Author: Mary Stachyra Lopez

Mary Stachyra Lopez is a staff reporter covering business, public safety, education, and other community issues for Local News Now. She has previously worked at Patch.com, the Arlington Catholic Herald, and The Atlantic.

Around Town

Original Pancake House, a longtime West Falls Church brunch spot, closes

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
The Original Pancake House in West Falls Church (Staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Original Pancake House, long known for its cinnamon-glazed apple pancakes, oven-baked ‘Dutch Baby’ pancake coated with powdered sugar, as well as charitable endeavors in the Falls Church area, has closed its doors for good.

“After 15 amazing years, our restaurant will be closing,” a notice on the front door reads. “We are incredibly thankful for the loyalty, support, and friendships our customers have given us throughout the years. Serving this community has been a true privilege. From the bottom of our hearts — thank you for being part of this journey.”

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Around Town

Where to celebrate America’s 250th birthday in Fairfax

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Sign for Fairfax County and Virginia's commemoration of America's 250th anniversary at ViVa Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The spotlight will be on the nation’s capital this summer as the D.C. region hosts numerous events to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. But you don’t have to commute into the city to celebrate — or wait until July 4th.

There are plenty of events taking place in Fairfax County, the cities of Falls Church and Fairfax, as well as the Towns of Vienna, Herndon, and Clifton.

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News

New vision for Centreville calls for town center, more walkable, mixed-use spaces

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
The Centreville Task Force provided input on Fairfax County's comprehensive plan amendment for Centreville (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Centreville could get a defined town center with more walkable, mixed-use spaces over the next few decades if Fairfax County adopts a proposed amendment to its comprehensive plan.

The amendment lays the groundwork for connecting parts of Centreville that are split by I-66 with pedestrian pathways and potentially an extension of New Braddock Road; expanding the availability of affordable and mixed-use housing; and enhancing public transportation, including a potential location for a hypothetical expansion of Metro’s Orange Line.

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News

Two FCPS students to compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Fairfax County Spelling Bee 2026 winner Laasya Mohan, wearing a pink shirt, stands in a school office with an armchair, a table with a book on display, and a bookshelf with a globe on top to her left. In one hand, she holds a trophy with a winged figure on top identifying her as the Fairfax County Spelling Bee 2026 champion, while in her other hand, she holds a larger trophy from her first place win in the 2025 Junior Spelling Bee national finals in Dallas, Texas. To her right stands Aadhya Vijayakumar, who is wearing a spelling bee medal on top of a white short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans. She's also holding two trophies: one for her runner-up finish in the Fairfax County Spelling Bee and another from 2024.
Fairfax County Spelling Bee 2026 winner Laasya Mohan, a fourth grader at Floris Elementary School, and runner-up Aadhya Vijayakumar, an eighth grade student at Rocky Run Middle School, with their trophies (photo by Karen Bolt/FCPS)

Laasya Mohan has a study routine: first, the fourth grader at Floris Elementary School sorts spelling words by topic. Then, she further divides them into two lists — the ones she feels sure that she knows how to spell, and ones she feels unsure of. She examines the roots of words and considers language patterns. Finally, her mom quizzes her.

The intense process often lasts five hours a day — but it has paid off.

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News

Town of Vienna grapples with frustration over dead zones in cell phone coverage

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Vienna Town Hall (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Throughout the Town of Vienna’s 4.4 square miles, and in adjacent areas of Fairfax County, a number of businesses and residents have struggled with dead zones or otherwise weak cell phone coverage, leading to increasing frustration and even the passage of state legislation.

In a work session on May 11, staff and wireless providers told Vienna Town Council members that taller antennas are needed — and potentially a new review process with less oversight from the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) — to fix the recurring issues.

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News

Centreville could get new library combined with affordable housing

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Pink flowers and green bushes in front of a stone library with glass windows
Flowers at Centreville Regional Library (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

Fairfax County is exploring the possibility of building a new Centreville Regional Library, combined in one building with affordable housing.

“The project could be built through a partnership with a private developer, and it may include new homes and an updated library in one building, featuring amenities for residents and the greater Centreville community,” Allyson Pearce, marketing and outreach manager for the county’s Department of Housing and Community Development, told FFXnow.

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News

Fairfax City seeks to reduce waste, increase recycling with updated trash management plan

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
A Lime electric scooter leans against a trash can along University Blvd in Fairfax City (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Fairfax City Council recently approved an updated waste management plan that it says is needed due to projections that landfills across Virginia may reach capacity in less than 20 years, a rising population, and soaring costs for disposing of municipal waste.

Council members unanimously voted May 12 to accept the 87-page plan with 54 actions planned across two decades. The plan emphasizes developing effective government systems; education and outreach to city residents; reducing waste overall and emphasizing reuse; increasing the amount and quality of items recycled; and resource recovery for food and yard waste.

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Countywide

Fairfax County prosecutor, sheriff defend immigration policies before Congress

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano testifies during a congressional hearing May 14. (Screenshot via YouTube)

Republican lawmakers accused Fairfax County’s top prosecutor and sheriff of being soft on crime and endangering lives due to policies limiting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement — a charge both denied during a tense congressional hearing yesterday (Thursday).

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and Sheriff Stacey Kincaid testified that they do not provide preferential treatment to immigrants, as congressional Republicans repeatedly alleged throughout the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement hearing.

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News

Fairfax City Council signals support for raising members’ pay

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Fairfax City Hall sign (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The last time the Fairfax City Council approved a pay raise for its members, the year was 2015. The amount was $12,000 for council members, and $13,000 for the mayor.

During a work session on Tuesday (May 12), council members unanimously agreed it’s time to raise their own salaries — potentially up to the maximum allowed by Virginia law. For cities with a population between 20,000-34,999 people, that’s up to $24,000 for mayors and $22,000 for council members.

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News

Divided Fairfax City Council moves forward with public hearing on accessory housing units

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Depiction of an accessory dwelling unit in the backyard of a house (via City of Fairfax)

It’s not clear yet if many Fairfax City homeowners will have the option one day to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — more commonly known as “granny pods” or “in-law suites” — in their yards. But despite some hesitation expressed during a May 12 work session, Fairfax City Council members are ready to hear public comments on the issue.

In a presentation to the council, city staff laid out the implications of a new zoning ordinance that would let significantly more homeowners build detached accessory units in their yards.

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