News

A legal challenge alleging that a Fairfax County Public Schools employee helped minors get abortions without their parents’ consent is now in federal court in a case that hinges on a First Amendment free speech claim.

FCPS teacher Zenaida Perez, plaintiff in the case, is seeking to prove that school officials have defamed her and are in violation of the Virginia Whistleblower Protection Law.  Perez alleged in 2025 that another FCPS staff member assisted minors with seeking abortions. FCPS’ internal probe refuted her claims.


News

A fire that appears to have been fueled by natural gas blazed through two Franconia townhouses last night (Sunday), leaving the residence in ruins but its occupants apparently unharmed.

Several Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units responded to the 6500 block of Gladys May Lane in the Enclave at Long Branch neighborhood around 9:09 p.m. for the fire, which started in one unit near the end of a townhouse row before “quickly spreading” to an adjacent unit, according to the fire department.


News

A Maryland developer wants to build a mix of housing in place of the Tysons Concourse office buildings near the Spring Hill Metro station.

When completed, the development would deliver more than 1,000 new homes across two high-rise apartment buildings and several blocks of townhouses and triplexes, according to a proposal from Berman Enterprises, submitted to Fairfax County on Jan. 23.


Announcement

There’s something a little bit magical about picking up a foil for the first time — or drawing back a bow and watching your arrow fly true. It’s why fencing and archery have such a hold on kids and adults alike: real focus, real skill, and a thrill you don’t get from the usual sports lineup.

This fall, Nova Fencing & Archery Club in Bailey’s Crossroads is opening registration for both, with beginner classes for every age starting the week of September 12th. Fencing welcomes ages 7 to 12 and teens and adults 13 and up. Explore Archery, coached by USA Archery certified instructors, welcomes ages 8 to 12 and meets Tuesdays or Saturdays. And for our youngest fencers, ages 4 to 6, ABC’s of Fencing meets on Saturdays. All classes run eight sessions for $195, equipment provided, no experience needed — yes, even for grown-ups who’ve never held a sword or a bow before.


Countywide

Apartment hunters in Fairfax County are getting better deals than they did a year ago, with prices significantly discounted from the market peak last summer.

Median apartment rents in five major Fairfax corridors all showed declines in January compared to a year before, according to figures reported Jan. 28 by Apartment List. But all remained above the median rate for the D.C. metropolitan area of $2,116 for the month, price-wise.


Event

In a world that moves faster than ever, inner peace is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity.

Join us for the Inner Peace Summit, a transformative gathering where leaders, professionals, educators, public servants, families, students, faith communities, wellness advocates, and spiritual seekers come together to discover practical tools for living with greater clarity, resilience, compassion, and purpose.


Countywide
Ice remains frozen over Wolftrap Creek in Vienna after an extremely cold winter week (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Man Found Dead in Centreville — “The Fairfax County Police Department is conducting a death investigation after a man was found unresponsive in the roadway on Saturday. In a post to the X platform at 3:22 p.m., officers responded to reports of a man found lying in the roadway near Route 29 and Rydell Road in Centreville.” [DC News Now]

Another Measles Exposure at Dulles Airport — “Health officials are advising of potential measles exposures after confirming a case that traveled through Washington Dulles International Airport last Saturday. A person with measles traveled through the Dulles airport and took a shuttle bus to its rental car facilities on Saturday, Jan. 24 … This is the fourth case of measles reported in Virginia in 2026 — nearing the total of five cases reported by VDH in 2025.” [ALXnow]

Popes Head Road Limited to One Lane — “Weather permitting, Popes Head Road (Route 654) will have one lane of alternating traffic via flagging between Revercomb Court and just east of Fairfax County Parkway (Route 286) on weekdays from Monday, Feb. 2, through Friday, Feb. 27, for water main relocation work as part of the Fairfax County Parkway and Popes Head Road interchange project … Drivers should expect delays and are advised to use alternate routes.” [VDOT]

Walk for Peace to Pass Through Fairfax County — “A group of Buddhist monks on a Walk for Peace from Texas to Washington, D.C., is expected to pass through Annandale, Falls Church, and Seven Corners next week. The monks began their 2,300-mile journey at the Dhammacetiya Temple in Fort Worth on Oct. 29. They plan to arrive in D.C. on Feb. 11, where they will hold a Peace Gathering at the Lincoln Memorial at 2 p.m.” [Annandale Today]

Falls Church Council to Vote on Transit Funding Plan — “The Falls Church City Council is preparing to vote on a region-wide proposal to increase annual spending for Metro by $460 million every year … Arlington, Loudoun, and Fairfax counties have already approved resolutions in support of the funding plan, adopted by the COG and WMATA board last fall.” [ARLnow]

