Groveton Workforce Hub Contract Raises Questions — “Fairfax County awarded $2.5 million in tax dollars to a company named Melwood last year to build a workplace readiness center in Democratic Fairfax County Supervisor Rodney Lusk’s district, called the Workforce Innovation and Skills Hub (WISH).” However, the involvement of Lusk’s chief of staff in selecting the contractor has raised potential conflict-of-interest concerns. [WJLA]
Justice HS Students Walk Out in Support of Palestinians — “Students walked out of Justice High School in Falls Church, Virginia, on Monday morning to show support for Palestinians. ‘We’re sick of how two governments cannot deal with each other and we have to see innocent people die every day,’ a senior at the school told News4’s Joseph Olmo.” [NBC4]
New Animal Shelter Welcomes First Inhabitants — “Today [Monday], we welcomed our first group of adoptable rabbits, guinea pigs and cats to the Lorton Campus! After receiving lots of love from our staff, everyone settled in quickly and enjoyed exploring their new spaces. We’re looking forward to welcoming our adoptable pups tomorrow!” [Fairfax County Animal Shelter/Twitter]
Fairfax Man Arrested for Assaulting Lyft Driver — “The complainant, a Lyft driver, reported that his passenger assaulted and strangled him. [A 35-year-old Fairfax resident] was arrested and charged with Strangulation of Another, Simple Assault and Public Intoxication. [He] was transported to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center where he is being held without bond.” [Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office]
Reston Woman Hikes Entire Appalachian Trail — “Cris Howard wanted everything the Appalachian Trail had to offer. The long trek, the unforgiving terrain and the adventure. The Reston…resident completed the 2,190-mile grueling hike a few weeks ago. The unexpected lessons learned along the way are priceless, she said.” [WTOP]
Texas Software Company Opens Tysons Office — “Octaria Software is focused on helping businesses, from the very seedlings of startups to established small and medium-sized ventures, to effectively go digital.” Last month, the Houston-based company opened a second physical office in Tysons, which Director of Product Management Matthew Lowinger calls “the tech capital of D.C.” [Innovation Map]
New Director Appointed to Reston Association Board — “Margaret Perry has been appointed to the Reston Association Board of Directors by Category B members as the Apartment Owners’ representative. Perry, who previously served on the Board as the Hunters Woods/Dogwood District representative, officially joined the Board effective October 19. She will complete the term of Mike Collins, who resigned from the Board in September.” [RA]
Record Turnout for Mount Vernon Bicycle Ride — “Ideal fall weather conditions prevailed Oct. 21 for the 2023 Tour de Mount Vernon bike ride, which…allowed cyclists to ride on the temporarily shut down southern George Washington Memorial Parkway. Around 550 cyclists signed up for the eighth annual event, according to Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck’s office — the largest turnout to date.” [On the MoVe]
It’s Tuesday — Frost is expected to clear before 10am, leading to a sunny day with a high around 67 degrees. Calm winds will pick up to 5-8 mph from the south in the morning. Tuesday night will be clear with a low near 47 degrees and a gentle 6 mph south wind. [Weather.gov]
Accompanied by urban park amenities like seating and public art, the “Connector Courtyard” will provide a much-needed connection from Old Dominion to Elm Street between Moyer Place and Beverly Road, Rosati said.
“That is a superblock. It’s a very long walk to go all the way around, and this cuts through the middle of the block,” she said, noting that the Elm Street end of the pathway is directly across from a park associated with The Signet condominiums.
The pathway was designed in coordination with Mars, which plans to provide an adjacent 1,850-square-foot, publicly accessible pocket park as part of its expansion project.
“There’ll be a combined nice, wide open space on the Old Dominion side,” Rosati said. “[Mars] also pulled their building back from the common boundary by about 6 feet so it’ll create more breathing room for that pedestrian midblock connection.”
