Countywide

Annandale Church Houses Santa Bone Fragment — “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And he’s in Annandale. Well, at least a bone fragment. Deacon Elmer explains that the small piece of one of the saint’s finger bones came to the church in the 1980s, donated by a parishioner who obtained it in Rome. It’s believed there are fewer than 20 relics of St. Nick currently in the United States.” [WAMU]

FCPD Officer Arrested for DUI — “On December 23, officers from the DWI Squad arrested Austin Wilkerson, 26, of Springfield, a 4-year veteran of the department, who was off-duty at the time of the incident.” Assigned to the Mount Vernon District station, Wilkerson has been charged with driving under the influence and “placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs Bureau Investigation.” [FCPD]

Sentencing in Fatal Teen Overdose Case — “Last week, a federal judge sentenced 24-year-old Liam Conaway to 20 years in a federal prison. Prosecutors said he admitted obtaining the fentanyl-laced pills and selling them to [Fairfax County teen Cayden] Foster. Conaway was a student at James Madison University, and prosecutors said Cayden and Conaway had consumed pills together during Conaway’s school break from JMU.” [WTOP]

Former TJ Student Makes Olympic Team — “Congratulations to TJ alum Brandon Kim ’20! Brandon has been named to the Team USA Short Track team by US Speedskating and will represent the United States on the world stage at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics this February! We’ll be cheering Brandon on all winter long, Go Team USA!” [FCPS/Facebook]

Federal Cuts Hit D.C.-Area Nonprofits — “Laura Tomasko, senior policy program manager at the Urban Institute, said her organization’s new analysis looks at how D.C.-area nonprofits fared and what could happen next … Their analysis shows 43% of nonprofits in the D.C. area reported experiencing a disruption to their government funding, compared with 33% of nonprofits nationwide.” [WTOP]

Lawmakers Could Loosen Liquor Rules — “Changes to a law restricting liquor sales at Virginia restaurants are still on the mind of at least one state legislator representing Arlington.” Del. Patrick Hope (D-1) says “he is ‘open to revisiting’ a law that mandates that no more than 55% of a restaurant’s sales can come from liquor or mixed drinks.” [ARLnow]

Korean Seafood Restaurant Opens in Annandale — “A new Korean restaurant in Annandale specializes in raw blue crab marinated in soy sauce. GJ2_4U is located at 7031 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, between Kabob Corner and Iron Age, in the space formerly occupied by Thai Food.” [Annandale Today]

Capital Bikeshare Sets New Ridership Record — “Capital Bikeshare (CaBi) broke its all-time annual ridership record in November, reaching 6,369,376 trips in 2025. This surpasses the previous annual record of 6,114,324 trips, set in 2024 … However, while annual totals have reached new heights, recent monthly ridership has cooled significantly.” [Greater Greater Washington]

It’s Friday — There’s a 40% chance of precipitation, with rain likely between noon and 4pm, followed by a chance of sleet after 4pm. The day will be mostly cloudy with a high near 35. At night, the chance of precipitation increases to 80% with a low around 35. Expect rain mixed with sleet before 10pm, turning to rain until 1am. [NWS]

Va. Could Remove Allegedly Ineligible Voters — “The U.S. Department of Justice has sent a confidential draft agreement to more than a dozen states that would require election officials to remove any alleged ineligible voters identified during a federal review of their voter rolls … The states [acting voting section chief Eric] Neff identified are led by Republicans — Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia.” [Virginia Mercury]

Some N. Va. See Success as Kennedy Center Struggles — “Leaders of local groups say that it’s difficult to tell whether they’ve directly benefited from this year’s upheaval across the Potomac … But while Kennedy Center audiences have dwindled amid artists’ and theatergoers’ boycotts of the venue whose board elected Trump as chair in February, several Arlington organizations pulled off a strong year.” [ARLnow]

Virginia ICE Facility Over Capacity — “One of Virginia’s two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities is over capacity, while the other is getting very close, according to the most recent data from ICE and TRAC Immigration … As of Nov. 28, the Caroline Detention Center has surpassed its maximum capacity — and the Farmville Detention Center is less than two dozen detainees away from doing the same.” [WRIC]

