Author: FFXnow.com

Va. Dems Expected to Push for Redistricting — “Virginia’s General Assembly will meet Monday in Richmond — in a legislative session hastily reconvened by Democrats — to join nationwide efforts to counteract a gerrymandered redistricting push by President Donald Trump, legislators told VPM News.” Clerks said the meeting will “technically” be part of a special session called earlier this year that’s still active. [VPM News]

FCPS Reports Region’s Biggest Enrollment Drop — “Recent preliminary headcounts taken in September and October are showing a 1-2% decline in enrollment at DC-area schools. These percentages may seem small, but they can have big implications for teacher hiring rates, school budgets and even closures … Fairfax County, the largest school district in the DC-area with roughly 180,000 students, has the most significant drop in enrollment.” [NBC4]

Voting Rights Case Appealed to Supreme Court — “A yearslong legal challenge to Gov. Glenn Youngkin over access to records concerning his administration’s changes to voting rights restoration entered a new chapter this year, after the Virginia Court of Appeals in August ruled that the case, lodged by the Virginia NAACP, can move forward.” Youngkin petitioned Virginia’s Supreme Court last month to review the case. [Virginia Mercury]

Halal Restaurant Opens in Fairfax City — “Shah’s Halal Food opened its doors this week at 9625 Fairfax Blvd., which is adjacent to Okonomi Asian Grill in the Fairfax Circle area. It’s open daily 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.” Serving kababs, gyros and other Mediterranean staples, the chain started in New York City in 2005. [Patch]

Local Telecomms Companies to Merge — “Falls Church telecommunications satellite firm Lynk Global Inc. is set to merge with Omnispace LLC, a Tysons-based communications company,” forming a new entity expected to launch later this year or in early 2026, pending regulatory approval. “The combination of Lynk and Omnispace will yield a workforce of about 100 employees, [Lynk spokesperson Amy] Mehlman said.” [Washington Business Journal]

Learn About Revolutionary War-Era Vienna — “What was the area we now call Vienna like on the cusp of the Revolutionary War? Join local historians and archivists as they travel back through time and provide context and answers at the panel discussion: ‘Vienna in 1775.’ This event, presented by the ViennaVA250 Committee and Historic Vienna Inc., takes place on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at 2 p.m. in the Vienna Community Center Auditorium.” [Town of Vienna]

Rec Center to Celebrate Reopening — “Fairfax County Park Authority will host a grand reopening event at Mount Vernon Rec Center” on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “The free celebration will feature family-friendly activities, demonstrations in each area of the Rec Center, giveaways and games.” [FCPA]

Park Authority Awarded for Energy Improvements — “The Fairfax County Park Authority is proud to announce that it has been awarded the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council award in recognition of its exceptional energy efficiency improvements at the Spring Hill Rec Center. This honor highlights FCPA’s leadership in sustainability and its commitment to reducing energy consumption across its facilities.” [FCPA]

It’s Friday — Clouds will increase throughout the day, reaching a high temperature near 61. A light west wind will shift to the northwest at 8 to 13 mph in the morning and may gust up to 22 mph. By Friday night, skies will be mostly clear and the temperature will drop to around 39. [NWS]

Police Wrap Up Traffic Safety Campaign — “The Fairfax County Police Department has concluded the 2025 ‘Road Shark’ campaign, issuing nearly 50,000 citations and warnings to dangerous drivers on Fairfax County roadways over the last five waves. This represents a 43% increase from 2024.” [FCPD]

Region Braces for Loss of Food Benefits — “In days, the impacts of the government showdown could go from bad to much worse after the Department of Agriculture said it doesn’t have enough money to pay for SNAP Benefits or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in November … Stephanie Berkowitz with Northern Virginia Family Services says the impact of losing SNAP, even for a month, can’t be overstated.” [NBC4]

Local GOP Takes Issue with Absentee Ballots — “Fairfax County Republican leaders are raising concerns about ballot privacy after discovering a hole punched in absentee ballots could reveal a voter’s decision … Fairfax County election officials are now giving tips on their website about how to properly secure the ballot.” [NBC4]