The Astoria will also have plazas on the southwest corner along Old Dominion and the northeast corner along Elm Street, resulting in a total of 14,810 square feet, or 0.34 acres, of park space. Two private courtyards and multiple rooftop terraces will be available to residents.
Though she didn’t take issue with this particular project, Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina observed that it continues a trend of developers including spruced-up sidewalks and other right-of-way elements in their urban park space calculations.
“I don’t want the creep of the urban parks just to keep whittling down until it’s just the side of a building,” she said.
County staff said in a report that the amount of urban parkland proposed is “deficient,” but they were satisfied by the quality of the proposed spaces.
“This has always been a battle,” Cathy Lewis, the zoning evaluation branch chief for the Department of Planning and Development, said. “…In Tysons, the quantity that was generated, there’s no way you could achieve that on the site. Sometimes, it was half the site, so you look to try to do it by quality.”
Hunter Mill District Commissioner John Carter suggested reviewing the urban parks standards at a future meeting of the commission’s urban development and placemaking committee, which he chairs.
“It seems like the commercial standards are teeny-tiny and the residential ones are quite large,” he said. “Sometimes they go in the right of way, sometimes they’re going on the roof. I think it’s not working well. I’m not criticizing this project, but I think we should look at this.”
The mental health crisis is costing the Northern Virginia region $8 billion a year in unrealized economic output, according to a new report from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia.
The report from the foundation’s research arm, Insight Region, found that the economic loss caused by mental health has quadrupled since 2019, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic that began in early 2020.
In 2019, worker mental health issues cost the region about 1% in productivity – the equivalent of $2.1 billion – in potential gross regional product (GRP). About 11% of working adults were experiencing mild anxiety or depression in that timeframe.
However, during the pandemic, more than half of all workers reported levels of anxiety or depression. As of May 2023, that statistic held with 53% of the workforce struggling.
The elevated levels of mental health needs caused productivity losses to increase by 2.1 percentage points – or over $8 billion in potential GRP each year, according to the report.
Millions of Americans exited the workforce over the last three years, and one in four blamed their departure on mental health, the report says. That lost employment negatively impacts more than just the worker and their family.
“It also affects team members who must compensate for the lost output; employers who bear the cost of recruiting, hiring, and onboarding new staff; and the local economy in unrealized gross regional product,” the report said.
Most workers with anxiety and depression stay on the job, meaning some of the lost productivity can be attributed to absenteeism and presenteeism – or an employee who is technically on the job but not engaged. This lack of engagement can often result in procrastination and missed deadlines.
Overall, for every worker with a mental health need, their team can expect total productivity to decline by 5% to 13%, or two to five lost hours in a 40-hour work week, according to the report.
“These behaviors can lead to a precipitous decline in productivity, at rates far higher than other conditions,” the report said.
The Community Foundation collaborated on the research with George Mason University. Keith Waters, assistant director at the university’s Center for Regional Analysis, presented the findings [earlier this month] during an event at the foundation’s headquarters in Fairfax.
Waters said the research showed that as mental health issues become more severe, so do productivity losses.
“As you go from sort of no mental health issues to more severe mental health issues, your productivity losses become more severe, you miss work more and then your presenteeism issues become more severe,” he added.
Waters noted that measuring productivity loss is difficult, especially in the professional and business services industries, which saw the greatest economic losses. Almost half of those workers reported struggling with mental health, with that industry recording a $2.3 billion loss in 2022.
The report noted that sectors with the highest level of need — including education and health services, trade, transportation and utilities — had rates of anxiety and depression in excess of 60% and also saw heavy losses in productivity.
Waters said if workers were more productive, the state would collect more taxes and be better equipped to support mental health needs.
“It would improve quality of life generally because you could provide other support,” he said.
To address the increase in anxiety and depression, the report says understanding the causes is imperative.
The report lists burnout at work and home and income insecurity as examples of stressors that contribute to anxiety and depression. And inadequate social support and self-support can contribute to a diminished ability to cope with those stresses.
