Author: FFXnow.com

Parkway Speed Cameras in Full Effect — “Work zone speed cameras along Fairfax County Parkway between Popes Head Road and Burke Center Parkway are now live. Drivers who speed in the work zone will receive fines up to $100.” The speed limit in that stretch of road has been lowered to 45 mph while construction continues on multiple road widening projects. [Fairfax County Government/X]

Comstock Responds to Lawsuit — In a statement shared yesterday (Tuesday), Comstock Companies CEO Chris Clemente called allegations in the Town of Herndon’s lawsuit over the stalled downtown redevelopment project “inaccurate and without merit.” The developer says it was unable to meet deadlines imposed last year by the town, but remains interested in implementing the project or transferring the land to another developer. [FFXnow]

Lack of Information on Immigration Arrests — “While the governor’s office has described the 2,512 people arrested [in Virginia] as ‘violent criminals who are illegally in the United States,’ neither Youngkin’s office nor state or federal agencies involved in the operation have provided any documentation about those arrested to be able to verify who they are, what they were charged with or whether they’ve been deported.” [Virginian-Pilot]

Virginia Schools Remove Library Books — “Virginia school divisions are removing books from library shelves with minimal state guidance — in some cases, while incorrectly citing state law — according to a report issued by the General Assembly’s research arm Monday. Thirty-two school districts removed 223 books from libraries a combined 344 times between July 2020 and March 2025,” JLARC reported. [VPM]

Men Charged With Assaulting Police Officers — “City of Fairfax Police arrested two Fairfax men for assaulting a law enforcement officer in two separate incidents over the weekend, according to authorities. Around 4:50 p.m. on Saturday, officers were called to the Wawa at 9700 Blvd. for the report of a man harassing customers.” The other incident occurred on Sunday (July 16) during a traffic stop near Fairfax Blvd and Chain Bridge Road. [Patch]

New Pizzeria Coming to Lincolnia — “Pizzato Pizza, an Italian restaurant in Arlington, plans to open a second location on Little River Turnpike in Lincolnia next month. A sign on the storefront promises pasta, wings, Philly steaks, and salads, as well as pizza. The restaurant will be located in Landmark Plaza between Total Wine and Subway.” [Annandale Today]

ArtsFairfax Names New Board Chair — “ArtsFairfax, the local arts agency serving Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and the City of Falls Church … announces new members and new officers to its Board of Directors, including Michael Liberman as Board Chair.” Liberman worked for Fairfax County for over 33 years, retiring as director of the Department of Cable and Consumer Services and chair of the County Arts Committee in 2022. [ArtsFairfax]

It’s Wednesday — Expect showers and thunderstorms mainly after 5pm, with partly sunny skies and a high near 89. The heat index may reach 100. There’s a 60% chance of precipitation. At night, showers and thunderstorms are likely before 8pm, followed by mostly cloudy conditions and a low around 76. [NWS]

Storm Floods Fairfax County Roadways — “In Fairfax County, Virginia, flash flooding and runoff caused creeks to spill over roadways, such as U.S. Route 50 between Prosperity Avenue and Cedar Lane.” Videos shared on social media showed drivers mired in high water in McLean and the frequently flooded Besley and Old Courthouse Road intersection in Wolf Trap. [WTOP]

More on Herndon v. Comstock Lawsuit — The Town of Herndon alleges in a complaint filed in Fairfax County Circuit Court last Friday (July 11) that Comstock Companies is declining to return the downtown property it was slated to redevelop in an effort to get the town to cover certain costs. The developer hasn’t responded to requests for comment. [FFXnow]

Va. Turns to A.I. to Reduce Regulations — “The new AI pilot, officials say, is a first-of-its-kind effort at the state level. The technology will comb through existing regulations and guidance documents to flag conflicting language, suggest clearer phrasing, and help agencies that haven’t already met” the 25% benchmark set by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. [Virginia Mercury]

