Author: Angela Woolsey

Angela Woolsey is the site editor for FFXnow. A graduate of George Mason University, she worked as a general assignment reporter for the Fairfax County Times before joining Local News Now as the Tysons Reporter editor in 2020.

Countywide

Fairfax County to close offices, reduce services for Christmas 2025

By Angela Woolsey
Christmas lights illuminate the entrance of the Vienna Community Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Christmas is in the air, which means many local government services are about to wind down so their workers can take off for the holiday.

Like on Thanksgiving, municipal offices for Fairfax County and the towns of Vienna and Herndon will all be closed tomorrow and Thursday (Dec. 25) for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Fairfax City will close its government offices starting at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow.

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News

UPDATED: Body found in Fairfax County Parkway median, closing road

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County Parkway shut down at Rolling Road for a police death investigation (via VDOT traffic camera)

Fairfax County police are investigating the death of an unidentified man whose body was found this morning (Tuesday) in the median of Fairfax County Parkway.

The adult man was discovered lying in the median near Old Plains Road just northwest of Inova Fair Oaks Hospital by a community member who spotted the body while driving and called 911, Fairfax County Police Department Capt. Jesse Katzman said in a briefing.

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News

Tysons hotel stays still below pre-Covid levels, but outpace region

By Angela Woolsey
A vehicle stopped in front of Archer Hotel at Scotts Run in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

In Tysons, hotels have made progress on recovering from the blows dealt to the hospitality industry by the pandemic, but occupancy levels are leveling out instead of continuing to rise, the Tysons Community Alliance (TCA) shared in its most recent quarterly report.

Released last Wednesday (Dec. 17), the Q3 2025 market report found that the hotels in Fairfax County’s urban center were about 70% occupied, on average, from November 2024 through this past October — the same rate recorded over that time period a year earlier.

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News

Virginia offshore wind project among those halted by Trump administration

By Angela Woolsey and Associated Press
Wind Turbine Installation Vessel Charybdis works to install generators for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project near Hampton Roads (via Dominion Energy)

The Trump administration on Monday suspended leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects under construction along the East Coast due to what it said were national security risks identified by the Pentagon.

Among the affected projects is Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which has been under construction about 27 miles off of the Virginia Beach coast since 2023.

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News

With condos under construction, new MetroWest developer seeks revisions to apartment plan

By Angela Woolsey
MetroWest Square condos under construction (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A new developer is getting involved in the MetroWest neighborhood near the Vienna Metro station, though it won’t affect the long-stalled town center portion of the project.

An affiliate of the Peterson Companies submitted a new plan to Fairfax County on Dec. 8 for the Oakton development’s “Building 18,” a proposed multifamily residential building with commercial uses that would include a child care facility.

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News

Former South Lakes football star gives back with Christmas donation drive

By Angela Woolsey
Former South Lakes Seahawks wide receiver Zac Parker at a rookie camp for the Washington Commanders (via NFL, provided by Zac Parker)

A former professional football player is giving back to his hometown of Reston this Christmas.

Zac Parker, who played for the South Lakes Seahawks before graduating in 2013, has been collecting donated food, toys, clothes and other items that he plans to distribute tomorrow (Tuesday) to people in need, including kids and people experiencing homelessness.

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Around Town

Meadows Frozen Custard opens in Reston ahead of winter holidays

By Angela Woolsey
The Meadows Frozen Custard storefront at South Lakes Village Center in Reston (staff photo)

The Meadows Original Frozen Custard has at last completed its move from Ashburn to Reston.

After some delays, the frozen desserts shop began serving customers in the South Lakes Village Shopping Center (11130-I South Lakes Drive) on Wednesday (Dec. 17) and will celebrate its grand opening tomorrow (Saturday).

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News

Old Town Fairfax shops count on holiday market for end-of-year business boost

By Angela Woolsey
Woman shopping at Mode on Main by Mara in Old Town Fairfax at a Main Street Market (photo by Setareh Sabti/Mode on Main by Mara)

For many small businesses, the holiday shopping season is the most critical time of the year, determining their ability to continue operating, and Mode on Main by Mara is no exception.

The lifestyle boutique in Old Town Fairfax shared on Instagram this week that had processed 611 orders at that point since Nov. 1, leaving it shy of the 1,000 orders it says are needed to ensure it can keep its doors open at 10417 Main Street in 2026.

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Around Town

Fairfax Symphony Orchestra teams up with Patti LuPone, dragons for new concerts

By Angela Woolsey
The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra will perform How to Train Your Dragon in Concert on March 14, 2026 (courtesy 2025 DWA LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO) is expanding its season with a pair of newly announced concerts.

In separate events next spring, the orchestra will host musical theater legend Patti LuPone and perform alongside the animated film “How to Train Your Dragon,” adding more star power to a season that has already featured cellist Yo-Yo Ma as a soloist.

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Around Town

Mediterranean fusion restaurant setting up shop near Dunn Loring Metro

By Jared Serre and Angela Woolsey
Signage has appeared for Mandi Mediterranean, a new restaurant, at the Shops at Avenir Place in Merrifield (staff photo by Jared Serre)

A restaurant fusing cuisines from the Mediterranean and South Asia is planning to open soon in a vacant storefront near the Dunn Loring Metro station.

Signage for Mandi Mediterranean has appeared in Merrifield at 2670A Avenir Place — the former home of Burger7, which closed in 2024.

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