News | FFXnow - Part 11

FFXnow Daily Debrief for Oct 14, 2026

By FFXnow.com

Published October 14, 2026 at 9:00PM

Good Wednesday evening, Fairfax County. Here’s a look back at today’s most-read stories and a look ahead to tomorrow.

📈 Today’s most-read stories

Upscale Maryland restaurant taps McLean for first N. Va. location (1,899 views)
Fairfax County prepares to tax marijuana when retail sales begin in mid-2027
Fairfax County restaurants burdened by long, inconsistent permitting process, study finds

🕗 More from today

Everything else we published today, Oct 14, 2026.

📣 Announcements

Fairfax PRISM Tree Invasives Removal October Extravaganza II
Help save a tree! Join Fairfax and Falls Church residents in a community-wide effort to rescue… [Announcement]

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Thursday in Fairfax County, from our event calendar.

9:00 am: $19.99 HAIRCUTS — Thankful Thursdays!
👉 11:00 am: Powering the AI Decade: Data Center Policy Forum
12:00 pm: SCNOVA Lunch N Life : Murder Mystery- Dying for Chocolate
2:15 pm: Meet the Artists: Sopranessence
5:30 pm: Harvest Harmonies at River Farm
6:00 pm: Artist Talk with Beverly Ress

⭐ Featured events

Powering the AI Decade: Data Center Policy Forum
Oct 15: AI is driving data center growth faster than the power grid was built to handle, and Northern Virginia, home to the world’s largest concentr [Event]

🏡 Reston Home Tour Tickets on Sale Now!
Oct 17: Tour six beautiful and unique homes throughout Reston [Event]

Once Upon a Mattress
Oct 17: A Family Friendly musical comedy retelling of The Princess and the Pea! [Event]

11th Annual Walk to Bust Cancer
Oct 18: Walk with us at Fort Hunt Park to support access to breast cancer screening and care across the DMV. [Event]

Big, Bold, Rich Red Wine Super Tasting at Arrowine
Oct 18: Big, Bold, Rich Red Wine, Cheese and Charcuterie Tasting! [Event]

Lunch with Dr. T: Let’s Talk About Perimenopause and Menopause
Oct 23: A free lunch and talk on perimenopause and menopause with Kavita Tripathi, MD [Event]

🗑️ Shred Day with Lafayette Federal
Oct 24: Shred your documents safely and free [Event]

Submit events, announcements, or home listings to FFXnow.

🌧️ Weather update

Today: Fairfax County saw a high of 90° at 2:15 p.m., a low of 63° at 5:50 a.m. and no rain.

Tonight: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 9pm and 10pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10pm and 5am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. North wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday: Rain showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 63. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thanks for reading!

Skyview HS quantum computer could be ‘incubator’ for future FCPS programs

By Mary Stachyra Lopez

Published October 14, 2026 at 3:45PM

Skyview High School in Herndon (file photo)

Fairfax County Public Schools has acquired a quantum computer, touted as the world’s first for kindergarten through 12th-grade students, for its new Skyview High School in the Floris area south of Herndon.

Roughly the size of a small refrigerator, the computer is expected to be installed in December and become available next spring to FCPS students, enabling them to explore quantum concepts, understand how the machine differs from a traditional computer, and test problems.

County seeks more leeway to address cost increases for historic Mount Vernon HS redevelopment

By Scott McCaffrey

Published October 14, 2026 at 2:45PM

The Commons Mount Vernon under construction on the site of the Original Mount Vernon High School (staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (Oct. 13) gave itself a little more financial breathing room as redevelopment of the Original Mount Vernon High School moves toward expected substantial completion next spring.

Supervisors voted 10-0 to allow county staff to increase from $90 million to $110 million the existing master credit agreement with the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association for the project.

Fairfax County restaurants burdened by long, inconsistent permitting process, study finds

By Nolan Stout

Published October 14, 2026 at 1:45PM

A commercial alteration permit issued in July 2024 for Ugly Dumpling at Fair Oaks Mall (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County is planning to streamline its restaurant permitting process and improve communications to support small businesses.