N. Va. Economic Challenges Could Ripple Through State — “An office complex in Fairfax County recently changed hands, and taxpayers across rural Virginia ought to be alarmed … If Northern Virginia’s economy stalls, that’s less money to Richmond and less going out to rural localities, which means if those places want better schools, they’d have to raise their local taxes.” [Cardinal News]

Ramp Closures on I-66 — “Weather permitting, the I-66 and Fairfax County Parkway (Route 286) interchange will have nighttime ramp closures for paving Tuesday night, July 15, through Thursday night, July 17, and Sunday night, July 20, through Wednesday night, July 23 … Drivers are asked to follow posted detour signs.” [VDOT]

Local Couple Marries in Arlington Library — “Over the weekend, Fairfax couple Katie Lettie and Vincent Bauer exchanged vows inside the library after winning a contest for a free, all-inclusive wedding. And no, this wasn’t a private affair as hundreds of community members showed up to watch love take center stage between the stacks.” [WUSA9]

Costs Rise for Falls Church Road Project — “An 82% increase in estimated costs has led Falls Church officials to rethink plans to improve a key city byway. As a result, it appears likely that transportation and stormwater improvements along Lincoln Avenue will be phased in over time.” [ARLnow]

Area Teen Trains for American Ninja Warrior — “I was at Baron’s ninja gym — Vertex Labs Academy, a low-slung warehouse space in a Lorton industrial park — where he’d set up an obstacle course, a baby version of the ones on the show. There would be jumping and hanging and swinging and leaping. I wasn’t sure I could do any of it at all.” [Washingtonian]

It’s Tuesday — The weather will be mostly cloudy, reaching a high of approximately 87°F. There’s a 70% chance of precipitation. For Tuesday night, temperatures will drop to around 74°F under mostly cloudy skies, with a 60% chance of precipitation. [NWS]

Task Force Deployed to Texas Floods — “Capt. Marc Campet, the search team leader with Virginia Task Force 1, is taking a search and rescue team from Fairfax and Montgomery counties to Texas to help after disastrous floods last weekend left over 120 people dead or missing … They left Friday evening and hoped to be ready to work Saturday morning.” [WTOP]

Federal Funding for FCPS Frozen — “Over $13 million in federal funding for Fairfax County Public Schools has been frozen while the U.S. Department of Education reviews the grants, a step that school leaders said could impact teachers and multilingual learners. Superintendent Michelle Reid said she learned about the funding freeze in a message from the Virginia state superintendent’s office this week.” [WTOP]

Vienna Killings Still a Mystery — “Imagining the final moments of Bobby and Patricia Quisenberry’s lives still haunts their son, Clint Quisenberry, 28 years later … Quisenberry said he saw his parents not long before police say they were killed in July 1997. Investigators believe they were shot sometime after midnight in a random attack and burglary at their Vienna, Virginia, home.” [NBC4]

Metro Buys New Railcars — “The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced Thursday that the agency has purchased hundreds of new 8000-series railcars that are expected to be delivered in the coming years … While announcing the purchase, WMATA shared details about the railcar design, including gangways, digital displays and more handholds.” [WUSA9]

Opioid Makers Settle Lawsuit — “In another major legal win in the fight against the opioid crisis, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Thursday that the commonwealth could receive up to $16.4 million as part of a sweeping $720 million multi-state settlement with eight generic drug manufacturers accused of flooding communities with addictive painkillers.” [Virginia Mercury]

Korean Cafe Now Open in Falls Church — “Semicolon Cafe, a small New York City-based chain that also offers classic cafe beverages and pastries, opened late last month at 103 Founders Avenue … The new cafe is Semicolon’s only Virginia location. Its previous location in a Chantilly food hall closed about a year and a half ago.” [ARLnow]

