Fairfax County Public Schools can use its revamped admissions process to evaluate the next class of prospective Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology students, a federal appeals court ruled today (Thursday).
The overhauled admissions process, which replaced a standardized test with an essay, a higher grade-point-average requirement, and other criteria, is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit filed against the county school board by the Coalition for TJ, a parent and community group that opposes the changes.
The National Weather Service issued a Wind Advisory and a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Fairfax County and surrounding areas this afternoon (Thursday).
The Wind Advisory warns of winds between 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph and is in effect until 8 p.m., while the Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 10 p.m.
The Citibank in The Spectrum shopping center in Reston has been robbed.
Fairfax County police officers are currently on the scene at 11800 Spectrum Center, the department reported at 12:45 p.m.
According to police, the suspect left the area and was spotted wearing all black with a mask. While no injuries have been reported, police advise community members to avoid the area.
Officers are on scene of a bank robbery at Citibank, 11800 Spectrum Center in Reston. Suspect left the area, wearing all black with a mask. No one was injured. Please avoid the area. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/DKSRUhAEoS
A 38-year-old man from Herndon was charged with larceny and fraud-related charges earlier this month.
Steven Canavan turned himself in to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on March 18 in connection with the 2021 incidents, according to a Wednesday (March 30) crime report.
Police belief that Canavan embezzled from Michael & Son Sportsplex in Sterling.
Recent drug overdoses by teenagers in the Richmond Highway corridor and emergency care statistics have led Fairfax County officials to intensify their efforts to address the opioid epidemic.
Hospitals and urgent care centers in the county have seen nonfatal overdoses rise in the last three years, from 232 to 324 and 354 as of last year. Most of the opiate cases involve fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that’s 80-100 times more powerful than morphine, while heroin cases are declining, the county health department told FFXnow.
Health Department Updates Covid Data — The county’s dashboard for COVID-19 data will report the 7-day average number of daily cases instead of the number of new cases, and two other metrics were added to the dashboard. The additions are the 7-day average number of daily new deaths, and the current community level, including the metrics that determine the level (hospitalizations, hospital capacity and cases within a community). [Fairfax County Government]
FBI Relaunches New HQ Search — “President Joe Biden’s administration made it clear that the federal government would be consolidating the FBI’s headquarters outside of D.C. in the General Services Administration’s fiscal year 2023 budget request…The move has been in limbo for years. During then-President Barack Obama’s administration, the GSA had narrowed down potential locations to Greenbelt, Landover and Springfield.” [Bisnow]
Three Fort Belvoir Firefighters Have Babies in 24 Hours — “They were all expecting their sons to be born soon, and they joked at the fire station that they would run into each other at the hospital. None of them thought it would actually happen.” [Washington Post]
Food for Fines Adapts to Read and Feed — “As of Jan. 1, FCPL no longer charges overdue fines on most materials. To continue its partnership with Food for Others, FCPL is now hosting ‘Read and Feed’ in April. Those who wish to give may simply drop off donations at any FCPL branch during its regular hours throughout the month of April.” [Fairfax County Government]
Vienna School Renovation Progresses — “Fairfax County Public Schools’ plan to renovate and expand Louise Archer Elementary School got some necessary boxes ticked March 21 when the Vienna Town Council unanimously approved a series of site modifications.” [Sun Gazette]
McLean Little League Opens Season — “McLean Little League players are busy scurrying around the baseball and softball diamonds these days, following the opening of the 2022 season. Enjoy these photos from the annual opening-day ceremonies, held March 26, as captured by Dave Facinoli.” [Sun Gazette]
Bluebells Festival Returns in Great Falls — “After a two-year hiatus, Bluebells at the Bend Festival is BACK! The day’s highlight features the emergence of the iconic Virginia Bluebells, native wildflowers that bloom in the moist woodlands of eastern North America and can create a bit of their spring magic in your own garden.” [Visit Fairfax]
Enjoy Cherry Blossoms at the PARC at Tysons — “#Spring is in #fullbloom at the PARC! Stop by next week, April 4-9 from 9 AM – 5 PM, to check out our @cherryblossfest decorations and enjoy #free fun-filled spring #activities and #treats from @tysons.creamery. You won’t want to miss this spring celebration! #spring2022” [Twitter]
Herndon Middle Schooler Earns Honors — “Jada Elfar, a seventh-grade student in Shawn Ratliff’s civics class at the King Abdullah Academy in Herndon, recently was named the winner in several levels of the American Legion Department of Virginia Middle School Essay Contest.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s Thursday — Rain in the evening and overnight. High of 64 and low of 55. Sunrise at 6:56 a.m. and sunset at 7:32 p.m. [Weather.gov]
A new bill that would let Virginia law enforcement use facial recognition technology is headed to the governor’s desk.
