Early voting for November 8 Congressional Midterm Elections is underway. There are 16 early voting locations in the County including the Providence Community Center and Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library. Early voting is open until November 5th.

If you missed the deadline to register or update your voter registration, same day registration is now an option in Virginia.

The Virginia Department of Elections unexpectedly sent Fairfax County 11,000 voter registration applications on October 31st. These applications were from people who registered to vote at the Department of Motor Vehicles this summer. Immediately after receiving the new 11,000 DMV registration applications, the Fairfax County Office of Elections began work to process them. As of today, our elections staff have processed these voter registration applications. Big thanks to our elections team!

Check your registration status on the state’s online portal or call the Fairfax County Office of Elections at 703-222-0776, TTY 711.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have provided some protections for certain youth due to increased time at home and more family support and supervision. While for others, the pandemic may have heightened stressors and risk factors. Based on the 2021-2022 Fairfax County Youth Survey data, this newly published report addresses students’ experience with mental health issues, risk behaviors and other challenges during the pandemic, including disproportionate levels of risks on vulnerable and marginalized populations.

Read the report for more information and available resources.

Learn more about the Youth Survey Results here.

With COVID-19 vaccines now widely available at pharmacies, urgent care centers and medical providers throughout the community, clinics located at the Government Center and Hyland South County Center are scheduled to scale back their hours of operation. Starting the week of November 7th, both vaccination sites will be open for three days each week. View the hours of operation here.

At Tuesday's Board meeting, the Board designated November 13-19 as Transgender Awareness Week, designated November 15 as Fairfax Recycle Day, and recognized 21 of the County's nonprofit partners for their contributions during the pandemic.

I presented the following Board Matters:

The Board approved the following administrative items:

The Board approved the following action items:

The Board held public hearings and approved:

On Tuesday, November 15th from 7-8:30pm, I will be hosting Round Two of the Older Adults Roundtable which will be focused on transportation services and resources for older adults in Fairfax County. The event will be streamed live on Channel 16 and Facebook Live, and Spanish and Mandarin translations will be provided.

If you have any questions, please contact my office at [email protected] or 703-560-6946.

The Oakton Pantry, located at Oakton High School, helps Oakton High School students and families in need with providing non-perishable food, personal hygiene items, household cleaning products and school supplies.

The winter is an especially busy time for the Pantry and this year, they are seeing a record number of students visit the Pantry on a weekly basis. Since 2016, the Oakton Pantry has coordinated Thanksgiving meals for local families in need. They currently need 150 meals. If you can, please consider signing up to donate food. You can sign up to donate a Thanksgiving Meal Package or Grocery Store gift cards here.

Pumpkin Palooza runs until November 13th.

You also can take them to Fairfax County Farmers Markets that accept food scraps.

Doors opening! The Silver Line Extension will officially open for customers on Tuesday, November 15th. The Extension includes six new Metrorail stations (Reston Town Center, Herndon, Innovation Center, Washington Dulles International Airport, Loudoun Gateway, and Ashburn).

Load your SmartTrip® card, study the new Metro system map, and be sure you are signed up for updates.

Get ready for all six closed Blue and Yellow line stations to reopen this Sunday, November 6th.

The Blue and Yellow Line Express and Local shuttles will be discontinued since rail service will be available at all stations. WMATA will continue to provide three limited-stop DC-VA shuttles crossing the Potomac River during weekday rush hours. For more information, view the map.

Parking and Service Changes Beginning November 6th:

The transition from summer to fall means many changes in road conditions. These include slick roads due to rain and slippery streets lined with wet leaves or foliage which clog drainage structures and create standing water on roadways. The amount of daylight decreases through autumn and winter which means we will spend more time driving in the dark. This extended time of darkness in the morning and the evening makes it challenging to see pedestrians and bikers, so be especially vigilant in sharing the road.

It doesn't matter whether the road is familiar or not, driving at night is always more dangerous. Even with high-beam headlights on, visibility is limited to about 500 feet (250 feet for normal headlights) creating reduced time to react to something in the road, especially when driving at higher speeds.

