Power lines over the W&OD Trail at the Sunset Hills Road crossing in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
With the new year underway, Dominion Energy is gearing up for another round of tree maintenance along the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail, shifting its focus to the Reston area.
The power company has flagged 19 “hazard” trees near its electrical lines for removal in a 2.7-mile stretch of the trail between its Hunter Mill Road substation in Wolf Trap and the Reston substation on Sunset Hills Road, Dominion Electric Transmission Forestry Manager Amanda Keyes told NOVA Parks Executive Director Justin Wilson in a Dec. 16 letter.
Vienna Police Department sign on headquarters building (file photo)
A 26-year-old man was arrested last month on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Vienna for brandishing a firearm after he became “aggressive” during a dog-related dispute.
Members of the Vienna Police Department responded to the trail on Dec. 21 after the 26-year-old — who had been told to stop whistling at the dog — began following the dog and its owner before pulling out a gun.
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Tom Dannan and Alexa Krezel (photos via candidates)
Braddock District Democrats will meet this weekend to determine their favored candidate for a vacant school board seat.
Though school board seats are non-partisan, local political parties can endorse a candidate. With two people running to represent the district on the Fairfax County School Board, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) will let voters to decide who receives its backing.
An excavator at work on the demolition of Patrick Henry Library in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Vienna’s Patrick Henry Library is officially being torn down to make way for a more up-to-date and arguably more attractive replacement.
Construction crews began demolishing the one-story library building — which opened at 101 Maple Street East 54 years ago — late last month, slightly ahead of the most recent project timeline shared by Fairfax County Public Library.
The new year is expected to bring ongoing, but slower, increases in home prices across Fairfax County.
“The prices are going to continue to rise, but slightly, not nearly the rate of increase we’ve seen in other years,” said Terry Clower of the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University. “It’s not going to be as dramatic.”
Traffic on the northbound Reston Parkway bridge over the Dulles Toll Road (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Reston Parkway will be one lane narrower over the next couple of weeks, as repairs continue on the bridge over the Dulles Toll Road.
Starting at 9 a.m. today (Monday), the parkway’s right northbound lane will be closed along the bridge, shifting the other northbound lanes to the left, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced on Friday (Jan. 2).
A U.S. flag in the wind at the American Center East office building on Boone Blvd in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
New NASA Head on Proposed Space Shuttle Move — “There’s a new NASA administrator in the Trump administration. And just a few weeks into his role, Jared Isaacman has already shared his thoughts on the controversial plan to move the Space Shuttle Discovery from Virginia to Texas,” telling CNBC that NASA could send another spacecraft to the Johnson Space Center if it can’t relocate the Discovery. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Lake Barcroft Businesses Assess Damage After Fire — “Several business owners at Barcroft Plaza are assessing what comes next after a fire tore through the shopping center Thursday morning … Among the businesses damaged were a martial arts studio, a swimming school, and a Benjamin Moore paint store.” [WUSA9]
FCPD Reports Drop in Some Crimes — “Crime fell across several categories in Fairfax County last year, Police Chief Kevin Davis told WTOP, touting the agency’s use of emerging technology, recruitment, retention efforts and focus on road safety. In an interview with WTOP on Friday, Davis said homicides fell 15% in 2025, compared with 2024.” [WTOP]
Progress Stalls on Virginia’s Clean Energy Law — “But five years after [the Virginia Clean Economy Act’s] passage, its clean-up has stalled. The data-center and AI explosion is forcing utilities to take desperate measures to generate more energy, even using dirty fuels. And, it turns out, the law provided exemptions allowing them to do so.” [New Energy Crisis]
Va. Woman’s Napkin Collection Preserved — “That early fascination seeded what over decades would become a paper napkin collection worth preserving. LaRoy kept sliding new finds into a blanket box under her bed — until, some years ago, she finally walked into the Library of Virginia. LaRoy handed them over, more than 1,100 in all, surprising and delighting curators.” [Washington Post]
McLean and Great Falls Legislators Hold Town Halls — “Want to hear about what is in store this General Assembly session and make your voice heard on state level issues? Join me and Senator Jennifer B. Boysko as we host a series of pre-General Assembly session town halls” at Great Falls Library at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Monday) and the McLean Community Center at the same time tomorrow (Tuesday). [Rip Sullivan/Facebook]
Firefighters Offer Free Public Safety Training — “Learn life-saving skills at free public safety training from February through May at Fire Station 3 … Classes cover hands-only CPR/AED, stop the bleed, stroke awareness, fire extinguisher use, smoke alarm basics, and more.” [City of Fairfax]
It’s Monday — Expect partly sunny skies with a high near 45 and a light wind shifting to the south between 5 and 10 mph in the morning. Winds may gust up to 18 mph. By night, skies will be mostly cloudy and the temperature will drop to around 35. The south wind will become calmer in the evening. [NWS]
The weather will be mostly cloudy with a high around 36 degrees and a light north wind. On Saturday night, there’s a 20% chance of snow before 1am, followed by gradually clearing skies and a low temperature of around 26 degrees. Winds will remain calm throughout the night. See more from Weather.gov.
We hope you have a great weekend! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋
Mark Crutchfield said his son Brandon was a typical teenager with a quick wit, a love for sports and acting and a knack for making others laugh — until he lost his life to a fentanyl overdose Nov. 4, 2022 at 20 years old.
Crutchfield, a Fairfax County resident and licensed counselor working in addiction treatment, said his son was raised on a strong anti-drug message, and he believed his son understood the risks of drug use. But, as the grieving father says, drugs do not discriminate.