Man Posing as Firefighter Arrested — “A 28-year-old Manassas man who was posing as a Washington, D.C. firefighter was arrested after he tried to enter a Fairfax City fire station on [Oct. 15], according to police.” The man was charged with impersonating a firefighter and being drunk in public. [Patch]

State Legislators Debate Gambling Expansion — “Virginia began legalizing casinos in 2020 with the first wager cast in 2022 … While recent gambling revenue numbers have dipped across the state, elected officials are holding judgement as more casinos and gambling alternatives are expected to be considered under the new state gambling authority.” [WVTF]

Virginia Reviews Special Education Compliance — “A Virginia commission on Tuesday unanimously accepted a study recommending that policymakers separate the Parent Ombudsman for Special Education’s office from the Virginia Department of Education to improve its ‘neutrality and public trust.'” The study was ordered after “years of ongoing complaints and a federal investigation” into the state’s system for resolving special education-related conflicts. [Virginia Mercury]

Capital One Reports Turnaround After Merger — “Three months after disclosing a $4.3 billion loss, Capital One’s profit jumped 80% year-over-year in the third quarter. Its revenue surged 53%. And its net interest income rose 54%, according to an earnings report released Tuesday.” The boost came after the financial corporation closed a $35 billion acquisition of rival Discover in May. [Banking Dive]

UVA Complies with Trump Admin Demands — “The University of Virginia has agreed to abide by White House guidance forbidding discrimination in admissions and hiring, becoming the latest campus to strike a deal with the Trump administration as the college tries to pause months of scrutiny by the federal government.” [Associated Press]

It’s Thursday — Expect a sunny day with a high around 62 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 7 to 14 mph and gusts reaching up to 23 mph. For Thursday night, the skies will be mostly clear with the temperature dropping to around 41 degrees, and a northwest wind blowing at 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]

Lawyers Road Closures Scheduled — “Weather permitting, Lawyers Road (Route 673) between Hunter Mill Road (Route 674) and Garrett Street (Route 3217) will be closed to through traffic Saturday, Oct. 25; Sunday, Oct. 26; Saturday, Nov. 1; and Sunday, Nov. 2, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day for drainage pipe replacement … Through traffic will be detoured via Hunter Mill Road and Vale Road (Route 672)/Malcolm Road NW.” [VDOT]

Judge Sides with Seven Corners Nonprofit — “In an Oct. 7 oral ruling and Oct. 17 written opinion, Judge Leonie Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia said [Attorney General Jason] Miyares’ push to obtain donor lists from American Muslims for Palestine is overly broad and likely violates the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of association.” [Virginia Mercury]

Metro Ridership Drops During Shutdown — “Metro platforms have been sparsely sprinkled with passengers for weeks, a clear sign of the effects of the government shutdown rippling through the region’s transit system … Metro says ridership among federal employees is down 24 percent since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, compared to weekdays in September.” [DC News Now]

Marine Corps Marathon to Return — “The Marine Corps Marathon is still happening this weekend despite the government shutdown, bringing numerous road closures to Arlington. Now in its 50th year, the sold-out race — one of the largest marathons in the country — will begin as scheduled on Sunday morning, just like the Army Ten-Miler last week.” [ARLnow]

Man Reunites With Life-Saving First Responders — “On May 17, 2025, Benjamin Shaul, 36, went into cardiac arrest at his home after feelings of indigestion … On Friday, October 17, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue held a Resuscitation Reunion to reunite the Shaul’s with the first responders who provided emergency medical care that day and undoubtedly helped save Mr. Shaul’s life.” [FCFRD]

Former Capitals Star Sells McLean Home — “The McLean, Virginia, home previously owned by former Washington Capitals star T.J. Oshie has sold for $9.3 million. Washington Fine Properties announced the sale of the home, at 1004 Dogue Hill Lane, on Tuesday. The house was built in 2021 and features six bedrooms, six full bathrooms, two half baths and 11,400 square feet of living space.” [WTOP]