Local Business Owner Featured on TV Show — “Melissa Romano, co-owner of Nordic Knot Scandinavian Pretzels and Lake Anne Brew House in Reston, was recently featured on ‘The Blox: The Greatest Show On Entrepreneurship.’ Romano was one of the season seven cast members on the self-proclaimed ‘Largest Competition TV Show On The Planet For Startups.’ All eight episodes from season seven are available to view on BetaBlox, Prime, and Facebook.” [Patch]

Delayed Openings for Some Reston Pools — “North Shore Pool will open 1 hour late at 1:00pm on Tuesday, July 15th. Lake Newport Pool will open 5 hours late at 5:00pm on Wednesday, July 16th. Both of these delayed openings are to perform routine maintenance. We do not anticipate these times to change.” [Reston Association/Facebook]

It’s Monday — Mostly cloudy skies and a high near 89, with a 70% chance of precipitation after 2 p.m. At night, the chance of precipitation ticks up to 80% with temperatures dropping to a low of 73. [NWS]

Impact of Medicaid Changes Still Unclear — A final, nonpartisan analysis is still pending on how many Virginians could lose Medicaid coverage due to the recently signed federal reconciliation bill, which adds new work requirements starting in January 2027, among other changes. “The uncertainty has left many wondering if they or loved ones will be impacted — and set the stage for partisan bickering.” [Virginia Mercury]

Transfers of Police on Double Murder Case Questioned — “A hearing to determine if certain evidence was kept from defense attorneys in the murder case against Branden Banfield turned the spotlight on the Fairfax County Police Department, accused of moving investigators from their units after disagreements over theory [alleging Banfield’s guilt].” [WUSA9]

Potential Connolly Successors on Key Issues — “James Walkinshaw, a longtime Connolly staffer and Fairfax County supervisor, won the Democratic primary. Stewart Whitson, a former FBI agent and Army combat veteran, is the Republican candidate. WTOP’s Scott Gelman sat down with both candidates to ask them about issues important to Northern Virginia voters.” [WTOP]

Virginia Drops in Business Ranking — “For the first time in three years, Virginia is no longer considered the best state for business on CNBC’s annual ranking. The Commonwealth landed at No. 4, ceding its first-place spot to North Carolina. This is the lowest Virginia has ranked on the list since 2018.” CNBC attributed the drop mostly to federal workforce cuts. [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Learn About Lake Accotink Study — “Next Saturday, July 19, there will be an open house to provide the community with an opportunity to learn more about the ongoing Smaller Lake Accotink Preservation Feasibility Study. The open house will be in the cafeteria of Kings Glen Elementary School (5401 Danbury Forest Drive, Springfield) from 3:00-5:00 p.m. and you can drop in at any time.” [The Walkinshaw Advisory]

FBI HQ Slows Federal Budget Process — Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) recessed a committee meeting yesterday (Thursday) after Democrats and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski narrowly passed a budget bill amendment that would prohibit federal dollars from being used to relocate the FBI’s headquarters anywhere other than a previously selected site in Greenbelt, Maryland. The committee had hoped to send one of its 12 appropriations bills to the full Senate. [NBC4]

Stream Restoration Project Coming — “The City of Alexandria is gearing up to begin construction this summer on a stream and trail restoration project on Holmes Run in the Dora Kelley Nature Park. The project is expected to be completed in summer 2026. This is the last of four major projects along Holmes Run Stream Valley to repair extensive damage caused by rainstorms six years ago.” [Annandale Today]

Outdoor Screening of Reality Show in Tysons — “Fans of the Bravo television series ‘The Valley’ should mark July 22 on their calendar. That’s when The Boro, Tysons’ premier destination for luxury urban living, is hosting an outdoor screening of the show’s season two finale.” [Patch]

It’s Friday — Mostly sunny skies and a high near 89 could be followed by showers and thunderstorms, most likely between 5-7 p.m. Night will bring partly cloudy skies and a low around 73. The chance of precipitation is 30%. [NWS]