Early Voting for November 8 Congressional Midterm Elections is underway. Currently, the following locations are open for early voting on weekdays until October 27:

An additional 13 early voting locations will be offered beginning October 27 including the Providence Community Center and Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library. Weekday voting hours at these locations will be from 1pm to 7pm.

The deadline to register to vote is Monday, October 17. You may register or check on your registration status here.

At Tuesday's meeting, the Board recognized the members of the Longfellow Middle School Quiz Bowl team for their outstanding accomplishments and designated October 9-15, 2022 as Fire Prevention Week.

The Board also designated September 15-October 15, 2022 as Hispanic Heritage Month. I am honored, as the first Latina on this Board, to have presented this proclamation alongside Chairman McKay to several nonprofit organizations that support our Hispanic American community and partner with the County to make sure that Fairfax is a place where everyone can live, work, play and thrive.

A public hearing was held on the County and Schools' FY 2022 Carryover Review to amend the appropriation level in the FY 2023 revised budget plan.

I presented the following Board Matters:

The materials and recording of the meeting can be accessed on the County website.

Since 2005, the Fairfax County Hypothermia Prevention Program has prevented death and serious injuries among people experiencing homelessness by ensuring that no one sleeps outside during the winter months. This program - available to any adult in need of immediate shelter - provides warm shelter, food, and other supportive services to help connect guests to a variety of basic needs such as clothing, employment, housing, and more. It remains a highly effective partnership between government, nonprofits, and the faith community. The program will open every day, countywide on December 1, 2022, and ends the morning of April 1, 2023.

Overflow shelter capacity in the year-round adult shelters will be available each night starting November 15, 2022. Before that date and after April 1, the shelters activate overflow capacity during extreme weather events and unseasonably high or low temperatures. Overflow shelter capacity is limited.

Do you have thoughts on the county’s new, proposed Affordable Housing Preservation Comprehensive Plan policy? If so, remember to submit your comments by 4:30pm on October 28.The proposed policy was drafted to help preserve existing affordable rental housing, throughout the County and seeks one-for-one replacement of existing affordable units in locations where redevelopment occurs.

We encourage you to review the proposed Affordable Housing Preservation policy and submit your feedback through the online comment form. For more information, visit the plan amendment policy webpage.

Vacuum leaf collection will begin on October 31 and end in mid-January 2023, weather permitting.

to property owners installing eligible stormwater control practices. These practices can be installed in areas of your yard where problems like erosion, poor drainage, or poor vegetation occur. More information can be found online.

Fairfax County Innovation Challenge is seeking teams to produce high-impact solutions to address carbon neutrality and clean energy in Fairfax County. The goal of the Challenge is to find, and ultimately pilot, innovative solutions that improve energy efficiency, increase the use of renewable electricity, or accelerate the use of electric vehicles. All teams—from college students and start-ups to entrepreneurs and technologists—are welcome to apply.

A panel of smart city experts will assess each entry based on the significance of innovation; regional impact; practicality and scalability; and equity and inclusivity of their solution. The winning team will have an opportunity to pilot their solution in Fairfax County, Virginia’s largest county. The pilot opened with a team Q & A session on September 15th and closes on October 19th with a live pitch event.

Questions? Email [email protected]

More information and registration can be found here.

Metro is going on the road with Better Bus, a new initiative to rethink, redesign, and revitalize bus service. In a bold inaugural effort to redesign the current bus network, Metro is holding events across the region to hear from customers and the community. Together with Metro, customers will shape the future of bus service.

This month, Metro launched the first phase of community-focused outreach, including approximately two dozen public events over five weeks and an online survey. 

More information and upcoming events can be found here.

The Fairfax Symphony will kick off its 65th Anniversary season this Saturday, October 15 at 8pm at Capital One Hall. For more details and to purchase tickets, click here.

I am excited to share that I will be attending as a guest conductor! You may view a sneak peak of my training session with Maestro Chris Zimmerman here.

The Tysons Corner Center will be hosting a FREE Fall Festival on The Plaza on Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16 from 10am to 6pm. This is a family and pet-friendly event. Pets are allowed on The Plaza. No pets are allowed in the mall.

