News

Lane Closures Lifted for Labor Day — “The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) encourages motorists to plan ahead, stay alert and keep safety top of mind throughout the Labor Day holiday weekend. VDOT will be suspending many highway work zones and lifting most lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon on Friday, Sept. 4, until noon on Tuesday, Sept. 8.” [VDOT]

N. Va. Residents Killed in Beltway Crash — Musammat Shamima Begum, a 46-year-old Burke resident, and her daughter Areebah Jahin, 23, of Alexandria were both killed in an apparent drunk-driving crash on I-270 in Montgomery County on Saturday, Aug. 29. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash has been charged with manslaughter, homicide by motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol and causing a life-threatening injury by motor vehicle. [Maryland State Police]

Teen Missing for Two Weeks — “Virginia State Police issued a CODI Alert Sunday night for a missing 17-year-old girl who authorities say could be in danger. The alert was issued on behalf of the Fairfax County Police Department for Jasmin Ismary Garcia, 17.” According to the FCPD, she was last seen in the 2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza in Reston on Aug. 18. [Patch]

Some Localities Seek Sales Tax Approval — “Voters in 47 Virginia jurisdictions will weigh a 1% sales tax to fund school construction and modernization costs. In Northern Virginia, the revenue could also support transportation projects. This comes as leaders face funding challenges for aging school facilities and rising demand to support Metro and other local transit systems.” [Virginia Mercury]

Former Fairfax Student Jailed for Groping in ICE Custody — A former Fairfax High School student who was convicted in April of assault after groping female students is now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office officials say. Israel Flores Ortiz was picked up by ICE from the county jail yesterday (Monday), three days before his scheduled release on Sept. 3. [FOX5]

Fire Response to Reston Senior Apartments — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department responded around 5:47 p.m. yesterday to a fire alarm at the Hunters Woods Fellowship House (2231 Colts Neck Road). According to scanner traffic, the fire prompted some residents to evacuate, but no injuries were reported, and the fire was determined to be “minor,” resulting from food cooking on a stove, an FCFRD spokesperson said.

Student Training to Take 911 Calls — “Lily Smith, a West Potomac High School graduate, will head right into the workforce to answer 911 calls in Fairfax County.” While taking an emergency services class at her school, Smith landed an internship with the Fairfax County government, which led her to accept a job offer at the county’s Public Safety Communications Training Academy. [NBC4]

Reston Community Center Candidate Forum Tonight — “Reston Community Center (RCC) will host the 2026 Preference Poll Candidate Forum on Tuesday, September 1, giving Reston residents an opportunity to learn more about the candidates seeking appointment to the RCC Board of Governors.” Three seats are up for election, with voting taking place in person and online on Sept. 4-25. [RCC]

It’s Tuesday — Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures peaking near 96 degrees, and the heat index reaching up to 100. At night, there’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m. It will be partly cloudy with a low of about 77 degrees. [NWS]

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N. Va. Residents Missing After Nepal Floods — PKP Tender Hearts Foundation, a service organization that assists the D.C. region’s Nepali community, is raising funds to support rescue missions in Nepal, where nearly 2,500 people remain missing after flash floods and mudslides last week. Those unaccounted for include “at least 10 Northern Virginia hikers who were visiting Nepal as a part of a group trip.” [NBC4]

Power Outages a Recurring Issue for FCPS — “The strain on Northern Virginia’s electrical grid is now being seen – and felt – inside some of the region’s schools. Ten different public schools in Fairfax County lost power [on Aug. 23], hours before the first day of school, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid said.” Dominion Energy said in a statement that it had no record of those outages. [NBC4]

Park Service Backs Trump Arch — “A new National Park Service report backs President Donald Trump’s proposed arch, despite what it says are adverse effects to the sightline between a host of iconic landmarks in Washington, including the Washington Monument and Lincoln and Jefferson memorials.” [Associated Press/ARLnow]

How ICE Has Affected Region’s Schools — Students, school administrators, workers and nonprofit leaders share how the impacts of the Trump administration’s “historic deportation push” have “also rippled across aspects of education — from a drop in multilingual students to a rise in absenteeism; from shifting school funding to a loss of immigrant school bus drivers.” [NBC4]

Anti-Abortion Advocates Poised to Challenge Referendum — “A legal challenge to amend the ballot language for Virginia’s pending reproductive rights constitutional amendment has been in limbo since June. Even if no movement on the case happens before Election Day, counsel for the plaintiffs said this week, they will seek to invalidate the vote.” [Virginia Mercury]

Reston Eye Doctor in Fashion Contest — Fairfax resident Dawn Devaney, a “55-year-old optometrist and former owner of The Eyewear Gallery at Reston Town Center[,] is competing in Next Runway Star, a national contest whose winner will receive $20,000 and an opportunity to walk in a show during New York Fashion Week.” [Patch]

A Look at Metro’s Customer Service Team — “Commuters complain about everything … But for the customer service team at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, it doesn’t matter what passengers are bemoaning. It’s their job to respond; they try to address every complaint.” [Washington Post]

Reston Community Center Head Shares Journey — “When BeBe Nguyen arrived in the United States in the early 1980s as part of the exodus following the Vietnam War, her family initially settled in Silver Spring, Maryland … More than four decades later, Nguyen is leading Reston Community Center, an organization she joined in 2007.” [Patch]

New Legal Notice — Restaurant seeks ABC beer/wine on and off premises license. [Public Notices]

It’s Monday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high of around 92°F and a light wind from the northwest. Monday night will be partly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to about 75°F. Winds from the southeast at 5 mph will become calm in the evening. [NWS]