Countywide

Heat Could Push D.C. Closer to Record — “With highs forecast to flirt with the century mark Wednesday and Thursday, DC’s total of 100-degree days this year could climb even higher up the record books. DC currently has four days at or above 100 degrees, tied for the eighth-most in any year since modern records began in 1872.” [Capital Weather]

FCPD Uncovers Drug Ring — “A Sterling man has been charged following a Fairfax County Police Department investigation into a drug-dealing ring operating in Loudoun and Fairfax counties … According to court filings, FCPD Narcotics Unit detectives began investigating a drug dealing ring earlier this year” with a sting operation that involved undercover detectives buying cocaine. [Loudoun Now]

Va. Gets Piece of Cash App Settlement — “Cash App’s parent company will pay $45 million and overhaul its fraud prevention and customer service practices under a multistate settlement, resolving allegations that the popular payment app failed to protect users from scams while misleading them about the security of customers’ money.” Virginia is slated to receive about $845,000, Attorney General Jay Jones says. [Virginia Mercury]

New Coffee and Pastry Shop in Reston — “A new coffee and sweet shop opened this past weekend in Reston. It’s called MOTW Coffee & Pastries. MOTW is located at 11830 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 200 … MOTW Coffee & Pastries is a growing national brand with more than 20 locations scattered around the country.” [The Burn]

Gallows Road Development Advances — “The Fairfax County Planning Commission recommends approval of a Comprehensive Plan amendment that would allow the development of 32 single-family homes on Gallows Road in Annandale. The new development, proposed by Madison Homes, would replace 11 existing homes along Libeau Lane and the Raintree townhouse community.” [Annandale Today]

Fairfax Nursing Center Unveils Renovation — “Fairfax Rehabilitation and Nursing Center has completed a $1.5 million renovation of its facility, marking the largest modernization of the skilled nursing center in more than five decades. More than 130 guests gathered June 26 to celebrate the completion of the project, according to the facility.” [Patch]

Miss Virginia Pageant Comes to Tysons — “The Miss Virginia USA and Miss Virginia Teen USA pageants are scheduled for July 17 through the 19, 2026. Brandon McLaughlin will serve as the official host for the three-day event, which takes place at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner.” [DC News Now]

Burke Library Hosts Colonial Game Day — “Step back in time at Colonial Games Day at Burke Centre Library as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday! Families are invited to try their hand at classic games enjoyed by children over 200 years ago, including hoop rolling, ring toss, marbles, jump rope, dominoes, checkers, and sack races.” The event is set for this Saturday (July 18) at 1 p.m. [Fairfax County Public Library]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny and hot weather, with temperatures reaching a high of around 101°F and a west wind blowing at 7 to 10 mph. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to about 79°F and a west wind ranging from 6 to 9 mph. [NWS]

There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.

Man Sentenced for Halloween Shooting — “A 31-year-old man who opened fire at a 2020 Dale City Halloween party, killing two guests and wounding two others, will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. Karriem Jackson was sentenced July 10 by Circuit Judge Robert Coleman, receiving a total of 198 years with 55 years suspended, resulting in 143 years of active prison time.” [Inside NoVA]

Va. Joins Rooftop Solar Initiative — “Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced that Virginia is partnering with the nonprofit Switch Together to help bring down the cost of solar array purchases for homeowners who want to install them on their homes … The organization acquires the solar arrays through a reverse auction where the seller tries to outbid other companies, which allows homeowners to then buy the solar panels for a reduced rate.” [Virginia Mercury]

Townhouse Fire Under Investigation — Fairfax County firefighters responded just after 10 a.m. yesterday (Monday) to a fire in a three-story townhouse garage in the 5800 block of Iron Willow Court in the Kingstowne area. “Units were able to contain the majority of the fire to the garage and to the fire unit occupancy … No firefighter or civilian injuries. Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.” [FCFRD/Facebook]

Walk for Peace Enters Fairfax — “A man with three goats has been seen walking through Fairfax in recent days with a heavily loaded wagon. According to news reports, his name is Jacob Holiday, and he’s walking across the country to Washington, D.C., with the goal of singing the John Lennon song ‘Imagine’ at the Capitol steps to promote peace.” [Annandale Today]

Union Protests Waymo’s D.C. Plans — “Waymo and competitors including Uber and Lyft sat down before the D.C. Council on Monday for a hearing on the future of autonomous vehicles in the District. Outside the Wilson Building, union members said many human drivers will lose their jobs if D.C. gives self-driving taxis the green light.” [NBC4]

LEGO Display Coming to Tysons — “A new interactive LEGO display highlighting Fairfax County’s history, landmarks and communities will open later this month at Tysons Corner Center as part of the county’s 250th anniversary celebration.” The exhibit will be formally unveiled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 22. [Patch]

Meeting on Chantilly Library Relocated — “Fairfax County is in the very early concept stage of exploring the possibility of redeveloping the Chantilly Regional Library site to include a new regional library, affordable housing, and a new technical operations facility … Due to high demand for the first community meeting, the county has moved the location to the Chantilly High School cafeteria.” [Sull-E Newsletter]

Seven Corners Teens Learn to Code — “Twenty-six middle and high school students from the Willston area of Seven Corners completed a free one-week Coding Bootcamp on July 10 hosted by Communidad. The program, held at the Willston Multicultural Center, introduces students to programming fundamentals, machine learning concepts, and real-world problem-solving through project-based activities.” [Annandale Today]

It’s Tuesday — The weather will be sunny, with temperatures reaching a high of 91°F. Winds will be calm, shifting to the southwest at about 5 mph in the afternoon. At night, skies will remain clear, with temperatures dropping to around 72°F and southwest winds at 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]

Want more local news? Check out our newest sister site, WSHnow, with the latest from across the region.

