A clock stands in Annandale’s Toll House Park (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Men Charged With Alexandria Double Shooting — “The Alexandria Police Department (APD) announced that two Fairfax County residents have been arrested for a non-fatal double shooting in the Braddock neighborhood earlier this year … Two juveniles were shot while they sat in a parked car on Wythe Street.” [ALXnow]

Parents Discuss School Boundary Change Priorities — “Parents and community members discussed their priorities for a districtwide boundary review at Glasgow Middle School on Nov. 18. This is the first time Fairfax County Public Schools is looking at school boundaries in a holistic way in nearly 40 years, Superintendent Michelle Reid told approximately 170 attendees.” [Annandale Today]

Donors Still Wanted for McLean Blood Drive — Appointments are still available for the Red Cross blood drive that the VFW Post 8241 in McLean is hosting this Friday (Nov. 22). The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1051 Spring Hill Road, and all donors will get free holiday socks. “Please help the Red Cross save lives by donating blood before the holidays.” [VFW Post 8241/Facebook]

How Fatal TWA Plane Crash Changed N. Va. — TWA Flight 514 crashed on Dec. 1, 1974, killing all 92 people on board, after a snowstorm forced it to divert from Reagan National Airport to Dulles International Airport. Reporter Buzz McClain, who happened to be on the next flight scheduled to land, looks back on the crash and its aftermath. [Northern Virginia Magazine]

D.C. Region’s First Padel Facility Opens — “Padel Up, the first facility dedicated to the sport of padel in the area, opened in Sterling on Monday. The hope is to grow awareness for the game in the US while offering a community meeting space complete with four enclosed courts and a lounge with a smoothie and coffee bar.” [Washingtonian]

Beagle Sniffs Out Contraband at Dulles Airport — “Found on the streets just a few years ago, Freddie is now one of six dogs on the sharp-nosed Beagle Brigade patrolling Washington Dulles International Airport for plants and meat products that travelers are prohibited from bringing into the country to prevent disease or infestation by foreign plants, insects or microbes.” [Washington Post]

New Restrooms Celebrated at Fort Belvoir Park — “Members of the Woodlawn Little League community joined Fairfax County officials and staff Nov. 16 in celebrating the completion of a new building with restrooms, concessions and storage space at McNaughton Fields Park in Fort Belvoir.” [On the MoVe]

Wakefield Teacher Shares Native American Heritage — “November is Native American Heritage Month. At Wakefield Forest Elementary School in Fairfax, advanced academics resource teacher Tony Gray has added a lifetime of experience to his lesson plan.” [WTOP]

It’s Wednesday — Expect showers after 4pm with mostly cloudy skies and a high of 65. Winds will pick up from the southeast in the afternoon. Night brings a 90% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 4am with a low around 43. Rainfall amounts may range between a quarter and half of an inch. [NWS]


Angelique Palmer, a performance poet and teacher, has been chosen as Fairfax County’s new poet laureate.

ArtsFairfax announced yesterday (Monday) that Palmer will serve as its poet laureate from 2024 through 2027. Succeeding Danielle Badra, Palmer will be the third person to hold the title, which was created in 2020 to celebrate poetry and promote it to a wider local audience.


A man was rushed to Inova Fairfax Hospital with critical injuries Tuesday afternoon after being stabbed at the McDonald’s in Bailey’s Crossroads.

Fairfax County police were dispatched to the fast food restaurant at 5603 Leesburg Pike around 2:19 p.m., according to police scanner traffic.


Herndon police have arrested a man in connection with a reported sexual assault that occurred on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail yesterday (Monday).

Denis Humberto Navarette Romero, 31, has been charged with rape and abduction with the intent to defile after allegedly attacking a woman on the trail between Ferndale Avenue and Grace Street last night, the Herndon Police Department announced.


Homebuyers across Fairfax County paid, on average, 7.8% more per square foot in October than they did a year before.

Fairfax’s average per-square-foot price of $374, up from $347 in October 2023, was in the middle of the Northern Virginia pack, but the year-over-year increase was on the high side across the D.C. region and broader Mid-Atlantic corridor.


