News

Fox in Loudoun Tests Positive for Bird Flu — “Preliminary testing indicates a red fox taken to the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center from the town of Hamilton in Loudoun County was infected avian influenza, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources reported Friday.” The department says it’s the first known infection of a mammal in Virginia, though cases have been reported in birds, including in Fairfax County. [Inside NoVA]

Felony Charge Dropped in Strangulation Case — “Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office, in a plea agreement, dropped a felony charge against [a man] for allegedly strangling a woman in exchange for a guilty plea for brandishing a machete/blade in January, which is a misdemeanor, according to court documents 7News obtained.” [WJLA]

McLean Man Charged With D.C. Robberies — “A 28-year-old McLean man was arrested on [April 1] for his role in a pair of robberies in Washington D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department.” The man has been charged with attempting to commit robbery and second-degree theft. [Patch]

Route 29 Widening to Close Road — “Weather permitting, Willowmeade Drive (Route 5407) between Route 29 and Knight Arch Road (Route 7699) will be closed from 7 a.m. Wednesday, April 9 until 7 a.m. Saturday, April 12 to continue installing a water main as part of the Route 29 widening project.” [VDOT]

GMU ‘Body Farm’ Advances Forensic Science — “Since May 2024, researchers at George Mason University have been studying human decomposition in real time, taking meticulous notes as their donors melt into turmeric-colored puddles. The work is thankless, underfunded, and extraordinarily smelly. But it also has the potential to transform how homicide cases are solved.” [Washingtonian]

Ben and Jerry’s Offers Free Ice Cream — “Ben & Jerry’s is spreading joy with its annual Free Cone Day on Tuesday, April 8, from 12 to 8 p.m. No minimum purchase is required. Participating locations in Northern Virginia include Reston Town Center, Fairfax Corner, Vienna, and Old Town Alexandria.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Falls Church Planning for America’s Birthday — “The Little City is starting to think big for the nation’s 250th birthday in 2026. Much remains up in the air, including the question of how much funding the City of Falls Church will set aside. At a March Falls Church250 committee meeting, however, officials floated ideas ranging from history talks to planting a remembrance tree.” [ARLnow]

Herndon Seeks Applicants for Boards and Commissions — “The Town of Herndon is seeking applicants interested in serving on town boards, commissions, and advisory committees.” Some positions requiring specific expertise, such as the planning commission and Architectural Review Board, are compensated, while others feature volunteers. [Town of Herndon]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunshine and a high of around 47 degrees, accompanied by northwest winds at 14 to 16 mph and gusts reaching up to 29 mph. The night will be mostly clear with a low temperature of around 30 degrees, while northwest winds will blow at 5 to 11 mph. [NWS]

Lawsuit Accuses School Board Member of Embezzlement — At-large Fairfax County School Board member Kyle McDaniel has been “accused in a lawsuit of embezzling and misappropriating $175,000 from his former employer and spending the money on non-work expenses, including strip clubs and his political campaign.” [Patch]

Local Legislators Attend Anti-Trump Protest — Rep. Don Beyer and Delegates Kathy Tran and Paul Krizek were among the lawmakers representing Fairfax County who attended the “Hands Off” protest in D.C. on Saturday (April 5). There were reportedly more than 1,200 demonstrations across the U.S. “denouncing the Trump administration and DOGE, which have been working to shrink the federal government by slashing funding and laying off federal workers.” [WTOP]

Falls Church HS Student Navigates Ban on Trans Girls in Sports — “This wasn’t how Eliza imagined it would go when she tried out for track in February. But that month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender girls like Eliza from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams. Days later, the organization that regulates high school sports in Virginia, where Eliza lives and goes to school, followed suit.” [Washington Post]

Tysons Contractor Settles Allegations Against Employee — “Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. (BAH), located in McLean, agreed to pay $422,557 to settle allegations that a BAH employee assigned to work on a General Services Administration (GSA) contract overreported his time resulting in BAH issuing invoices for services under the contract that were not performed.” [U.S. Attorney’s Office]

Inova Opens Annandale Family Clinic — “Inova celebrated the grand opening of the Inova Cares for Families (ICF) clinic in Annandale on April 4. The clinic is located in an office building at 7617 Little River Turnpike. It’s one of six ICF facilities in Northern Virginia.” [Annandale Today]

Vienna to Hold Public Hearings on Budget — “The Vienna Town Council wants to know what the community thinks about the proposed FY2026 budget before it takes a final vote in May.” A public hearing on the budget and sewer rates will be held at 7:30 p.m. today, and the real estate tax rate, which isn’t proposed to change, will get a public hearing on April 28. [Town of Vienna]

County Celebrates National Library Week — “Join us from April 6-12 as we celebrate National Library Week! For its 2025 celebration, Fairfax County Public Library wants to remind you of all the amazing things you can do FREE at your library.” [Fairfax County Public Library/Instagram]

Vienna School Promotes Acts of Kindness — “At Kilmer Middle School, behavior referrals are at an all-time high. More than 1,600 students have been written up, but not for the reason you might be thinking. This past fall, Kilmer began writing students up, for acts of kindness.” [WUSA9]

It’s Monday — Expect rain mainly before 11am, with patchy fog from 7am to noon, and a high near 51. There’s a 60% chance of precipitation, with amounts ranging from a tenth to a quarter of an inch. Tonight, there’s a 20% chance of showers before 2am, with clouds giving way to partly cloudy skies and a low around 35. [NWS]