Author: Emily Leayman

Emily Leayman is a senior reporter at ARLnow, ALXnow and FFXnow. She was previously a field editor covering parts of Northern Virginia for Patch for more than eight years. A native of the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, she lives in Northern Virginia.

Around Town

Investment firm, not a restaurant, to open in former Four Sisters space at Mosaic District

By Emily Leayman
Curved glass entrance of a modern brick building, framed by purple flowering trees on both sides.
The space at 8190 Strawberry Lane, Suite 1, in the Mosaic District has been vacant since Four Sisters closed in May 2023 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

It turns out that the replacement for Four Sisters at Mosaic District won’t be a restaurant after all.

Investment and financial advisory service Charles Schwab confirmed to FFXnow plans to open a new branch at 8190 Strawberry Lane, Suite 1 in Merrifield. That’s the former location of Vietnamese restaurant Four Sisters, which closed in May 2023 after 30 years.

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News

New I-66 slugging network launching this fall to help commuters bypass tolls

By Emily Leayman
Modern office building with purple vertical louvers under a clear blue sky, with a crosswalk in the foreground.
The Monument Drive Commuter Parking Garage near I-66 in Fair Oaks (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The community-organized carpooling tradition known as slugging will soon expand to one of Fairfax County’s busiest commuting corridors.

Slugging, a form of carpooling that connects drivers and passengers on a common route, will have a September kickoff in the I-66 corridor. The initiative is being led by the I-66 Slugging Network, a coalition of residential groups and public agencies who want to create a slugging community along the interstate.

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Countywide

Taxes, paid leave program on minds of N. Va. business leaders after General Assembly session

By Emily Leayman
Capital One Center in Tysons on a misty morning (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Optimism among Northern Virginia business leaders is improving, although some expressed worries about taxes and the state’s approval of a paid family and medical leave program.

That’s according to the second-quarter 2026 Business Leader Survey released last week by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and public relations firm Pinkston, revealing the sentiments of the region’s CEOs, senior executives and business owners.

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Countywide

Paid leave, gun restrictions and more laws taking effect in Virginia on July 1

By Emily Leayman
Gov. Abigail Spanberger signs legislation on Monday, May 11 that will create a paid family and medical leave program in Virginia (via Office of Gov. Abigail Spanberger)

More than 1,100 bills came out of this year’s Virginia General Assembly session, and many will take effect tomorrow (Wednesday).

After Democrats gained a trifecta with last year’s election of Gov. Abigail Spanberger and control of the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates, legislators’ bills focused on priorities like immigration enforcement, gun control, housing and tenant protections, reproductive rights and more.

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Countywide

Judge blocks Fairfax lawmakers’ assault weapons ban from taking effect

By Emily Leayman
The Virginia State Capitol building (file photo)

A Virginia judge has hit pause on a new state law prohibiting assault weapons, preventing it from taking effect next week as planned.

The legislation, introduced by Fairfax County state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D-37) and Del. Dan Helmer (D-10), was scheduled to ban the sale and manufacturing of assault-style firearms starting July 1. But yesterday (Thursday), a judge in Lancaster County issued an injunction that puts the law on hold amid a pending lawsuit and directs Virginia State Police to not enforce the ban.

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Countywide

Virginia leaders maintain support for new ICE-related laws targeted by DOJ lawsuit

By Emily Leayman
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Washington Field Office in Chantilly (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Two state laws sponsored by state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D-37) seeking to restrain federal immigration enforcement agents are being challenged by the Trump administration’s Justice Department.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia’s Richmond Division last Thursday (June 11), challenges Virginia’s incoming ban on law enforcement officers wearing face masks and restrictions on cooperation agreements between federal immigration enforcement and state and local law enforcement agencies.

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News

Spanberger agrees to marijuana retail market after vetoing Fairfax County lawmaker’s bill

By Emily Leayman
Cannabis plant (via Rick Proctor/Unsplash)

After vetoing legislation last month that would’ve established a retail market for cannabis, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has agreed to establish a market through an addition to the state budget.

The compromise between Spanberger, Fairfax County Del. Paul Krizek (D-16) and state Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D-13) would allow recreational marijuana sales to begin on July 1, 2027. The governor’s office says this allows time for the Cannabis Control Authority to develop regulations, testing and safety standards and oversight framework.

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Countywide

Fairfax Water joins regional study to seek backup sources beyond Potomac River

By Emily Leayman
The Potomac River in Great Falls Park on a fall day (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County’s drinking water utility is joining several D.C.-area organizations in a regional study to evaluate backup water supply alternatives to the Potomac River.

Fairfax Water is joining Maryland’s WSSC Water and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a $25 million “Secure the Source” study to explore potential large-scale alternatives that could provide several weeks of emergency backup water supply for over 5 million residents in the D.C. region currently served by the Potomac.

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Countywide

Fairfax delegate’s new law sets statewide ceiling on parking requirements near transit

By Emily Leayman
A parking lot near the Arrowbrook Centre development south of Herndon (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A new law from a Fairfax County state delegate will set statewide limits on minimum parking requirements years after the county completed a major overhaul of its standards.

Del. Irene Shin (D-8), who represents parts of Herndon, Oak Hill and Chantilly, introduced HB 888 to limit the minimum amount of parking that localities can require for mixed-use and residential developments within a half-mile of mass transit facilities or public transportation stations.

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Around Town

Moo Thru now serving ice cream at new shop in Burke

By Emily Leayman
The Burke Moo Thru (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

Just in time for the hotter months, Burke residents have a new option for ice cream.

Moo Thru announced Monday (June 1) that it is now open at Burke Town Center (6025H Burke Centre Parkway). This is Moo Thru’s second Fairfax County location after a franchise opened in Herndon in 2024.

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