Author: FFXnow.com

Winning First Hike Photos Unveiled — The Fairfax County Park Authority got submissions from more than 400 people for its 2025 First Hike Fairfax photo contest. Best-in-show prizes were awarded in four categories — scenery and landscapes, people, wildlife, and pets, along with director’s and judge’s choice awards. Voting for a People’s Choice Award is open through 5 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 14). [FCPA]

Seafood Restaurant Arrives in Chantilly — “Despite frigid temperatures and blustery weather, Ford’s Fish Shack in Chantilly launched this Tuesday just in time for dinner … The Chantilly outpost marks the restaurant chain’s third sit-down venture, joining locations in Ashburn in Lansdowne.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Fairfax City Seeks Acting City Manager — The Fairfax City Council voted on Tuesday (Jan. 7) to contract an executive search firm that will recommend candidates for acting city manager after former city manager Laszlo Palko was terminated in December. Assistant City Manager Melanie R. Zipp is filling the role for now after her predecessor, Valmarie Turner, previously the city’s deputy manager, left for a job in Roanoke. [City of Fairfax]

New Korean Restaurant in the Works — “Oiso Korean Street Food is expected to have a soft opening in March in the retail strip anchored by Giant in central Annandale, says owner and chef William Kim. Oiso will be located at 7133-C Columbia Pike between Wellbeing More and a vacant storefront being renovated for a future Bonchon restaurant.” [Annandale Today]

Falls Church Considers Bicycle Plan Updates — “An update to the Falls Church Bicycle Master Plan has the potential to remake some city streets. But only if there is more effort put into turning aspirations to reality than has been the case with the existing plan, adopted in 2015, according to some members of a key advisory panel.” [ARLnow]

GMU School Aims to Continue Jimmy Carter’s Legacy — “A school on George Mason University’s campus in Fairfax, Virginia, started over 40 years ago as a small center with a handful of faculty members in the 1980s. Since its opening, it has emerged as one of largest conflict resolution schools in the world, and ever since 2020, the school has honored former President Jimmy Carter.” [WTOP]

Meeting on Lincolnia Park Pavilion Rescheduled — “The Fairfax County Park Authority has postponed the public meeting on the proposed pavilion at Green Spring Gardens due to inclement weather. The meeting, originally scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, will now take place on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, from 2 to 4 p.m.” [FCPA]

It’s Friday — Clouds will increase throughout the day, reaching a high near 30, with northwest winds at 5 to 10 mph shifting to light west winds in the afternoon. Snow is expected Friday night, primarily after 1am, with a low temperature around 25 and light south winds. There is a 90% chance of precipitation, and new snow accumulation may be less than an inch. [NWS]

GW Parkway Reopens After Snow — The George Washington Memorial Parkway has reopened after closing at 6 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 6) in anticipation of snow. Drivers are still advised “to stay alert while driving through the construction zone,” where just a single travel lane is available in each direction. [National Park Service]

Metrobus Resumes Regular Service — After reducing service in response to Monday’s snowstorm, “Metrobus plans to return to normal service on all routes with potential route-specific detours and/or delays” starting today (Thursday). Normal service is also expected for Metrorail and MetroAccess “with potential for weather-related delays.” [WMATA]

McLean Family Reports Stolen Poultry — “A family in McLean, Virginia, is alerting the community that thieves might be at work after a prized goose and 10 chickens disappeared from their property without a trace.” The family, which keeps the flocks for their small business Bullneck Run Farm, believe the birds were stolen after finding no evidence of a fox or other predator. [NBC4]

First-Ever Oakton Restaurant Week Coming — “The Greater Oakton Community Association will be hosting its first Oakton Restaurant Week from January 17 to 26. The inaugural event will feature 11 participating restaurants, each offering a variety of specials and deals.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

McLean House Sells for $17 Million — “The 14,000 square-foot listing in the Langley Farms neighborhood of McLean (map), on the market for $22.25 million, sold for $17 million on Tuesday … The listing is the second most expensive home to sell in Northern Virginia in the last year.” [DC UrbanTurf]

Tatte Bakery Heading to Falls Church — “Falls Church is poised to welcome another Tatte to the D.C. area later this year. Offering signature pastries and brunch bites, the bakery and cafe is slated to open at 1001 W. Broad Street” this summer. The company’s only Fairfax County location is at Reston Town Center. [ARLnow]

Herndon Town Council Appoints Vice Mayor — “Herndon Mayor Keven LeBlanc and members of the Herndon Town Council approved a resolution naming Clark Hedrick as Vice Mayor for the 2025-2026 term. Hedrick is serving his second term on the Herndon Town Council and his second term as Vice Mayor.” [Town of Herndon]

It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 28 degrees, accompanied by blustery northwest winds of 16 to 23 mph, gusting up to 41 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to a low of around 17 degrees and northwest winds of 10 to 16 mph, gusting as high as 26 mph. [NWS]

Fairfax County Police Help Escort Jimmy Carter Funeral — “Today, our officers proudly assisted with the escort for President Jimmy Carter’s funeral in Washington, D.C. It was an honor to be part of this historic moment as we paid tribute to a lifetime of service and leadership.” [FCPD/Facebook]