“An individual’s ability to cope with stressors plays a crucial role in their mental health and is influenced in part by the strength and quality of their relationships (including those individuals’ ability to talk about and respond to a mental health challenge) and the individual’s ability to care for their own wellbeing,” the report reads.
Suggestions in addressing the mental health needs of workers include employers tackling mental health challenges through employee support programs and changes to workplace culture and policies.
“Helping workers minimize and manage stress – not just from occupational burnout, but from the strain of also being a parent, provider, student and caregiver – could be key to enhancing the region’s economic competitiveness,” the report states.
Photo via Elisa Ventur/Unsplash. This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
There will be a chill in the air tomorrow (Tuesday) morning — and it’s not just because Halloween will only be a week away.
A Frost Advisory is set to take effect for portions of Maryland and Virginia, including Fairfax County, from 2-10 a.m., the National Weather Service announced today.
“Temperatures as low as 33 will result in frost formation,” the NWS said, warning that the frost could be fatal to sensitive outdoor vegetation.
The agency advises covering plants or taking other steps to protect them from the cold.
For Fairfax County, the NWS is currently forecasting “patchy frost” for tomorrow, likely between 4 and 9 a.m. Temperatures could range from a low of 35 degrees to a high of 67.
However, a warming trend is anticipated later in the week, according to the NWS and the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang. The forecast shows temperatures climbing to a high of 78 degrees on Friday (Oct. 27).
Looking into the slightly more distant future, the NWS projects that the D.C. area will get another mild winter, though emerging El Niño weather patterns could bring the snowstorm that was absent last year, according to the Capital Weather Gang.
Photo via Ralph Katieb/Unsplash
A McLean woman died Saturday (Oct. 21) after crashing into another car while driving in the Capital Beltway (I-495) Express Lanes.
According to state police, Annette M. Ozaltin, 44, was heading south in the northbound I-495 toll lanes when her 2013 Toyota Prius struck a northbound 2018 Chevrolet Cruze head-on around 2:07 a.m.
“The impact of the crash caused the Toyota to spin around, run off the left side of the interstate and strike the cement Jersey wall,” the Virginia State Police said in a news release last night (Sunday).
The crash occurred in Annandale near the 51-mile marker, just south of the Gallows Road interchange.
Ozaltin was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where she died from her injuries that morning.
The Chevrolet driver has been identified as 34-year-old Stephanie Leiva from Dumfries. She was transported to a hospital “for treatment of serious injuries,” police said.
Both women were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, according to police.
“The crash remains under investigation,” the VSP said.
This appears to be the 32nd fatal crash to occur within Fairfax County this year and the fourth on I-495, according to state data. As of last night, October fatalities, including Saturday’s crash and a hit-and-run that killed a pedestrian on Richmond Highway on Oct. 6, haven’t yet been counted in the Department of Motor Vehicles database.
