Fairfax News Break

County Seeks Special Tax Zone for Tysons:

The Fairfax Times reports (10/19), The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a measure that sets up a special tax district for the Tysons Corner area.  This new special district will have residents of Tysons footing at least some of the costs for new transportation projects needed to fuel development. 

Residents of at least one residential area in the Tyson’s district however are not too excited about a potential tax increase. 

The proposed tax district is expected to generate around 3% of the total revenue needed to completely fund critical transportation projects for the area.

GMU Report Says More Road Funding Needed

The Fairfax Times (10/19) also reported on a newly released study which concluded that high levels of growth in non-metro accessible areas will necessitate more funding for roads in the Northern Virginia region.  The report, conducted by the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis, expects the region to add around 1.3 million jobs over the next 30 years, leading to greater strain on the existing transportation infrastructure. 

The report also warned that without greater investment in road systems, the region may not realize this high level of economic growth. 

While the number of people dependent on auto transportation has declined by about 3%, a representative for the group that prepared the report stated that he does not expect further declines in the years ahead.

Other stories of interest:

Fairfax County had a domestic violence related murder this week in which a man shot and killed his sister.  According to the Fairfax Times, the two siblings were arguing over who would be caring for a sick relative, when the argument escalated, leading to the murder.

As reported on this blog, Fairfax has seen rising levels of domsetic violence related homicides from the 2010-2011 period. Let's hope this is not a sign that this trend continues.

Molotov Cocktail Rocks Arlington

WTOP reports (10/19) that around noon a man dropped a molotov cocktail from the top floor of Ballston Common Mall in Arlington. 

The mall was immediately evacuated, and a suspect, described as a black male with curly hair was arrested a few hours later near the Courthouse Metro station.

 The FBI is reportedly involved with the case and their spokeswoman Jacqueline Maguire, said charges will likely be filed as soon as possible.

My take: Why is the FBI involved with this case? My guess would be that it is being investigated as an act of terrorism where Federal laws would apply. But is that really necessary?  This doesn't seem like a terrorist act, at least not the big scary Al-Qaeda variety anyway.

Is Fairfax Becoming A More Violent Place?

 Update: 10/17/2012

The Richmond Times Dispatch is reporting that violent crimes across the United States actually increased by 18% in 2012, from the year before. I'll be looking into how the statistics break down in Virginia. But this is definitely a bad trend.


Even with a population of over 1 million people, Fairfax has long been perceived as a fairly safe place to live. But is that always going to be the case?  The findings of a report on domestic violence certainly do not paint an optimistic picture.

According to the 2010 Family and Intimate partner Homicide Report, domestic and family related homicides increased by 22.3% between 2009 and 2010 across the state. Sadly Northern Virginia did not emerge unscathed.  As a whole the Northern Virginia region, which includes Fairfax County went from 20 family related domestic homicides in 2009 to 25 in 2010.  This figure includes incidents between spouses and former spouses, as well as violence against children. 

Despite the surge in domestic related homicide, the overall homicide rate in Virginia declined over that same period by about 4.6%. 

Budget News

In September, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a 2012 budget carryover measure that partially closes a funding shortfall for an important social service agency while setting aside some funds in the case of federal budget cuts. 

The budget measure partially closes a $9.5 million budget shortfall for the Falls Church/Fairfax Community Services Board, an agency that provides critical mental health services, as well as a host of programs for the developmentally disabled.  However, the agency will still have to endure some $2 million in budget cuts. 

Fortunately, CSB programs that assist young children with disabilities will be unaffected by the funding cuts. 

The budget measure also includes a provision to set aside some $8 million to be used in the event of Federal spending cuts, which could potentially devastate the region’s economy. 

Meanwhile County Executive Ed Long has issued a memo asking all County agencies to prepare for budget cuts of up to 10% next year in the event that massive federal budget cuts, known as “sequestration” go into effect. 

My Note: Fairfax is gearing up for a potential financial NOVAGEDDON. Let us hope and pray that sequestration does not happen!

Search Is On For Missing Woodson Teen

 Correction: 10/09/2012:

Original reports that Police found the body of Bryan Glenn were incorrect. It was later revealed that a citizen volunteer that was actively searching for the missing teen discovered the body.

This body was later identified by Bryan's parents.

According to radio broadcasts on 10/09, Fairfax Police are waiting to release a statement on the death of Bryan until after the medical autopsy on the body is complete.

As of now it is still unknown whether this was a suicide or a murder.

UPDATE: 10/08/2012:

Channel 9 news is reporting that Police have found the body of Bryan Glenn in the woods near Thaiss Park, where his car was found abandoned Monday.
 

The search is on for a Woodson High School Senior who has been missing since Monday.  Seventeen year old   Bryan Glenn was last seen Monday morning in the Woodson high school parking lot.

On Tuesday morning, the teen’s car was found at Thaiss Park in nearby Fairfax City.  Since that time Police and rescue teams have been combing this park in search of evidence of the teen’s whereabouts.  A helicopter was also spotted circling above the neighborhoods where the teen once lived.

Fairfax County Police have also noted that there are some unusual circumstances surrounding Glenn’s disappearance.

Anyone with information about the case is strongly urged to contact the Police immediately.

Winter Storms Getting Names

WTOP reports (10/2) that starting this winter, severe snowstorms and blizzards will be given names in the same way that hurricanes and tropical storms are given names currently.  The names, which will be used by the Weather Channel are based on Greek and Roman names.

Side Note: I’m ok with this idea, but if you look at the article, the list of names is completely failing to wow me.

Besides, who is going to take some storm named Freyer seriously compared to the likes of SNOWMAGEDDON!

News Break

Stink Bugs, The Menace Continues

According to a report from Fairfax City Patch, stink bugs are starting to make their seasonal migration from the outdoors to the inside of your home. While the insects are not considered to be a threat to the home, they are most certainly very annoying.  Fortunately however, they do not bite or transmit diseases.

Occupy What? Protest May Cause Traffic Delays

WTOP reports that Occupy Wall Street is planning another protest for 11:30am.  The organization is calling the event “Occupy K Street” in reference to a part of the city that is host to numerous lobbying organizations and is regularly derided by  populist groups.  According to the news agency, the planned protest could lead to further traffic problems in the area. 

At least the protestors decided to not to have their event at 8:00 AM.  If that happened I don’t think there would be enough Police to protect the protestors from the hordes of angry commuters that would be descending on them.

Side Note: For some reason the press never misses a chance to give the Occupy movement free advertising even though their numbers and organization have been significantly lacking of late. Aren’t there any other civic protests and demonstrations worth covering?