Author: Associated Press

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Countywide

Judge blocks Virginia Democrats’ redistricting referendum two weeks before early voting

By Associated Press
The Virginia State Capitol building (file photo)

By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia court on Thursday effectively blocked Democrats’ planned April voter referendum to redraw the state’s congressional maps, another potentially devastating blow to the party’s effort to pick up four more U.S. House seats in the national redistricting battle.

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UPDATED: Ilia Malinin misses Olympic gold, but supporters in Reston still proud

By Angela Woolsey and Associated Press
People at SkateQuest in Reston watch Ilia Malinin after his free skate at the Milan Cortina Olympics (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Figure skaters and their families from across the D.C. region gathered today (Friday) at Reston’s SkateQuest to watch their homegrown phenom pursue gold and, possibly, history an ocean and continent away at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

In minutes, however, that vision fell apart as Vienna resident Ilia Malinin missed the Olympic podium entirely after a disastrous free skate where he fell twice, finishing in eighth place with 264.49 points.

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Countywide

Virginia redistricting election will go forward while court considers appeal

By Associated Press
FILE - The state and U.S. flags fly over the Virginia State Capitol as the 2024 session of the Virginia General Assembly gets underway, Jan. 10, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press

Virginia voters will get to cast ballots on a congressional redistricting plan benefiting Democrats while a court battle plays out over the legality of the effort.

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News

BREAKING: Au pair sentenced to 10 years in Herndon double-murder case

By Jared Serre and Associated Press
Juliana Peres Magalhães is escorted into the courtroom before continuing her testimony, during the double murder trial for Brendan Banfield in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner, Pool)

A Herndon family’s au pair who engaged in an affair with her employer before aiding a plot to murder his wife and another man has received the maximum sentence for her role in the killings.

Juliana Peres Magalhaes was sentenced to 10 years in prison today (Friday) — the maximum sentence allowed for the charge of manslaughter under state law. The 25-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to the lesser charge in exchange for her testimony against co-conspirator Brendan Banfield.

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GMU cheers on fellow student Ilia Malinin during Olympics watch parties

By Emily Leayman and Associated Press
Olympics watch party for figure skater and student Ilia Malinin at George Mason University (staff photo by Emily Leayman)

In between classes, George Mason University students gathered at the Johnson Center in Fairfax to cheer one of their own going for the gold in the winter Olympics.

Ilia Malinin, a 21-year-old figure skater competing in the Milan Cortina Olympics, is also studying for a not-yet-declared major at GMU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The university held a watch party yesterday (Tuesday) as Malinin competed in the qualifying round of the individual men’s short program.

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JUST IN: Fairfax’s Ilia Malinin secures US figure skating team gold at Milan Cortina Olympics

By Associated Press
Ilia Malinin of the United States competes during the figure skating men's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer

MILAN (AP) — It seemed only fitting that Ilia Malinin was the first one to get his Olympic gold medal after the U.S. successfully defended its team title by holding off the Japanese on Sunday night in the three-day competition at the Milan Cortina Games.

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When to catch Fairfax natives Ilia Malinin and Brandon Kim at the Winter Olympics

By Angela Woolsey and Associated Press
Ilia Malinin, of the United States, practices during a figure skating training session ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are officially underway in Italy, with the opening ceremony unfolding this afternoon (Friday).

For Fairfax County viewers, eyes will be particularly fixed in the coming days on two local athletes: figure skater Ilia Malinin — a 2023 Marshall High graduate who still lives in Vienna and trains at Reston’s SkateQuest — and speedskater Brandon Kim, a 2020 Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology making his Olympic debut.

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News

CIA ends publication of its popular World Factbook reference tool

By Associated Press
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, seated at center, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, standing in back, listen during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Close the cover on the CIA World Factbook: The spy agency announced Wednesday that after more than 60 years, it is shuttering the popular reference manual.

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BREAKING: Herndon’s Brendan Banfield found guilty of murdering wife, another man

By Jared Serre and Associated Press
Brendan Banfield, pictured during trial on Jan. 30, 2026 (screenshot via CourtTV)

A Herndon man faces life in prison after being convicted today (Monday) of murdering his wife and another man while having an affair with the family’s au pair.

After a trial that spanned more than two weeks, it took just one-and-a-half days for the 12-person jury to return a verdict against Brendan Banfield, finding the 40-year-old former IRS officer guilty for the February 2023 murders of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan.

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Jury in Herndon ‘au pair affair’ double murder must now decide husband’s guilt

By Associated Press
Brendan Banfield arrives to testify in his double murder trial in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner, Pool)

By OLIVIA DIAZ and TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Jurors began deliberating Friday on whether a former IRS law enforcement officer in Virginia conspired with his family’s Brazilian au pair, with whom he was having an affair, to kill his wife and pin it on a stranger.

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