Author: FFXnow.com

Bid to Stop Trump Arch Construction — “Plaintiffs in a lawsuit trying to stop the Trump administration from building a triumphal arch along the Potomac River asked a federal judge on Thursday to halt all construction plans, one day after the National Park Service signaled it would begin work Nov. 5.” [Associated Press]

Armed Robbery in Lorton — Fairfax County police officers responded yesterday morning (Thursday) to a reported armed robbery at the intersection of Laurel Crest Drive and Douglas Fir Drive. “Preliminarily, the suspect displayed a knife, stole property and fled the scene. The adult female victim was not injured.” [FCPD/X]

Bear Spotted in Centreville — “A bear has been spotted wandering through two communities in Centreville, prompting a reminder for residents to secure their trash and avoid leaving food sources accessible. The bear has been seen at Sequoia Farms and Belle Pond Farm, where it has reportedly gotten into trash cans and visited porches.” [WUSA9]

Va. Elections Chief Prepared for Midterms — “Virginia’s top elections official says voters can have confidence in both the integrity of the Nov. 3 midterms and the results, even if President Donald Trump or his allies challenge Republican losses or attempt to interfere with the election process.” [Virginia Mercury]

New Va. Program to Reduce Health Care Costs — “Gov. Abigail Spanberger, other state officials and community leaders rallied at Gethsemane Community Church in Norfolk to tout efforts to decrease health insurance costs ahead of the start of the state exchange’s open enrollment period.” The Virginia General Assembly has created a $150 million fund to subsidize health care coverage for those who left the market after federal subsidies expired earlier this year. [WHRO]

McElveen Honored for Supporting Student Journalists — Fairfax County School Board at-large member Ryan McElveen says he “was deeply honored to stand with our student journalists as I received the 2026 Virginia Administrator of the Year Award from the Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisors this week.” [Ryan McElveen/Facebook]

Free Cultural Festival Coming to Lake Anne — “More than 70 vendors offering international foods, clothing, jewelry and other goods will transform Lake Anne Plaza into a bustling marketplace for a free cultural festival on Sunday. Arabian Nights 2026, presented by Arabian Mosaic LLC, will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Lake Anne Plaza, located at 1609 Washington Plaza N. in Reston.” [Patch]

Halloween Events this Weekend — Halloween celebrations will be in full force in Fairfax County starting today (Friday), with events planned through the weekend at The Boro in Tysons, Frying Pan Farm Park, Reston Town Center and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly. Other seasonal happenings include fall festivals at Tysons Corner Center and Reston Station. [Out & About Fairfax]

It’s Friday — Sunny with a high near 63 and northeast winds around 6 to 8 mph. Night will be clear, with a low around 40 and a light northeast wind. [NWS]

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Early Voting Sites Expand — “From Annandale to Burke, Centreville to Great Falls, 13 additional early voting locations open Thursday. Thursday marks the start of 10 consecutive days to vote early, which ends Saturday, Oct. 31″ ahead of the Nov. 3 general elections. [Fairfax County Office of Elections/Bluesky]

Falls Church Moves Red Light Cameras — “Red light cameras went live today (Wednesday) at two of the most hazardous intersections in Falls Church. A 30-day warning period has begun for violators at the intersections of E. Broad Street with Washington Street and Roosevelt Street.” [ARLnow]

Fundraiser to Help Townhome Fire Victims — “A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the residents of a townhome in Springfield recover from a devastating fire on Oct. 18. The campaign was posted by a family friend, who says Nina Garcia, her two children, and her mother are ‘in urgent need of financial assistance as they begin to rebuild their lives.'” [Annandale Today]

State Faces Road Maintenance Gap — “Virginia needs to take significant resources from the state’s new construction budget to maintain its roads according to the Commonwealth’s Secretary of Transportation. Blame was put on the previous administration at a Senate Finance meeting Tuesday.” [WVTF]

Community Center Upgrades Planned — “The Minnie Peyton Community Center in Bailey’s Crossroads is getting an update.” The “piece-meal modifications,” including a conversion of locker rooms into storage space, LED lighting retrofits and a customer service desk replacement, are focused on supporting programs and bringing the building into compliance with current building codes. [Annandale Today]

