Falls Church EDA Holds Annual ‘Retreat’ at City Hall

In a lengthy meeting at the Falls Church City Hall this Tuesday, the City’s quasi-independent Economic Development Authority (EDA) held its annual ‘retreat’ with a large gathering that included Mayor Letti Hardi and members of the F.C. City Council.

EDA chair Bob Young issued the following statement following the event:

“We were pleased to have a full house at the EDA’s retreat, including Mayor Letty Hardy, Vice-Mayor Debbie Hiscott, Council Members Mary Beth Connelly and Justine Underhill as well as Planning Commissioner Phil Duncan and many others.

“We began by celebrating Ed Salzberg’s incredible 42 year-long service on the IDA/EDA and proceeded to robust discussion of a wide variety of topics. The issues ranged from a report on the EDA’s development of a tourism website to a discussion of ways in which the EDA can help improve the city’s overall appearance (more flowers and trees on our commercial streets, improved maintenance of those roads, more flower baskets, banners and murals).

“We heard an update to our initiative adding signage on the W & OD Trail as well as a robust discussion of Vice-Chair Ross Litkenhous’s proposal for development of a business incubation strategic initiative. We will be working with staff to develop a final list of proposed EDA initiatives for this year over the next several days which will be posted online and available to the public.“

In addition, Young commented on the City Council work session’s hearing of plans for expanding affordable housing in the City with the following:

“EDA members were very pleased that we’re now only a few weeks away from closing our loan in cooperation with Wesley Housing. While a few details are yet to be worked out, we’re confident they will be and we’ll be able to initiate discussion on ways in which the City and Wesley can move quickly to explore ways we can significantly increase the amount of affordable housing on the Virginia Village site.”

Feds Help N.Va. Decide Where To Locate E-Bus Chargers

A federal program will provide free technical assistance to The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) to analyze how local public transit agencies in Northern Virginia could share infrastructure that allows electric buses to recharge while running their routes.

“On-route charging” enables buses to recharge their batteries on the go, rather than having to return to a garage to plug in, potentially extending the range of the buses. That could improve reliability and lower infrastructure costs for battery electric buses (BEB).

Several bus providers in Northern Virginia have overlapping routes that could be effective for shared on-route charging.

Meridian H.S. Robotics Team Hosts Competition

Falls Church’s Meridian High School Robotics Team will host a “FIRST Robotics” competition with 34 robotics teams from Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. March 23-24, for the first time in the school’s 20-year history.

“FIRST Robotics” is a non-profit organization that aims to inspire young people to become science and technology leaders by engaging them in mentor-based programs that build skills in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

The organization offers a variety of robotics programs for students of all ages, including the “FIRST Robotics” Competition for high school students, FIRST Tech Challenge for middle and high school students, and FIRST LEGO League for elementary and middle school students.

These programs involve designing, building, and programming robots for various challenges and competitions. “FIRST Robotics” also provides opportunities for students to work with industry professionals and mentors to develop real-world skills and experience in STEM fields.The event is free to spectators.

Pediatric Research Bill Passes in U.S. House

The U.S. House of Representatives this week passed Rep. Jennifer Wexton’s “Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0,” which would reauthorize federal funding for the National Institute of Health’s program that has supported life saving pediatric research of treatments and cures for childhood cancer over the past nine years.

The bipartisan legislation is named in honor of Gabriella Miller, who lived in Northern Virginia and was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and passed away in 2013 at the age of 10. Her passionate advocacy for lawmakers to “stop talking, start doing” led to the passage of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act and creation of Ten-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund, which authorized $12.6 million in annual funds for childhood cancer research. Without action by Congress, funding will expire at the end of this fiscal year.

3 Fairfax Co. Schools Win “1st Amendment” Awards

Three Fairfax County public schools—Chantilly High School, McLean High School, and West Springfield High School—are among 28 schools nationwide who have been selected as recipients of the 2024 First Amendment Press Freedom Award.

The award recognizes private and public high schools that actively support, teach, and protect First Amendment rights and responsibilities of students and teachers, with an emphasis on student-run media where students make all final decisions of content. to read more,

Richmond Votes to Change Cannabis Requirements

The Virginia General Assembly in Richmond has voted to change the experience requirement for some medical cannabis employees, expand the shelf life of products and add public record exemptions for the overseeing agency

U.S. Lawmakers Enact Expanded Voter Protections

State lawmakers around the U.S. concerned about the integrity of elections ahead of the 2024 presidential vote have proposed and enacted an unprecedented number of laws to restrict — and, in some cases, expand — voting rights and ballot access. In Virginia, lawmakers recently voted to rejoin a national membership organization that helps maintain voter rolls.