FFXnow - Fairfax County, Va. local news

Morning Notes for October 20, 2026

Published October 20, 2026 at 7:30AM

A bench in Falls Church City's West Falls development with a construction crane in the background (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

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]

News

FFXnow Daily Debrief for Oct 19, 2026

By FFXnow.com

Published October 19, 2026 at 9:00PM

Good Monday evening, Fairfax County. Here’s a look back at today’s most-read stories and a look ahead to tomorrow.

📈 Today’s most-read stories

Three pedestrians hit, one fatally, in Fairfax County crashes over weekend (3,804 views)
Abandoned school building in Reston burns down in two-alarm fire (3,796 views)
UPDATED: Teen on e-bike injured in crash near McLean High School (3,171 views)

🕗 More from today

Everything else we published today, Oct 19, 2026.

📣 Announcements

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]

⭐ Featured events

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]

Submit events, announcements, or home listings to FFXnow.

☀️ Weather update

Today: Fairfax County saw a high of 68° at 4:35 p.m. (normal for the date), a low of 36° at 5:45 a.m., no rain and a peak gust of 18 mph.

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 45. North wind 6 to 10 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 68. North wind around 12 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Thanks for reading!

News

Catholic church outside Vienna celebrates completion of $12M renovations

By Mary Stachyra Lopez

Published October 19, 2026 at 3:45PM

The congreation gathers for a Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Vienna. (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

On Tuesday night last week (Oct. 13), a Vienna-area parish was nearly full, as local Catholics gathered for the first mass inside the church in six months.

Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, located just outside of town limits at 8601 Wolftrap Road, recently completed a $12 million renovation that launched in late 2022 and culminated with a temporary relocation of church services to the adjacent chapel and fellowship hall after Easter this year.

Announcement

Artful Evenings: Water’s Edge with Artist Sky Hopinka

By Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian

Published October 27, 2026

Reserve your spot for an after-hour event with multi-disciplinary artist Sky Hopinka, Thursday, Nov. 5, 6–9 PM. Experience monumental nature-inspired artworks in the Water’s Edge exhibition, make your own artwork to take home at the National Museum of the American Indian.

Sky Hopinka’s photo and video art—including This is a mnemonic for Truman Lowe in the museum’s collection—shares Truman Lowe’s interest in Indigenous homelands, cultural knowledge, and traditional practices. Hopinka contributed to the exhibition catalog for Water’s Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe, writing on Lowe’s lasting impact on his work. Hopinka joins the museum for this special after hours event featuring a screening of three of his short video works followed by a discussion with Rebecca Head Trautmann, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and exhibition curator, along with art-making activities, and time to enjoy Lowe’s work currently on view. Sky Hopinka has been widely recognized for his experimental short films and photo-based works. A MacArthur Fellow, Guggenheim Fellow, and Forge Project Fellow, his work has been shown in major film festivals, museums, and international exhibitions and is in numerous prominent museum collections. Hopinka is currently an assistant professor in the department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies at Harvard University.

Around Town

New Workhouse Arts exhibit revisits complex past of the Lorton Reformatory

By Aaron Gebresellasie / Inside NoVA

Published October 19, 2026 at 2:45PM

Photographer Lloyd Wolf documented the substance abuse rehabilitation program at Lorton Correctional Complex, now the Workhouse Arts Center, from 1989-1991. Wolf is pictured here at the center earlier this month. (photo by Aaron Gebresellasie/Inside NoVA)

When photographer Lloyd Wolf sought to document a substance abuse rehabilitation program at Lorton Correctional Complex nearly four decades ago, his request was met with outright hostility.

It was the late 1980s, and Washington, D.C., was grappling with a crack cocaine epidemic and violent turf wars.

Event

How Retirement Communities Work – A Free Workshop

November 4, 2026 5:00 pm -7:00 pm

Event location

Long & Foster Arlington

4600 Cherry Hill Rd.

Arlington, Virginia 22207

Add to Calendar

If you are interested in learning more about Continuing Care Retirement Communities (also known as "Life Plan Communities"), whether for yourself or for a loved one, please join our free workshop on Wednesday, November 4 from 5:00-7:00 at the Arlington office of Long & Foster. We are hosting this workshop in conjunction with Lisa Bates of the Williamsburg Landing community, which is a particularly excellent model of the way these communities work, and one you may wish to consider!

– How do Continuing Care Retirement Communities work?
– What do they offer?
– How much do they cost, and what are the financial models offered?
– How do you how to evaluate them, and choose the one that's right for you?
– How do you make a plan for a move like this?
– How do you handle a lifetime's worth of possessions?

News

Abandoned school building in Reston burns down in two-alarm fire

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 19, 2026 at 1:45PM | Updated October 20, 2026 at 6:50PM

Firefighters battle a two-alarm fire consuming a former Fairfax Christian School building at 1624 Hunter Mill Road in Reston (via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department/Facebook)

A former school building on the Reston border that has been empty for nearly a decade burned down last night (Sunday) in a two-alarm fire.

Units with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were initially dispatched at 10:25 p.m. to an address on Crowell Road before seeing smoke closer to the Dulles Toll Road and determining that the correct address for the reported fire was 1624 Hunter Mill Road, according to scanner traffic.

News

County board takes steps to boost redevelopment in Fairfax Center corridor

By Scott McCaffrey

Published October 19, 2026 at 11:45AM

Timeline of Fairfax Center area actions (screenshot via Fairfax County)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (Oct. 13) approved comprehensive plan amendments that could lead to the redevelopment of key parcels near the intersection of I-66 and Route 50.

“These plans have all really come as a result of I-66. It increases the development potential,” said Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, whose district contains one of the three parcels.

News

UPDATED: Teen on e-bike injured in crash near McLean High School

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 19, 2026 at 10:00AM | Updated October 19, 2026 at 5:57PM

Westmoreland Street approaching Clearview Drive near McLean High School (via Google Maps)

A teen was hospitalized this morning (Monday) after she was struck by a driver while riding an electric bicycle near McLean High School.

Initial details about the crash are limited, but the Fairfax County Police Department says the 15-year-old girl appears to have been riding in a crosswalk at Westmoreland Street and Clearview Drive when she was struck.

Around Town

Reston Winterfest set for 2026 return with new, kid-friendly ‘Polar Play Park’

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 19, 2026 at 9:15AM

Visitors take in the Enchanted Forest at Reston Association's 2025 Winterfest (courtesy Reston Association)

Tickets are now up for grabs to this year’s Winterfest, Reston Association’s increasingly popular holiday tradition.

According to RA, last year’s festival drew more than 10,000 people over three days, and even more attendees are expected when it returns to Brown’s Chapel Park (1525 Brown’s Chapel Road) for a fourth year on Dec. 3-5 from 5-9 p.m.

News

Three pedestrians hit, one fatally, in Fairfax County crashes over weekend

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 19, 2026 at 8:30AM | Updated October 19, 2026 at 4:57PM

Fairfax County police siren (file photo)

Two pedestrians were seriously injured and another was killed in three separate vehicle crashes on Fairfax County roads this past weekend.

Officers with the Fairfax County Police Department responded yesterday (Sunday) at 3:47 a.m. for a crash involving a pedestrian on southbound Route 28 near Air and Space Museum Parkway, according to a press release issued this afternoon (Monday).