A gold refinery could soon call Lorton home, but the project, spearheaded by Eastman Minerals, needs some help getting off the ground first.

The Tennessee-based company petitioned Fairfax County last Wednesday (Nov. 13) for a special exemption to allow the refinery at 8532 Terminal Road, where it will serve “national and international clients,” according to Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh land use planner Bernard Suchicital.


If it’s possible to sum up a life with two words, then testimony from family, friends and former colleagues suggests “service” and “community” should be top contenders for describing the legacy of longtime Fairfax County volunteer fire chief Homer Johns.

Speakers repeatedly circled back to those concepts at a memorial service on Saturday (Nov. 16), as they paid tribute to the over five decades Johns spent with the McLean and Great Falls volunteer fire departments.


Fairfax County School Board members hope an infusion of $3 million in additional cash will help create an objective evaluation of public school facilities as new renovation timetables are developed.

Board members voted 11-0, with one abstention, on Thursday (Nov. 14) to add the funding to $2 million previously appropriated. It will support upcoming work by consultants evaluating the conditions of all schools, athletic facilities and administrative buildings.


Fairfax Water has sent about 137,000 letters to customers to help determine whether their pipes might contain traces of lead.

The utility says its source water from the Potomac River and Occoquan Reservoir has no detectable lead and maintains it has “always been in compliance” with federal drinking water guidelines.


The walkway from the Tysons Metro station to the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Va. Attorney General to Seek Reelection — “Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican who has embraced prosecutions against election fraud and other conservative causes, said Monday that he will seek reelection next year, dispelling speculation of a potential gubernatorial bid.” [Associated Press]

School Boards Seek Delay in Accountability Changes — “Northern Virginia’s school systems are urging the Virginia Board of Education and the Virginia Department of Education to delay for at least a year the implementation of the state’s new School Performance and Supports Framework,” which was approved in August and is intended to reflect how well schools are meeting academic expectations. [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Man Charged With Voter Intimidation — “A 23-year-old Woodbridge man was arrested for voter intimidation on Election Day outside a Fairfax City polling place, according to the City of Fairfax Police. Officers responded around 4:17 p.m. on Nov. 5 for the report of a man making hand gestures and verbally threatening people outside the polls at the Sherwood Center at 3740 Blenheim Blvd.” [Patch]

Chantilly Office Depot to Close — “The Office Depot store in the Chantilly Crossing shopping center is closing its doors next month… The Burn confirmed with employees that Office Depot is expected to close in mid-December, on or around Saturday, December 14.” [The Burn]

Former D.C. Area Radio Anchor Dies — “Evan Haning, whose 50-year radio career included almost a decade as an anchor and reporter at WTOP, has died at the age of 74 after a long battle with cancer.” His daughter, Amber, says working at the Chevy Chase-based radio station, which covers the D.C. region, was his favorite job. [WTOP]

Asian Food Hall Expects to Open Soon — “After three years in the works, Pop-Up District, a new food hall and lounge at Eden Center, plans to open for business sometime next month… The food hall has confirmed five restaurants and a bar across its 8,000 square feet.” [ARLnow]

Child Care Center Proposed in West Falls Church — “The Gardner School has proposed building a childcare center at 6637 South Street next to Annandale Road.” The single-story building would replace a structure that’s temporarily hosting the Fort Buffalo Fire Station during construction on a permanent station in Seven Corners. [Annandale Today]

Real Time Crime Center Helped Make Arrest — “The Fairfax County Police Department’s (FCPD) license plate reading technologies and new Real Time Crime Center enabled officers from the Mount Vernon District Station to make a key arrest last week.” The Nov. 11 incident began when a Flock camera flagged a vehicle with a stolen license plate at Walmart in Belle Haven. [On the Move]

It’s Tuesday — Expect partly sunny skies with a high of around 63 and light winds shifting to the southeast at 6 mph in the afternoon. Night brings a 20% chance of showers, mostly cloudy conditions, and a low of about 51 with light southeast winds. [NWS]


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