Saturday notes: MVHS market, 2018 school start date, fire department ordered to pay $7.85M

Demolition of the Penn Daw Plaza continued on Friday, with the front of the former Shoppers Food Warehouse getting torn down.

Mount Vernon High School market

Stop by Mount Vernon High School today between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. to check out their holiday market.

Held in the MVHS cafeteria, the market will feature books, cards, jewelry, health and beauty products, drapes and linens, stained glass, and more. Admission is free. See more info. 

School schedule released

August 28 will be the first day of classes for the 2017-2018 school year, Fairfax County Public Schools announced Friday.

This marks the first year that the county will open before Labor Day, thanks to a waiver granted by the state. Details about the full schedule were also announced, including a two-week winter break and a one-week spring break. The last day of school will be Friday, June 15, 2018.

Read the full announcement on the Fairfax County Public School website.

Fire captains win judgement

Fairfax County will pay 176 fire captains at total of $7.85 million to settle a 3-year-old lawsuit, The Washington Post reported Friday.

The captains had sued the county to collect overtime pay they believed was due to them as emergency responders. The county had argued that the captains were supervisors, and thus not entitled to the overtime pay. A court sided with the fire captains earlier this year. Read more on the case in The Washington Post. 

Graham awardees announced

The University of Virginia has awarded three second-year students with the 2017 Hannah Graham Memorial Award, the school announced Friday. 

The award, created by Graham’s parents, “supports students whose priorities include a dedication to the righting of wrongs, a commitment to sustainable change and a zeal for tackling challenges and uncovering new discoveries.” 

Graham, a 2013 West Potomac graduate, was murdered in September 2014 while a second-year student at UVA. Her killer received four life sentences for the murder of Graham as well as the 2008 killing of a Virginia Tech student. 

Learn more about the award and this year’s honorees.