The final update to the PLUS platform went live on Monday, October 31st with the delivery of over 100 additional records for customers doing business with Land Development Services, Planning and Development, Code Compliance, Environmental Health, and Fire and Rescue. 

Applications are open again for Fairfax non-profit arts organizations for the use of Capital One Hall. Detailed information about this opportunity including fees and technical specifications is available on their website.

Submit your application by December 1st.

On Thursday, November 10 from 6pm to 7pm, a community meeting will be held to learn more about the Dunn Loring re-purposing project, a Fairfax County Public Schools capital project funded by a voter-approved bond referendum. During this meeting, you will learn more about the project and design process to date and have an opportunity to share your views on the project and design process. Public feedback will be shared with the Fairfax County Planning Commission, Board of Supervisors, School Board, and FCPS staff on the community’s view of the project and design process to date. Please be aware that this stage in the design and construction process, no major changes may be made but small adjustments may be considered.

The November 10 community meeting will be a hybrid event, allowing participants to choose to attend in person at the Gatehouse Administrative Center (8115 Gatehouse Road, Falls Church) or virtually via Zoom. Language interpretation will be provided based on the availability of interpretation staff.

For more information, click here.

GIVE Tutoring is a student-run non-profit organization that provides free tutoring for elementary school students by high school volunteers on Saturdays during the school year. This is a partnership between GIVE Tutoring and Oakton Library. The first GIVE Tutoring session at Oakton Library is November 5th. The next two sessions are scheduled for December 10th and 17th.

To register an elementary aged student for tutoring or for high school student volunteers who wish to tutor, sign up using the registration forms.

On Thursday, November 3rd at 7PM, AARP will share a framework to help you make plans to care for friends, family members, or loved ones. Learn about resources available to you and your loved ones, connect with other family caregivers, and exchange tips and advice. Participants will receive a complimentary copy of AARP’s Prepare to Care Guide.

To register or get more information, click here.

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

More information can be found on the History Commission website.

Registration for classes will open Friday, November 4 - Friday, November 18. Spots fill up quickly!

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. 

When: Thursday, November 10 at 11am

Where: Capital One Hall, 7750 Capital One Tower Rd, Tysons, VA, 22102

The International Mayan League, Northern Virginia Family Service, and the Fairfax Out of School Time Network are hosting a webinar on working with indigenous Mayan youth, particularly those who were unaccompanied when they came to the US. This webinar will be on Thursday, November 10 from 10:30AM to noon with English and Spanish interpretation available.

To register or get more information, click here. Please complete this survey prior to the meeting.

Leadership Fairfax is holding a two-day Youth Leadership Network Conference on Friday, November 11th and Saturday, November 12th at Virginia Tech Northern Virginia Center, free for all Fairfax County youth ages 12–22. The conference will provide opportunities for Fairfax youth to connect with other young leaders, learn about new topics and expand their knowledge of leadership skills they can use in school, at clubs and on councils.

The conference theme of Meta Leadership aims to support students to increase their self-awareness, learn how to work better with others and explore topics important to them.

Sessions will be facilitated by expert trainers and coaches in partnership with Leadership Fairfax. Breakfast and Lunch are included both days.

For more information or to register, click here.

Join the Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax at its 2022 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, December 7 from 2PM to 4:15PM. Hear about the Partnership’s accomplishments in 2022 as well as what’s ahead for 2023 (hint: 2023 is the year they develop the next Community Health improvement Plan!).

The educational program will feature the 2021 study, Deeply Rooted: History’s Lesson for Equity in Northern Virginia by Steven Woolf, MD, MPH, Director Emeritus of the VCU Center on Society and Health. The discussion will include how the long history of exclusion and segregation in Northern Virginia has harmed the health of residents of some communities and concentrated wealth and opportunity for others. It will also address how the Partnership can address these issues going forward.

To get more details and register, click here.