A colorful fall morning at Lake Newport in Reston (photo by Terry Baranski)

Two Injured in Annandale Apartment Fire — “Two people were injured in a three-alarm fire that started at about 2 a.m. on Nov. 23 in a garden-style apartment building in the 4900 block of Americana Drive … Two occupants were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.” [Annandale Today]

Hybla Valley Popeyes Damaged by Fire — “Fairfax County firefighters responded to a fire shortly after 1 p.m. on Nov. 23 at Popeyes restaurant at Mount Vernon Crossroads shopping plaza in Hybla Valley.” The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but no injuries were reported. The restaurant has closed until further notice. [On the MoVe]

No Charges Against Officers in Fatal Penn Daw Shooting — Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced that no criminal charges will be pursued against the police officers involved in last year’s fatal shooting of Brandon Lemagne outside a McDonald’s in Penn Daw. The May 11, 2023 shooting followed a struggle where Lemagne was reportedly able to take a gun from one of the officers. [WUSA9]

Herndon Apartment Residents Report Mold — After experiencing an asthma attack, Cody Segraves investigated the HVAC unit at his home in the Trellis Herndon Apartments and “discovered what he suspected to be mold … Other residents of the Herndon, Virginia, complex said they’ve uncovered something similar in their units. But when the issue gets raised to building management, Segraves said it’s ignored.” [WTOP]

Popular Lorton Restaurant Appears to Have Closed — “The Hometown Grill and Bar, a popular dining establishment that opened in late 2021 at Lorton Station Town Center, has been closed for several days, according to multiple reports from community members. A ‘Closed’ sign appears at the restaurant entrance at 9000 Lorton Station Boulevard, #N, and the restaurant’s Facebook page is no longer active.” [On the MoVe]

State Legislators Consider Response to Student Protests — “House lawmakers studying how some of Virginia’s universities handle campus protests and free speech policies faced criticism Wednesday after arranging a hearing that some in attendance felt leaned heavily toward institutional and pro-Israeli perspectives.” [Virginia Mercury]

McLean Mansion Bought by Private Equity Leader — “A senior managing director with Vista Equity Partners manages Eagles Perch LLC, which paid $25.5 million cash on Oct. 31 for The Cliffs in McLean, according to Virginia records.” The sale of the 33,000-square-foot mansion was the priciest in the D.C. area so far this year and among the top five for the region ever. [Washington Business Journal]

It’s Monday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 59, with calm winds turning south at around 6 mph later in the afternoon. As for Monday night, there’s a 50% chance of showers after 1am, accompanied by mostly cloudy conditions and a low of around 49. South winds will persist at 5 to 8 mph. [NWS]


The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) expects performance at Dulles International Airport to have a solid tailwind throughout 2025.

The authority’s calendar-year-2025 budget projects 13.7 million passenger enplanements at the airport in the coming year. If it transpires, passenger counts for 2025 would rise slightly from updated 2024 projections and be up 10.5% from 2019, the last year before arrival of Covid sent air travel into a tailspin.


A parking lot near the Arrowbrook Centre development south of Herndon (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

What to Expect From Thanksgiving Travel — “Almost 80 million people nationwide are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, per a AAA forecast — a record that shatters last year’s traveler record.” In addition, driving congestion is projected to peak on “Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 4:30pm on the US-50 East stretch between D.C. and Annapolis, per data transportation group INRIX.” [Axios DC]

Suspect in 2023 Shooting Still at Large — “Detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau continue to seek the community’s help in locating Javon Reid, who is wanted for a murder that occurred on May 7, 2023.” A man from D.C. was killed and another man was hospitalized in the shooting in the 3800 block of South George Mason Drive. [FCPD]

Great Falls Restaurant Ranked Among Top 100 in U.S. — “As if it wasn’t hard enough to get a reservation at L’Auberge Chez François, good luck now. The Great Falls restaurant was selected as one of the Top 100 Restaurants in the United States by OpenTable. This marks the second year in a row the old-school French eatery made OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants list.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Redevelopment Rolls Along in Falls Church — A proposal for 223 senior-living residences with ground-floor retail and restaurants on S. Washington Street and S. Maple Avenue is “the latest in a series of projects helping transform the Little City from a bedroom community with aging office and commercial spaces, benefiting from a prime location between Tysons and Arlington.” [ARLnow]

Sushi Restaurant Opens in Annandale — “Issho, an authentic Japanese sushi restaurant and izakaya, had a soft opening in Annandale on Nov. 20. It’s located at 7358 Little River Turnpike in the former Baden spot between a laundromat and Gopchang Story BBQ. For those unfamiliar with an izakaya, it’s a casual, late-night bar with small bites.” [Annandale Today]

Woodlawn Home Getting Renovation — “Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia (Habitat DC-NOVA) is back in Southeast Fairfax County with an active build site in Woodlawn.” The house on Frye Road, first purchased and remodeled by Habitat in 2016, is getting “additional renovations with the goal of selling the house to another family” after its last owner passed away. [On the MoVe]

Falls Church Wine Store Recovers From Theft — “The overnight intruder is believed to have smashed a window at Dominion Wine and Beer in Falls Church last week before cutting a hole in a wine cabinet and climbing through it to access the store, owner Arash Tafakor told ARLnow.” The suspect made away with about $3,000 worth of wine. [ARLnow]