Op-Ed Makes Case for Reston as Development Model — “Modern suburbia is rightfully characterized as car-centric and aggressively unwalkable with bland, copy-pasted building facades. But Simon’s vision was radically different in a way that yields continuous dividends to its residents, seemingly in perpetuity.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Reston Library to Host Puzzle Sale — The Friends of the Reston Regional Library are bringing back their annual puzzles and games sale this Thursday through Sunday (Oct. 23-26). Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. except on Sunday, when the sale will end at 3 p.m. “Hundreds and hundreds (dare we say ‘thousands’?) of gently used puzzles in good condition are just waiting for you at this super fun sale.” [Fairfax County Public Library]

New Legal Notice — The Andalusia Lounge seeks an ABC restaurant permit for 6239 Little River Turnpike; objections due within 30 days. [Public Notices]

It’s Wednesday — Clouds will increase throughout the day as the temperature reaches a high near 64°F. West winds will blow at 8 to 14 mph, occasionally gusting as high as 24 mph. For Wednesday night, expect mostly clear skies with a low temperature around 44°F and a gentle west wind of approximately 7 mph. [NWS]

Amazon Web Outage Stems From N. Va. Data Center — “A massive outage at Amazon Web Services disrupted major websites and apps on Monday, in a show of how one company’s online infrastructure has become essential for many modern businesses to function … Amazon reported ‘increased error rates and latencies’ starting around 3 a.m. ET that involved its facility in Northern Virginia.” [NPR]

Woman Hit by Falling Tree Dies — “A woman crushed by a falling tree on Pimmit Run Trail last month was later pronounced dead at the hospital, ARLnow has learned. The incident happened around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, near the Arlington-Fairfax County border.” [ARLnow]

Warmer Winter Forecast — “La Niña can benefit winter lovers in the D.C. area by tilting odds toward slightly cooler winters, mainly when the event is weak. But that tendency is running headlong into a steadily warming climate, which is one reason forecasters at the Weather Service still lean toward above-normal temperatures this winter.” [Washington Post]

Va. Leaders Dispute Recession Prediction — “The Youngkin administration and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond are pushing back on a recent analysis saying Virginia is one of 22 states and districts in, or at risk of, a recession … Virginia isn’t immune to a downturn, but local economists and state leaders tell Axios they’re not seeing one yet.” [Axios Richmond]

Founder of Prominent Developer Dies — “Robert “Bob” Youngentob, a founding partner at Bethesda developer EYA LLC, died Saturday after a battle with cancer, according to an online obituary. He was 64.” Started by Youngentob and Terry Eakin in 1992, EYA has been involved in a number of Fairfax County developments, from the Mosaic District in Merrifield to Reston Station. [Washington Business Journal]

Franconia Food Drive Underway — “My office is collecting donations of non-perishable food and household goods to benefit three organizations doing impactful work in the Franconia District: ECHO, The Koinonia Foundation, Inc., and United Community. Donations will be distributed by need … The donation box will be in the lobby of the Franconia Governmental Center through November 30.” [Supervisor Rodney Lusk/Facebook]

Campaign to Reduce Water Bottle Use Awarded — “The Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination is presenting an Environmental Excellence Award to the Friends of Holmes Run and Hispanics Against Child Abuse and Neglect (HACAN) for promoting the use of tap water in Culmore. The groups encouraged residents to use refillable water bottles for tap water instead of buying disposable water bottles that often end up in streams.” [Annandale Today]

Program Brings Ballet to Kids with Down Syndrome — “Program Director Madison Harden brought The Purple Tutu to Alexandria with the goal of teaching ballet to dancers in the special needs community. Every Sunday, young dancers meet up at the Just Dance Studio and receive a free 30-minute ballet class, taught by members of the West Potomac High School Dance team.” [WTOP]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 71 degrees, accompanied by a south wind ranging from 5 to 11 mph and gusts reaching 22 mph. Tonight, there is a 40% chance of showers before 2 am; however, the mostly cloudy skies will gradually clear with a low of around 49 degrees. The west wind will be around 7 mph. [NWS]