for the driver, but it does appear to be a factor for the man.
So far, police have obtained warrants for felony reckless discharge of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school and possessing a firearm on school grounds. The man’s name and mugshot will be released once warrants are served, the police department said.
The incident prompted the closure of the westbound lanes of the toll road. The FCPD’s canine unit found a handgun “in the wooded area along the path” where the man fled from police.
An administrative investigation is also underway by the FCPD’s internal affairs bureau.
What to Know for Election Day — “Three congressional races and the Town of Herndon council and mayor are one the ballot. Every polling place will be open on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m…Before you vote, double-check your registration status, polling place and congressional district.” [Fairfax County Government]
Fairfax City School Board Could Be All-Female — “All five seats on the Fairfax City school board are up for election this November and for possibly the first time, all elected members will be women. Those women — Stacy Hall, Amit Hickman, Sarah Kelsey, Rachel McQuillen and Carolyn Pitches — are uncontested candidates running for the board” [The Washington Post]
Regional Airports See Record High Temperatures — “The record for IAD was 76 degrees set in 2020 and the record for BWI was 77 set in 2020,1975, and 1938. The record high temperatures have already been broken at all three major airports as of noon [Monday]!” [National Weather Service/Twitter]
Missing Teen Found Dead on Halloween — “A missing 18-year-old from Fairfax County was found dead more than three hours away in Gloucester County…Investigators determined that the victim had been killed somewhere else and his body was left at the scene. An autopsy performed by the Tidewater Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Norfolk, Virginia, confirmed that the victim’s death was a homicide.” [WUSA9]
Fire Department Open for Toy Donations — “The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD) will be participating in the Annual National Capital Region Fire and EMS Departments’ 2022 TOYS FOR TOTS Campaign. The intent of the campaign is to ‘bring holiday joy and deliver a message of hope to children.’ Stations will accept donations now through Sunday, December 11, 2022.” [FCFRD]
Winner of Frying Pan Cow Race Revealed — “Iris won the 2022 NASCOW sponsored by the Friends of Frying Pan Farm Park this past Friday, Nov. 4. Iris is an Angus/Hereford cross born on Easter in 2021. Proceeds from the event will help feed the animals, build new fences, and improve the game bird enclosure at the farm.” [Fairfax County Park Authority/Facebook]
New Metro GM Gets High Marks — “When the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Board* hired Randy Clarke as WMATA’s new General Manager in spring 2022, it signaled a clear desire for a new direction for Metro. Just over 100 days in, has Clarke steered the agency into the right turn that WMATA needed? We graded him!” [Greater Greater Washington]
It’s Tuesday — Clear throughout the day. High of 60 and low of 45. Sunrise at 6:45 am and sunset at 5:02 pm. [Weather.gov]
This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.
By John V. Berry, Esq.
Continuous evaluation (CE) is an ongoing screening process for security clearance holders that monitors cleared employees in between periodic reinvestigations. Many government employees, military personnel, and government contractors have already been placed in the CE system over the past few years.
What is Continuous Evaluation?
Continuous Evaluation (CE) is an ongoing security screening process reviewing the background of a cleared individual. Traditionally, the government has investigated individuals with security clearances through periodic reinvestigations after 5 or 10 years, depending on the level of the individual’s clearance. This has often caused gaps where the security clearance process has not uncovered potential adverse information on individuals between investigations.
CE is an effort by the government to reform the security clearance system and increase the timeliness of potentially adverse information reviewed between periodic reinvestigations. CE employs automatic record checks to provide near real-time security risk information on an individual. CE checks utilize commercial databases, criminal databases, U.S. Government databases, public records and other available information. Presently, CE does not use social media, although there have been some test programs using social media analysis.
When an individual is enrolled in CE, the government will be alerted to any changes in a clearance holder’s eligibility. If adverse or unreported information is identified through the CE process, the system will alert the sponsoring agency. One example of CE is where a security clearance holder is arrested for a crime which is then reported to government clearance adjudicators. The agency will then review the potentially adverse information to determine if further adjudication of the security clearance is required. With CE, it is important for individuals to focus on self-reporting issues that arise before they are later discovered.
CE is a work in progress. There will be changes and updates to CE as the government makes adjustments to the security clearance process as part of reform. The ultimate goal is full Continuous Vetting (CV), which is a more comprehensive form of CE. CV will likely eventually eliminate the need for periodic reinvestigations in the future.
