🌱 Local Digital Preservation Project + NASA Recognizes Fairfax Native

Hello, everybody! It's me, Nicole Fallon-Peek, your host of the Fairfax Station Patch newsletter. Here are all the most important things to know about what's happening in town. In this issue, we'll cover these stories and more...

• Fairfax County Schools awarded multi-million dollar grant to support mental health hires
• Tons of events happening at Hylton Performing Arts Center
• Bull Run Marina keys available for purchase

But first, your local weather:

• Tuesday: Breezy in the afternoon. High: 64 Low: 35.
• Wednesday: Cooler; a little p.m. rain. High: 49 Low: 45.
• Thursday: Partly sunny and warmer. High: 80 Low: 45.
• Friday: Sunny, windy and cooler. High: 51 Low: 28.

📢 I'm looking for business owners and marketers in Fairfax Station who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales.

I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

Here are the top 5 stories in Fairfax Station:

1. Two Civil-War era houses, the Graffiti House in Brandy Station and Historic Blenheim in Fairfax, are the focal point for a National Endowment for the Humanities grant project focusing on digital preservation. The Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University will partner and use the $60,000 grant to digitize Civil War-era graffiti from historic buildings in Virginia, and launch a digital preservation workflow between the two organizations. Once complete, the database will be publicly available and housed at GMU. (Culpeper Star-Exponent)
2. NASA has named a lunar mountain after Fairfax native and award-winning NASA scientist Melba Roy Mouton. A mathematician and computer programmer who spent 14 years with NASA, Mouton played a vital role in space exploration and in creating a path for people of color to explore cutting-edge careers in the sciences. Before her retirement in 1973, Mouton was appointed assistant chief of research programs for the Trajectory and Geodynamics Division at Goddard and successfully supported the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969. (WUSA9.com)
3. Fairfax County schools have been awarded a five-year, $13.5 million grant to hire additional counselors, school psychologists, and social workers. As the largest school system in the state, they plan to use the funding to hire new staff and provide additional professional training for staff. The school system has budgeted for a mix of full-time and part-time staff, including 588.5 full-time school counselors, 184.5 full-time school social workers, and 184.5 full-time school psychologists. (WTOP)
4. Police are investigating the distribution of 40-50 hate flyers down the road in McClean. While the announcement does not include the details as to the contents of the flyer, reports say they contained "bias material" and were weighted down with birdseed and distributed at random. Police are encouraging locals to reach out should they have more information. (WTOP)
5. The Fairfax County Planning Commission passed a motion recommending the strengthening of the county’s affordable housing preservation policy. The recommendation aims to provide a one-to-one replacement: when a multifamily property is redeveloped, the county does the same for an affordable housing property. Along with new development guidelines and relocation plans, the policy calls for support from financial tools, land policies, and legislative enforcement. (Annadale Today)

Coming up in Fairfax Station:

Tuesday, February 21

• Eric Garner: Multiple Repeat Mistakes At Hylton Performing Arts Center (10:00 AM)

Thursday, February 23

• LLI: Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience At Hylton Performing Arts Center (1:30 PM)

Friday, February 24

• LLI: Manassas Ballet Theatre - De Laski Performing Arts At Hylton Performing Arts Center (1:30 PM)

Saturday, February 25

• Chloé Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies LIVE! At Center for the Arts (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Starting Mar. 12, 2023 keys for the Bull Run Marina will be available for purchase at Fountainhead for $25. You must have a NOVA Parks annual pass to purchase a key. (Fountainhead Regional Park via Facebook)
• There are a number of customer service jobs open across the Fairfax Station Area. Check out a comprehensive list in the link if you are on the hunt for a new job. (Fairfax Station Patch)
• Muse Paintbar will be hosting a family painting event on Feb. 25 at noon. No prior registration is required. (Dulles Mom)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Jazzercise @ Fairfax Police Association Hall — (Visit website)
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Featured events:

• Dr. Henri’ Thompson for Virginia House of Delegates District 15 Campaign Kickoff (February 25)
• Manassas Symphony Presents "Inspirations" with Pianist Joseph Kingma (March 4)
• Fairfax Choral Society’s 60th Anniversary Gala (March 11)
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• Senior Care (Details)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Monday. I'll see you around!

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.