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FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Shake Shack Kamp Washington celebrated its grand opening Wednesday morning by not only feeding residents of Fairfax City who are hungry for burgers, fried chicken and shakes, but also to support an organization focused on feeding the food insecure across the region.

"Our goal at Shake Shack is to stand for something good and really be a community gathering place," Carolyn Haye, Shack Shack's regional marketing manager, told Patch on Wednesday. "We love to open in locations like this where we can really engage and ingrain ourselves in the community. For example, today, we're partnering with Food for Others to support their mission of feeding the hungry in Northern Virginia."

Shake Shack with donate $1 for every chicken sandwich or burger purchased on Wednesday to Food for Others. The restaurant is also hosting a food drive.

Shake Shack Kamp Washington is located at 11040 Main St. Regular hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday.

"What we're best known for is offering innovative spins on classics, so like our burgers, fried chicken, and shakes are all made with premium, high-quality ingredients made to order," Haye said. "We really pride ourselves on offering that free, premium-ingredient experience that you don't typically find in a chain-like restaurant."

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Members of the City of Fairfax business community welcomed the Shake Shack crew to the city with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Then, at 11 a.m., the doors officially opened, allowing the restaurant's first customers to enter. The first 100 customers received a Shake Shack tote bag.

"We are so thrilled to be here," said Jennifer Rose, the executive director of the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. "Even though it's a little a little drizzly outside, we know that Shake Shack brings sunshine to our days, especially with those milkshakes. We're very excited to have Shake Shack coming into the City of Fairfax."

Small businesses account for 70 percent of the city's business revenue via the meals tax and the Business, Professional, and Occupational License tax, according to Page Johnson, the City of Fairfax's Commissioner of the Revenue.

"This location right here is a very old location with Route 50 and the Warrenton Turnpike (Route 29) coming right down to this triangle," he said. "One of the very first restaurants in the City of Fairfax stood on this location. It was called the Black Lantern Inn. They lasted for 50 years."

Fairfax County Public Schools has updated its homework guidelines for elementary schoolers, a shift away from the optional homework policy that some parents said had become the norm.

During back-to-school nights and on social media threads, parents expressed confusion about whether there had been a change in approach.

In a statement, Virginia’s largest school system said it provided updated homework guidelines to elementary school principals for the 2025-26 school year. The amount of homework students are receiving depends on their grade level, and includes time for daily reading.

Under the updated policy, the district said teachers are encouraged to be flexible with due dates and avoid assigning homework over long breaks, holidays and religious and cultural observances. Kindergarten through second-graders are required to spend 10-20 minutes on homework each day, third and fourth graders spend 20-30 minutes each day and fifth and sixth graders should get 40-60 minutes worth of work each day.

Homework, the division said, should be “meaningful, manageable and clearly connected to classroom instruction,” and the assignments should be accessible to all students, taking into account “diverse learning styles, language backgrounds and home support systems.”

But some parents are split on whether the change will have an impact.

Laura Chapman, a parent of two elementary schoolers, said homework is “really not helpful. It’s really tough, especially for working parents of neurodivergent children, because we are in a bit of a tough spot.”

Chapman’s son has ADHD, she said, and he participates in evening sports to help get energy out. Many ADHD medications stop working late in the afternoon, she said.

“Layering homework on top means that I am sitting with him at night, trying to help him do homework that he’s not able to do, because he’s not able to focus,” Chapman said.

Last year, Chapman said, homework was optional.

“I don’t know how beneficial homework is for elementary school kids,” Chapman said.

Andrea Coulter, though, said the change could be helpful. Her first grader has been advised to read and has been getting a sheet of paper with work to complete.

“It gives them a lot of responsibility and understanding on being able to have something that’s theirs and that they have to prioritize that’s not screen time or an outside activity,” Coulter said.

Coulter said many parents “are really upset about it. They don’t want their kids to have the homework. They think that it’s busy work.”

The school system’s guidelines were created to reinforce previously taught material and help students create academic habits, the division said. Students are expected to finish assignments to the best of their ability and seek clarification when needed, and teachers are tasked with “designing purposeful and appropriate homework” and telling families about expectations.

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A prestigious Fairfax County high school stands to lose millions of dollars in funding as the Education Department says it will follow through on a threat to withhold funding to the Virginia school system over its gender policy regarding the use of restrooms and locker rooms.

The department confirmed to WTOP it’s denying the certification of magnet school grant applications to Fairfax County Public Schools. The denial would result in a cut of about $3.4 million to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

The Department of Education has given Fairfax County schools until 5 p.m. Friday to comply.

This comes on the heels of Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s social media post saying the department “will not certify that magnet schools in New York City, Chicago & Fairfax Public Schools are following the law when they are clearly not.”

