With Memorial Day in the rear view mirror, swimming pools are open, outdoor concerts are tuning up, and Fairfax County residents will have plenty of activities to keep them occupied during the longest days of the year.
Here are the nominees for “Best Summer Activities in Fairfax County” as part of our FFXnow Readers’ Choice Awards. Did we miss your favorite activity below? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks. Be sure to cast your vote before 8:30 a.m. Friday, June 12.
Voting for Best After School Program in Fairfax County is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday, June 5 at 8:30 a.m.
The board of directors for NOVA Parks, the regional authority that owns and operates the park, voted at its May 21 meeting to standardize 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily as the W&OD Trail’s formal operating hours, effective immediately.
Something unique is happening in the heart of Tysons, Virginia: A new venue for assisted living and memory support is offering a fresh, hospitality-driven approach to care—where residents explore possibilities for creativity, purpose, and connection. Opened in fall 2025, Kokua is part of Mather, an innovative pioneer in senior living.
For a limited time, Kokua is welcoming new residents seeking assisted living or memory support in the DC area with exclusive move-in incentives. Nestled in a lively urban neighborhood, our LEED-Gold certified community incorporates biophilic design that brings the outside in to enhance health and wellbeing.
THOUGHTFULLY DESIGNED SPACES
In our assisted living and memory support neighborhoods, residents enjoy a collection of thoughtfully designed spaces that feel like an upscale hospitality destination.
Multiple restaurants offer chef-prepared cuisine with flexible, open-hour service, complemented by demonstration kitchens, art and music studios, as well as gathering spaces. A spacious outdoor terrace, Marzenia Salon, and beautifully appointed amenity areas create opportunities for wellness, connection, and everyday enjoyment.
FOCUS ON PERSONALIZED WELLBEING
Residents enjoy opportunities to choose from enriching programs, meaningful social opportunities with experiences such as sensory walks, meditation, acupuncture, Reiki, songwriting workshops, poetry readings, Sensory Symphony Swim, and more. (more…)
Existing Wilcoxon Trail head at Fairfax Blvd in Fairfax City (via Google Maps)
Fairfax City is eyeing a potential solution to fix a trail project that was approved and fully funded while minimizing financial penalties as a result of the city council canceling a different planned extension earlier this year.
During a council work session on Tuesday (May 26), staff proposed that the project — previously called the George Snyder Trail Extension — be renamed the Wilcoxon Trail Extension, and add on-street paths along Draper Drive, instead of connecting to existing trails by cutting through parkland.
Dulles Airport main terminal (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Pregnant Ghanaian woman Anabella Gyasi and her disabled child have spent the past week detained at Dulles International Airport in a windowless room without adequate food, hygiene or medical care, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, claims federal immigration authorities say are false. An emergency hearing is set to take place Friday morning in an Alexandria federal court.
Gyasi, 39, was seeking specialized medical care for her son in the United States and was supposed to take her son to a medical appointment in Ohio to see if he qualified for a surgery. Instead of boarding her connecting flight at Dulles in Northern Virginia, she has been kept at the airport since May 19. ACLU attorneys filed an emergency petition on her behalf Wednesday.
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Man walks dog past outdoor seating in the expansion of Reston Town Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Dunn Loring School Commemoration Planned — “Join FCPS on Saturday, May 30, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Dunn Loring Center to honor the rich history and lasting legacy of the building. This space has served generations of FCPS students, employees, and families since its establishment in 1939.” The building at 2334 Gallows Road will be demolished soon to make way for the construction of a new elementary school. [FCPS]
‘Swatting’ Call for Supreme Court Justice’s Home — “An apparent ‘swatting’ incident targeted the residence of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Wednesday night, police confirmed to NBC News.” Fairfax County police say they quickly confirmed with Supreme Court Police assigned to Barrett’s home that a report of gunshots sent to the department’s non-emergency line around 9 p.m. on May 27 “was fictitious.” [NBC4]
Data Center Boom Fueling Pollution — “The 10,500 generators attached to data centers in Virginia produce enough pollution to harm public health even if used rarely, according to a new analysis of emissions permits” that reviewed permits and emissions filings for 132 sites operating in Northern Virginia through the end of 2024. Another 19 data centers have been approved in the region since then. [Washington Post]
Waymo Starts Mapping N. Va. — “Driverless car company Waymo has confirmed to FOX 5 D.C. that it is now mapping parts of Northern Virginia.” Though Virginia hasn’t yet authorized fully autonomous ride-hailing services, Waymo policy adviser Rich Harrington says the company’s “vehicles were already operating on roads in Alexandria with safety drivers behind the wheel and would soon begin operating in Arlington as well.” [FOX5]
Beyer Seeks to Block Trump Arch — “Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) is taking legislative aim at President Trump’s proposed 250-foot ‘triumphal arch’ near Arlington National Cemetery.” The congressman will introduce a bill that prohibits the use of federal funds for the arch and bars the federal government from building the arch or any similar structure on National Park Service-owned land in the D.C. region. [ARLnow]
Worker Burned by Live Wire in Tysons — “Around 11:30 a.m. [on May 27], the Fairfax County Police Department helicopter responded to the 1900 block of Cathy Lane after the construction worker, a male, fell [from a ladder] and hit the live wire, causing burn injuries. He was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.” [WJLA]
Law Could Save People With Disabilities — A bill signed into law from Chesterfield Del. Leslie Mehta will require “certain healthcare providers to conduct regular simulations so that employees are extra prepared to identify and respond to emergencies experienced by people with disabilities under their care.” [Virginia Mercury]
Two New Flights Heading to Dulles — “United Airlines will add two nonstop routes from Washington Dulles later this year, including service to Orange County, California, and San José del Cabo, Mexico. The Orange County/Santa Ana route is scheduled to begin Aug. 11 and will operate daily year-round on a Boeing 737,” while the San Jose del Cabo route will launch on Oct. 25 and operate four times a week. [Patch]
New Legal Notice — ABC permit application for restaurant license; objections within 30 days. [Public Notices]
It’s Friday — Expect a sunny day with a high of 78°F. Winds will shift from north to west at 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Overnight, the weather will be mostly clear with a low of around 60°F, and southwest winds at 7 mph. [NWS]
Expect sunny weather with a high of 77°F, accompanied by a gentle northwest wind at 5 to 7 mph. The night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 59°F and a southwest wind blowing at 6 to 8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
Sign for the West Oaks Corner neighborhood in the Fair Oaks area (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
A man has been hospitalized after being shot in the West Oaks Corner neighborhood near Costco earlier this afternoon (Thursday).
Police were dispatched to the 12200 block of Sessile Commons in Fair Oaks around 5:29 p.m. after 911 dispatchers received a call for a weapons discharge, according to scanner traffic.
Cedar Lane is closed at Electric Avenue in Dunn Loring after a crash involving an e-bike and a vehicle (via Google Maps)
An electric bicycle rider was critically injured in a crash on Cedar Lane in Dunn Loring earlier this afternoon (Thursday).
Fairfax County police and fire units were dispatched to Cedar Lane at Electric Avenue at around 3:35 p.m. for a crash involving a cyclist and a vehicle, according to scanner traffic.
Mian Sichuan Noodle is coming soon to Pike 7 Plaza in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
An acclaimed Chinese restaurant with Sichuan-style noodles and dumplings is planning a new location in Tysons.
Mian Sichuan Noodle is preparing to open at 8395 Leesburg Pike in Pike 7 Plaza, replacing a vacancy left by the decades-old China Wok restaurant last summer. Exterior signage for Mian Sichuan Noodle has appeared at the retail bay after the restaurant applied for a permit there earlier this year.