Annandale: NB 495 (Inner Loop) just south of Gallows Rd, two left lanes and the express lanes are closed due to a crash. Reconstruction is on scene. Expect delays. pic.twitter.com/HcxEtiV0Le
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) October 21, 2023
Officer Who Shot Timothy Johnson Appears in Court — “A former Fairfax County, Virginia, police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man suspected of shoplifting from the Tysons Corner Center mall has made his first court appearance on charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a firearm.” [WTOP]
McLean Road Reopens After Water Main Break — “Kirby Rd has been repaired and is now open.” Often used by commuters in McLean, the road closed between Sugarstone Court and Claiborne Drive on Friday (Oct. 20) after a water main break resulted in flooding and extensive damage. [VDOT/Twitter]
Police Investigate Armed Carjacking — “Officers are investigating a carjacking in the 2400 blk of Midtown Ave, Huntington. 3 men displayed a firearm and stole a 2023 White Chevy Malibu. The victims were not injured and the suspects left the area.” [FCPD/Twitter]
Reston Community Center Adds Mobile Services — “The Reston Community Center has long been known as a hub for cultural and recreational activities in Reston. Now, it’s taking its programming on the road with the launch of a new department focused on offsite and collaboration initiatives.” [Fairfax County Government]
Fairfax County Developments Among Biggest in N. Va. — “Gigantic mixed-use projects around Metro — not least along the expanding Silver Line — continue to dominate Northern Virginia’s development scene.” The biggest ones in the works include The Boro in Tysons, Halley Rise in Reston, Reston Station and the planned Converge development at the West Falls Church Metro station. [Washington Business Journal]
Young Athletes Awarded by County — “Youth sports athletes, coaches and parents were honored on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023 at the annual Stephen A. McLaughlin Champions of Character Awards at the Fairfax County Government Center. The annual awards…honor county youth, coaches and parents in each magisterial district for extraordinary service in pursuing victory with honor on and off the field of competition.” [Neighborhood and Community Services]
Funding Approved to Support Dulles Snow Removal — “Authority board members on Oct. 18 awarded Eastern Salt Co. the contract to provide sodium chloride — known to its close friends as salt — for use in future snow-and-ice-removal efforts on roadways at Washington Dulles International Airport and on the Dulles Toll Road.” [Gazette Leader]
New 5K Race Planned at Lake Accotink — “Lace up your running shoes and join the Friends of Lake Accotink Park (FLAP) for a wild, fun-filled adventure at the first-annual Beaver Boogie 5K Fun Run/Walk! This fantastic event is set to take place on Sunday, Nov. 26, at scenic Lake Accotink Park. The race will begin at 10 a.m.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]
It’s Monday — Expect sunny skies and a high of around 63 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind at 8 to 13 mph, gusting up to 18 mph. Night will be mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 40 degrees. A 6 mph north wind will calm as the evening progresses. [Weather.gov]
Halfway through Virginia’s review of whether millions of Medicaid enrollees are still eligible for coverage after the pandemic, nearly 160,000 Virginians have lost coverage — roughly 15% of the over 1 million members whose cases have been reviewed so far.
For the past three years, anyone who was enrolled in Medicaid was allowed to keep their coverage regardless of whether or not they still met eligibility requirements like income level. Now that the COVID-19 federal public health emergency is over, the Department of Medical Assistance Services is carrying out a redetermination — or “unwinding” — process to decide which members no longer qualify.
DMAS Director Cheryl Roberts and Deputy of Administration Sarah Hatton told the House Appropriations Committee this week that there are three main reasons why enrollees are losing coverage: They have gotten access to insurance or higher income through a new job, they have transitioned to coverage through the federal marketplace or they have encountered procedural problems like not responding or submitting renewal packets to the state on time.
DMAS’ eligibility redetermination tracker indicates that 32% of people who have lost coverage in Virginia as of October lost it for procedural reasons rather than ineligibility.
Even though DMAS and the Department of Social Services have been planning for Medicaid redetermination since 2020, Roberts admitted Monday the process has been a learning curve, especially when coupled with the state’s Medicaid expansion in 2019.
“Most members had never went through a redetermination, and also because we had turnover at the localities, most workers had never done a redetermination,” Roberts said.
Hatton told the Mercury DMAS is working to reduce the amount of procedural terminations by coordinating with the health plans that call, text, email and send letters to enrollees two months before their renewal is due. Health plans also try to touch base with enrollees during a 90-day grace period following their coverage termination.
DMAS Public Relations Coordinator Mary Olivia Rentner told the Mercury enrollees can fill out the renewal packet on their CommonHelp account online.
Additionally, Hatton said enrollees can call Cover VA to complete their renewal over the phone and check its status. Enrollees can also check their status by calling their local Department of Social Services. The department launched outreach campaigns a year before redetermination started to remind members to update their address and contact information, she noted.
“Across the country that’s one of the biggest concerns, is that we don’t know where folks are anymore,” Hatton said.
