The contentious George Snyder Trail extension will officially remain unbuilt, as the Fairfax City Council opted to nix the project Tuesday (Jan. 13) following more than two hours of public comments.
The council voted 4-2 to cancel the project, with Councilmembers Tom Peterson, Rachel McQuillen, Stacy Hall and Billy Bates in favor and Councilmembers Stacy Hardy-Chandler and Anthony Amos opposed.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a rezoning proposal on Tuesday (Jan. 13) that will bring nearly 450 new residential units to a 12-acre site in the McNair Farms area near Herndon.
Dubbed Valley Drive Village, the project will replace two 25-year-old office buildings and surface parking in the Dulles Technology Center complex (13600 and 13650 Dulles Technology Drive), which is located within a half-mile of the Innovation Center Metro station.
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FBI Searches WaPo Reporter’s Home — “Hannah Natanson, who has been covering President Donald Trump’s transformation of the federal government, had a phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch seized in the search of her Virginia home, the Post reported.” The Justice Department said the search was “part of a leak investigation into a Pentagon contractor accused of taking home classified information,” but Post Executive Editor Matt Murray called the action “deeply concerning” in a message to employees. [Associated Press]
Democrats Choose 39th Senate District Nominee — “Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5) has been declared the winner in a firehouse primary for Virginia’s 39th District Senate seat, defeating three opponents with 70.6% of the 4,647 ballots cast.” A special election to choose a successor to state Sen. Adam Ebbin, who will resign on Feb. 18, has been set for Feb. 10. [ALXnow]
Va. House Passes Constitutional Amendments — “Virginia House Democrats wasted little time flexing their new majority on the opening day of the 2026 General Assembly, pushing through four proposed constitutional amendments Wednesday aimed at” protecting abortion rights, restoring voting rights for people convicted of felonies, removing a defunct ban on same-sex marriage and setting up a voter referendum on mid-cycle redistricting. [Virginia Mercury]
Wanted Man Arrested After I-495 Chase — “A man arrested after a brief car chase with Fairfax County police on Tuesday was previously wanted on several charges, including a felony, according to police officials.” The man was spotted on I-495 in the Huntington area in a car with a female driver. “Officials said the man was wanted for felony abduction and several other charges, while the woman faces an alluding charge.” [WJLA]
McLean Company to Support NASA — “NASA has selected a McLean-based company to provide launch range operations support at its Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia … Under the contract, ARES Technical Services Corporation, which is headquartered in McLean, will provide technical and operational support for launch range activities at Wallops.” [Center Square/Inside NoVA]
Dulles Adding Nonstop Taiwan Flights — “EVA Airways [on Monday, Jan. 13] announced that it plans to launch a new flight service to Washington in July, making it the first Taiwanese carrier to provide direct flights to the US capital. The airline plans to provide four flights to Washington in the initial stage using Boeing 787-9s, EVA Airways president Clay Sun told reporters in Taipei.” [Taipei Times]
Metro Swag in Demand — “While the Commanders flounder and Nats rebuild, our transit system is winning — breaking record ridership numbers and releasing merch that’s hotter than a Red Line rail at rush hour … Demand for Metro merch was up 300% in 2025, year over year, according to WMATA.” [Axios DC]
Art Contest to Encourage Glass Recycling — “Fairfax County is launching an art contest with the goal of educating kids in Mason District about the benefits of recycling glass. The contest is open to students in grades 6-12 who attend a school in the Justice, Annandale, or Falls Church high school pyramids.” [Annandale Today]
It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high of 32 degrees with a west wind at 17 mph, gusting up to 30 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear with a low of 22 degrees, a west wind of 9 to 14 mph, and gusts up to 26 mph. [NWS]
Good Wednesday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Jan 14, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Thursday throughout the county, from our event calendar.
Expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 31 degrees, accompanied by a west wind of around 17 mph and gusts reaching 31 mph. The night will be mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 21 degrees. The west wind will persist at 10-14 mph, and gusts may reach up to 28 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
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A new food concept in Fairfax City’s Audacious Aleworks allows diners to get Pennsylvania-style diner food and locally-brewed beers all in one place.
Brian’s Brunch-A-Torium will celebrate its opening at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 24 and Sunday, Jan. 25 at Audacious Aleworks‘ tasting room at 10940 Fairfax Blvd Suite E in Fairfax City, Audacious Aleworks co-founder Brian Reinoehl told FFXnow.
A Vienna man who allegedly drove off after striking a pedestrian with his car on Route 29 in Merrifield last month has been arrested.
William Wang, 28, has been charged with a felony hit and run for his involvement in the fatal crash, which was initiated by another vehicle who first hit the pedestrian, the Fairfax County Police Department announced today (Wednesday).
Home sales across Fairfax County in 2025 were essentially flat from a year before, according to new data, while the average sales price was up modestly.
A total of 11,780 properties went to closing countywide last year, down 0.1% from 11,787 in 2024, according to figures reported Jan. 12 by MarketStats by ShowingTime.
Fairfax City Mayor Catherine Read will not seek a third term in an office she believes is “broken.”
Read announced her decision not to pursue a reelection bid this year before adjourning the Fairfax City Council’s meeting last night (Tuesday), stating that she has been honored to serve as mayor but criticizing the city charter that governs the role as “outdated and ill-equipped to meet the demands of a modern, 21st-century community.”
County supervisors on Tuesday (Feb. 13) honored Fairfax County Police Department personnel for providing support at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“We can’t forget the people who were wearing the uniform that day, defending democracy,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said at the presentation, which honored the police personnel from the county who responded when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.
