Fairfax County police are investigating a series of potentially connected burglaries targeting mostly fast-casual chain restaurants, dating back to July.
The first burglary was reported on July 13 at 8:05 a.m., drawing officers to a Taco Bamba in Springfield’s Backlick Shopping Center (6691-A Backlick Road).
Va. Creates Medicaid Assistance Coalition — “Virginia is bringing healthcare and workforce organizations together to help residents keep their health coverage and navigate new federal requirements for Medicaid and other assistance programs.” The new Virginia United Coalition will focus initially on raising public awareness and “adding staff or training to help organizations and agencies make referrals.” [Virginia Mercury]
Police Seek Vehicle Possibly in Hit-and-Run — “Detectives from our Crash Reconstruction Unit (CRU) are seeking the community’s assistance in locating a vehicle believed to be involved in the October 4 fatal pedestrian hit-and-run crash in Springfield. Detectives are searching for a 2017–2022 white Nissan Rogue missing its driver’s side mirror and black fender guards from the front driver’s side wheel well.” [FCPD]
N. Va. Congressmen’s Offices Evacuated — “U.S. Reps. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va.-10th, and Eugene Vindman, D-Va.-7th, both received letters with an unknown substance on them. The letter sent to Subramanyam was delivered to his district office in Leesburg Monday, while the correspondence to Vindman arrived at his office in the Woodbridge area Friday. Both buildings were deemed safe after brief evacuations.” [Inside NoVA]
County Executive Stopped by Police — “On Oct. 16, a Fairfax County police officer pulled over Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill on Sully Road” for not having a front license plate on his vehicle, prompting a testy exchange. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis defended the officer, while Hill later apologized for creating any difficulties, stating that he has since fixed his license plate’s placement. [WJLA]
Big Cost for Filling Child Care Gap — “Closing Virginia’s child care affordability gap would require up to $4.5 billion annually over the next decade, according to the Virginia Department of Education — an investment that, under one scenario, would also raise annual pay for 43,000 educators by an average of $17,000.” [Virginia Mercury]
Economic Concerns Driving Voters — “With 14 days until Election Day, voters are already casting ballots and weighing the issues they want elected officials to address, from the cost of living to health care and the reliability of political information … Nicholas Goedert, an associate professor of political science at Virginia Tech who studies American politics and legislative elections, said economic concerns remain a major factor for voters.” [WUSA9]
Merrifield Bank of America Plan Advances — “A former Uno Pizzeria & Grill restaurant in Fairfax County could be replaced with a new Bank of America branch with a drive-through ATM, according to a proposal that recently cleared a county planning hurdle. The Fairfax County Planning Commission voted 10-0 on Oct. 14 to recommend approval of the project at 3058 Gate House Plaza.” [Patch]
Tips for Halloween Celebrations — “It’s time for scary, silly and all kinds of costumes in all corners of our community. Here are a few things to know about Halloween in Fairfax County,” including when to expect trick-or-treaters, tips for safely navigating dark streets, and advice for homeowners and pet owners. [Fairfax County Government]
It’s Wednesday — Sunny with a high near 65 and a north wind of 8 to 10 mph. Night will be mostly clear, with a low around 46 and a northwest wind around 6 mph. [NWS]
There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.
Good Tuesday evening, Fairfax County. Here’s a look back at today’s most-read stories and a look ahead to tomorrow.
Everything else we published today, Oct 20, 2026.
Workshops You’ll Love at Art House 7
Explore exciting fall workshops at Art House 7! Coming up October 24–25, master artist Teresa… [Announcement]
Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Fairfax County, from our event calendar.
Lunch with Dr. T: Let’s Talk About Perimenopause and Menopause
Oct 23: A free lunch and talk on perimenopause and menopause with Kavita Tripathi, MD [Event]
🗑️ Shred Day with Lafayette Federal
Oct 24: Shred your documents safely and free [Event]
Child Safety Fun Fair & Car Seat Check
Oct 25: Get your child car seat inspected by a Nationally Certified Technician for FREE! [Event]
Building Your New Mom Village Mixer
Oct 29: First-time pregnant moms, new moms and perinatal providers – let’s connect! Note: this location is near MOSAIC DISTRICT. [Event]
Diwali: A Celebration of Inner Light – Hosted by the Brahma Kumaris
Nov 1: Celebrate the spirit of Diwali with us at the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center for a joyful and uplifting afternoon for the whole family. [Event]
Dialogue for Democracy
Nov 3: Dialogue for Democracy invites high school students from across the DMV to George Mason University. [Event]
Submit events, announcements, or home listings to FFXnow.
Today: Fairfax County saw a high of 72° at 3:35 p.m. (4° above normal), a low of 43° at 1:05 a.m., no rain and a peak gust of 21 mph.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 47. North wind around 8 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 64. North wind 7 to 10 mph.
Thanks for reading!
Back in March, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology student Daniil Prokofev went for an 8-mile run from the Lincolnia school to his home. That run led to the development of a web-based app that will someday be able to help all Fairfax County Public Schools students find safe routes to school.
The route Prokofev took on his run in March, suggested by Google Maps, wasn’t particularly safe, as several sections had no sidewalks and there were busy intersections to cross.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is recommending a number of improvements that it hopes will make the West Falls Church segment of Route 29 safer for all travelers, especially pedestrians and bicyclists.
Community members attending a public meeting at Timber Lane Elementary School last Wednesday (Oct. 14) generally seemed to embrace the proposed changes, which include new sidewalks, a shared-use path, and crosswalks, but some lamented the project’s limited scope and undefined timeline.
Dulles International Airport said goodbye Sunday evening (Oct. 18) to an aircraft type the local region is unlikely to see again.
Lufthansa Flight 419 to Frankfurt-Main Airport in Germany marked the carrier’s official retirement of its small remaining fleet of 281-passenger Airbus A340-600 aircraft.
Fairfax County is seeking business tenants for The Commons Mount Vernon, while partnering with the Southeast Fairfax Development Corp. (SFDC) to offer free business promotion along Richmond Highway.
The county recently put out the call for tenants to occupy 13,100 square feet of space at the campus formerly known as the Original Mount Vernon High School.
Fairfax County Public Schools will examine its use of instructional apps and software, following two recent unanimous votes from the school board.
At its Oct. 8 meeting, the Fairfax County School Board, by an 8-4 vote, approved a carve-out in the division’s digital device restrictions to allow kindergarteners in need of additional reading support to use the literacy program Lexia during this academic year — a move that affects about 30% of kindergarteners.
Plans to transform most of the Lake Fairfax Business Center in Reston into a mixed-use neighborhood are heading to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for a final vote.
Developer EYA secured a supportive recommendation from the Fairfax County Planning Commission last Wednesday (Oct. 14) after its legal representative confirmed that any lingering disagreements with county staff can be resolved by the time the rezoning application reaches the board next month.
SCC Staff Don’t Support Dominion Merger — “Staff at the Virginia State Corporation Commission have recommended against the proposed $67 billion merger between Dominion Energy and Florida-based NextEra Energy — unless both companies commit to dozens of binding conditions first.” [VPM News]
Gov. Calls for Dominion Rate Freeze — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger is calling for Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy “to freeze residential electricity rates for six years and triple monthly customer bill credits as conditions of any merger.” Dominion, meanwhile, has filed a plan to add over 39 gigawatts of new power generation over the next two decades to meet demand. [Press release]