Contact Us
When an individual is facing security clearance concerns it is important to obtain legal advice and/or legal representation. Our law firm advises individuals in the security clearance process. We can be contacted at www.berrylegal.com or by telephone at (703) 668-0070. Additionally, our Facebook page is located here and our Twitter account is located here.
The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
A new data dashboard shows Fairfax County prosecutors are sometimes asking for more detainments of defendants than judges.
The Office of the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney (OCA) released a dashboard in October with data comparing how often and under what circumstances prosecutors are asking for pre-trial detainment and release to a judge’s recommendations.
“We’re trying to become a more data-driven office,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano told FFXnow. “We’re using this information that we’re collecting here for internal improvements, internal trainings, restructurings, and changing of our processes.”
He acknowledged that too often decisions in the justice system lack transparency and are done without the public’s knowledge.
“We want to let the community know what is going on in their justice system,” he said. “I think this system is a black box to many people. We want to change that.”
Courts and prosecutors diverge on when to detain defendants
The dashboard only covers bond review hearings, where a county prosecutor makes a recommendation to a judge that a defendant either be detained or released before their trial.
Descano said that involves “a small percentage of our cases,” though he was unable to provide the exact percentage compared to the total number of cases handled by the county.
The dashboard also only has data from a six-month period between Jan. 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022.
According to the provided data, decisions by the OCA don’t always neatly line up with the self-described “progressive” prosecutor reputation that Descano ran on in 2019, nor do they clearly affirm detractors’ perception of the office as “soft on crime.”
While prosecutors and courts generally align on non-violent misdemeanors and felonies, the OCA recommended detainment for violent felonies 20% more often than the courts, including cases involving cash bail. Descano called that the number one “disagreement” between his office and judges.
As the dashboard notes, the OCA and courts don’t always agree on when a perpetrator is a “danger to family or household member.” Descano said those disagreements generally relate to domestic violence cases, particularly those involving strangulation.
“We take those really seriously because data has shown that if an intimate partner strangles somebody, they’re seven times more likely to actually murder them,” Descano said.
The OCA also recommended detentions for sex offenses at higher rates than the courts. For felonies, it asked for detainment 89% of the time, while the judges recommended it 52% of the time. For misdemeanors, OCA asked for detainment 58% of the time, with judges agreeing in only 25% of cases.
“It shows me that some judges may not see the same dangerousness to those types of crimes that we do or may value it differently,” Descano said. “We’re not putting this out data to try to slam judges or anything. If anything, it shows [how] different actors in the system view different types of accusations.”
The data also shows that the OCA recommended detainment at a higher rate — meaning a lower rate of release — for non-sexual misdemeanor offenses.
Overall, there were 312 bond review hearings for non-sexual violent and non-violent misdemeanors. The OCA recommended release in 212 of them — 68% of the time — while the courts recommended release in 224 — 78% of the time.
Descano said his office could “tighten up” its approach to bond recommendations.
“I think what we’ll see is that more and more prosecutors will, when they analyze these cases, actually start to come to the conclusion rightly, I think, that some of the people that we have asked to be detained in the past actually don’t represent a danger to the community, and we would actually ask them to be released,” he said.
Since entering office more than two years ago, Descano has been criticized as overly lenient by some, including Attorney General Jason Miyares and conservative groups that have launched recall efforts against him. Other reform-minded Northern Virginia top prosecutors have faced similar charges.
“What we’re doing here is not about leniency. What we are doing here is about what works long term to build broad, long-lasting community safety,” he said. “This isn’t about being nice. This is about effective.”
Cash bail decisions “incoherent,” Descano says
In addition to detention and release rates, the bond dashboard presents information about cash bail imposed by judges. In the six-month period, judges allowed cash bail in 113 cases — more than three-quarters of them for felony charges. The most common bail amounts were $2,500 and $5,000.
As promised during his campaign, Descano ended requests for cash bail in 2020, and he maintains that, while the courts still set cash bonds in some circumstances, they “have nothing to do with community safety” and create a “two-tier system of justice.”
“It can actually lead to more dangerousness because it gives rich people an opportunity to buy their way out immediately when they present a danger, and it holds people who can’t afford it,” he said.
According to the dashboard, in one case, a man was given a $2,500 bail after being arrested for drug possession and trespassing, while someone who shot into a crowded bar was held on a $5,000 bail. How the courts arrive at those decisions “doesn’t really make sense to me” and is often “incoherent,” Descano said.
“I would guess that they got picked because they are nice round numbers,” he said on why $2,500 and $5,000 were the most common bail amounts.
