News

Reston Convenience Store Burglarized — “On October 12, at 10:13 p.m., officers responded to the Kile Mart located at 1611 Washington Plaza in Reston for an alarm. Three unknown suspects forced entry into the business and stole vape products and other merchandise. The suspects fled the business before police arrival.” Fairfax County detectives are looking for the public’s help to identify the suspects. [FCPD]

Va. ICE Facilities Using Solitary Confinement More — “Virginia’s ICE facilities in Farmville and Caroline County have risen in national rank for placing more people in solitary confinement between 2023 and this past August. Both are now among the nation’s top 10 for solitary confinement use despite being far smaller than other detention center sites in the U.S.” [Axios Richmond]

Braddock District Candidate Forum Tonight — The Democratic, Republican and independent candidates for the Braddock District supervisor seat will gather at Braddock Hall (9002 Burke Lake Road) at 7 p.m. for a forum. Organized by the Braddock District Council of Community Associations, the forum will give voters an opportunity to hear from all three contenders ahead of a special election on Dec. 9. [Braddock District Council/Facebook]

GMU Board Could Meet Despite Lack of Quorum — “State Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, and Charles Stimson, the rector of the George Mason Board of Visitors, disagree on whether the board’s executive committee can meet and take actions this week … The GMU board currently only has six of the 16 board positions filled after Senate Democrats blocked several of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s appointments.” [Virginia Scope]

Brunch Chain Coming to Fairfax — “Another Broken Egg Cafe, a growing chain of restaurants open only for breakfast, brunch and lunch, has inked a lease to replace the McDonald’s that recently shuttered at University Mall.” The lease for 10645 Braddock Road, which was confirmed by property manager Van Metre Companies, will give Another Broken Egg its first Fairfax County location after the Florida-based chain announced plans for a Loudoun County franchise in June. [Washington Business Journal]

McLean Rideshare App Battles D.C. Regulators — Empower, a local startup that presents itself as an alternative to Uber and Lyft, has been embroiled in a years-long legal battle with D.C. officials over its lack of a license to operate in the city. “After the CEO was threatened with jail time, he said the company would shut down its D.C. operations by October 10. But in a Hail Mary play [last] week, Empower now says that it will break its contracts and offer the service to drivers for free.” [The 51st]

Local Furloughed Fed Shares Experience — “Jay Reddy has spent more than 30 years as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor. But even after decades of public service, he says this year has been the most unpredictable of his career. Reddy is one of thousands of federal employees currently furloughed as funding disputes continue.” [WUSA9]

Why Fall Leaves Have Been Less Colorful — “Leaf-peeping season has arrived in the Northeast and beyond, but weeks of drought have muted this year’s autumn colors, and sent leaves fluttering to the ground earlier than usual.” [Associated Press]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high temperature near 70 degrees with a north wind at 8 to 11 mph, gusting up to 21 mph. For Wednesday night, the skies will remain clear, and the temperature will drop to around 45 degrees. The north wind will persist at approximately 9 mph. [NWS]

Tysons Offices Bought for Possible Data Center — Affiliates of Serverfarm, a California-based data center investor, acquired the office buildings at 7990 and 7980 Quantum Drive in mid-September for $37 million and $13 million, respectively. The 7990 Quantum building is already home to the 44,000-square-foot Equinix DC7 data center, but the 7980 building’s proximity to the Reserve at Tysons Corner apartments, which are 150 feet away, means the Fairfax County board’s approval is required for any data center development. [Washington Business Journal]

Government Shutdown Drags On — “Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted Monday the federal government shutdown may become the longest in history, saying he ‘won’t negotiate’ with Democrats until they hit pause on their health care demands and reopen.” [Associated Press]

Cause of Franconia House Fire Identified — “On Sunday, October 12, around 8:00am, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department responded to reports of a house fire in the 5800 block of Queens Gate Court.” No injuries were reported, but the fire resulted in an estimated $259,338 in property damages. Investigators found that the fire started from “improperly discarded ashes” in a plastic trash can next to the garage. [FCFRD]

Oldest Metro Railcars Retired — “The era of carpeted Metro trains ended with the official retirement of railcars dating to the 1980s … The 2000 series railcars began service in 1983. They had to be pulled out of storage to help carry riders a few years ago when there were wheel issues with the 7000 series.” [NBC4]

Maternal Mortality Data Funding at Risk — “Virginia’s Maternal Mortality Review Team will continue its operations until August of next year. The future of the team, however, will depend on future congressional action and Virginia’s willingness to continue it.” [Virginia Mercury]

Comet Could Be Visible Over D.C. Region — “It has been five years since the Northern Hemisphere had a really bright and beautiful comet to see, which was Comet NEOWISE. Sky watchers can now start looking for Lemmon about 90 minutes before dawn and starting Thursday, it may be visible in the predawn and post-sunset dark skies.” [WTOP]

World’s Largest Earthquake Drill Coming — “The Great Southeast ShakeOut is the world’s largest earthquake drill. People in homes, schools, offices and other places all practice the same thing at the same time. The drill happens every year on the third Thursday in October. That’s Oct. 16 this year, and it starts at exactly 10:16 a.m.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]

Vienna to Give Away Free Tree Seedlings — “Get a free tree at the Town’s fifth annual Native Tree Seedling Giveaway! The event takes place Saturday, Oct. 18, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (or until the last tree is given away) outside the Vienna Community Center … Volunteers will give away 150 bareroot seedlings in six species.” [Town of Vienna]

It’s Tuesday — The weather will be mostly cloudy and reach a high near 70, accompanied by a north wind at 11 to 14 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. Tuesday night will see mostly clear conditions, with temperatures dropping to around 54 and a north wind around 8 mph. [NWS]