Author: FFXnow.com

Plan Unclear for University Attorneys Bill — “Virginia Senate Democrats are weighing whether to reintroduce legislation in 2027 to allow Virginia universities to hire their own legal counsel so they may better protect themselves from federal pressure.” Bills were filed during the 2026 session after the Justice Department investigated the University of Virginia and George Mason University for their diversity and equity policies.” [Virginia Scope]

Waymo Bill Blocked in D.C. — “D.C.’s transportation committee voted down a bill that would legalize passenger service in self-driving cars operated by Waymo and other companies, stalling an almost 15 year effort to bring this technology to the District.” Self-driving taxis from Waymo and Tesla have recently been spotted mapping Fairfax County and other areas of Northern Virginia. [Washington Sun]

Plea Agreements Rejected — “Fairfax County judges have rejected more than two dozen criminal plea agreements over the past year, pushing back against prosecutors over sentences deemed too lenient and critical case facts left out of court proceedings.” The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office didn’t respond to a request for comment sent over the Veterans’ Day holiday. [FOX5]

Guns Connected to Hybla Valley Shooting — “On November 4 at approximately 4:53 p.m., officers responded to the 7900 block of Janna Lee Avenue after several callers reported hearing gunshots. Officers located numerous cartridge casings and observed bullet holes in a vehicle and nearby street signs. No injuries were reported.” Police have charged five people and recovered seven firearms in connection with the shooting. [FCPD]

Fairfax City Weighs Legislative Priorities — “Giving local governments more flexibility to raise revenue, expanding housing opportunities and preserving local control over collective bargaining are among the priorities Fairfax City officials are considering for the 2027 Virginia General Assembly session.” [Patch]

Tysons Caller ID Company Lands Investment — Numeracle Inc., which offers phone number verification services to wireless carriers and other customers, has seen a 70% revenue jump over the past 16 months and is planning to hire internationally and in sales and marketing, CEO and founder Rebekah Johnson says. “Fueling growth is a $28 million investment Numeracle landed in late October led by Princeton, New Jersey-based investor Edison Partners.” [Washington Business Journal]

Upgrades Planned for Chantilly Park — The Fairfax County Park Authority will start projects to replace the athletic field lighting and turf at Poplar Tree Park (4718 Stringfellow Road) next Monday, Nov. 16. The lighting upgrades will require the park to power off through January, and fields 2 and 3 will be closed through early March for the turf replacement. Restrooms and the western parking lot will also be closed for the duration of both projects. [FCPA]

McLean Home Sells for $20M — “A riverfront compound on McLean’s Gold Coast just sold for $20 million, making it one of the most expensive homes to sell in the DC region this year. The property at 1100 and 1153 Crest Lane (map) closed on Monday, after going under contract in late September.” [DC UrbanTurf]

Health Expo Returning to Vienna — “The Vienna Business Association (VBA) invites the local community to … the fourth annual Get Healthy Vienna Expo on Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center. This free public event brings together 50 local health, wellness, and fitness vendors to help attendees improve or jumpstart their wellness journey just in time for the holiday season.​” [Press release]

It’s Friday — Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers before 1 PM. High near 48, with north winds 14 to 16 mph and gusts up to 25 mph. Tonight will remain mostly cloudy, with a low around 36 and north winds 8 to 11 mph, gusting up to 18 mph. [NWS]

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Hegseth Criticized at Arlington Cemetery — “A soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier reprimanded Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s group for breaking decorum after the Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery” yesterday (Wednesday). “During the same ceremony, President Donald Trump spoke about his planned arch in Memorial Circle as a tribute to veterans.” [Associated Press/ARLnow]

Spanberger Unveils 2027 Agenda — “Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Virginia’s top Democrats unveiled their 2027 legislative agenda Tuesday, proposing medical debt relief, limits on classroom screen time and tougher oversight of data centers and artificial intelligence as they seek to address rising costs for Virginia families.” [Virginia Mercury]

Va. Dems Could Revisit Redistricting — “Virginia Democrats managed to flip two House seats this year despite the state Supreme Court striking down a redistricting plan designed to flip four, but key lawmakers are not ruling out another attempt at new maps to keep the blue wave rolling.” [Washington Post]

Warner Suggests Restarting FBI HQ Search — Virginia Sen. Mark Warner expects the incoming, Democratic-led Congress to “unwind the process” of keeping the FBI headquarters in D.C., expressing confidence that “a fair and objective process would still show that Virginia is the preferred location.” The Trump administration appealed a federal judge’s ruling blocking plans to relocate the FBI to the Ronald Reagan Building over the summer. [Washington Business Journal]