The OCA plans to update its dashboard every few months. Descano says the public can expect the next update to come as soon as January with data reflecting the rest of 2022.
He acknowledged it was risky putting this information out there, opening him and his office to potential criticism, but he believes it’s the right move.
“Putting out your decision-making data is a big risk. There’s a reason prosecutors don’t do it…but I think that’s bad public service,” Descano said. “Our goal is to really have dashboards like this for every decision-making process along the line when it comes to charges, pleas, sentences. We’re looking to make sure we’re in line with the values of the community.”
The ball appears to finally be rolling on Town of Herndon’s first new mixed-use development near its Metro station ahead of its opening next week.
Developer Penzance has submitted revised plans to the town to redevelop a 4.3-acre property at 555 Herndon Parkway.
“According to the property owner, the new development plan better responds to market conditions today and that circumstance serves as the primary impetus for this revision,” a Nov. 7 staff report says.
The latest plan for the development — which was previously approved by the Herndon Town Council in 2019 — removes one residential tower, scales back the office tower’s footprint and expands a podium-level residential building.
The project would be divided into two properties and built in two phases, with the residences coming first. That departs from previous plans that called for three phases and a subdivision of three parcels.
The developer has also replaced planned podium-level parking with a parking garage. A loop road is planned along the perimeter, but a central courtyard road off of Herndon Parkway has been shifted to the west segment of the loop road.
The residential building stands around the central courtyard, while the office building is placed at the southeast corner of the site. About 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail is planned — a reduction of 2,000 square feet. Overall office space was also reduced by 125,000 square feet.
The plan also includes a two-way cycle track along roughly 378 feet of Herndon Parkway.
The town approved new zoning standards for the area in 2012 as part of an expansive review of 38 acres surrounding the Herndon Metro station. Rezoning for the property took place in 2013, followed by the approval of a development plan in March 2019. The new plan would supersede the 2019 plans.
Staff and the development team are still working through whether the review proposal can be built at the maximum capacity allowed under the town’s zoning ordinance — referred to as floor area ratio in planning jargon.
“Unless it can be demonstrated that the floor area can be physically provided for in the proposed building, the development plan should not be approved to exceed 4.1 FAR,” the report states.
(Updated at 3 p.m.) It’s official: the first train on phase two of the Silver Line extension project will take off at 1:54 p.m. from the Ashburn Metro Station on Nov. 15, Metro announced today.
The train will travel the full 11.4-mile extension from Loudoun County to Downtown Largo in Maryland.
“The start of passenger service will commence following a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting at the Washington Dulles International Airport Station to recognize this generational infrastructure investment,” Metro announced.
The opening will be followed by a grand opening celebration that day. Only 100 customers will have a chance to receive a “Silver Ticket” to join Metro General Manager Randy Clarke and other officials for a preview ride before passenger service begins.
Here’s how to enter for the ticket:
Share your favorite memories with us on social media by tagging us on Twitter @wmata, Instagram @metroforward, and on Facebook @Metro Forward and use #YourMetroMemory. Customers can also email us at [email protected] with the subject line: Silver Ticket Metro Memory. Submissions must be sent by 5 p.m. on Thursday, November 10. Customers will be notified by noon, on Monday, November 14. Metro will select 50 customers plus a guest who will receive a “Silver Ticket” departing Wiehle-Reston East at 1:15 p.m. direct to Ashburn where the train will officially begin passenger service.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is expected to attend that event at 11 a.m.
New: Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg will attend the opening of the new Silver Line extension on Nov. 15, WMATA Board Chair Paul Smedberg said at the @NoVaTransit meeting last night.
The opening event at Dulles Airport station will start at 11 a.m. https://t.co/pZYoaZ32uy
— Jordan Pascale (@JWPascale) November 4, 2022
The first full-length westbound trip will depart from Downtown Largo at 12:51 p.m. to Wiehle-Reston East and the six new stations. Trains will run every 15 minutes from end-to-end.
Once the Silver Line opens, Metrobus 5A and theSilver Line Express Bus will be discontinued the next day.
While Dulles Airport will get the big ribbon-cutting, Fairfax County is planning to celebrate the Silver Line extension’s long-awaited opening next week in Reston as well.
County officials will gather at the office building at 1950 Opportunity Way, which overlooks the new Reston Town Center station, on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 3:30 p.m.
“Join elected officials, business leaders and community members to celebrate the long-awaited opening of the Silver Line station at Reston Town Center,” a flyer invite to the event says.
