Monday morning notes: Hannah Graham softball tournament, early voting starts, meals tax
The West Potomac High School dance team performs at Celebration! Mount Vernon and Lee on Saturday.
Tournament a success
The Hannah Graham Softball Tournament was held this weekend and raised more than $20,000 for charity, according to this NBC Washington report. Graham’s father spoke Saturday during the opening ceremony at West Potomac High School, where his late daughter graduated from in 2013.
The GoFundMe page for the tournament is still accepting donations and has raised more than $13,000. All money goes to Habitat for Humanity and the Blue Ridge Mountain Rescue Group.
Early Voting starts
Absentee voting started Friday in Fairfax County, and officials reported that 424 people showed up to vote in person and more than 19,000 people requested mail-in ballots — a state record, according to the county.
Fairfax County Registrar Cameron Sasnett told WTOP that more than 1o0,000 residents are expected to vote early, either in-person or through the mail. You can learn more about early voting in Fairfax on the county’s website.
Selling the meals tax
One of the issues Fairfax voters will decide at the ballot box is whether to add a 4 percent meals tax to help fund local schools and parks. The Washington Post caught up with advocates who are going door-to-door to sell the tax, and are finding that many people aren’t even aware of the issue.
Doesn’t matter. Fairfax County has never met a tax it didn’t like.
Especially this one, where our “leaders” tell us they must raise taxes to lower taxes. What they really mean is they’ll lower the levy by a penny or two and raise the assessments 10% or so.