Hatton admitted there have been cases of mail delays where enrollees didn’t receive their renewal packets on time to submit them before their coverage ended. She also said she has heard of instances in which enrollees found out they no longer had coverage at a doctor’s appointment.
“For those individuals that are encountering that, call Cover VA,” Hatton said. “We can put them back, and we can even do coverage retroactive three months.”
The retroactive coverage — permitted in Virginia through a federal waiver — only applies to those who are still eligible for Medicaid.
There is also an escalation route to get quick assistance to people who need critical care like chemotherapy but weren’t aware their coverage ended, Hatton said.
Hatton said enrollees looking to check their redetermination date can call Cover VA or their provider. Enrollees are currently unable to check the date on their CommonHelp account online, as Hatton said the system is undergoing upgrades to make it more user friendly.
“It is the best practice for enrollees to call Cover VA to check their redetermination date,” Rentner said. “The state partnered with Medicaid providers to give them access to the redetermination date should a member ask for that information.”
Roberts emphasized that any member who has questions or needs assistance should call Cover VA.
Cover VA’s website is https://coverva.dmas.virginia.gov/ and phone number is 1-855-242-8282 (TTY: 1-888-221-1590) and language assistance services are available free of charge.
Photo via Online Marketing/Unsplash. This article was reported and written by the Virginia Mercury, and has been reprinted with permission.
Kirby Road in McLean has caved in after a water main break (via FCPD/Twitter)
A key commuter road in McLean could be closed for days after getting seriously damaged by a water main break this morning (Friday).
Police officers responded to Kirby Road around 4:45 a.m., shutting down both lanes between Sugarstone Court and Claiborne Drive. A video shared by the Fairfax County Police Department shows water gushing up onto the asphalt roadway, buckling what appears to be the southbound lane.
Fairfax Water says it received reports from customers around 1400 Kirby Road that they had lost water service. A total of 18 homes have been affected, according to public information officer Jesse Aranda.
“This outage has been identified as a water main break and our crews and technicians are working on resolving the break as soon as possible,” the utility company said in an alert on its website. “We ask that affected customers watch social media and our main website to receive the latest updates regarding the progress of the main break repair.”
The “extensive damage” to Kirby Road “is estimated to take several days to repair,” the FCPD said, advising drivers to “plan accordingly” and avoid the area.
Update: The water main break caused extensive damage to the road which is estimated to take several days to repair. Please plan accordingly and continue to avoid the area. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/Rdnsg09vft
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 20, 2023
Aranda didn’t have an estimate for how long the repairs will take, but he said Fairfax Water teams are “going in right now” to restore service to the affected homes.
‘We’re going to try to take care of it as soon as possible,” Aranda told FFXnow, noting that the utility is taking into account that Kirby Road is heavily used by commuters.
While the exact cause of this rupture isn’t known yet, water main breaks are usually the result of wear and tear on aging pipes, Aranda says. Per Fairfax Water, freezing or severe weather, soil conditions, ground movement and construction can also be contributing factors.
He says Fairfax Water is working to upgrade its pipes as they get older, but with more than 4,000 miles of main in the county, it’s a long process. The company’s new pipes are made out of ductile iron, a stronger and more durable material.
“It’s something we work on over time,” Aranda said. “And then, we replace it with something…that’s going to last a very long time.”
A Maryland man arrested in Tysons last week may be behind multiple burglaries in the Tysons and Reston areas, police say.
Officers encountered the man on Oct. 13 inside a building in the 8200 block of Greensboro Drive in Tysons after they were called there for a commercial burglary around 6:30 p.m., the Fairfax County Police Department reported yesterday (Thursday).
“[The man] was found in possession of burglarious tools, including screwdrivers, and a collection of stolen property,” police said.
The FCPD didn’t detail what kind of property had been stolen or the business that was targeted. Located northeast of The Boro, the 8200 block of Greensboro Drive is filled with office buildings.
