Saturday, May 30
Distance Learning: Both Stress and Relief in Springfield
West Springfield High School students on handling the switch to online learning.
Since March 13, Fairfax County Public Schools have been closed and converted to online classes in response to COVID-19. Like many other FCPS high schools, West Springfield High School classes are now held twice per week through Blackboard Collaborate, an online video conferencing platform.
Fairfax County Park Authority Makes Partial Reopening Play
After a surprise late Tuesday afternoon announcement from the Fairfax County Park Authority, maintenance operations crews were at work Wednesday morning, May 20, removing barriers from park parking lot entrances and returning them to storage sites.
Friday, May 29
Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Fairfax County Budget Affects Lives
The large budget adopted at the recent Board of Supervisors meeting has a very real effect on the lives of workers and taxpayers in Fairfax County.
Wednesday, May 27
Park Goers Return to Burke Lake Park
Locals dotted the spaces on Memorial Day weekend as relief from the quarantine days.
Park opens Memorial Day
Tuesday, May 26
Organizing Boxes of Old Photos
The daunting project can be broken down into smaller tasks.
Stacks of boxes containing thousands of photographs line the walls of the basement in Alice Denson’s Fairfax home. For the past five years, the 73-year old mother and grandmother has promised herself and her family that she would begin the monumental task of sorting and organizing the photos.
Fairfax County’s Week in COVID-19
Northern Virginia will open into Phase 1 on Thursday, May 28.
OPENING NOW: Northern Virginia will open into Phase 1 on Thursday, May 28.
Opinion: Column: Time Will Have Been Told
In two days I will have completed four weeks on my low iodine diet (no chocolate, no salt, no dairy, no bread) with four days remaining until my one-night hospital admission and subsequent seven-day medical quarantine at home.
Reduced Budget For Fairfax County Public Schools
The Fairfax County School Board has approved the revised Fiscal Year 2021 (FY 21) budget. The budget, revised due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced the previously recommended transfer increase from Fairfax County from $85.5 million to $7.3 million and includes a reduction of $4.8 million from the state. Along with other budget cuts, the total amount of the FY 21 budget was reduced by $67.0 million.
Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Local TraceX Team Develops Contact Tracing App
Since late February, our small team of UVA and Notre Dame students has been working on developing an early model of a bluetooth-based contact tracing app called TraceX.
Wakefield and Lorton Farmers Markets Scheduled to Open
Two more Fairfax County Farmers Markets will open next week. The Wakefield Market in Wakefield Park will open for the season on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, and the Lorton Market at the Lorton VRE parking lot will open on Sunday, May 31, 2020.
Saturday, May 23
Out and About in Fairfax County
Through the stay at home order, work and leisure activities continue for many area essential workers and residents.
Detectives Investigate After Decomposed Body Found in Fairfax Station
Detectives are investigating after a body was discovered May 16 evening in a wooded area near the 7500 block of Lee Chapel Road in Fairfax Station. Officers responded shortly after 5 p.m. when a hiker found a body in an advanced stage of decomposition. The body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner where an autopsy will determine cause and manner of death. Identification is pending further investigation and next of kin notification.
Thursday, May 21
Burke Community on Parade for Veteran’s 100th Birthday
Lots of honks, waves and social distancing.
100 Birthday
Wednesday, May 20
Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Keeping Nursing Home Residents Safe
On behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), I’d like to thank all those who work in nursing facilities -- doctors, nurses, food preparers, housekeepers, and others -- for their unwavering dedication to compassionately caring for the vulnerable residents who are relying on them during the COVID-19 pandemic. These facilities have been on the front lines of the pandemic, and our hearts are with all of those who have been affected by this virus and their families.
Opinion: Column: Time Will Tell
Nearly three weeks into my low iodine diet, in preparation for my hospital overnight on May 28 when I will get my radioactive iodine therapy, to be followed immediately by a medical quarantine at home for a week, I wouldn't say I'm thriving. More like persevering. I can't really satiate eating "rabbit" food, and what culinary pleasures I can enjoy, I can only have them in small quantities and infrequently at that. I won't give you a list, but just consider what any 10-year-old likes to eat.
Fairfax County Parks Reopening Begins in Time for Memorial Day Weekend
The Park Authority has begun reopening of parking lots and parks in the park system to be open for the Memorial Day weekend. Park Authority staff will begin the process of clearing barricades and opening parking lots at all 427 parks for the community on Wednesday, May 20 through Friday, May 22. These parks will reopen for limited use in accordance with COVID-19 safety guidelines from the Virginia Governor’s office and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fairfax County School Board Celebrates Class of 2020
Superintendent Scott Brabrand releases Board decisions.
