Inova Health Systems is working to boost the capacity of its emergency room in Merrifield with the help of a $10 million gift from the co-founder of an international IT consulting firm.

The nonprofit announced last Thursday (March 21) that it received the planned gift commitment from Apex Systems co-founder Win Sheridan. The money will go to Inova’s Greatest Needs fund, which is administered by its CEO to support “critical projects and initiatives.”


Arrests Made After Annandale Barricade — “Fairfax County Police arrested 13 people March 25 following a dispute at the Parliaments Apartments in Annandale. Police responded to a report of a brandishing incident in the 7300 block of Englewood Place at about 8:30 p.m.” A 19-year-old “displayed a firearm, then threatened to shoot” one of the occupants. [Annandale Today]

Trial Underway in Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against FCPS — “A 24-year-old woman told jurors Tuesday that she was repeatedly raped and sexually harassed a decade ago as a seventh-grade student in Virginia, and that school officials reacted to her pleas for help with indifference…The case involving B.R. stretches back to allegations she was raped and harassed as a 12-year-old student at Rachel Carson Middle School in Reston.” [Associated Press]


Fairfax County is taking steps to make affordable housing more accessible to people dealing with serious mental illness.

The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) will implement a major increase in rental assistance for people with serious mental illness, thanks to a $20 million agreement approved earlier this month with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS).


State lawmakers punted consideration of a casino in Fairfax County to next year, but that hasn’t stopped some proponents from seeking to assist in the divisive plan to bring the Washington Wizards and Capitals to Northern Virginia, whose odds of a comeback win are looking slim.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, who represents Fairfax County’s Richmond Highway corridor, recently pitched the idea of bringing both a casino and the sports arena to Tysons to a representative of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the basketball and hockey teams, the Washington Post reported on Sunday (March 24).


Local Figure Skater Wins World Championship — “Ilia Malinin, the 19-year-old from Fairfax, Virginia, put on a dominant display Saturday night in Montreal and took the world figure skating crown in record performance. His free program included a jaw-dropping six quadruple jumps — including his patented quad axel” and setting a record for the competition’s free skate. [WTOP]

Police Investigate “Suspicious Package” in Reston — Sunset Hills Road closed outside of the Reston Town Center Metro station yesterday (Monday) after Fairfax County police got a report of a “suspicious package” in the area at 4:40 p.m. An investigation determined the item wasn’t an explosive device, and there was “no apparent threat to the community at this time.” [Patch]


(Updated at 9:40 a.m. on 3/26/2024) A federal funding boost is coming to help improve pedestrian and bicycle facilities on the Town of Herndon’s main through street and more than a dozen other sites around Northern Virginia.

At its meeting last Thursday (March 21), the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) approved $19.5 million through the federal Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program for 15 non-highway transportation projects in the state.


A longtime arts educator and administrator who has helped keep opera alive in cities as different as New York City and Nashville will soon bring that expertise to Fairfax County.

ArtsFairfax has hired Stuart Holt as its new president and CEO to replace Linda Sullivan, who retired on Feb. 29 after a 14-year tenure that saw the organization evolve from a council most known for producing the International Children’s Festival into a key advocate and source of funding for the county’s artistic community.


Developer Suggests Combining Casino and Arena — “With Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan to build a $2 billion arena in Alexandria for the Washington Capitals and Wizards in jeopardy, three political and business figures have been pitching an unlikely Hail Mary: an idea to pair the sports arena with a new casino in Fairfax County…The idea has been flatly rejected by Youngkin (R) and the teams’ owner, Monumental Sports & Entertainment.” [Washington Post]

No Injuries in Transformer Fire Near NRA HQ — “Just after 7am [Saturday] morning #FCFRD and City of Fairfax Fire Department responded to the 11200 Blk of Waples Mill Rd for a reported building fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find an outside transformer on fire. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire preventing any exposure to the building.” [FCFRD/Facebook]


This summer at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts just got busier.

After announcing an initial line-up in January, the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts unveiled additional shows on Tuesday (March 19) that have been booked for its summer 2024 season at the Filene Center, the park’s main outdoor amphitheater, and the Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods.


Fairfax County’s next budget could give its public libraries a little more spending money for books.

At the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday (March 19), Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn proposed allocating an additional $500,000 in the upcoming fiscal year 2025 budget to Fairfax County Public Library’s book collection.


View More Stories