Countywide

Plea Deal Expected in Herndon Double Murder Case — “An au pair accused in a double homicide in Northern Virginia will take a plea deal in the case, according to a commonwealth’s attorney spokesperson.” Juliana Peres Magalhaes is scheduled to face a jury trial in November, followed next year by a trial for Brendan Banfield for their alleged roles in the killings of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. [NBC4]

D.C. Area Rent Increases Highest in U.S. — “The study by the Redfin real estate company found that median rents in the capital region rose by 12 percent between September 2023 and last month, the highest among the regions analyzed. Virginia Beach saw the second-biggest rise, followed by Cleveland, Baltimore and Chicago.” [Washington Post]

Affordable Housing Developer Wanted for Bailey’s Crossroads Site — “Fairfax County plans to issue a request for proposals by the end of 2024 seeking a developer to build affordable housing in Bailey’s Crossroads … It would replace the Crossroads Interim Park at 5872 Columbia Pike between Radley Acura and the market-rate Alta Nova apartment building under construction.” [Annandale Today]

Casino Opponents Skeptical of Economic Benefits — At a community forum on Sunday (Oct. 27), Dranesville Distict Supervisor Jimmy Bierman “disagreed with the Northern Virginia AFL-CIO’s contention that building a casino, performance space and convention center in Tysons would create 5,000 new jobs.” Bierman, who previously expressed opposition to the idea of a Fairfax County casino, argued it would “make the area less attractive to the business community.” [Patch]

Tysons Holiday Pop-Up Store Now Open — “Creative Collective Holiday Pop Up is now open! Meet the makers, artists, designers, and the people behind the brands! Shop small and local this holiday season! We are located on the lower level of Tysons Corner Center, @shoptysons, across from Camp, near Coastal Flats restaurant.” [Creative Collective/Instagram]

Turkish Cafe Opens in Chantilly — “The new Moda Cafe & Bakery has opened in the Route 50 corridor of Chantilly — and it’s bought a luxury vibe to an otherwise nondescript strip mall.” Located in the Chantilly Park Shopping Center, the restaurant has been “getting good reviews for its brunch, lunch, and dinner menus of Turkish-focused cuisine.” [The Burn]

Tysons Development Tracker Updated — “The Tysons Tracker, a community resource for monitoring the growth and development of the Tysons Urban center, is now updated with projects from June 2023 to May 2024.” Highlights include the construction of two new residential buildings and the addition of park spaces. [Fairfax County Government]

It’s Tuesday — Expect mostly sunny skies, a high temperature near 70°F, and a south wind of 3 to 8 mph during the day. In the evening, anticipate partly cloudy conditions, a low temperature around 53°F, and a south wind of approximately 6 mph. [NWS]

Police Wrap Up Summer Road Safety Campaign — “The Fairfax County Police Department has successfully wrapped up the 2024 ‘Road Shark’ campaign, issuing nearly 35,000 citations and warnings to dangerous drivers on Fairfax County roadways over the last five waves.” [FCPD]

Tysons Electric Vehicle Company Unveils First Models — “Scout Motors Inc., the Tysons-based spinoff electric vehicle company from German automaker Volkswagen AG, on Thursday unveiled its first vehicles and announced it will offer plug-in hybrid options as well as full-fledged EVs… Scout aims to hit the market in 2027 with two vehicles — the Traveler SUV and pickup truck Terra.” [Washington Business Journal]

Reminder: Meeting on Future Wiehle Avenue Tonight — The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will present a revised concept for Wiehle Avenue in Reston tonight (Monday). The final community meeting on the Wiehle Avenue Study will be held at Langston Hughes Middle School (11401 Ridge Heights Road) at 7 p.m. [FCDOT]

Why McLean Is Region’s Priciest Zip Code — “With high-end houses, including historic estates, McLean has long attracted those who want easy access to D.C. but don’t want to live full time in D.C. proper… With a median home listing price of $2.95 million in September 2024, McLean’s 22101 ZIP Code has the D.C. area’s priciest residential real estate, according to Realtor.com.” [Wall Street Journal]

