Author: Jared Serre

Jared Serre covers local business, public safety and breaking news across Local News Now's websites. Originally from Northeast Ohio, he is a graduate of West Virginia University. He previously worked with Law360 before joining LNN in May 2024.

News

Roof collapses at Mount Vernon church after build-up of snow, ice

By Jared Serre
The roof collapse at St. George Tigray Orthodox Tewahdo Church in Mount Vernon (photos via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department/X)

A Mount Vernon church suffered a roof collapse Monday (Feb. 2), as Northern Virginia continues to navigate the aftermath of a winter storm and historic freeze.

Fairfax County firefighters responded to St. George Tigray Orthodox Tewahdo Church on Cooper Road shortly before 5:20 p.m., and were greeted by a “roof and floor failure” of the two-story building.

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News

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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News

Interfaith vigil for Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Reston inspires mourning, calls for action

By Jared Serre and Angela Woolsey
Rep. James Walkinshaw speaks during a vigil held in Reston (via United Christian Parish/YouTube)

A capacity crowd filled a church in Reston yesterday (Thursday) to remember two U.S. citizens recently shot and killed by federal immigration officers in Minnesota.

Rep. James Walkinshaw, who helped organize the vigil, was joined by local religious and human rights leaders at United Christian Parish to commemorate the lives of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, along with others who have recently died in the custody of or during encounters with federal immigration agencies.

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News

Washington Post to close Springfield printing plant next year

By Jared Serre
The Washington Post's front page for Jan. 28, 2026 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

As rumors of impending layoffs circulate at the Washington Post, the newspaper has confirmed at least one future change: its Springfield printing plant will close.

The 46-year-old facility, which sits just inside the Capital Beltway (I-495) at 7171 Wimsatt Road, is expected to be replaced by a new facility in Loudoun County next year, the Washington Business Journal reported earlier this month.

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Countywide

Fairfax CA Steve Descano helps launch ‘FAFO’ team weighing charges against feds

By Jared Serre
Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano at a press conference to launch a diversion program in Fairfax City in January 2024 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Nine progressive prosecutors around the country, including Fairfax County’s Steve Descano, have joined forces in hopes of holding federal agents accountable for violating state laws.

The Project to Fight Against Federal Overreach (FAFO) coalition, which launched yesterday (Wednesday), aims to “rein in unlawful conduct” amid a growing presence of federal immigration and law enforcement in communities across the country.

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News

In ongoing trial, Brendan Banfield calls idea he plotted murders of wife, another man ‘absurd’

By Jared Serre
Brendan Banfield in court on Jan. 28, 2026 (screenshot via CourtTV)

The Herndon man accused of killing his wife and another man while having an affair with their au pair denied planning to take his wife out of the picture in court yesterday (Wednesday).

Though Brendan Banfield was forthcoming about his months-long affair with co-defendant Juliana Peres Magalhaes, he firmly rejected the idea that he had planned the killing of his wife, Christine Banfield.

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News

West Springfield house fire injures four, including two firefighters

By Jared Serre
Fairfax County firefighters battle a house fire in the 7900 block of Jansen Ct in West Springfield (via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department/X)

Four people were sent to the hospital today (Wednesday) due to injuries sustained in a West Springfield house fire.

The structure, located in the 7900 block of Jansen Court, appeared to go up in flames shortly after 7 a.m., the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said.

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Countywide

State Sen. Salim highlights proposed bills to ‘end ICE abuses’ across Virginia

By Jared Serre
Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (photo via Senator's Office)

With the nation’s eyes on Minneapolis after residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti were fatally shot by federal agents this month, Democratic lawmakers have become increasingly critical of the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement, with some calling for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s impeachment.

In Richmond, state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim is pushing three pieces of legislation that he says will keep “the chaos, lawlessness, and violence that we have seen perpetrated against Minnesotans from coming to Virginia.”

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Around Town

Backyard furniture retailer announces new Springfield shop

By Jared Serre
Outdoor furniture offered at Fortunoff Backyard Store (photo courtesy of Fortunoff)

One of America’s largest backyard furniture retailers has announced plans to open a store in Springfield.

Fortunoff Backyard Store has secured an 11,000-square-foot space in Springfield Commons (6721-B Frontier Drive), which is expected to open later this spring, the company announced.

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News

BREAKING: U.S. Treasury ends all contracts with Tysons-based Booz Allen Hamilton

By Jared Serre
A mural surrounds the Booz Allen Hamilton headquarters in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The U.S. Treasury Department has canceled $21 million in contracts with Tysons-based consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, claiming that the firm failed to protect sensitive taxpayer data.

All of the firm’s 31 contracts with the Treasury were cut in an attempt to increase “Americans’ trust in government,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said today (Monday) in a press release.

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