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Long Lines For Early Voting, Magnet School Admission | Top News

Top VA, DC news includes Confederate monument removal vote, public property gun ban, local mask mandate, and new BLM banner after vandalism.

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Hundreds of voters waited outside the Fairfax County Government Center Friday to cast their ballots on the first day of in-person absentee voting.
Hundreds of voters waited outside the Fairfax County Government Center Friday to cast their ballots on the first day of in-person absentee voting. (Courtesy of Rabbi Sholom Simon)

Patch has 32 sites in communities in northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Here are some of the top posts from the past week related to the coronavirus and other topics.

VA Voters Form Long Lines On 1st Day Of In-Person Absentee Voting

Long lines of voters were waiting outside election offices across Northern Virginia when general registrars opened their doors at 8:30 a.m. Friday on the first day of in-person absentee voting. In one of the most anticipated elections in memory, Virginia voters wanted to make sure their votes are counted and did not want to wait before it was too late.

VA Absentee Ballot Requests Already Surpass 2016 Total: Governor

Nearly 800,000 Virginians have submitted requests to receive absentee ballots by mail, well above the total number of people who voted absentee in the 2016 election, according to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.

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Board Passes Gun Ban On Fairfax County-Operated Property

On early Wednesday, the Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance amending the county code to ban guns on Fairfax County-owned or operated property. The ban applies to the possession, carrying and transportation of guns, ammunition or components in Fairfax County-owned or operated buildings, parks, recreation and community centers, permitted events open to the public, and areas adjacent to those permitted events.

Alexandria Face Mask Mandate To Take Effect On Oct. 1

A stricter face mask requirement is set to take effect on Oct. 1 in Alexandria after a 5-2 vote by City Council on Saturday. By requiring masks in both indoor and outdoor public places, it expands upon Gov. Ralph Northam's statewide executive order requiring masks in indoor public places since May 29. Council Members Canek Aguirre and Del Pepper voted against the measure.

Find out what's happening in Kingstowne-Rose Hillfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Fairfax City Votes To Change Name of Lanier Middle School

The City of Fairfax School Board voted Monday night to change the name of Lanier Middle School. The vote was 4-1, with City School Board member Dr. Mitch Sutterfield voting to keep the name.

Admissions Policy Change Proposed At Fairfax County Magnet School

Superintendent Scott Brabrand presented recommendations to the Fairfax County School Board at a work session Tuesday on the admissions policy to improve diversity at Fairfax County's competitive magnet school, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

Confederate Monument To Be Removed After Fairfax Supervisors Vote

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to remove a Confederate monument from the grounds of the old Fairfax County Courthouse. Located near the intersection of Main Street and Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax City, the monument is dedicated to the memory of Captain John Quincy Marr, the first Confederate officer to be killed in the Civil War.

NoVA Leaders Encourage Flu Shots Amid Pandemic, Flu Double Threat

Leaders from Northern Virginia localities came together Thursday morning to encourage residents to get the flu shot ahead of flu season in the fall and winter. Amid the potential double threat of flu season and the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, leaders want to keep pressure off hospitals as well as personal protective equipment and testing resources.

Approval Of Northam's Handling Of Coronavirus Outbreak Plummets

After a majority of Virginians gave a thumbs-up to Gov. Ralph Northam for his handling of the coronavirus in late April, the governor's approval rating slid into the mid-40s by late August. That's according to a recent poll conducted jointly by Northeastern University, Harvard University, Rutgers University, and Northwestern University.

Black Lives Matter Banner, Rainbow Flag Return To Reston Church

A small group of churchgoers joined the Rev. Dr. Debra W. Haffner of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Reston on Saturday morning to dedicate a new Black Lives Matter banner and a rainbow flag, replacing ones that had been vandalized and stolen earlier in the year.

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