Mutual Aid Groups Respond to ICE Detentions — “Throughout the commonwealth, a wave of mutual aid has come from community foundations, grassroots organizations and neighbors who quietly built their own support systems for families caught in detention and deportation proceedings.” [VPM News]

Reston Contractor Makes Big Acquisition — “CACI International Inc., one of Greater Washington’s largest federal IT contractors, is buying defense technology company ARKA Group LP for $2.6 billion cash in what would be the Reston company’s largest acquisition to date.” Connecticut-based ARKA’s fighter plane sensors would help CACI “expand its tech capabilities on existing and future contracts with the U.S. Space Force and other defense and national security agencies.” [Washington Business Journal]

License Plate Readers Used to Find Missing People — “Since the launch of the department’s expanded LPR program in November 2022, both Flock Safety and Axon Fleet 3 LPR technology have directly assisted in locating 50 missing persons across Fairfax County and the surrounding region.” The 50th person was located on Dec. 19 when they drove past a reader, alerting an officer at Route 50 and Galesbury Lane in Chantilly. [FCPD]

Library Hosts Free Signed Books Giveaway — Fairfax County Public Library is holding a drawing for 14 different free signed books. Through Jan. 16, patrons can enter by filling out a form and sharing how much money they’ve saved by checking out materials from their local library. Winners will be chosen on Jan. 20. [FCPL]

Publishing Pause for Holidays — FFXnow will be taking a break from publishing tomorrow (Wednesday) and on Christmas. Barring breaking news, we’ll be back with more reporting on Friday (Dec. 26). Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and to those who don’t, we hope you’re still able to enjoy some time to relax before the new year.

It’s Tuesday — Rain is possible, mostly before 9am, followed by cloudy skies that will gradually clear up to become mostly sunny. The high will be around 53 degrees. The chance of precipitation stands at 30%. Tuesday night will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 39 degrees. [NWS]

Missing Herndon Man Found Dead — “The body of missing 79-year-old Leonard Thompson was found in Troutville, Va. on Saturday, ending a multi-day search for the Herndon man. Thompson had been missing since Monday, with Virginia State Police putting out a critically missing adult alert the following day.” [DC News Now]

Dozens Charged With Crimes in Fairfax City — “Fairfax City Police recently arrested an 18-year-old man and served nine juvenile suspects a combined total of 24 juvenile petitions in connection to a string of events that started at Fairfax High School’s homecoming football game on Oct. 17, according to authorities.” The incidents included disorderly conduct at the game, a McDonald’s robbery, a gun being discharged at a party and a theft at Wawa. [Patch]

South Run House Fire Under Investigation — “Firefighters in Fairfax County responded to a two-alarm house fire early Saturday morning in the South Run area. The blaze was reported around 4:48 a.m. in the 9300 block of Castle Hill Road, officials said … One resident was taken to the hospital for evaluation.” [WJLA]

New Advanced Academic Center Approved — “The Fairfax County School Board approved a motion on Dec. 18 to create a full-time Advanced Academic Program at Poe Middle School … A phasing option allows third through sixth-grade students currently attending the AAP Center at Canterbury Woods Elementary School to stay there through the sixth grade.” [Annandale Today]

Police Investigate Credit Card Skimmers — “Detectives from our Financial Crimes Unit, with the assistance of the United States Secret Service (USSS), conducted a countywide skimmer-detection operation at more than 100 locations across Fairfax County resulting in the recovery of 20 credit card skimming devices … Skimming devices were located at multiple convenience stores, discount stores, and grocery stores throughout Fairfax County and the Town of Herndon.” [FCPD]

Virginia Dems Highlight Affordability Agenda — “Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger and top Virginia Democrats are aiming to lower costs through programs with little impact on the state budget, they said in a press conference Thursday … Youngkin’s $72 billion budget proposal, released Wednesday, forecast more revenue for the state than predictions released by state legislators.” [VPM News]