Udvar-Hazy Adds Plane to Collection — “After a storied career, an F-117 Nighthawk is now on display at the National Air & Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The aircraft arrived in Chantilly last week. Public viewing opened on Wednesday.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

New Signs Honor Black Community — “The Fairfax County Park Authority, in partnership with stewards of The Pines heritage, will unveil new interpretive signage honoring The Pines, a historically Black community established in Annandale in the early 1900s. The ceremony will take place on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. at Pine Ridge Park, located at 183 Woodburn Road in Annandale.” [FCPA]

Land Use Database Going Briefly Dark — “Fairfax County’s Planning and Land Use System (PLUS) will be offline Thursday, Nov. 5, from 5 p.m. to Monday, Nov. 9, at 7 a.m., while it transitions to a new cloud-based platform … During the transition, no applications or services will be available.” [Fairfax County Government]

It’s Thursday — Sunny with a high near 66 and a north wind around 8 to 10 mph. Night will be mostly clear, with a low around 47 and a north wind around 6 to 8 mph. [NWS]

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Va. Creates Medicaid Assistance Coalition — “Virginia is bringing healthcare and workforce organizations together to help residents keep their health coverage and navigate new federal requirements for Medicaid and other assistance programs.” The new Virginia United Coalition will focus initially on raising public awareness and “adding staff or training to help organizations and agencies make referrals.” [Virginia Mercury]

Police Seek Vehicle Possibly in Hit-and-Run — “Detectives from our Crash Reconstruction Unit (CRU) are seeking the community’s assistance in locating a vehicle believed to be involved in the October 4 fatal pedestrian hit-and-run crash in Springfield. Detectives are searching for a 2017–2022 white Nissan Rogue missing its driver’s side mirror and black fender guards from the front driver’s side wheel well.” [FCPD]

N. Va. Congressmen’s Offices Evacuated — “U.S. Reps. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va.-10th, and Eugene Vindman, D-Va.-7th, both received letters with an unknown substance on them. The letter sent to Subramanyam was delivered to his district office in Leesburg Monday, while the correspondence to Vindman arrived at his office in the Woodbridge area Friday. Both buildings were deemed safe after brief evacuations.” [Inside NoVA]

County Executive Stopped by Police — “On Oct. 16, a Fairfax County police officer pulled over Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill on Sully Road” for not having a front license plate on his vehicle, prompting a testy exchange. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis defended the officer, while Hill later apologized for creating any difficulties, stating that he has since fixed his license plate’s placement. [WJLA]

Big Cost for Filling Child Care Gap — “Closing Virginia’s child care affordability gap would require up to $4.5 billion annually over the next decade, according to the Virginia Department of Education — an investment that, under one scenario, would also raise annual pay for 43,000 educators by an average of $17,000.” [Virginia Mercury]

Economic Concerns Driving Voters — “With 14 days until Election Day, voters are already casting ballots and weighing the issues they want elected officials to address, from the cost of living to health care and the reliability of political information … Nicholas Goedert, an associate professor of political science at Virginia Tech who studies American politics and legislative elections, said economic concerns remain a major factor for voters.” [WUSA9]

Merrifield Bank of America Plan Advances — “A former Uno Pizzeria & Grill restaurant in Fairfax County could be replaced with a new Bank of America branch with a drive-through ATM, according to a proposal that recently cleared a county planning hurdle. The Fairfax County Planning Commission voted 10-0 on Oct. 14 to recommend approval of the project at 3058 Gate House Plaza.” [Patch]

Tips for Halloween Celebrations — “It’s time for scary, silly and all kinds of costumes in all corners of our community. Here are a few things to know about Halloween in Fairfax County,” including when to expect trick-or-treaters, tips for safely navigating dark streets, and advice for homeowners and pet owners. [Fairfax County Government]

It’s Wednesday — Sunny with a high near 65 and a north wind of 8 to 10 mph. Night will be mostly clear, with a low around 46 and a northwest wind around 6 mph. [NWS]

There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.