Angry Birds on the Road: Lawmakers Want to Crack Down on Screen Time
Texting while driving is already illegal, but what about Facebook and Twitter?
Lawmakers in Richmond are a bunch of angry birds, frustrated at existing law they believe does not solve the problem of drivers devoting their attention to their handheld screen instead of the road.
Victims of Tribe-For-Rent Scam to Get $15 Million Payout in Settlement Agreement
15,000 Virginia victims get $6 million worth of predatory loans absolved, $9 million in cash awards.
The commercial features images of teepees and a tribal drumbeat. The company billed itself as having ties to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. But Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring says that was nothing more than a fraud, a scheme he calls rent-a-tribe.
Fairfax: Board Approves 2018-2022 Capital Improvement Program
Five-year plan includes three new elementary schools and one new high school.
This year, Fairfax County Public Schools experienced one of the smallest annual enrollment increases in nearly a decade: 1,368 students, compared to the average of 2,400 since the 2008-09 school year, bringing the total to 187,202.
Anti-Immigration Ban Rallies Held at Dulles
Demonstrators, volunteer attorneys and elected officials welcome travelers, extend help detainees.
Demonstrations sprang up at airports around the United States over the weekend, following an Executive Order by President Donald Trump that blocks travelers from seven largely Muslim countries — Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia — in the interests of more significant vetting and preventing would-be terrorists from entering the country.
Week in Fairfax
Community News
At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, the public hearing to consider an ordinance to amend and readopt Chapter 109.1 of the Fairfax County Code on the prohibition of plastic bags for yard waste was deferred indefinitely. The Board of Supervisors also voted unanimously to approve Supervisor Herrity’s motion to immediately communicate to the citizens, trash haulers, and lawn service companies that there is currently no approved ban in Fairfax County.
University Drive Extension Project Advances Slightly
Council votes to bring it to 30-percent design.
The Fairfax City Council has not completely approved the controversial University Drive extension...But the project inched forward slightly Tuesday night when the members voted to advance it to the 30-percent design stage.
Residents Go to Richmond
Virginia News
With the Virginia General Assembly underway, many individuals and groups are traveling to the capital of the Commonwealth to lobby lawmakers.
Inauguration Day
Local officers provide security for inaugural events.
More than 100 officers from the Fairfax County Police Department assisted in security during Inauguration Day activities Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C. as Donald Trump was sworn in as 45th President of the United States.
Area Roundups
No Ban on a Plastic Yard Waste Bag in County
At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, the public hearing to consider an ordinance to amend and readopt Chapter 109.1 of the Fairfax County Code on the prohibition of plastic bags for yard waste was deferred indefinitely.
Burke Community Outlook 2017
Developments Underway in Burke Area
The Connection keeps a running list of land use projects being planned, under construction and nearing completion in the community. The list is updated quarterly.
Bipartisan Agreement Forged in House Panel on Reducing Suspended Driver’s Licenses
Republicans work with Cabinet officials to craft changes to let more people keep drivers licenses.
After Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe called on lawmakers to find a way to restore driver's licenses to people charged with crimes that had nothing to do with driving, Republicans responded. Now both sides are crafting a compromise that could end up being a hallmark of the 2017 session.
Party-Line Vote Protects Child Labor at Tobacco Farms in Virginia
Republican-led House panel kills effort to craft new protections for kids in unrecorded vote.
In an unrecorded party-line vote, House Republicans killed a bill that would have cracked down on child labor at tobacco farms in Virginia.
Senate Panel Kills Effort to Allow Drivers Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants
Supporters say they’ll continue to press the issue, citing concerns over safety.
Undocumented immigrants in Virginia will not be getting a driver’s license anytime soon, although advocates for the idea say they will keep pressing lawmakers on the issue.
Online Virginia Lottery Sales? Don't Bet On It
House panel rejects bill that would allow for sale of lottery tickets over the internet.
A coalition of convenience store owners and religious conservatives worked to till an effort from the Virginia Lottery to allow for online gambling, thwarting an effort aimed at increasing sales among millennial gamblers. The bill, introduced by Del. Roxann Robinson (R-27), was defeated with an overwhelming vote by a House General Laws subcommittee Tuesday afternoon.
Senate Panel Approves Crackdown on Internet Lenders in Virginia
Bill would subject unregulated loans to rules that apply to consumer-finance loans.
The Wild West of online lending is about to become a little tamer. That’s because a state Senate panel narrowly approved a bill that would subject internet loans to the same restrictions that currently exist for consumer finance loans, a move that would cramp the anything-goes culture of online loans in Virginia.