The county recently conducted a study of its permitting process, covering the time from when restaurants submit building plans to their opening day to identify areas the process is slow or could be improved. The results were presented to the Board of Supervisors’ audit committee on Oct. 6.

Kelvin Garcia pledges to be a ‘doer’ if reelected to Herndon Town Council

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 14, 2026 at 10:00AM

Herndon Town Council member Kelvin Garcia (photo by PJ Morgan)

If he’s reelected to the Herndon Town Council, Kelvin Garcia has no intention of becoming complacent.

The former law enforcement officer is proud of his accomplishments from his first two years on the council, including the creation of a youth advisory committee and his support of collective bargaining for the town’s police department. But he believes he still has more work to do.

Fairfax County prepares to tax marijuana when retail sales begin in mid-2027

By Scott McCaffrey

Published October 14, 2026 at 8:30AM

Cannabis cultivation (via Richard T/The CDB on Unsplash)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors set the stage yesterday (Oct. 13) for a tax on recreational marijuana at the highest rate allowed when retail sales become legal next summer.

On a 10-0 vote, the supervisors directed staff to develop an ordinance that would impose a 3.5% cannabis tax on top of the state sales tax and a 6% state marijuana tax, all slated to take effect when Virginia starts permitting retail sales on July 1, 2027.

Morning Notes for October 14, 2026

By FFXnow.com

Published October 14, 2026 at 7:30AM

Streetlights along Sunset Hills Road by the Aperture apartments in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Early Voting Strong in N. Va. — “Virginia has recorded nearly twice as many early ballots as it had at the same point in the 2022 midterm election cycle, with early voting surging in Northern Virginia.” As of Oct. 11, “In Fairfax County, early voting increased 128% over the same period [in 2022], rising from about 27,000 ballots in 2022 to more than 62,000 this year.” [WUSA9]

Developer Moving HQ to Tysons — “Middleburg Communities is moving its headquarters from Vienna to a new office about a mile away in Tysons, Bisnow has learned. The multifamily owner and developer inked 27,800 SF at Lerner Enterprises’ 1800 Tysons Blvd.,” which will make it easier for employees to get to work and enable it to better accommodate future growth, founder and CEO Chris Finlay said. [Bisnow]

VDOT celebrates as project to widen Route 29 outside Centreville nears finish

By Mary Stachyra Lopez

Published October 13, 2026 at 2:45PM

VDOT NOVA district engineer Bill Cuttler, Supervisor Pat Herrity (Springfield District), Chairman Jeff McKay, Supervisor Kathy Smith (Sully District) and Northern Virginia Transportation Authority CEO Monica Backmon gather for a ribbon-cutting near the newly completed Route 29 project (courtesy VDOT)

Officials from Fairfax County and the Virginia Department of Transportation recently gathered to celebrate the impending completion of a nearly 4-year-long, $94.4 million project aimed at alleviating a key bottleneck on Route 29, near the Centreville area.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith, Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, and VDOT officials cut a ceremonial ribbon on Oct. 8 to mark the end of the widening project, which extends for 1.5 miles between Union Mill Road and Buckleys Gate Drive.

Single-family prices tick up in otherwise soft September for Fairfax housing market

By Scott McCaffrey

Published October 13, 2026 at 1:45PM

A for sale sign for a house on Lawyers Road in the Wolf Trap area (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Prices ticked up slightly for single-family houses, but otherwise, Fairfax County’s September real estate market was soft, according to new data.

A total of 897 properties went to closing during the month, down from 953 a year before and below the five-year September average of 930 transactions, according to figures reported Monday (Oct. 12) by MarketStats by Showing-Time.

Fairfax City’s Historic Blenheim closed today for oak tree removal

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 13, 2026 at 11:55AM | Updated October 13, 2026 at 1:36PM

Southern red oak tree at Historic Blenheim (via City of Fairfax)

The Historic Blenheim grounds in Fairfax City are closed for today (Tuesday) to accommodate the removal of a large southern red oak tree near the preserved 19th-century home.

The tree was initially scheduled to be removed on Oct. 2 as part of a larger project to restore the site’s woodland habitat, including by eliminating dead or invasive trees, but the contractor’s plans were foiled by “equipment problems,” the City of Fairfax said.