Detectives have found “physical and video evidence” connecting the man to “a series of burglaries spanning across the Reston and McLean” police districts, according to the FCPD.
“Detectives are reaching out to the community, urging residents to come forward if they can identify [the man] or recall seeing him inside any other businesses,” the police department said.
The FCPD advises anyone with information to contact its detectives with the McLean station at 703-893-0886 or the Reston station at 703-478-0904. The department also accepts anonymous tips through Crime Solvers, which can be reached by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477) or online.
Court records indicate that the man is facing charges for the Oct. 13 incident as well as offenses on May 19 and Oct. 3. The charges include misdemeanor petit larcenies, along with possession of burglary tools and breaking and entering to commit burglary, which are felonies.
The man has been released from custody on a $1,000 bond, according to police. He’s scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 16, per Fairfax County General District Court records.
Homebuilder Arrested for Defrauding N. Va. Families — “Fairfax County Police confirmed to WUSA9, Craig Tadlock with T&S Homebuilders was arrested Thursday morning after several Northern Virginia families came forward alleging the homebuilder took their money and failed to successfully build their new homes, claims which the builder denies.” [WUSA9]
School Board Member Harassed While Campaigning — “Fairfax County School Board member Ricardy Anderson (Mason) says she was verbally assaulted while campaigning for re-election…Anderson had just pulled into a townhouse community on Meeting House Road in Lincolnia with plans to canvass voters when a large man approached her on the sidewalk and started screaming at her.” [Annandale Today]
Inova Adds Health Clinics in Mount Vernon — The Inova Cares Clinic for Families (ICCF) and Inova Juniper Program (IJP) celebrated their grand openings Wednesday (Oct. 18) at the Mount Vernon Professional Center. ICCF offers primary care to Medicaid recipients, people who are uninsured and other underserved patients, while IJP is “Northern Virginia’s largest provider of HIV/AIDS care.” [On the MoVe]
Daily Mexico City Flights Coming to Dulles — “Mexico’s return to the highest Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety level is likely to aid the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s efforts to lure additional traffic to and from the U.S.’s neighbor to its south…Aeromexico has announced plans to bring daily service from Mexico City to Washington Dulles International Airport starting next year.” [Gazette Leader]
Man Robbed in Dunn Loring After Visiting Casino — “An adult man was followed home from a Maryland casino when he was approached at gunpoint and robbed in Fairfax County. Police responded to the area of 8100 block of Timber Valley Court for the report of an armed robbery 10:30 p.m. According to police, the suspect assaulted the victim and then stole his money.” [FOX5]
Longtime Reston Dancer to Retire — “Gin Dance Company (GDC)…stands at a bittersweet crossroads as it announces the forthcoming retirement of its Artistic Director, Shu-Chen Cuff, from the stage. After an illustrious career spanning 27 years as a professional dancer, Shu-Chen Cuff will gracefully take her final bow in GDC’s mesmerizing production ‘Insight’ on November 11, 2023, at Capital One Hall.” [DC Theater Arts]
Fire Department Promotes New Deputy Chief — “Fire Chief John Butler is pleased to announce the promotion of Battalion Chief Brian Edmonston to Deputy Chief with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, effective November 4, 2023. He will be assigned to the Fire and Rescue Training Academy.” [FCFRD]
N. Va. General Assembly Elections to Watch — “With so many districts falling into either solidly-blue Democratic or reliably-red Republican territory, there are only a handful of tossup seats…that could end up deciding which party controls the General Assembly. In Northern Virginia, analysts and observers are closely watching districts in outlying Loudoun and Prince Williams counties, as well as Stafford County.” [WTOP]
It’s Friday — Expect showers later in the afternoon, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 69. For Friday night, there is a possibility of showers and thunderstorms, a mostly cloudy sky, and a low around 51. The chance of precipitation is 50%. [Weather.gov]
