Yesterday, Governor Youngkin signed into law a bill, effective March 1, which will end local school districts' ability to protect the health of their students, staff, and broader community from a COVID-19 resurgence or deadly future variant through a universal mask requirement.

As Omicron cases recede rapidly and we approach "moderate" transmission rates, both Fairfax County Public Schools and the Fairfax County government have policies in place to make mask-wearing optional in schools and government buildings. These policies are based on CDC measures of community transmission and transparent metrics established by local officials who understand their communities, which is how such decisions should be made.

The new law will prevent local school districts from implementing mask requirements, even in the case of a dramatic COVID-19 resurgence or a new variant that poses a greater risk to children. Instead, Fairfax families would have to rely on the part-time legislature returning to Richmond and reaching a bipartisan agreement to repeal the new law. One thing we've learned throughout the pandemic is that the virus moves fast. I'm not confident that Richmond would in this scenario.

If you're off work for Presidents' Day next Monday, I hope you'll spend some time helping us clean up our beautiful community.

A clean-up event for Americana Drive in Annandale is scheduled for Presidents' Monday, February 21, from 10:00 a.m. through 1:00 p.m. As usual, the sign-in tent and supplies will be at the corner of Patriot & Americana Drive. Click here to sign up.

Farther west in Braddock District, the Friends of Royal Lake and the Kings Park West Citizens Association will be hosting a park visit and cleanup event at Crooked Creek Park. Meet February 21, 9:00 a.m. at Commonwealth Blvd and Crooked Creek Park. Supplies will be provided. Click here for more information.

A reminder that next Tuesday, February 22, at 3:30 p.m., there will be a public hearing to consider amendments to the Fairfax County Code to require property owners to contain running bamboo on their properties and to establish civil penalties for the failure to do so.

If you would like to provide testimony in person, in writing, on the phone, or by video for this upcoming public hearing, please sign up in advance. Learn more on how to share your thoughts on Fairfax County's website.

The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for tonight into early Friday, with sustained winds of 20-30 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects and cause power outages.

 

Dominion Energy:

If your power goes out, use your phone, or a laptop connected to a hotspot network, to report your outage and to get updates on their progress on restoring service. You can report any downed power lines or outages through Dominion Energy's voice response system at 1 (866) 366-4357.

Novec:

You can report a power outage online or call (703) 335-0500.

Continue reading below for more information on:

Supervisor James Walkinshaw

The third annual Fairfax County Public Library Staff Excellence Awards are here! Staff at the Fairfax County Public Library have done it all during the pandemic - providing direct public service in branches, supporting community health efforts, pivoting to virtual services and much more. Show them some love by nominating individual employees for a Staff Excellence award. The Library Board of Trustees sponsors this program which has annually garnered more than 100 nominations for the wonderful people who work in our libraries. Nominations can be submitted online or in person between now and February 28. The Library Board will recognize winners at their March 9 virtual board meeting. You can find our more information online or reach out to library staff directly at wwwlib@fairfaxcounty.gov.

The Fairfax Area Agency on Aging is pleased to announce its new Health & Wellness Workshop Series for Family Caregivers of Older Adults and/or Adults with Disabilities.

Loretta Woodward Veney is a trained LEGO Serious Play facilitator since 2014. As her Mom's dementia progressed their communication continued through building with LEGO bricks, spurring Loretta to begin using LSP with caregivers as well as those with dementia.

In this session participants will learn what LSP is, and how it can be used with care partners, care receivers and in Memory Care sessions to spark past memories, make new memories, and bring joy and hope to the caregiving experience.

As you may know, Supervisor Walkinshaw has hosted a donation box next to our office door for local food pantry ECHO. A Robinson Secondary School student saw an additional need for students to have snacks to get them through study and homework time. Stop by our office at 9002 Burke Lake Road from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mon-Fri, or when the library is open, to drop off snacks for local students!

Suggested items include popcorn, cheese crackers, beef jerky, fruit snacks, juice boxes, shelf-stable milk, Gatorade, and sugar-free gum.

A “Drop-In” event will be held at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center (3740 Old Lee Hwy, Fairfax, VA 22030) on February 23, 2022 between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. The “Drop-In” event is an opportunity for the public to drop by during the posted hours and visit with staff from the County and City to learn about the project, ask questions, and provide input on the planning and design of the project. Childcare will be available.

Visit the Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center website for more information. 

How do you know if that COVID-19 testing site is legitimate? Did you know that COVID-19 test kits are free? And what about all those treatment methods floating around on social media?

Unfortunately, there are multiple ongoing scams about COVID-19. So how do you know if what you’re seeing and reading online is legit — or a scam?

Luckily, Martin Bailey, a member of the Northern Virginia AARP Fraud Watch Network, the Virginia Senior Medicare Patrol and Fairfax County’s Silver Shield Task Force, regularly produces a Scam Slam audio series. And the most recent Scam Slams cover these COVID scams — unsubstantiated COVID-19 treatment claims appearing on social media platforms, phony COVID testing sites and how to get your free COVID test kits.

Listen at the County's Emergency Information Blog.

The Virginia State Police invites you to a virtual panel discussion titled, "From the Eyes of the African American Trooper." The discussion will address the importance of African Americans in Law Enforcement. They will also talk about the duties of Virginia State Police. The Panelists will include members of the department ranging from 2 years of service to 30 plus years of service.

"From the Eyes of the African American Trooper" Virtual Panel Discussion

Wednesday, February 23 · 6:30 – 8:00pm

Google Meet joining info

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 570-915-0045 PIN: ‪397 690 083#

On February 24, City of Fairfax staff and the project consultant team, led by Cunningham Quill Architects, will be holding a public meeting on updates to the Kamp Washington Small Area Plan. At this meeting, the consultant team will present their concepts for the Kamp Washington study area (the area in and directly around the triangle formed by Fairfax Boulevard, Lee Highway, and Jermantown Road) and attendees will be able to ask questions and provide feedback on the plan directly to City staff and the consultant team.

The meeting will be held at 7 PM in the Katherine Johnson Middle School auditorium and online through GoToWebinar; registration link here. To learn more about the project, please visit the Engage Fairfax project page and sign up for project updates.

The Fairfax County Office of Human Rights & Equity Programs invites county residents to attend a Zoom webinar to be held on Thursday, February 24, 2022, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. The webinar, Housing Discrimination Based on Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity, is FREE to attend, funded by a partnership grant from HUD, and presented by the Fairfax County Office of Human Rights & Equity Programs and The Equal Rights Center.

Topic: Housing Discrimination Based on Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity.

Captioning will be provided. For additional reasonable accommodation requests, please contact: communications@equalrightscenter.org by February 17.

The Fairfax County Police Department invites you to the 41st Session of the Community Police Academy (CPA). The FCPD CPA is a 10-week program that is designed to give participants a glimpse behind the badge and to provide insight into the Department's training, policies, and many units and divisions within the agency. During the 10-week program you will receive presentations from our Academy staff, Major Crimes Bureau, Internal Affairs Bureau, and SWAT, plus many more.

The program, in which participants meet every Thursday night from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., begins Thursday, March 17 and then concludes with a visit to our track and ​firing range for graduation on Saturday, May 21. 

Visit the FCPD website for more information.

If you would like to attend or have any questions about the program, please feel free to reach out to Second Lieutenant Marques Lowery at (571) 393-5640.