No Weather Delay for County Government Offices — “Fairfax County Government offices are open on Wednesday, Jan. 8, however employees have been granted unscheduled leave. Teleworkers are expected to telework or use personal leave. Emergency service personnel should report as scheduled.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]

General Assembly Start Postponed — “The water crisis in Richmond is forcing the Virginia General Assembly to delay the start of its legislative session. Both the House and Senate will meet briefly at noon Wednesday before going on a recess until Monday, Jan. 13.” [WTVR]

Virginia Flag Becomes Protest Symbol in Korea — “The Virginia state flag is becoming a symbol of resistance in South Korea, where impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol faces abuse of power charges.” A flag outside Gwangju’s City Hall was originally gifted to the city by Gov. Glenn Youngkin after a November visit “about cooperating in the agricultural sector.” [Axios Richmond]

Washington Post Hit With Layoffs — “The Washington Post laid off nearly its entire public relations department in its sweeping layoffs on Tuesday as it moves away from promoting the paper’s journalism.” The newspaper cut about 4% of its staff, including 73 people from the advertising department, but left the newsroom untouched. [The Daily Beast]

What to Expect From Route 1 Widening This Year — “According to VDOT, the Phase I right-of-way (ROW) process has begun for partial property acquisitions between Jeff Todd Way/Mount Vernon Memorial Highway and just north of Frye Road … Sometime in the second quarter of 2025, the agency expects to begin partial acquisitions for Phase II.” [On the MoVe]

Japanese Restaurant Opens in Lincolnia — “Kajiken, a Japanese restaurant specializing in abura soba, opened in Pinecrest Plaza in Lincolnia, at the end of 2024 … The restaurant is located at 6550-K Little River Turnpike in the former Foxfire Grill space. It’s open daily 11 a.m.-9:45 p.m.” [Annandale Today]

Reston IT Contractor Expands With Acquisition — “Reston’s Agile Defense has acquired McLean’s IntelliBridge, a tie-up of two portfolio companies of Chevy Chase investment firm Enlightenment Capital … With the acquisition, Agile Defense doubles in size to more than 2,000 skilled workers and diversifies its portfolio.” [Washington Business Journal]

It’s Wednesday — Expect partly sunny skies with a high near 30 degrees, and a west wind ranging between 10-14 mph, gusting up to 24 mph. The night will be partly cloudy with temperatures dropping to around 17 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind of 10-14 mph, gusting as high as 22 mph. [NWS]

National Airport Runways Closed for Snow — Reagan National Airport closed all of its runways last night (Monday) “to allow crews to focus on snow removal and prevent refreezing amid plunging temperatures.” The snowstorm also prompted flight cancellations at Dulles International Airport, which advised travelers to check their flight’s status before arriving. [FOX5]

No Fairfax County Trash Collection Today — Fairfax County government offices will open at 10 a.m. today (Tuesday) after shuttering yesterday for the snowstorm. However, the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services will again forgo trash and recycling collection, and vacuum leaf services have been delayed by a week. [Fairfax County/Twitter]

ICYMI: Driver Uses Storm Drain to Elude Police — Virginia State Police spent hours scouring a storm drain in the Rose Hill area for a driver who allegedly fled two crashes on I-495 yesterday (Monday) afternoon. After stationing troopers at drain covers to watch possible exits, police eventually learned that the driver had been spotted coming out of a manhole a quarter-mile away from where he entered the drainage system. [FFXnow]

National Zoo Pandas Enjoy Snow — “The Smithsonian National Zoo’s new pandas didn’t have to wait long for their first D.C. snowfall, and they made the most out of it Monday. The zoo posted video on Facebook of giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao — who both arrived to the zoo from China in October — playing in their snow-coated outdoor habitat.” [WTOP]

Fairfax County’s IT Leader to Retire — Gregory Scott, Fairfax County’s chief technical officer and director of its Department of Information Technology, plans to retire after nearly six years in the role “once his successor is on board.” The county is now looking for applicants to fill the position, which requires overseeing a department with over 300 employees. [Government Technology]

Talk Reflects on History of Motels on Route 1 — “Between the late 1920s and mid-1960s, the Richmond Highway Corridor was blanketed with motels. Following U.S. Route 1’s paving in 1927, motels popped up ‘almost overnight,’ according to Chris Barbuschak, an archivist with Fairfax County Public Library’s Virginia Room.” [On the MoVe]

How Much Casino Opponents Have Spent So Far — “Opponents of the proposed Tysons casino have spent more than $755,000 in donations and on lobbying efforts to influence lawmakers in Virginia since the beginning of 2023.” Potential casino developer Comstock Companies and other proponents have spent a reported $1.2 million “on their lobbying efforts in Richmond during the same time period.” [Patch]

N. Va. Eateries to Try in 2025 — “Ring in the new year with a fresh batch of new restaurants that have opened recently in Northern Virginia. The eateries run the gamut, from Thai food to southern comfort. With every day comes a new opportunity for finding your new favorite restaurant.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 32 degrees accompanied by a northwest wind of 15 to 17 mph with gusts reaching 36 mph. Tonight, the skies will be partly cloudy, and the temperature will drop to around 18 degrees. The northwest wind will blow at 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. [NWS]