Senate Bill 741, which was proposed by Sen. Scott Surovell (D-36), would let local law enforcement agencies use the technology to investigate specific criminal incidents related to certain acts of violence and to identify deceased individuals and victims of online child sexual abuse material.
In an effort to refine its technological practices after two years of various mishaps, Reston Association’s Information Technology Committee is urging the organization to consider a major digital transformation.
In January 2021, Wipfli, a consulting firm hired by RA, completed an assessment of the organization’s IT practices. The report centered around three mishaps:
Worker resignations for Fairfax County government positions jumped up nearly 62% from 2020 to 2021, from 507 departures to 821 departures.
Fairfax County leaders are debating how to improve recruitment and retention, citing private-sector wages that created competitive environments for positions from police to information technology.
A new kind of outdoor theater is coming to fruition in Reston Town Center this spring.
As promised last year, the Herndon-based NextStop Theatre, Reston Community Center, and the Reston Town Center Association (RTCA) will debut a contemporary spin on William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at Reston Town Square Park.
Another man being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center has died, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office reported late last night (Tuesday).
A sheriff’s deputy found an inmate “unresponsive” in a quarantine housing cell at the jail around 4:25 p.m. yesterday, according to the news release.
“Medical staff and other deputies responded to the scene and rendered aid,” the sheriff’s office said. “Rescue was summoned as life-saving efforts continued in the cell. City of Fairfax Fire and Rescue pronounced the inmate deceased at 4:49 p.m.”
County Libraries to Resume Standard Hours — Fairfax County Public Library will once again open its eight regional branches seven days a week, and its 14 community branches on Mondays, effective this Sunday (April 3). The system truncated its hours starting in January due to the surge in COVID-19 cases and high staff vacancies. [FCPL]
Omicron Subvariant Identified in Fairfax County Patients — “BA.2 is now estimated to be responsible for about one in three COVID-19 infections in the country and one in five COVID-19 infections in Virginia. While BA.2 appears to be more contagious and can spread faster, it is not known to make people sicker.” [Fairfax County Health Department]
County Commonwealth’s Attorney Responds to Miyares Criticism — “The two powerful men have been in a feud for months. Attorney General Jason Miyares is pushing for tough-on-crime policies, while [Steve] Descano campaigned on ending mass incarceration and reforming the criminal justice system.” [ABC7]
“Coming to America” Restaurant Planned for Springfield — “Starting in May, shoppers at the Springfield Town Center can stride through the golden arcs of McDowell’s and order a Big Mick — a burger that is totally different from that other sandwich, thank you very much, because the buns don’t have seeds.” [Washingtonian]
Falls Church Approves Founders Row Part II — “The Falls Church City Council approved yet another large scale mixed use project for its downtown corridor Monday night, by a 5-2 vote giving a final OK to what has become known as the ‘Founders Row 2‘ project that will fill the space at the now vacant Rite Aid and the carpet store at the corner of W. Broad and S. West St.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Congress Members Concerned about Silver Line Phase 2 Delays — “U.S. Reps. Jennifer Wexton (D), Don Beyer (D) and Gerry Connolly’s letter to MWAA came a day after Paul Wiedefeld, the CEO and general manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, said unresolved issues…are preventing a declaration of operational readiness.” [Patch]
Capital One Partners with MLB — “McLean’s Capital One Financial Corp. is Major League Baseball’s new official banking and credit card partner. Capital One announced the multiyear deal Monday…Terms were not disclosed, but reports have pegged it as a $125 million deal for MLB over five years.” [Washington Business Journal]
Reston Library to Host First Responders on Saturday — “Join us as we celebrate the brave men and women who rush to emergency situations every day to take action when disaster strikes. Meet our local firefighters as they showcase the equiptment used for respond to emergencies. 11am-2pm at Reston Library.” [FCPL]
Local Students Compete in Special Olympics — “Congratulations to the Madison Special Olympics Unified Basketball Team who competed in their first Special Olympics this weekend at Marshall HS.” [James Madison High School/Twitter]
It’s Wednesday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 56 and low of 36. Sunrise at 6:57 am and sunset at 7:31 pm. [Weather.gov]
Almira Zaky has always been, in her own words, a little girl with a big voice.
A native of Herndon who is of Indonesian descent, Zaky has been singing since she was a young girl. She now represents Virginia on “American Song Contest,” NBC’s take on the yearly Eurovision music competition that has been around since 1956.
An R&B artist who released her first independent album “Learn to Love” this month, Zaky takes influence from many artists in that genre that were popular in the 1990s and early 2000s, including Aaliyah, JoJo, and Destiny’s Child.
The Fairfax County School Board intends to approve policy revisions next month that would make recess a requirement at all elementary and middle schools.
Under the proposed changes to Fairfax County Public Schools’ student and staff health and wellness policy, all middle school students would be guaranteed at least 15-minute, supervised recess breaks during the day. Elementary school students will get two recess breaks per day, totaling at least 30 minutes.