Church’s Bid to End Lawsuit Rejected — “The Virginia Supreme Court has declined a rehearing request from McLean Bible Church over a lawsuit brought by longtime members about the church’s 2021 elder election and other concerns … The one-sentence order affirms a Court of Appeals ruling from May that sent the case back to the circuit court to determine whether the plaintiffs can prevail in their legal arguments.” [Christian Post]

Mental Facility Release Changes Considered — “Virginia senators are considering amending a law that allows the Behavioral Health Commissioner to allow people with a violent record into the community unescorted despite a judge’s order against their release.” State Sens. Dave Marsden and Scott Surovell both say reforms might be needed after a man accused of killing his landlord fled the U.S. while on a weekend pass from the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute in Fairfax. [FOX5]

Fairfax City Shares New Capital Projects Plan — “Fairfax City officials unveiled a proposed $567.8 million capital improvement program Monday night that includes major investments in school facilities, a replacement fire station, renovations to Van Dyck Park and a potential overhaul of the city’s aging property yard.” [Patch]

County Rec Centers Hiring Lifeguards — “The Fairfax County Park Authority is hiring part-time, year-round Lifeguards at all nine FCPA Rec Centers across Fairfax County, with a particular need for weekday morning and midday availability.” An open hire event will be held next Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Mount Vernon Rec Center. [FCPA]

It’s Thursday — Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63 and a 40% chance of rain. Winds will turn west at 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. Clouds will remain at night with a low around 41 and a 30% chance of precipitation, mainly between midnight and 3 a.m. [NWS]

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County Resources Available for Veterans — Fairfax County has launched a series of new webpages to help military service members and veterans find targeted resources in response to the findings of a survey conducted in winter 2025. Survey respondents reported concerns about the area’s high cost of living, struggles to afford food and child care, and limited awareness of available services. [Fairfax County Government]

Businesses Offer Veterans’ Day Deals — The regional chain Mr Wash Car Wash is honoring Veterans Day tomorrow (Wednesday) with free services for military service members, veterans and their spouses at 10 locations, including its Tysons, Centreville and Merrifield shops. In addition, the recently opened Camp Bow Wow Dulles South in Chantilly is offering a complimentary day of dog daycare. [Press releases]

Fairfax City Leaders Dig into Budget — “Fairfax City officials are weighing hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed capital improvements, including a $155 million Property Yard project, as the City Council begins developing a fiscal year 2028 budget that must balance infrastructure needs, employee costs and potential pressure on taxpayers.” [Patch]

People Rescued From Van Crash — “On Sunday evening [Nov. 8] around 7:50 p.m., Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responded to a crash in McLean near the intersection of Georgetown Pike and Bellville Road. Witnesses had called the fire department, reporting that a van with people inside had landed in a ditch.” Responders rescued nine people with no injuries reported. [WUSA9]

AG Concerned by Proposed Census Changes — “The U.S. Census Bureau has proposed a rule change that would alter aspects of how census data is collected every decade. The adjustments would change who gets counted, where, and what questions are asked.” Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones announced on Nov. 4 that the state has joined a legal challenge to the rule change. [Virginia Mercury]

Health Clinic Raising Funds for Permanent Home — “Despite a year of disruption caused by having to relocate twice, the Culmore Clinic is continuing to meet the growing healthcare needs of the community while raising funds for its permanent location.” The clinic will eventually occupy 5,000 square feet in Kindred Crossing, an independent living complex expected to break ground in Lake Barcroft in January. [Annandale Today]

Couple Provides Thanksgiving Meals to Families — “Decades after that act of kindness, Jeannine and her husband launched the Blessing Baskets initiative in Northern Virginia, helping families without the means to celebrate on their own with access to a full Thanksgiving meal. It’s produced hundreds of baskets in recent years, with a goal of 750 this fall.” [WTOP]

Donation Record for ArtsFairfax — “The 2026 ArtsFairfax Awards, the region’s premier event to honor major arts contributions, surpassed its fundraising goal in support of the nonprofit’s efforts to dedicate more funding towards grants to local arts organizations across Fairfax County. Though fundraising remains open, the luncheon raised an all-time high of over $233,000 by the close of the event.” [ArtsFairfax]

New Legal Notice — A restaurant seeks an ABC license for wine, beer, and mixed beverages for on- and off-premises consumption. [Public Notices]