Police Investigate Vienna Mailbox — The U.S. Postal Inspector’s Office and Fairfax County police investigated a Postal Service mailbox outside Navy Federal Credit Union’s Vienna branch on Thursday (Dec. 18) after a security officer reported hearing a suspicious noise. “As a precaution, the bank’s branch and the immediate surrounding outdoor area were evacuated. Once it was determined that the noise was coming from a safe device and there was no threat to the public, the bank branch was reopened.” [Vienna Police]

Change in FFXnow’s Newsletter — “ARLnow and its sister sites are about to embark on a significant change: switching to a new email service provider. After 16 years of delivering our daily newsletters from the same email provider we are switching to Beehiiv.” [ARLnow]

It’s Monday — The skies will gradually become cloudy, reaching a high temperature of around 44 degrees, accompanied by a light southwestern wind of about 6 mph during the afternoon. On Monday night, there is a 40% chance of rain and snow occurring from 1 am to 4 am, followed by a possibility of rain after 4 am. With an expected low of 35 degrees, the light south wind will intensify to 5-10 mph later in the evening. [NWS]

U.S. Admits Fault in DCA Crash — “The U.S. government admitted Wednesday that the actions of an air traffic controller and Army helicopter pilot played a role in causing a collision last January between an airliner and a Black Hawk near the nation’s capital, killing 67 people.” [Associated Press/ARLnow]

Va. Schools Expected to Need Over $1B — “Virginia’s recently published enrollment data indicates that state schools will need about $1.2 billion over the next two years, more than was projected just weeks ago amid challenges in funding other key areas … While enrollment is projected to decline, presumably lowering overall funding needs, the education agency said the cost to fund Virginia’s schools is driven by several factors.” [Virginia Mercury]

How Fairfax Stacks Up for Livability — “For the second year in a row, AARP has ranked Arlington as the most livable large community in the country … AARP rated Fairfax County No. 5 for very large populations (more than 500,000). The index noted the county’s access to grocery stores, farmers markets, and parks and its diversity of destinations.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Tysons Santa Returns for 37th Year — “Accompanied by a security guard, Santa — real name Michael Graham — makes his way to Santa’s Chalet, which is tucked at the end of a hallway near an eyebrow salon. Dozens of children are lined up, waiting to take a photo with Graham and tell him what they want for Christmas.” Even after 40 years performing as Santa, 37 of them at Tysons Corner Center, Graham remains enthusiastic about the gig. [Washington Post]

Pop-Up Library Planned for Culmore — “Fairfax County Public Library is in the process of nailing down a location in Culmore for a pop-up library during the time the Culmore Community Library will be closed for an entire year. The Culmore Library will close on Jan. 17, 2026, for an HVAC replacement project and won’t reopen until January 2027.” [Annandale Today]

Winning Lottery Ticket Bought in Merrifield — A Powerball ticket purchased at the Safeway (3043 Nutley Street) in Merrifield’s Providence Place shopping center was one of five to win $50,000 in a drawing on Wednesday (Dec. 17). “Since no ticket in Virginia or anywhere else matched all six numbers, the jackpot for the Saturday, December 20, drawing grows to an estimated $1.5 billion.” [Virginia Lottery]

Record Holiday Travel Projected — With 3.4 million Virginians expected to travel over the coming week, “AAA predicts that this year’s holiday travel will break last year’s record and set a new 24-year high. VPM News’ Hannah Davis-Reid talked to AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson Morgan Dean about what to expect ahead of the holidays.” [VPM News]

New Take on ‘Into the Woods’ Debuts in Lorton — “The Workhouse Arts Center will present a new production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony Award-winning musical ‘Into the Woods’ beginning Dec. 20, offering a reimagined take on the modern theatrical classic in the W-3 Theatre. The limited run includes 17 performances through Jan. 25, highlighted by a New Year’s Eve show at 8 p.m. on Dec. 31.” [Inside NoVA]

It’s Friday — Expect rain and potentially a thunderstorm before 1pm. Temperatures will drop to around 38 by 5pm with winds shifting west and gusting up to 47 mph. There is an 80% chance of precipitation, with amounts ranging from a quarter to half an inch. Friday night will be mostly clear and breezy, with lows around 27. [NWS]