South Run Trail Project Undergoes Maintenance — “The Fairfax County Park Authority has begun a trail maintenance project in South Run Stream Valley Park. The project includes trail repairs, culvert replacements and related improvements to enhance safety and usability.” Occasional trail closures may be needed, but the repaving is expected to finish by next Wednesday, Nov. 27. [FCPA]

It’s Friday — Scattered snow showers will turn into a mix of rain and snow between 11am and noon, likely followed by rain after noon. Expect increasing clouds and a high of 44. There’s a 70% chance of precipitation, but negligible snow accumulation. Night could bring scattered showers before 10pm with a low of 38. The precipitation chance decreases to 40%. [NWS]


With just seven weeks before the start of the 2025 General Assembly session, supporters and opponents of a proposed casino operation in Tysons are dusting off their arguments and ramping up their efforts.

In the latest round in the fight, advocates on both sides of the issue used a public hearing on the county’s draft 2025 legislative priorities and the public comment period at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday (Nov. 19) to focus attention on the matter.


Fairfax County’s most prominent Republican policymaker is mulling a run for statewide office.

Pat Herrity, the lone conservative voice on the county’s Board of Supervisors, will announce within the next two months whether or not he will seek the office of lieutenant governor next year, he told FFXnow.


Fairfax County Public Schools will enlist an outside firm to conduct an independent investigation of all student-athlete transfers, as questions about Hayfield Secondary School’s football program continue to percolate.

Superintendent Michelle Reid announced last night (Wednesday) that the district will pursue a “comprehensive and external independent investigation” of its student transfer and eligibility practices after she met with six football coaches who reportedly planned to forfeit their scheduled games against Hayfield.


Street trees line Dolley Madison Blvd at Anderson Road in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Input Wanted for Arts and Culture Survey — “The Fairfax County Arts Committee is seeking your views about arts and culture preferences through a survey that will help various organizations (such as ArtsFairfax) plan for and understand community needs better. The survey will take 5-8 minutes and will inform county arts policy, resourcing and marketing efforts.” [Fairfax County Government]

Arrests Made in Mosaic District Robbery — Four people have been arrested and charged with allegedly robbing a business in the 2900 block of District Avenue in Dunn Loring on Nov. 16. Police say the individuals “entered a store, stole merchandise, and threatened the employee with pepper spray before fleeing” out of the business and into a vehicle. [FCPD]

Man Charged in McDonald’s Stabbing — A 27-year-old man from Alexandria has been charged with malicious wounding in connection with the stabbing at McDonald’s in Bailey’s Crossroads on Tuesday (Nov. 19). He allegedly stabbed another man “unprovoked,” leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries, police say. [FCPD]

WMATA Leader Guides Metro Comeback — “This crowd, here for the inaugural ‘Metro Fest,’ is admittedly self-selecting … Still, the level of recognition that Clarke, WMATA’s general manager and CEO since July 2022, has attained among them is remarkable — more befitting a charismatic politician or musician than the head of a transit authority.” [Washingtonian]

Community Members Shelter Homeless Residents — A couple in Reston offered use of their temporarily vacant home to three seniors displaced by the closure of the “Hill” encampment on Sept. 10, the advocacy group RestonStrong says. Two of the individuals have now secured long-term homes, though one can’t move in until Nov. 26 due to paperwork delays. [Patch]

Home Health Care Company Expanding — “Agnes Home Health Care, a company in Centreville that helps people age in place, is opening a second location in Annandale on Nov. 25. It’s located on Columbia Pike in a renovated building formerly housing an Ethiopian church across the street from Walgreen’s.” [Annandale Today]

Paris Baguette Opening Near Lincolnia — “Paris Baguette is opening a new location in the Seminary Plaza shopping center (4616 Kenmore Avenue) sometime in the first week of December. The bakery offers a variety of cakes (either by the slice or whole cakes), pastries, bread and sandwiches, along with both hot and cold coffees and teas.” [ALXnow]

It’s Thursday — Expect clouds to increase with a high temperature of around 51, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 8 to 11 mph and gusts reaching up to 23 mph. As night rolls in, the skies will be partly cloudy with a low temperature of 36, and the west wind persists around 10 mph, gusting as high as 28 mph. [NWS]


Floyd County Circuit Court Judge Randall Lowe determined Wednesday Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin acted unlawfully by withdrawing Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a program aimed to reduce climate changing emissions that has funneled hundreds of millions to the state to deal with the impacts of extreme weather events.

In his five page opinion, Lowe wrote that “the only body with the authority to repeal the RGGI regulation would be the General Assembly. This is because a statute, the RGGI Act, requires the RGGI regulation to exist.”


Activists calling for Fairfax County leaders to take a stance on the violence currently devastating the Middle East have again found themselves met with silence.

At the Board of Supervisors meeting yesterday (Tuesday), resident Rob Bradley used the public-comment period to urge local leaders to pass a resolution calling for an unconditional ceasefire between Israel, Hamas, which governs Gaza, and Hezbollah, the paramilitary group in Lebanon.


Fairfax County supervisors want to ensure the county government isn’t caught flat-footed by public policy revisions undertaken by the incoming Trump administration and Republican Congress.

Supervisors voted 9-1 along party lines yesterday (Tuesday) to direct County Executive Bryan Hill and staff to analyze potential impacts on everything from federal government employment and commercial real estate to transportation and climate change.


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