Plan Shared for Completion of Mason Neck Trail — “According to the preliminary design plans, the county will build a 10-foot-wide paved path along the northbound side of Gunston Road between Julia Taft Way and Pohick Bay Drive, which leads to Pohick Bay Golf Course. That approximately one-mile stretch of trail will link up to segments that were previously implemented from the golf course to Mason Neck State Park.” [On the MoVe]

Culmore Health Clinic Reports Growth — “Culmore Clinic, a health center that provides free care to disadvantaged adults, has seen explosive growth over the past year. The clinic has 900 registered patients, representing a 109 percent increase in the past year, with 30-40 new patients coming every month.” [Annandale Today]

Basketball Court Repairs Begin — Contractors are scheduled to begin construction on repairs at Tysons Pimmit Park this week, with Ridgeview Park following in the first week of November. “The basketball court improvements at both locations will include installation of new goals, crack repairs, a 2-inch overlay on the asphalt and line painting.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]

Reston Chalkfest Return Deemed a Success — “On October 20, the streets of the Reston Town Center were transformed by a vibrant open-air gallery of inspired chalk designs. Around 300 participants and more than 1,000 Festival attendees … enjoyed live entertainment by Bach to Rock Herndon and free face painting for the little ones.” [Public Art Reston/Tysons Today]

It’s Monday — Patchy frost will clear up by 9am, making way for sunny skies and a high of around 63°F. A calm wind will shift southeast, reaching 5-7 mph in the afternoon. Monday night will see partly cloudy conditions and a low near 44°F, accompanied by a southeast wind at around 6 mph. [NWS]

Officials Celebrate Woodson HS Renaming — “Wednesday’s rededication, school officials said, served as a reminder of the previous namesake’s troubling past and an opportunity to acknowledge it and move forward.” The Fairfax County School Board voted last Nov. 9 to name the Fairfax school after historian Carter G. Woodson instead of former superintendent W.T. Woodson. [WTOP]

NASA Robot Added to Smithsonian Museum — “NASA’s retired space shuttle Discovery has been reunited with one of its last crew members. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum debuted Robonaut-2 (R2), NASA’s first dexterous humanoid robot flown into space, on Thursday (Oct. 24)… R2 is now on exhibit at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center” in Chantilly. [Collect Space]

Vienna Halloween Paradegoers Share Election Thoughts — “Wednesday night WUSA9 went to the annual Vienna Halloween parade to find a cross section of voters.  As the local clubs and civic groups paraded down Maple Avenue, we found families parading around in costumes. We also found some strong political opinions.” [WUSA9]

Tennis Court Renovation Complete — “The newly renovated tennis courts at Woodley Hills Park in Mount Vernon are ‘open and ready for business,’ in the words of the Fairfax County Park Authority. The repair work to the two courts, which began this past summer, wrapped up in mid-October, according to Park Authority spokesperson Ben Boxer.” [On the MoVe]

Annandale Dunkin’ Offers Free Donuts — “The new Dunkin’ in Annandale is celebrating its Grand Opening on Saturday, Oct. 26, by offering a free donut with a beverage purchase. The shop, at 8205 Columbia Pike, is along the route of the Annandale Parade, which starts Saturday at 10 a.m.” [Annandale Today]

Pumpkin Display to Light Up Local Business — Set to return to Franconia this November, Nalls Produce & Garden Center’s annual Pumpkin IllumiNIGHT “invites pumpkin lovers and families to help light up Beulah Street following Halloween by adding their own carved pumpkins to its jack-o-lantern display. The drive-by display is expected to feature over 100 pumpkins.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Woodlawn Park Welcomes New Playground — “Join the Fairfax County Park Authority and Supervisor Rodney Lusk for an afternoon of free outdoor fun on Monday, Nov. 4, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Muddy Hole Farm Park located at 7941 Kidd St.” Activities will include the mobile Wonder Wagon and a ribbon-cutting ceremony “for the new playground at the park.” [FCPA]

It’s Friday — Expect sunshine and a high temperature around 68 degrees alongside light and variable winds turning southwest at around 6 mph in the afternoon. Friday night will be partly cloudy, with lows near 54 degrees. South winds at 5 to 7 mph will shift to the west after midnight. [NWS]