Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

FCFRD: Herndon-area apartment fire started by smoking materials in mulch

Published April 21, 2026 at 11:45AM

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department responds to fire at the Kendrick Court Senior Apartments in McNair (via FCFRD)

Three people were forced out of their homes last week by an apartment fire in the Herndon area that investigators say resulted from improperly discarded smoking materials.

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department was dispatched at 12:42 p.m. last Wednesday (April 15) for reports of an outdoor fire that was spreading to the Kendrick Court Senior Apartments building (13430 Coppermine Road) in McNair.

News

Tysons media company’s merger blocked for now by federal judge

By Associated Press and Angela Woolsey

Published April 21, 2026 at 8:30AM

FILE - Chairman, President and CEO of Nexstar Broadcasting Group Perry Sook attends the 24th Annual Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame Awards at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York on Oct. 29, 2014. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

A federal judge has blocked a $6.2 billion merger of local television giants Nexstar Media Group and Tysons-based rival Tegna until an antitrust lawsuit is resolved.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento, California, made the ruling late Friday (April 17) afternoon, finding that eight attorneys general and DirecTV were likely to prevail in their legal bid to stop the merger. The attorneys general, all Democrats, and DirecTV contend the merger will lead to higher prices for consumers, stifle local journalism and that the deal runs afoul of federal laws designed to protect against monopolies.

Around Town

Photos: Vienna Community Center celebrates 60 years with cake, memories

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 20, 2026 at 3:45PM | Updated April 20, 2026 at 5:25PM

Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert cuts a cake to celebrate the Vienna Community Center's 60th anniversary (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Entering the multipurpose room at the Vienna Community Center last Friday afternoon (April 17) was like stepping into a time capsule.

For an open house to celebrate the facility’s 60th anniversary, the Town of Vienna’s Parks and Recreation Department set up displays on one side of the room covered with nostalgia-triggering newspaper clippings and photographs, many of them provided by local residents.

Around Town

Herndon concert series Friday Night Live! unveils 2026 lineup

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 20, 2026 at 2:45PM

Lawn chairs set up for Friday Night Live! in Herndon (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Friday Night Live! is coming back to Herndon, capping off last week’s heat wave with the release of its upcoming schedule.

The popular summer concert series produced by the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce will return to the Town Green on May 22, kicking off with cover band Lost in Paris.

News

Historic Dunn Loring Center to close ahead of replacement with elementary school

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 20, 2026 at 10:00AM

A car parked outside the Dunn Loring Administrative Center, formerly a school building (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The end is near for a school building that has stood in Dunn Loring since the Great Depression.

After operating for nearly nine decades, first as a school and then as an administrative hub, the Dunn Loring Administrative Center at 2334 Gallows Road will close in phases next month to make way for a new elementary school.

News

Fairfax County police sergeant arrested on sexual abuse charges

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 20, 2026 at 8:30AM

Booking photo for Fairfax County Police Department Sgt Matthew Anthony Sylvester (courtesy Fauquier County Sheriff's Office)

A sergeant in the Fairfax County Police Department was arrested over the weekend for alleged sexual abuse.

Matthew Sylvester, a 40-year-old resident of Warrenton, has been charged with two counts of aggravated sexual battery by the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office after he was taken into custody on Saturday (April 18) around 1 a.m., according to the FCPD.

News

UPDATED: Bren Mar Park Elementary deemed OK to open after two-alarm fire

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 19, 2026 at 4:20PM | Updated April 20, 2026 at 12:21AM

Smoke from fire at Bren Mar Park Elementary School in Lincolnia (courtesy Dave Statter/X)

A two-alarm fire broke out at Bren Mar Park Elementary School in Lincolnia this afternoon (Sunday), sending a sizable plume of black smoke into the air.

Units with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to the two-story school at 6344 Beryl Road around 3:22 p.m. for a building fire, according to the county’s emergency scanner.

Countywide

Virginia is experiencing its worst drought in nearly 20 years

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 17, 2026 at 3:45PM

Piney Branch Stream near the Freeman House in Vienna, seen on April 11, 2026 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The drought conditions plaguing parts of Virginia, including Fairfax County, since last fall are officially the worst the state has experienced in almost 20 years.

Yesterday (Thursday), the U.S. Drought Monitor classified over 60% of Virginia as being in a severe drought based on data collected through Tuesday (April 14). That’s the most widespread drought seen in the state since October 2007, surpassing levels recorded during previous droughts in 2008, 2010, 2023 and 2024, according to Fairfax County.

Around Town

Celebrate Reston brings ‘Hamilton,’ Wonder Wagon and more to Lake Anne Plaza

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 17, 2026 at 2:45PM

The statue of Reston founder Robert E. Simon on a bench at Lake Anne Plaza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Reston’s annual celebration of its founding is set to return tomorrow (Saturday) — only this time, the festival will honor the nation’s origins as well.

The 2026 edition of Celebrate Reston, which was renamed last year after two decades as Founder’s Day, will feature a number of activities nodding to the U.S.’s 250th anniversary, while also putting a spotlight on the local community.

News

VHC Health expands women’s center to Tysons to meet demand

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 17, 2026 at 1:45PM

VHC Health and local officials, including Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, celebrate the opening of the Charlotte S. Benjamin Center for Women's Health in Tysons (courtesy Image Caffeine Photography)

The thousands of patients who visit VHC Health in Arlington for pregnancy-related services and other women’s health needs can now find similar care in Tysons.

The nonprofit health system celebrated the launch of a new location for the Charlotte S. Benjamin Center for Women’s Health at its Tysons Pavilion (1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 210) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 9.