Superintendent Scott Brabrand dashed any remaining hopes of summer in-person commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2020. After receiving results from high school students and parents on his Survey on Graduation Preferences, Brabrand said the School Board agreed on his recommended approach. They committed to celebrating the seniors "in the safest and most personalized manner possible."
Fairfax Week in Coronavirus
Fairfax County cases increase more than 1,600 in last week, and Virginia rises more than 6,000 cases as most of the state eases restrictions.
.
Parental Burnout on Distance Learning During COVID-19
How to survive until the end of the school year.
Whether deciphering algebraic equations and trying to teach them to a disinterested child or helping with a science experiment during a Zoom conference call, for parents who are trying to homeschool their children during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the struggle is real. Last fall, some parents developed a plan to deal with the academic burnout that occurs as the school year neared an end. Little did they know that the plan they created would be themselves.
Stay-at-Home Order Allows More Time for Road Construction in Virginia
When traffic is down, the crews extend time with lane closures, resulting in project progress.
The quarantine that seems to have no end is having some positive impacts. With most businesses closed and most people staying home most of the time, rush hours have been minimal, gas use is down, local streets are becoming the roads less traveled. For road crews, this is time to pick up the pace.
Fairfax County School Board Considers Fall 2020 Options
Three back-to-school scenarios presented.
What might school look like to children in Fairfax County Public Schools this fall — remote learning or social distance learning with masks and temperature checks? Which students would schools bring back first — the older ones or most vulnerable? And what might students face when they get there — a climb back to grade level or multi-age classes?
Fairfax County Supervisors Approve Budget Plan, Fairfax RISE
Highlights of May 12 Board of Supervisors meeting.
Some of the first words Chairman Jeffrey C. McKay Fairfax County Board of Supervisors said at the May 12 Board of Supervisors meeting were for county families; in particular, those who lost loved ones or had family members hospitalized with the coronavirus. "If we could keep them and their entire families in our thoughts and prayers," McKay said. "As a reminder, our County flag continues to fly at half-staff, throughout the County at our facilities, in honor of the residents who sadly died as a result of COVID-19 and in recognition of our many essential workers who are responding to the pandemic," he said.
Opinion: Commentary: The Story of 22305 Is Not Unique to Alexandria
As the coronavirus spreads and more testing is performed, anxious residents are demanding more information regarding the rate of infection in their communities.
Saturday, May 16
Golf Courses Get Opening Green Light in Fairfax County
Members happy to return to the greens.
When Fairfax County Park Authority announced its phased reopening would open golf courses on May 8, Laurel Hill Golf Club members Kelly Towns, of Burke, and Jim Poodiack, of Springfield, were among the first to get tee times. Towns enjoyed coming during work breaks before the club closure due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Thursday, May 14
This Week in Coronavirus in Fairfax County
Virginia surpasses 25,000 cases; Phase I being discussed while numbers of cases and deaths continue to rise.
.
Now, For Something Completely Different
At the GW Community School, distancing doesn’t mean disconnecting.
.
Wednesday, May 13
Front Line Medical Staff Get New Tennis Shoes
Local athletic shoe companies donate special shoes to medical staff Impacted by COVID-19.
New shoes for medical workers.
Tuesday, May 12
Hunkered Down to Opening Up in Virginia
Northern Virginia leaders urge regional approach to reopening state.
.
Northern Virginia Reopening Should Occur When Metrics Met
Regional mayors and chairs send letter to Gov. Northam.
.
Saturday, May 9
Friday, May 8
Thursday, May 7
Mount Vernon Farmers Market To Open in May
It could pave the way for more as the county could gradually reopen.
Some Farmers Markets to open in May
Parade for Mac McConnell’s 99th Birthday
Social distancing in place, but the smiles prevailed.
birthday
Wednesday, May 6
Reston, Mount Vernon and Burke Farmers Markets to Open in May
It could pave the way for more as county gradually reopens.
.
Monday, May 4
Opinion: Commentary: Hazard Pay in Honor of Frontline Workers in Fairfax County
We are putting our lives on the line; Hazard pay honors our sacrifices.
.
Friday, May 1
Loan Sharks in the Water
Lawmakers crack down on predatory lending, although reform won’t happen for eight months.
The LoanMax on Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria is open for business during the pandemic, and colorful signs in the windows announce in English and Spanish that the car-title lender remains open during a stay-at-home order — offering loans at 200 percent annual interest during a time when unemployment claims in Alexandria are skyrocketing. Those kinds of interest rates will be illegal under the Fairness in Lending Act, which Gov. Ralph Northam signed last week after lawmakers signed off on some last-minute changes. But the ban on such high-interest lending won’t take effect until New Years Day 2021, which means high-interest lenders have eight months to engage in an unprecedented lending spree during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.