Attendees will also be able to ride the new Reston Town Center shuttle and get information on the new Fairfax Connector bus routes that will start running that day. The new lines will run between the Reston Town Center, Herndon, and Innovation Center Metro stations.
Fatimah Waseem contributed to this report.
Fairfax County is considering having the Department of Motor Vehicles automatically file vehicle tax returns for residents, potentially saving more than 70,000 residents money.
At last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, elected officials authorized a public hearing for Dec. 6 to discuss a possible county code change that would eliminate a step for residents when registering a vehicle.
Currently, when a resident registers a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) notifies the county. Then, the county’s Department of Tax Administration (DTA) sends “a courtesy letter” to the resident reminding them to separately file a tax return within 60 days.
If the resident doesn’t register in that time, they face a 10% penalty on top of their owed personal property taxes.
Approximately 72,000 residents do not file tax returns for their vehicles in a timely fashion on an annual basis and are subject to the 10% penalty, a DTA spokesperson told FFXnow by email.
On average, that’s about 54% of residents who either bought a new vehicle or moved one into the county, they said.
If approved, the proposed change would eliminate that extra step. The DMV would automatically file the personal property tax return on the resident’s behalf within 30 days.
The amendment would also get rid of the 10% late penalty “if the vehicle is timely registered with the DMV,” notes the staff report. If approved, the change would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023.
“This proposed change will make it easier for taxpayers, as well as help them avoid unnecessary penalties,” the DTA spokesperson said. “Many taxpayers who buy a new vehicle or move one into the county don’t understand that they are required to separately file a personal property tax return in addition to registering it with the state Department of Motor Vehicles.”
The proposed amendment would also clarify that taxes on trailers and semi-trailers would be prorated based on when ownership changed during the calendar year.
Getting rid of the late penalty would result in a loss of about $2.4 million in revenue for the county on annual basis.
“The potential loss incurred is a small fraction of the revenues generated from the personal property tax,” the spokesperson noted.
In the current fiscal year 2023, though, the net loss would be about half of that since the change in code would not be retroactive, with January marking the halfway point of the fiscal year.
The adopted 2023 budget already reflects the potential $1.2 million loss, per the staff report.
Personal property tax assessments climbed for about 90% of local vehicle owners this year, prompting the Board of Supervisors to approve relief in the form of a 15% reduction in taxes.
Skyline Towers Homicide Suspect Arrested — “Phil Asare Darkwah turned himself in at the warrant desk. He was transported to the Adult Detention Center, where warrants for 2nd Degree Murder, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm were served. He was held without bond.” [FCPD]
Former County Detective Destroyed Rape Kits — “A former Fairfax County police detective improperly destroyed evidence in 10 unsolved sexual assault cases that date from the mid-90s, likely meaning the perpetrators in the crimes will never be brought to justice, an investigation by the department has found.” [The Washington Post]
Prince Edward Reportedly Visited Vienna Country Club — Prince Edward popped over to the Westwood Country Club in Vienna this past weekend for the official opening of the club’s new tennis court facility. The Earl of Wessex supposedly participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, junior court tennis clinic, black-tie gala, and a “professional exhibition on Saturday before returning to England.” [Washingtonian]
Fairfax City Mayoral Race Gets Expensive — “The race in this community of 24,500 residents — between city council member Sang H. Yi and Catherine Read, a civic engagement strategist — has attracted attention from both major political parties, as Read, a Democratic Party activist, highlights social issues while Yi, a Republican, vies to become Virginia’s first Korean American mayor.” [The Washington Post]
County Shares Plan to Address Trash Service Issues — “In response to a significant drop-off in reliable trash collection service, the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) and American Disposal Services, Inc., (ADS) have established a plan to resolve the significant volume of service-related complaints DPWES has received from ADS customers.” [DPWES]
Park Authority Turned to Retirees for Lifeguards — “Nationwide, lifeguards are in short supply. The Oak Marr Rec Center team had to start thinking outside the box to address the shortfall. With that in mind, they looked to retirees – a vast new pool of potential applicants looking for part-time work.” [Fairfax County Park Authority/Facebook]
Winning Powerball Ticket Bought in Reston — “Virginia Powerball players won more than $2.1 million in Wednesday night’s drawing with a total of 188,911 tickets winning prizes ranging from $2 to $1 million. One Virginia ticket won $1 million. It was bought at the 7-Eleven at 2303 Soapstone Drive in Reston, Virginia Lottery officials reported.” [Inside NoVA]
McLean Nonprofit Looking for Volunteer Drivers — “The Shepherd’s Center of McLean-Arlington-Falls Church is seeking additional volunteers to support its mission of providing free transportation to seniors for medical and dental appointments or running errands to grocery stores and pharmacies.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s Monday — Clear throughout the day. High of 72 and low of 59. Sunrise at 6:44 am and sunset at 5:03 pm. [Weather.gov]
Fairfax County police car lights flashing (file photo)
A man allegedly fired gunshots outside Hutchinson Elementary School near Herndon before fleeing police and getting into a crash on the Dulles Toll Road.
