Fairfax Co. Commits Another $28 Million for Pedestrians
According to Fairfax County Board Chair Jeffrey McCay, insofar as October is Pedestrian Safety Month in Fairfax County, pedestrian safety “is always important and now is an opportunity for us to share pedestrian safety best practices, spread awareness, and update the community on what we’re doing as a County to help improve our pedestrian safety infrastructure.
“At its last Board of Supervisors meeting, the Fairfax board voted on an additional $28 million to go toward bike and pedestrian safety measures. That’s not the only money we’ve put into bike and pedestrian projects this year. The $28 million that was approved by the Board is part of the county’s carryover budget and is in addition to the baseline that’s already in the county budget. In 2022, the Board set a goal to invest $100 million in pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure by FY 2027. With this additional $28 million, we have now funded more than 80 percent of our original goal.”
McCay added, “We will continue to invest in our pedestrian safety infrastructure. But what we invest is only the half of it. Keeping our roads safe is a total community effort. If you’re driving, slow down. If you’re on your phone, put it down and pay attention. If you’re a pedestrian, know what the pedestrian laws are. Use crosswalks. If you’re out at night, make sure you’re wearing bright clothing, so people can see you.”
Kaine Debates GOP Rival in Norfolk
Virginia’s incumbent U.S. Senator Tim Kaine was slated to debate his GOP-nominated rival Hung Cao in Norfolk last night (Wednesday).
Cao has been endorsed by Donald Trump and has the backing of Ted Cruz and Newt Gingrich and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin constantly fundraises and campaigns for him.
Kaine said going into the debate, “My opponent and I are pretty different. He’s got an A rating from the NRA, I’ve got an F. I’ve got a 100 percent on the Planned Parenthood Action Fund Congressional Scorecard, he was previously endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee. He wants to release and compensate convicted insurrectionists. I think the January 6th attack on our Capitol was a horrific and unAmerican stain on our history.
“But another difference is how we view Virginians. He supports a plan to forcibly relocate federal employees out of Northern Virginia, labeled all NATO employees “lazy,” and even compared women and doctors making hard reproductive decisions to Nazis. I respect Virginians, love traveling all over the Commonwealth to work with them, and believe in results, not insults.”
Downtown Halloween Window Painting Commences Oct. 5
According to Falls Church Arts, annual painting of agreeable retailers in downtown Falls Church will commence this weekend and going through next weekend, October 5, 6, 13 and 14.
Individuals, families, besties, Scout Troops, and other groups of all ages are welcome to paint. Painters elementary school age or younger must be accompanied by at least one adult at all times while painting and cleaning up.
Before coming to paint, families are urged to sketch out what they plan to paint on the window. To help organizers find a great window for a prospective design, sketch submission along with registration should be emailed to FCArtsHalloween@gmail.com.
Paint colors provided are: black, white, red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. They can be mixed to make additional colors.
The event commences at 10 a.m. and goes to noon on each selected painting day. Paint and information will be available at the Festival table in Mr. Brown’s Pocket Park, 100 block of W Broad Street in Falls Church City. Volunteers will distribute paint and glue (painters must bring their own empty containers to carry paint) and assign participating storefront windows.
Participants are urged to bring paint brushes and sponges, plastic cups or small plastic containers to carry paint (containers with tops are recommended), a bucket of water and rags to clean paint brushes, newspapers (old issues of the Falls Church News-Press are allowed) or a drop cloth to protect the sidewalk, a stepladder to comfortably paint higher on the window, paper towels and some window cleaner for touch-up.
When done, participants are urged to clean up their painting area (window frames, sidewalks, etc.), and to take all trash with them.
Organizers are urging participants to email some photos to include in a website gallery, to submit to the News-Press and to post pictures on social media, tagging @FallsChurchArts. #LiveLocalFC and the name of the business whose window was painted.