Update: Man Shot by Police Identified — Fairfax City police have publicly released the identity of a man who was shot by an officer outside the local Wawa early Saturday morning (July 11). The man, who was allegedly holding a knife at the time of the shooting, remains in the hospital in critical condition, as of noon yesterday (Sunday). [FFXnow]

Family Displaced by Lorton Fire — “A family is displaced after a fire broke out at a Lorton home Friday afternoon. Just after 1 p.m., firefighters with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department responded to a reported house fire in the 9200 block of Blu Steel Way.” The family of six had evacuated by the time firefighters arrived, and no injuries were reported. [DC News Now]

Child Seen Dangling From Six-Story Window — “A toddler was rescued after firefighters said he was found dangling from a sixth-floor window in Seven Corners. According to Fairfax County Fire, crews were called to the 3100 block of South Manchester Street around 3:15 p.m. The firefighters used a drone to find the apartment, before they broke down the door and pulled the child to safety.” [WUSA9]

Confusion Over Cannabis Retail Sales — “Virginia’s decision to revive legal cannabis sales through the state budget instead of standalone legislation has triggered several days of confusion over the commonwealth’s marijuana laws, with lawmakers, local prosecutors, Virginia State Police and legislative officials offering differing interpretations of when key provisions take effect.” [Virginia Mercury]

Va. Allows Crossing and Stop Sign Cameras — “As Virginia communities gain the authority to use automated cameras to enforce stop-sign and pedestrian-crossing violations, privacy advocates and law enforcement officials are offering sharply different views on what the technology means for public safety and civil liberties.” Fairfax County police says they have no plans to deploy Flock Safety-affiliated cameras at crossings or stop signs, noting that the existing speed camera and license plate reader programs are separate. [Fairfax County Times]

What El Nino Could Mean for Fairfax — “A major shift is taking shape in the Pacific Ocean, and it could shape the weather Fairfax County sees through the rest of 2026 and into next winter … El Niño does not affect every region the same way, and its effect on Virginia weather is real but not as strong as in other parts of the country. Still, there are some patterns worth watching.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]

AI Company Signs Reston Station Lease — “Virtualitics, headquartered in Pasadena since its founding in 2016, has signed a 3,000-square-foot office lease at Reston Station … according to a joint press release from the company and the development’s owner, Comstock Holding Companies. The new office places Virtualitics among the defense contractors and federal agencies concentrated in Northern Virginia — a region central to the company’s growing government business.” [Pasadena Now]

More Route 29 Lane Closures — Weather permitting, daytime and nighttime lane closures are planned on stretches of Route 29 between Union Mill Road and Fairfax County Parkway through Friday, July 24 to allow work on the years-long project to widen the road from Union Mill to Buckley’s Gate Drive. “Both daytime and nighttime drivers should expect delays and are advised to use alternate routes.” [VDOT]

It’s Monday — Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching a high of around 84°F. During the night, the weather will be mostly clear with temperatures dropping to about 65°F and a light southeast wind. [NWS]

Pedestrians in Bailey’s Crossroads Crash — “Officers responded around 2:53 p.m. [yesterday] to the intersection of Leesburg Pike and Crossroads Center Way following reports of a crash involving two vehicles. Police said preliminary investigation found one of the vehicles left the roadway and hit three pedestrians,” including one teenager. [WJLA]

Man Charged With Killing Infant in Court — “A Fairfax County man accused of fatally punching his infant daughter appeared in court Wednesday as prosecutors presented testimony from a police detective and the medical examiner about the child’s death.” [WUSA9]

Virginia Improves in Business Rankings — “Virginia has climbed a spot in CNBC’s annual ranking of the best states for business, a year after federal job cuts helped knock it out of the No. 1 position. The state placed third in the 2026 rankings released [yesterday], up from fourth last year.” [ARLnow]

Coaches Top Va. Payroll — “Virginia’s highest-paid workers were in a league of their own: university coaches and athletic directors dominated the top of the state’s payroll, with several earning more than $1 million. University of Virginia head football coach Tony Elliott earned over $3.4 million in total pay, the highest salary for a public employee in the Commonwealth in calendar year 2025.” [Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism]

Autism Therapy Center Opens in Fairfax — “SPARKS ABA is a contemporary applied behavior analysis, or ABA, provider of center-based autism services for children and adolescents ages 2-18 years. The Fairfax Learning Center provides center-based ABA therapy and on-site diagnostic services, as well as speech and occupational therapy.” [Inside NoVA]

Accessory Unit Zoning Review Continues — “In-law suites, au pair apartments and other home add-ons are becoming more popular as families look for flexible ways to live together — or bring in extra rental income. But in Fairfax County, Virginia, actually building one can be a complicated process. Now, county leaders are considering changes that could make it easier for homeowners to add those spaces.” [WTOP]

Park Authority Honors Volunteers — “At its meeting on June 24, the Fairfax County Park Authority Board approved a resolution honoring 21 individuals as 2026 Outstanding Volunteers. These peer-nominated individuals were recognized for their dedication to their community and their invaluable service to the Fairfax County park system.” [FCPA]

Reston Contractor Acquires Fairfax Firm — “Reston federal technology contractor Empower AI has acquired Fairfax’s Highlight Technologies Inc. in a bid to expand its AI and cloud offerings for the federal government … It’s the first acquisition for Empower AI … since New York investment giant KKR & Co. Inc. purchased a majority stake in the company in 2022.” [Washington Business Journal]

It’s Friday — There is a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm, with increasing clouds and a high near 90°F. There will be a west wind at 5 to 7 mph. Overnight, there’s a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, with isolated showers possible afterward. The night will be mostly cloudy with a low around 71°F and a light west wind. [NWS]