Fairfax County police officers were called to the school for a report of shots being fired into the air around 4:09 p.m. today, according to Fairfax County Police Department Lt. Dan Spital.
When officers arrived at the school, they saw a group of men behind the school, one of whom ran through a wooded area — presumably the adjacent Hutchinson Park — and onto the Dulles Toll Road, police said.
“Once that man got onto the Dulles Toll Road, he was struck by a vehicle,” Spital said in a brief update around 6:30 p.m. “That vehicle remained on scene, and the patient was listed in critical condition. He was ground-transported to a local hospital, where he’s being treated for injuries that are still considered life-threatening.”
K9 officers found a firearm in the woods on the path where the foot chase took place, according to police.
FCPD Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives remain on the Dulles Toll Road, as the investigation continues.
Watch as Lieutenant Dan Spital provides an update to the community about this afternoon’s shooting at Hutchison ES. Follow our blog, https://t.co/lhGv3NDvYs, for any available updates. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/grt134nWOa
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) November 6, 2022
The weekend is almost here. Before you prepare to turn back the clock on Sunday (Nov. 6) or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.
Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:
- Black bear filmed strolling by Adaire Apartments in Tysons
- Tysons black bear has also been seen in Vienna, Reston, police confirm
- JUST IN: Wegmans announces opening date for Reston location
- BREAKING: Silver Line Phase II to open in mid-November
- Developer seeks to build affordable apartments near Innovation Center Metro station
- Halloween creeps up on Tysons early with mall trick-or-treating
- Police identify suspected shooter in Skyline Towers shooting
- Business dedicated to stretching opens in North Point Village Center
- County hit with deluge of new voter registrations a week before election
- Police seek persons of interest after man fatally shot at Skyline Towers
Ideas for potential stories can be sent to [email protected] or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!
Recently completed bus bays near the Herndon Metro Station are officially open and awaiting the start of rail service on Nov. 15.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday (Thursday), town and Fairfax County officials gathered to celebrate the opening of the $5.9 million project, designed to give Fairfax Connector buses and cars convenient access to the Metro station.
The project also includes shelters and a neighboring signalized crosswalk.
The bus bay provides drop-off lanes in both directions along Herndon Parkway. The signalized crosswalk also allows pedestrians a “safe crossing of Herndon Parkway,” according to the town.
State Sen. Jennifer Boysko thanked the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority for making the project possible.
“This project accomplishes NVTA’s goal, specifically around traffic congestion, which is our mission,” she said.
Noting that Herndon will be the only town in Virginia to have a Metro station in its town limits, Mayor Sheila Olem said the bus bay project is critical to addressing traffic congestion in the area, which has been an issue for 20 years.
“It’s gonna be great for the…safety of those using the Metro whether they’re walking, bussing or biking to the Metro,” Olem said.
Designed by Clark Nelson and built by Arthur Construction, the project began in August 2021.
The town pitched in $1.2 million for the project, along with an additional $41.5 million through general bonds. A combination of federal, regional and local grants filled the remainder of the price tag.
Phase II of the Silver Line is expected to open on Nov. 15.
Other transportation infrastructure to support the 11.4-mile extension in Loudoun County are also on the way, including changes to Fairfax Connector service.
The Town of Herndon will launch a new website in the summer of 2023 — the first major redesign since the platform was launched in 2016.
The town is working with Granicus, its current vendor, to complete the 10-month project, according to Anne Curtis, the town’s spokesperson.
The redesign effort is in its early phases, and the new website is expected to go live in the summer of next year.
“It has served town residents and businesses well, but we are looking to update design, functionality and ease of usage — therefore, this project,” Curtis wrote in a statement to FFXnow.
The town is currently courting feedback on the current site via an online survey. The survey asks respondents to assess the navigation of the site, how it is accessed, how information is organized, and the overall navigation and user experience.
Granicus was hired under a roughly $54,000 contract, Curtis said.