It’s Tuesday — Sunny with a high near 68 and a southwest wind at 3 to 7 mph. Night will be clear, with a low around 44. Veterans Day will be mostly sunny, with a high near 66 and calm winds becoming southerly around 5 mph in the afternoon. [NWS]

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State Report on License Plate Readers — “Members of the Virginia General Assembly met Thursday to review a report on misuse of automated license plate readers by law enforcement agencies and the need for stronger guardrails.” Of the 191 local law enforcement agencies that reported using the technology, as of August, 10% admitted to “unauthorized use.” [Courthouse News Service]

Weather Service Monitoring Potential Snow — “The National Weather Service’s (NWS) Weather Prediction Center (WPC) is monitoring the potential for a storm system to bring snow to portions of Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region, including much of Maryland and Virginia, late next week and into the weekend of November 13-15.” [MoCo Show]

Va.’s About-Face on Same-Sex Marriage — “Anthony LeCounte was a 17-year-old high school senior in Alexandria, gay but still in the closet, when Virginians voted by a wide margin to outlaw same-sex marriage. By the time voters scrapped that 2006 ban in a referendum Tuesday, 20 years and a cultural revolution had come and gone.” [Washington Post]

Columbia Pike Affordable Housing Advances — “The Columbia Crossroads affordable housing project got a green light from the Fairfax County Planning Commission on Nov. 4 after the developer agreed to add more parking spaces. The next step is a Board of Supervisors hearing on Dec. 8. The project, located on Columbia Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads between Radley Acura and the Alta Nova apartments, will have 160 units.” [Annandale Today]

Amazon Eyes Chantilly Data Center — “Amazon’s data center arm recently paid $99.79 million for about 23 acres of industrial land at 44146 Wade Drive in Chantilly, a few miles south of Dulles International Airport, according to Loudoun property records. The company is seeking to build a 100-foot-tall data center on the property … Loudoun supervisors are scheduled to vote Nov. 17 on an item to pause data center applications for a year.” [Washington Business Journal]

New Wolf Trap Barn Unveiled — “A new historic barn is now part of The Barns at Wolf Trap. The Virginian Barn, donated by Karen and Fred Schaufeld, was officially opened and dedicated on Tuesday.” The addition emerged out of discussions about an expansion of The Barns at Wolf Trap between Wolf Trap Foundation President and CEO Arvind Manocha and board chair and donor Daniel D’Aniello and his wife, Gayle. [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Veterans Day 5K Coming to Reston — “Runners and walkers will gather at Reston Town Center on Veterans Day for the second annual Run for Valor 5K, a community race benefiting a nonprofit that supports service members, veterans and their families. The race will begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the Reston Town Center Pavilion.” [Patch]

Progress Slow on Recognizing Native Tribes — Then-Gov. Ralph Northam established a bipartisan Tribal Code Commission, chaired by Fairfax Del. Paul Krizek, five years ago “to update inconsistent and outdated language in laws that affect” Virginia’s seven federally recognized Tribes. It’s uncertain whether six bills to update the state code, including one related to in-state college tuition, will be addressed in the General Assembly’s 2027 session. [WVTF]

It’s Monday — Mostly sunny and breezy, with a high near 62 and west winds at 15 to 24 mph, gusting up to 34 mph. Night will be mostly clear, with a low around 40. [NWS]

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Judge Blocks Trump Arch Construction — “A federal judge late Thursday blocked the Trump administration from breaking ground on a towering memorial arch for 14 days.” After the National Capital Planning Commission approved the project despite hours of opposing testimony, U.S. District Judge Tanya “Chutkan said Virginia and the District of Columbia had shown that the immediacy of the construction would cause real harm to the plaintiffs.” [Associated Press]

Federal Workers Felt Forced Out — “While most federal workforce separations under the Trump administration have been classified as ‘voluntary,’ results of a new survey show that many career civil servants who left government felt coerced into doing so … Politicization of an employee’s work or agency was the leading reason respondents cited for leaving.” [Federal News Network]

Arrest Made in Bank Robbery — A 65-year-old man from Alexandria has been charged with robbery and using a firearm while committing a felony after he confessed and turned himself in for a robbery yesterday (Nov. 4) in Hybla Valley. Officers responded at 12:48 p.m. to the 7700 block of Richmond Highway after the man allegedly demanded money from a teller with a note that threatened to harm them if they didn’t comply. [FCPD]

Alexandria Reviewing City Jail — “Alexandria has operated its jail for nearly 200 years, and now the city is asking residents whether it should stay in operation. The city’s survey on whether to continue operating the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center or consider other options is available online until Nov. 20.” [ALXnow]

