The Trump administration has opened up yet another investigation into George Mason University in what many students, faculty and lawmakers fear is an attempt to oust GMU President Gregory Washington.
The Justice Department announced yesterday (Thursday) that its Civil Rights Division is investigating Virginia’s largest public university for allegedly “discriminatory” employment practices — specifically its past commitments to increase representation and support for women and people of color.
Comstock Companies is making progress on plans to shift from independent living services to age-restricted housing for seniors in a future Reston residential building.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission on July 9 recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve the proposed option, which could affect 127 units in Reston Station’s Midline district.
Drivers heading through Vienna on Maple Avenue might’ve encountered some construction work over the past month.
Since mid-June, contractor Sagres Construction has been working to replace the brick crosswalks and curb ramps at the commercial thoroughfare’s intersections with East Street and Lawyers Road.
Two Injured in Tysons Crash — Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responded yesterday (Thursday) afternoon to “a two vehicle accident with one vehicle into a pole in the 8100 blk of Jones Branch Drive in Tysons. Crews arrived and assessed two patients. One patient was transported with non-life-threatening injuries.” [FCFRD/X]
House Fire in Franklin Farm — Firefighters were also dispatched yesterday to “a house fire in the 3000 blk of Jeannie Anna Ct in Herndon. Crews arrived to fire showing from an attached garage. The fire is under control. One occupant was transported for non-life-threatening injuries. No firefighter injuries.” [FCFRD/X]
Summer Has Been Especially Humid — “Summers in Washington are known for their humidity, but this one ranks among the muggiest in recent decades … From June 1 through July 16, dew points in D.C. reached 70 or higher for 573 hours, second-most on record since 1945, only trailing 1994 (603 hours).” The 15 Flood Watches issued since May have also been the most that the region has seen in a three-month period since 2007. [Capital Weather Gang]
Dulles Airport Construction Hits Milestone — Construction crews were scheduled to “install the final steel beam for Concourse E on Thursday morning. Set to open in fall 2026, the new concourse will feature 14 gates, a United Airlines lounge, state-of-the-art restrooms, and direct AeroTrain access. It is expected to replace the aging C/D concourse.” [FOX5]
Ruling on Dominion Energy Plan — The State Corporation Commission ruled on Tuesday (July 15) that Dominion Energy’s 2024 Integrated Resource Plan — which outlines how the utility intends to meet energy demands and emission reduction goals — is “legally sufficient,” but still raised concerns about its continued reliance on fossil fuels and spending plans that could “significantly impact” the monthly electric bills paid by residents and businesses. [Virginia Mercury]
Research Project Looks at Occoquan Water Supply — “The Occoquan Reservoir supplies water for a million people in Northern Virginia and right now, it exceeds the Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contaminant levels for potentially dangerous chemicals.” An Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory led by Virginia Tech professor Stanley Grant is investigating “how this group of chemicals, known as PFAS, keep showing up in the water supply.” [WTOP]
Falls Church Adds Outreach Specialist — “Falls Church has hired its first outreach specialist for the city’s Vietnamese communities. Following city leaders’ promises to improve engagement with Vietnamese-American residents and businesses, Le Nguyen, a veteran journalist with local ties, started work on July 10.” [ARLnow]
Park Authority Honors Volunteers — “On Thursday, July 10, the Fairfax County Government Center Ellipse came alive with music, gratitude, and community spirit during the Evening on the Ellipse celebration recognizing the 2025 Outstanding Volunteers and officially proclaiming July as National Park and Recreation Month in Fairfax County.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]
It’s Friday — There’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5pm today, with partly sunny skies and a high near 87. Tonight, the showers and thunderstorms might occur after 8pm, leading to mostly cloudy skies and a low around 73. A light southeast wind will accompany the 40% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
For Vienna deer: be warned, if you see a pile of corn on the ground in a Vienna park later this year, keep an eye out for marksmen in the trees above you.
At a work session with the Vienna Town Council on Monday (July 14), Fairfax County police explained a memorandum of understanding agreed to in April that will allow the county’s deer management program to “conduct operations” in Vienna.
A 230% increase in passengers — to 90 million per year — is planned for Dulles International Airport later toward the end of the 21st century.
That aspirational figure was contained in the new master plan for the airport, approved Wednesday (July 16) by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) board of directors.
Members of the City of Fairfax Planning Commission reacted generally favorably to a conceptual plan that would massively redevelop a key stretch of Main Street (Route 236).
“I like the concept, I like the responsiveness,” commission chair James Feather said Monday night (June 14) after a briefing on the proposal by Van Metre Companies plan to redevelop the Fairfax Square Professional Center, an office and retail park at 9840-9946 Main Street.
Plans to redevelop the Crescent Apartments, which trace their lineage nearly back to Reston’s founding, took a key procedural step forward on Tuesday (July 16).
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 9-0 to transfer the 16.5-acre site to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority, enabling the agency to work on finding a private partner for the redevelopment project.
Despite continued concerns about inflation, federal worker layoffs and other issues, business leaders in Northern Virginia are feeling more upbeat about their own economic prospects and those of the region than they were this spring, a new survey found.
The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce (NVC) worked with the marketing firm Pinkston to survey 135 corporate executives and business owners about their experiences with the Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the federal government, their expectations for the near-future and their policy priorities.
Food distributors operating in Fairfax County say newly approved cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits could have a devastating impact on a region already struggling with food insecurity.
President Donald Trump’s recent federal tax bill includes historic cuts to safety net programs like SNAP, the Washington Post reported.