Bill on Teaching About Capitol Attack Advances — “Democrats in Virginia’s House of Delegates advanced a measure Tuesday morning that puts so-called guardrails around when and if a local school system wants to teach about the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capital.” A bill pushed by Del. Dan Helmer would require any curriculum touching on the event to describe it “as an unprecedented, violent attack on democratic institutions.” [WVTF]

Fairfax City Awarded Opioid Settlement Funds — “At a Jan. 20 meeting, the [Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority] committee approved $545,429 in awards to Clarke, Franklin, Henrico and Patrick counties and the city of Fairfax. The grants will support a mix of new initiatives and expansions of existing programs, funded through Virginia’s share of national opioid settlements with manufacturers, distributors and retailers.” [Virginia Mercury]

Plastic Surgery Clinic Moves in Reston — “Rostami Oculofacial Plastic Consultants … is pleased to announce the relocation of its Reston practice to a new, larger, state-of-the-art facility to better serve patients across Northern Virginia and the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. The practice has officially moved from its former location at 1860 Town Center Drive, Suite 250, Reston, VA 20190, to its new address at 1850 Town Center Parkway, Pavilion 2, Suite 650.” [Press release]

New Legal Notice — Rescheduled 2026–2027 PHA Plan hearing Feb 6; comments, virtual access. [Public Notices]

It’s Monday — Expect a sunny day with a high temperature around 31 degrees and wind chill values dropping to as low as zero. The northwest wind will be blowing at a speed of 8 to 14 mph, with gusts reaching up to 23 mph. As for Monday night, the sky will be partly cloudy, and the temperature will drop to around 18 degrees. The west wind will blow at a speed of 5 to 7 mph before becoming calm in the evening. [NWS]


Countywide

Hopes that Fairfax County Public Schools would resume classes tomorrow (Monday) after a whole week off for students in the wake of Winter Storm Fern have been dashed against a block of snowcrete.

FCPS announced this afternoon (Sunday) that classes have officially been canceled again tomorrow, citing “continued concerns about safe travel for students and staff to and from school.”


News

Power has returned to Tysons Corner Center after an outage left the entire mall in the dark earlier this afternoon (Sunday).

It’s unclear exactly when the mall lost electricity, but Dominion Energy learned about the outage around 2:30 p.m., Aisha Khan, a Northern Virginia spokesperson for the utility, says.


Around Town

Good Friday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Jan 30, 2026.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  • BREAKING: U.S. Treasury ends all contracts with Tysons-based Booz Allen Hamilton (34615 views)
  • Fairfax County School Board approves first new boundary plan in four decades (28611 views)
  • JUST IN: All Amazon Fresh stores to close, with some turning into Whole Foods (15097 views)
  • JUST IN: Driver killed in crash on I-495 prior to winter storm (13345 views)
  • Fairfax County schools to close Wednesday due to snow, meal kits available (8703 views)
  • Commuting disparities among Fairfax’s high, low earners raise equity concerns (8385 views)
  • FCPS superintendent zeroes in on staff pay and other ‘essentials’ in proposed $4.1B budget (7428 views)
  • Fairfax police urge caution during ‘extreme winter weather’ after three deaths (6916 views)
  • Most flights canceled at Dulles, National airports due to snow (6735 views)
  • Fairfax’s initial snow totals from Sunday fall short of January 2025 storm (6192 views)
  • Review confirms student-athlete recruiting violations by Hayfield, Fairfax High, FCPS says (5984 views)
  • UPDATED: Fairfax County facilities, schools to stay closed on Tuesday due to ice (5977 views)
  • As Winter Storm Fern continues, Fairfax County extends closures through Monday (4928 views)
  • JUST IN: Fairfax County schools closed Monday due to Winter Storm Fern (4799 views)
  • 📅 Upcoming events

    Here is what’s going on Saturday throughout the county, from our event calendar.

    Here are the events planned for Sunday:

    🌥️ Saturday’s forecast

    Expect mostly cloudy skies with a high near 19 and wind chill values dropping to -6 due to a 7-10 mph north wind. On Saturday night, there’s a slight chance of snow before 1am, and it will remain mostly cloudy with a low of around 11. Wind chill values may reach -5, as the north wind picks up at 10-17 mph, gusting up to 26 mph. The chance of precipitation is 20%. See more from Weather.gov.

    🌅 Tonight’s sunset

    The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.

    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. 👋


    News

    By OLIVIA DIAZ and TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press

    FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Jurors began deliberating Friday on whether a former IRS law enforcement officer in Virginia conspired with his family’s Brazilian au pair, with whom he was having an affair, to kill his wife and pin it on a stranger.


    Announcement

    Reston Children’s Center announces that it is continuing to be a sponsor of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Reston Children’s Center has been part of the CACFP program since 1995.

    The same meals will be available at no separate charge to all participants at each CACFP facility without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.