This latest move comes after the Department of Education claimed earlier this year that Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, Arlington and Alexandria City public schools are violating Title IX with their policies that let students use bathrooms based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

The school systems have maintained that they are in compliance with state and federal laws, and that the Education Department is misinterpreting Title IX. Fairfax County said it stands to lose $167 million in federal funding over the dispute.

“The notification from the Department of Education regarding the withholding of grant funding is the latest in a series of efforts to defund and diminish the tradition of excellence of public education in Fairfax County Public Schools and in other school divisions around the country,” the school system said in a statement to WTOP.

FCPS also revealed in its response that it and many other school districts have lost federal funding for what it calls “a critical five year youth school board based mental health program” called SBMH.

“FCPS maintains that the DOE’s decision to label the division as ‘high-risk’ and threaten funding is not supported by any identifiable factors or evidence.”

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Fairfax County voters can cast early ballots in the Nov. 4 general election at three locations and vote by mail Sept. 19 through Nov. 1.

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — In-person voting and in the Nov. 4 general election begins on Friday, Sept 19, which is also when the first vote by mail ballots will sent out.

Virginia voters will cast ballots for candidates running for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.

Governor

Lieutenant Governor

Attorney General

* Incumbent

Voters will also be casting ballots for their representative to the Virginia House of Delegates, as well as local officials in some communities. Visit the Virginia Department of Elections website to find out which candidates are running in your area.

Visit the Citizen Portal on the Virginia Department of Elections website to check your registration status, register to vote and apply to vote absentee by mail. The deadline for registering or updating your registration is Oct. 24. You can apply to have a ballot mailed to you through 5 p.m. on Oct. 24. Your request must be received by your local registrar's office by 5 p.m.

An acceptable form of ID is required to vote in person.

Voters may register and vote using a provisional ballot in-person after Oct. 24 through Election Day.

Completed mail-in ballots can be turned in at drop boxes at any Fairfax County early voting location, when they are open, and from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at any polling place on election day. The deadline for returning a ballot by drop box is 7 p.m. on Nov. 4. Completed ballots returned by mail must be received by noon on Nov. 7.

From Sept. 19 through Nov. 1, early voting in Fairfax County will take place at three locations:

Thirteen additional locations will open be Oct. 23 through Nov. 1 for early voting:

Hours for the 13 additional early voting sites will be Monday-Friday: 1-7 p.m.; Saturdays (Sept. 20, Oct. 25, Nov. 1), 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sundays (Oct. 26): 1-5 p.m. Voters can cast ballots at any of the 16 early voting sites.

The November General Election starts now!

Fairfax County voters: In-person early voting starts this Friday, Sept. 19, for the Nov. 4 General Election that includes contests for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and seats in the House of Delegates.

Three locations — Fairfax County Government Center and Mount Vernon and North County governmental centers — open on Friday, expanding to 13 additional locations on Thursday, Oct. 23, and continuing through Saturday, Nov. 1.

All Fairfax County active registered voters should receive a canary yellow sample ballot brochure by mail this week. It shows your precinct, where to vote on Election Day, voting options and a sample ballot.

Important: On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4, you may vote only at your assigned precinct.

Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax (Conference Rooms 2/3)

Mount Vernon Governmental Center, 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria. and North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston

Curbside voting is available for voters with a disability or who are 65 or older. When you arrive, look for the “Curbside Voting” sign near the accessible parking area and call the phone number on the sign to contact an election officer.

You will be asked to show identification when you vote. Acceptable ID includes:

Alternatively, you may complete and sign an ID Confirmation Statement.

You can apply for a vote-by-mail ballot either online or on paper. For the online application, you’ll need your Social Security number and a Virginia driver’s license or DMV-issued ID.

Alternatively, you can download, print and complete the form (including your handwritten signature), pick up a preprinted application at Fairfax County governmental centers or library branches, or stop by the Office of Elections at the Government Center.

Submit your completed application by:

Absentee ballot applications must be received by the Office of Elections no later than Friday, Oct. 24, at 5 p.m. Ballots are sent within three business days after your application is approved. Delivery times vary depending on the U.S. Postal Service.

As of Sept. 1, there are 749,220 registered voters in Fairfax County. Not registered yet? Use the Virginia Department of Elections citizen portal to register, update your address, apply to vote by mail, join the permanent absentee list, find your polling place or check your voting history.

The deadline is Friday, Oct. 24, to register to vote or update your name or address to cast a ballot on Election Day. If you miss the deadline, you can complete same-day registration at any early voting location between Oct. 25 and Nov. 1. In this case, you will cast a provisional ballot that is counted the week after the election. You can also register on Election Day at your polling place and vote provisionally.

For everything you need to know about the upcoming election in Fairfax County, visit fairfaxcounty.gov/elections.

Email earlyvoting@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-222-0776 (TTY 711), 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.