A new community collaboration is set to kick off a week of action aiming to remove invasive species from trees in Fairfax County.
Fairfax Tree Rescuers will officially launch the Fairfax Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) with invasive species removal events throughout the county from Saturday (Nov. 8) to Nov. 16.
Discount grocery retailer Aldi plans to open its newest Fairfax County supermarket later this year.
The forthcoming grocery store will officially open its doors at 6230 Rolling Road in the West Springfield Shopping Mall on Thursday, Dec. 4, Aldi announced on Nov. 19.
House GOP Accuses GMU President of Lying — “A Republican-led House committee is accusing George Mason University’s president of lying to the panel when he testified in September about diversity policies the Trump administration say amount to racial discrimination.” A lawyer representing Washington disputes the claim, saying “his client did not say ‘one syllable of untruth during his testimony.'” [Washington Post]
I-495 Lane Closures Coming Up — “A single lane will be closed in both directions on I-495 … between the Dulles Corridor Interchange and American Legion Memorial Bridge this Saturday, Nov. 8, and next Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16, between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. These extended daytime closures are needed for crews to complete paving work associated with the I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project.” [VDOT]
Farmers Markets Offer Extra Food Benefits — “Virginia Fresh Match (VFM) is offering enhanced produce benefits at participating Fairfax County farmers markets and select grocery stores during November. At farmers markets, SNAP shoppers will receive an extra $20 in free tokens to use on fruits and vegetables — no minimum purchase required.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]
Outgoing and Incoming Governors Meet — “Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger and Gov. Glenn Youngkin stepped out of the Executive Mansion on Thursday with their spouses, smiling as they paused to talk with reporters. The couples had just shared a lunch of crab cakes and ‘Virginia wine,’ Youngkin said, as he and Spanberger discussed their transition of power in the months ahead.” [Virginia Mercury]
Burger Truck Launching in Reston — “S&P Burger announced it will be launching its new food truck this weekend in Reston. The food truck will be holding a soft launch on Saturday, November 8, at The Spectrum at Reston Town Center. S&P will be serving up its press’d patties and sweets from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Signature Apartments Reportedly Sold — “A partnership between New York-based Sterling Investors and Denver-based Simpson Housing has agreed to purchase the 508-unit Signature apartment towers, Green Street’s Real Estate Alert reported, citing anonymous sources.” The reported price range of around $240 million “would set a record for a Reston apartment sale, according to Real Estate Alert.” [Bisnow]
Braddock Candidates Participate in Forum — “The three candidates running for Braddock District supervisor participated in a candidate forum Wednesday night, where they discussed funding for public schools, the impact federal layoffs and furloughs have had on the local economy, and the preservation of Lake Accotink.” [Patch]
Sentence in Capital One Data Breach Reimposed — “A federal judge has reimposed a sentence on Paige Thompson, the former Amazon Web Services engineer convicted in the 2019 Capital One data breach that compromised the personal information of more than 100 million people.” [Cyberscoop]
It’s Friday — Clouds will increase, reaching a high of around 61°F, accompanied by south winds of 8-15 mph and gusts up to 29 mph. There’s a 60% chance of rain Friday night, primarily before 1am, as it becomes mostly cloudy with lows around 53°F. [NWS]
A state legislative panel set up to identify potential new funding for Northern Virginia transit completed its work this week by delivering a firm starting number: $400 million annually.
But the panel opted against prioritizing which funding streams would work best as it readied its report for consideration during the 2026 General Assembly session.
Fairfax County Public Schools got a greenlight from voters this week to sell bonds in order to pay for school renovation and construction projects.
The 2025 school bond referendum was approved by 70.7% of voters in the general election on Tuesday (Nov. 4), a margin generally in line with previous years, according to Virginia Department of Elections data.
Northern Virginia’s two major airports are among the 40 directed by the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce flights, starting tomorrow (Friday), in response to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The FAA announced yesterday that it will reduce air traffic by 10% across “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers go unpaid and exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown, which has now stretched on for a record 37 days.
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is investigating a fire at a home in the Herndon area where two people were found dead.
Firefighters were dispatched to the 1500 block of Shellbark Place in Dranesville around 7:20 a.m. for the house fire. They arrived at the single-family home to see visible fire and “a large amount of black smoke in the area,” according to scanner traffic.
Just under 10% of Fairfax home-sellers cut their asking prices last week, but more prospective buyers were on the hunt for homes in the county, according to new data.
Countywide, listing prices were reduced for a total of 9.9% of active listings during the week that ended last Sunday (Nov. 2), according to figures reported by Bright MLS, the region’s multiple-listing service.
Herndon police believe they have arrested everyone involved in the stabbing of a teen late last month, a department spokesperson says.
The 15-year-old boy was reportedly stabbed by three people at a home in the 600 block of Center Street around 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 24. He was transported to a hospital with serious injuries, though his condition later stabilized.
Va. Constitutional Amendments Loom — “Four proposed amendments to Virginia’s state constitution could reach voters as early as the spring, after Tuesday’s election gave Democrats a bigger edge in the House of Delegates.” Measures to enshrine the right to reproductive freedom, prohibit denials of marriage licenses for same-sex couples, restore felons’ right to vote and allow redistricting could be on the ballot if they pass the General Assembly a second time. [WTOP]
N. Va. Support Decisive for Spanberger — “In the region’s four counties and five cities, Spanberger, the Democrat, won 72.3% of the total vote to just 27.4% for her Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. Across the rest of Virginia, the margin was much tighter, with Spanberger winning 51.2% to 48.7% for Earle-Sears.” [Inside NoVA]
South Lakes Alum Elected NJ Governor — “Mikie Sherrill was elected to be New Jersey’s next governor, and she was born right in Northern Virginia … Sherrill was born in Alexandria in 1972 and grew up in NoVA. She graduated from South Lakes High School in Reston in 1990.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Reston Contractor Leaders Take Pay Cuts — ICF International executives agreed to temporary 20% pay cuts “to show support for affected federal employees and clients” during the government shutdown. The company estimates it will lose $8 million in revenue due to the shutdown, on top of a nearly 30% year-over-year decline attributed “to contract funding curtailments and a slower pace of new requests for proposals.” [Virginia Business]
Reston Company Considers Layoffs — “Data analytics provider Qbase LLC, an affiliate of Reston technology contractor Tyto Athene LLC, announced it could lay off up to 60 employees” starting on Dec. 30, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification dated Oct. 31.” A spokesperson declined to comment on the reason for the filing, which could be rescinded if contract funding is restored. [Washington Business Journal]
Lawyers Road Closure Planned — Lawyers Road will be closed for a second consecutive weekend for construction work to replace drainage pipes. Through traffic will be detoured around the closure, which will be in place between Hunter Mill Road and Garrett Street from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. this Saturday (Nov. 8). [VDOT]
HVAC Issues Close Vienna Library — The temporary Patrick Henry Library at Cedar Park Shopping Center has been closed in recent days due to an HVAC issue. “Temperatures in the public area were too cold to comfortably open. It is likely going to be completely resolved today or tomorrow,” a Fairfax County Public Library spokesperson says, though patrons are advised to check the library website for updates. [FCPL]
It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high of around 57 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 8 to 11 mph and gusts reaching up to 22 mph. As for Thursday night, the weather will be mostly clear and the temperature will drop to a low of about 38 degrees, with a light and variable wind. [NWS]