RSVP to enter to win giveaways and prizes from Tysons Corner Center.

Join the Victim Services Division of the Fairfax County Police Department for their 15th Annual K9 Krawll! Bring your canines on Saturday, October 15 at 9am to the Fairfax County Public Safety Headquarters for a walk to bring awareness to the link between domestic violence and animal cruelty. This yearly walk also helps honor victims past and present, with paws and with feet.

For more information or to register, click here.

Join AARP Virginia for their "Retirement Planning: Strategies for Today and Tomorrow" webinar on Tuesday, October 18 at 7pm. Take charge of your financial future! Retirement planning doesn’t have to be daunting. Learn tips for determining if you are on track to meet your nest-egg goals and practical strategies to help you achieve peace of mind. This event is FREE, but registration is REQUIRED.

The free webinar will cover how you can: 

To get more information or to register, click here or contact AARP at: [email protected]

Inova is offering a free Stop the Bleed workshop at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus on October 19 from 6pm to 7:30pm 

The #StopTheBleed course is designed for community members, so you can be prepared if you ever find yourself at the scene of an emergency. Join this in-person skills training workshop to learn the difference between bleeding and life-threatening blood loss, and how to react to both. 

To learn more and register, click here.

The Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) will host a Northern Virginia Recreational Trails Summit on Thursday, October 20 from 10am to 2:30pm at 3040 Williams Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax VA 22031. This will be a working meeting to identify opportunities to create connections and improve communities through recreational trails in Northern Virginia.

To learn more about NVRC and to register for the summit, click here.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) has rescheduled two community meetings - one in person and one virtual - to present updates on the West Falls Church (WFC) Active Transportation Study. The meetings that had been scheduled for Monday, Oct. 3 and Tuesday, Oct. 4 have been moved to Wednesday, October 26 at 7:30pm (virtual) and Thursday, October 27 at 7pm (in person at Longfellow Middle School Cafeteria).

For more information about the project and community meetings, please visit the project website.

You are invited to the Providence Community Day on Saturday, October 29 from 11am to 3pm to enjoy food, games, cake walk, photobooth, pumpkin painting, and more!

The doors to the Providence Haunted House will be wide open from 2pm to 6pm so get ready to be spooked! Entry fee will be a canned or non-perishable donation. An adult must accompany children younger than 12 years old.

For more details, call 703-865-0520.

Calling all Halloween fans! Mark your calendar for Halloweekend at The Perch on October 29 — costume party featuring live music and seasonal beverages at Starr Hill Tysons, spooky golf at Perch Putt, pumpkin painting, adoptable dogs, Hocus Pocus on the big screen and more!

Guests are encouraged to bring their furry besties in costumes and meet Lucky Dog Animal Rescue adoptable pups. Family-centric activities run from 12pm to 6pm & once the sun sets the ghostly vibes and spooky characters come out! Prizes will be awarded during their costume contests.

For more information and to register, click here.

Celebrate Halloween on Halloween at The PARC at Tysons from 4pm to 7pm! Dress up and get in the spirit. Face painting, balloon twisting, mad science activities, and of course candy and other treats!

Please join the History Commission for the 18th annual Fairfax County History Conference - We Are Fairfax County - on Saturday, November 5, from 8:30am to 3:30pm.

More information can be found on the History Commission website.

Crisp fall days and Mason’s fall sporting events have returned. Mason Nation can cheer on the Patriots in a variety of sports this fall: men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, cross country, golf, and men’s and women’s tennis.

For more information including schedules, rosters, ticketing, and more, please vising GMU's website.

Saturday, October 29 is National Drug Take Back Day! Safely dispose of your unused or expired medications at any of the locations below between 10am and 2pm. 

For more information about the Drug Take Back Initiative, click here.

You'll find bargain prices on unique ceramic pieces at NOVA's Pottery sale on Wednesday, November 9 at the Annandale Campus of the Northern Virginia Community College, on the patio outside the CA Building main level, 9:30am to 3pm.