The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority is looking at upgrading properties to get residents more connected.

County staff are evaluating whether it could add Wi-Fi to common areas in public housing and create computer rooms at senior housing properties.

“Currently, residents must purchase internet service through a service provider for their unit,” FCRHA spokesperson Ben Boxer said in an email. “That utility is not provided by the FCRHA in each unit.”

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Fairfax County will apply for grant funding from the Virginia Tourism Corporation to help boost tourism in the area.

The Board of Supervisors approved a request yesterday (Tuesday) from the Department of Economic Initiatives for $4.17 million that will be used in conjunction with Visit Fairfax, the county’s travel marketing agency.

Virginia has allocated $50 million of its American Recovery Plan Act funds to the Tourism Recovery Program. The Virginia Tourism Corporation will award grants to all localities based on how much they contributed to total state tourism revenues in 2019.

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Morning Notes

Train near Tysons Corner Center food court (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Google to Buy Reston Company for Billions — “Reston, Virginia-based cybersecurity company Mandiant will be acquired by Google for $5.4 billion. Mandiant, founded in 2004, has about 2,300 employees, including more than 600 consultants and more than 300 intelligence analysts responding to thousands of security breaches a year.” [WTOP]

Court Hears School Masking Lawsuit — Attorneys for parents of immunocompromised children and Virginia made arguments on Monday (March 7) for and against letting schools mandate masks in some situations to accomodate students with disabilities. The Fairfax County School Board filed a brief in support of the parents, calling the state’s optional mask law unconstitutional. [Inside NoVA]

Historic District Approved for Hollin Hills — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously yesterday (Tuesday) to designate Hollin Hills near Hybla Valley as a Historic Overlay District. The move requires property owners and developers to get the Architectural Review Board’s approval for some projects, including demolitions and home additions. [Fairfax County Government]

Local Ukrainian Americans Fear for Families — “Three Ukrainian Americans contacted by Annandale Today are stressed out, barely able to sleep, and worried about their relatives back home, as the brutal invasion by Russia continues.” [Annandale Today]

Saslaw Leads Negotiations on Possible NFL Stadium — “Virginia would kick in no more than $350 million in state tax revenue to build a potential home for the Washington Commanders under a new plan…Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax), who had first estimated that the state would forfeit about $1 billion for a stadium, said Tuesday that he had insisted on the cap in recent negotiations with the team.” [The Washington Post]

Cars Preferred Over Metro Despite Worsening Traffic — “The latest numbers from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments indicate traffic in our area is about 95% of what it was pre-pandemic, while Metrorail numbers show as of last week riders were only taking about 29% of the number of trips they took pre-pandemic on an average weekday in 2019.” [ABC7]

McLean High Alumnus Takes Center Stage — “A graduate of McLean High School is coming home to Capital One Hall in Tysons, Virginia. Alex Stone stars in the national tour of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Friday through Sunday.” [WTOP]

It’s Wednesday — Rain is expected, mainly before 2 p.m. The high today is near 41 and low around 35. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. The sun rose at 6:27 a.m. and will set at 6:10 p.m. [Weather.gov]

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Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity wants police to get paid more, citing concerns over vacancies and burnout.

In an email and during a Board of Supervisors meeting today (Tuesday), Herrity called for the county to allocate $20 million to increase salaries by 10% for Fairfax County Police Department employees with the rank of second lieutenant and below in the upcoming budget.

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Hikers at Turkey Run Park now have safer access to trails alongside the Potomac River, thanks to the hard work of more than 100 volunteers.

The National Park Service and the nonprofit Potomac Appalachian Trail Club officially reopened a half-mile section of trail in the McLean park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday (March 5), the NPS announced.

It was the federal agency’s largest volunteer-designed and built project in the D.C. area, according to a press release.

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After receiving two complaints in the last year, Fairfax County’s Police Civilian Review Panel is recommending that the police department address swatting incidents before one turns tragic.

In its annual report, the panel urged the Fairfax County Police Department to adjust how it handles “swatting incidents” — when police are called on someone as a hoax, putting residents and officers in danger.

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Sunglass Hut has set its sights at the Mosaic District.

The international sunglasses retailer, which has its roots in Florida, plans to open up shop at 2920 District Avenue.

The company did not return multiple requests for comment from FFXnow.

County permits indicate that the business has received permits for its sprinkler system and is actively working on completing the new layout.

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