Former Reston Man Sentenced to Prison — “A former Reston resident who used Snapchat to sexually exploit two 12-year-old girls in Southwest Virginia was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia.” [Patch]

MetroAccess Satisfaction Declining — “Metro’s service for the disabled community, MetroAccess, got a bad report card. Recently released Metro documents show customer satisfaction with MetroAccess fell nine percentage points comparing the first quarter of this fiscal year with the last,” in part due to scheduling software issues. [NBC4]

Shock Gloves Used in Some Va. Jails — “A device that shocks individuals with more than 300 volts of electricity when applied to their skin is being used by law enforcement agencies across Virginia. The Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter — or G.L.O.V.E. — is produced by Kentucky-based Compliant Technologies, which earlier this year contracted with the federal government to supply U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers with the device.” [WVTF]

Abdul El-Sayed Coming to Chantilly — “Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed will address the Arab America Foundation’s CONNECT Empowerment Summit in Chantilly this weekend, the group announced … El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers on Tuesday after a narrow primary win over Congresswoman Haley Stevens in August.” [Patch]

Fairfax City Awards Grants to Nonprofits — “Seven nonprofit organizations that provide critical support to Fairfax City residents will receive a share of $200,000 in one-time grants from the City of Fairfax. The grants, ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, will help these community partners sustain and expand services that support Fairfax City residents.” [City of Fairfax]

It’s Friday — After early morning rain, skies will turn from cloudy to mostly sunny, with a high near 69 and light north winds. Night will be mostly cloudy with a low around 50, and northwest winds increasing after midnight with gusts up to 20 mph. [NWS]

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Warm Winter Expected Despite El Niño — “For the DC region, however, stormy does not necessarily mean snowy. We expect the combination of a powerful El Niño and conditions in the North Pacific to produce a substantially milder-than-normal winter, with below-normal snowfall.” [Capital Weather]

Spanberger Reflects on Redistricting Attempt — “Just six months ago, Virginia Democrats hoped a new congressional map would help them capture 10 of the state’s 11 U.S. House seats. Instead, they went into Tuesday’s midterm election under the existing boundaries and flipped two Republican-held districts, with a possible third pickup still undecided Wednesday afternoon.” [Virginia Mercury]

Dulles Airport Marketed for Data Centers — “The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has been marketing two parcels of land at Dulles International Airport for possible data center development.” Any development on the 181-acre and 19-acre plots would need federal approval “due to proximity to active runways.” MWAA is planning nearly 3 million square feet of industrial development around the airport separate from its multi-billion-dollar redevelopment initiative. [Washington Business Journal]

Fairfax City Office Building Sold — “City Square, a 28,500-square-foot, four-story office building on 1.5 acres at 10640 Page Ave., sold for $3.2 million on Oct. 21” to Singh Capital Partners. The building is 95% leased, mostly by behavioral health tenants drawn to its plentiful parking and small, flexible office suites, said Joe Friedman, a principal at KLNB⁠ Capital Markets, which represented the seller. [WBJ]

Police Investigate Bank Robbery — Fairfax County police officers responded at 12:48 p.m. yesterday (Wednesday) to the 7700 block of Richmond Highway in Hybla Valley for a reported bank robbery. “The suspect entered the bank, implied a weapon, and took money.” [FCPD/X]

Local Leaders Discuss Sustainability — “Opening the Oct. 19 Green Fairfax Environmental Summit, Dalia Palchik, Providence District member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, teed up some of the challenges of an urbanizing county, asking, ‘Can the county grow and be more sustainable at the same time?'” The summit drew about 100 people to Mitre’s headquarters in Tysons and could be the first of future annual events. [The Connection]

Meeting Tonight on Clemyjontri Park — “The Fairfax County Park Authority invites the community to a public meeting to learn more about the plans for reimagining Clemyjontri Park on Thursday, November 5 at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held in the cafeteria of Langley High School located at 6520 Georgetown Pike in McLean.” [FCPA]

Fire Department Honors Workers — “On Monday, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue celebrated the accomplishments of its members at its Medal Day Ceremony. Held twice a year, this ceremony recognizes the career milestones and exceptional service of our personnel.” [FCFRD]

It’s Thursday — Mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of rain from 7–10am and highs near 75. South winds 9–11 mph may gust up to 21 mph. Tonight stays mostly cloudy, with a 40% chance of rain after midnight, lows around 60, and winds becoming calm. [NWS]

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