Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Fort Belvoir plans training exercise today with simulated gunfire

Published February 26, 2026 at 8:30AM

Fort Belvoir's Lieber Gate on Richmond Highway (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Residents on and around Fort Belvoir may want to keep some earplugs close at hand today (Thursday).

The U.S. Army installation will host an active shooter preparedness exercise starting at 10 a.m. that could last “several hours” and involve loud noises, including simulated gunshots.

Around Town

Dick’s House of Sport coming to Tysons Corner Center

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 25, 2026 at 3:45PM | Updated February 25, 2026 at 6:14PM

Entrance to the former Lord & Taylor store, now occupied by Timeless Living, from the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A major sporting goods store is making a play for Tysons Corner Center.

Dick’s House of Sport is on track to open at the mall in fall 2027, Doug Healey, property owner and developer Macerich’s senior executive vice president for leasing, told investors during an earnings call on Feb. 18.

News

Herndon road safety plan IDs crash hot spots, suggests improvements

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 25, 2026 at 1:45PM

Van Buren Street at the W&OD Trail crossing in Herndon (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Design improvements, reduced default speed limits and campaigns to discourage drunk driving are some of the steps Herndon could take to make its streets safer under a newly proposed plan.

The Town of Herndon is seeking public feedback on its draft Roadway Safety Action Plan, which evaluated current road conditions and recommends strategies for achieving an ambitious goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries in the next 12 years.

News

Plan filed for affordable housing on Columbia Pike, as county finds ‘critical’ supply shortage

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 25, 2026 at 9:15AM

Rendering of NHP Foundation's proposed Columbia Crossroads affordable housing development (via Soto Architecture and Urban Design/Fairfax County)

A rezoning application is in for an affordable housing project proposed to replace the Crossroads Interim Park in Bailey’s Crossroads.

The NHP Foundation, a nonprofit developer headquartered in New York City, filed plans on Friday (Feb. 20) for a seven-story, 160-unit apartment building at 5831 Columbia Pike that would include approximately 6,000 square feet of space for community services.

Countywide

Amended Fairfax County casino bill sets referendum deadline, splits tax revenue evenly

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 25, 2026 at 8:30AM | Updated February 26, 2026 at 12:50AM

Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell presents his Fairfax County casino bill to the House General Laws Committee on Feb. 24, 2026 (via Virginia House of Delegates)

A bill to make Fairfax County eligible for a casino is advancing through the Virginia House of Delegates after undergoing some significant changes from the version passed by the state Senate earlier this month.

The House’s General Laws Committee voted 12-7 yesterday (Tuesday) to send Senate Bill 756, patroned by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34), to the chamber’s appropriations committee. All four delegates representing portions of Fairfax County, including committee chair Del. Paul Krizek (D-16), opposed advancing the legislation.

News

Source of gas leak identified days after Centreville house explosion

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 24, 2026 at 3:45PM | Updated February 24, 2026 at 5:01PM

A road blocked off in Centreville on Feb. 19, 2026 near the Feb. 15 home explosion in Centreville (staff photo by Emily Leayman)

More than a week after a house in Centreville was decimated by a fire, leading dozens of residents to evacuate, investigators have finally identified the source of a natural gas leak that might’ve caused the explosion.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has removed a section of polyethylene plastic pipe near the corner of Quail Pond Court and Belle Plains Drive that leaked air during pressure testing, sending to a lab in D.C. for examination.

News

AOL to lay off over 100 workers at Reston office

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 24, 2026 at 11:45AM

Entrance to the office building at 11955 Democracy Drive in Reston (via Google Maps)

AOL’s Northern Virginia presence continues to shrink, as the one-time internet pioneer prepares to lay off more than 100 employees in the coming months.

A total of 108 workers who work at or receive assignments from the company’s office at 11955 Democracy Drive in Reston Town Center will be laid off between now and May 31, according to notifications sent to the Virginia Department of Workforce Advancement and Development and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay on Feb. 17.

News

Long-pending culvert construction will require Nutley Street closures in Vienna

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 24, 2026 at 9:15AM

Construction is starting on a new stormwater culvert under Nutley Street near Marshall Road SW in Vienna (courtesy Town of Vienna)

After an extra one-day delay due to Sunday’s snowfall, the Town of Vienna will begin construction today (Tuesday) on a stormwater project that’s more than a decade in the making.

To address ongoing flooding challenges, the town is replacing an underground culvert along Nutley Street near Marshall Road SW, a process expected to unfold in five phases over nearly a year.

Around Town

Burke ranked as N. Va.’s most in-demand zip code for homeowners

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 23, 2026 at 3:45PM

Northern Virginia Magazine ranked the region's top 20 hottest zip codes for homeowners for its March 2026 issue (courtesy Northern Virginia Magazine)

Elevated prices didn’t stop new homeowners from flocking to Burke last year, drawn to its traditional suburban environment and proximity to amenities like shopping centers and parks.

The mostly residential community in the heart of Fairfax County at 22015 topped Northern Virginia Magazine’s recently released ranking of the Top 20 Hottest Zip Codes in Northern Virginia.

News

Tysons theater delays shows after death of actor and board member

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 23, 2026 at 1:45PM

William T. Newman Jr played Cutler in 1st Stage's 2017 production of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (photo by Teresa Castracane Photography)

The show will go on at 1st Stage, even as the professional Tysons theater mourns the loss of one of its actors and board members.

William T. Newman Jr. died at his home on Feb. 10, leaving behind a storied legacy as both a civic leader and judge in Arlington and a thespian on both stage and screen.