Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Chief Carlos Heraud helps launch the 2025 St. Patrick's Day SoberRide effort (via Washington Regional Alcohol Program)
Fairfax County saw no year-over-year change, but across the D.C. region overall, deaths connected to impaired driving were down 26% from 2023 to 2024, according to new data.
Christmas lights illuminate the entrance of the Vienna Community Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Christmas is in the air, which means many local government services are about to wind down so their workers can take off for the holiday.
Like on Thanksgiving, municipal offices for Fairfax County and the towns of Vienna and Herndon will all be closed tomorrow and Thursday (Dec. 25) for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Fairfax City will close its government offices starting at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow.
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Another one of Fairfax County’s veteran state lawmakers is leaving the House of Delegates for a job in the incoming administration of Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger.
Del. Mark Sickles (D-17), who has represented Franconia, Huntington, Rose Hill and Hayfield in Richmond since 2004, has been appointed as Virginia’s next secretary of finance, Spanberger’s transition team announced today (Tuesday).
Fairfax County Parkway shut down at Rolling Road for a police death investigation (via VDOT traffic camera)
Fairfax County police are investigating the death of an unidentified man whose body was found this morning (Tuesday) in the median of Fairfax County Parkway.
The adult man was discovered lying in the median near Old Plains Road just northwest of Inova Fair Oaks Hospital by a community member who spotted the body while driving and called 911, Fairfax County Police Department Capt. Jesse Katzman said in a briefing.
Flowers, Fine Art & Fashion is an immersive cultural experience presented by People of The Garden LLC, where nature, creativity, and modest couture converge in a breathtaking indoor garden setting.
Guests will journey through a living landscape featuring dramatic floral installations, botanical art, and a one-of-a-kind rectangular runway designed around lush greenery and sculptural plantings. Throughout the evening, attendees will experience a curated runway presentation showcasing modest fashion designers, alongside original fine art, artisan vendors, and interactive floral experiences.
Goatz Sports Cards in Herndon (photo courtesy of Bryan Janick)
A store selling increasingly-popular cardboard collectibles plans to open in Herndon early next year.
Scheduled for a grand opening on Saturday, Jan. 3, Goatz Sports Cards replaced a former chiropractor’s office in the strip of businesses at 208 Elden Street.
A vehicle stopped in front of Archer Hotel at Scotts Run in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
In Tysons, hotels have made progress on recovering from the blows dealt to the hospitality industry by the pandemic, but occupancy levels are leveling out instead of continuing to rise, the Tysons Community Alliance (TCA) shared in its most recent quarterly report.
Released last Wednesday (Dec. 17), the Q3 2025 market report found that the hotels in Fairfax County’s urban center were about 70% occupied, on average, from November 2024 through this past October — the same rate recorded over that time period a year earlier.
BP Service Station at 6201 Franconia Road (via Google Maps)
A gas station that has been serving Franconia for more than 50 years is due for an update, its owner says.
According to an application recently submitted to the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning, the Merrifield-based Petroleum Marketing Group (PMG) is looking to replace the existing BP Service Station at 6201 Franconia Road with a 4,650-square-foot convenience store and five fuel pumps (10 fueling positions) under a canopy.
A Christmas tree stands in the central open space at Fairfax Corner (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Va. Could Remove Allegedly Ineligible Voters — “The U.S. Department of Justice has sent a confidential draft agreement to more than a dozen states that would require election officials to remove any alleged ineligible voters identified during a federal review of their voter rolls … The states [acting voting section chief Eric] Neff identified are led by Republicans — Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia.” [Virginia Mercury]
Some N. Va. See Success as Kennedy Center Struggles — “Leaders of local groups say that it’s difficult to tell whether they’ve directly benefited from this year’s upheaval across the Potomac … But while Kennedy Center audiences have dwindled amid artists’ and theatergoers’ boycotts of the venue whose board elected Trump as chair in February, several Arlington organizations pulled off a strong year.” [ARLnow]
Virginia ICE Facility Over Capacity — “One of Virginia’s two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities is over capacity, while the other is getting very close, according to the most recent data from ICE and TRAC Immigration … As of Nov. 28, the Caroline Detention Center has surpassed its maximum capacity — and the Farmville Detention Center is less than two dozen detainees away from doing the same.” [WRIC]
Mutual Aid Groups Respond to ICE Detentions — “Throughout the commonwealth, a wave of mutual aid has come from community foundations, grassroots organizations and neighbors who quietly built their own support systems for families caught in detention and deportation proceedings.” [VPM News]
Reston Contractor Makes Big Acquisition — “CACI International Inc., one of Greater Washington’s largest federal IT contractors, is buying defense technology company ARKA Group LP for $2.6 billion cash in what would be the Reston company’s largest acquisition to date.” Connecticut-based ARKA’s fighter plane sensors would help CACI “expand its tech capabilities on existing and future contracts with the U.S. Space Force and other defense and national security agencies.” [Washington Business Journal]
License Plate Readers Used to Find Missing People — “Since the launch of the department’s expanded LPR program in November 2022, both Flock Safety and Axon Fleet 3 LPR technology have directly assisted in locating 50 missing persons across Fairfax County and the surrounding region.” The 50th person was located on Dec. 19 when they drove past a reader, alerting an officer at Route 50 and Galesbury Lane in Chantilly. [FCPD]
Library Hosts Free Signed Books Giveaway — Fairfax County Public Library is holding a drawing for 14 different free signed books. Through Jan. 16, patrons can enter by filling out a form and sharing how much money they’ve saved by checking out materials from their local library. Winners will be chosen on Jan. 20. [FCPL]
Publishing Pause for Holidays — FFXnow will be taking a break from publishing tomorrow (Wednesday) and on Christmas. Barring breaking news, we’ll be back with more reporting on Friday (Dec. 26). Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and to those who don’t, we hope you’re still able to enjoy some time to relax before the new year.
It’s Tuesday — Rain is possible, mostly before 9am, followed by cloudy skies that will gradually clear up to become mostly sunny. The high will be around 53 degrees. The chance of precipitation stands at 30%. Tuesday night will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 39 degrees. [NWS]
Here is what’s going on Tuesday throughout the county, from our event calendar.
No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.
🌤️ Tuesday’s forecast
Rain is likely before 8am, followed by cloudy skies that gradually clear up to become mostly sunny, reaching a high of around 52. A southward wind will blow at 7 to 10 mph, gusting up to 22 mph, with a 30% chance of precipitation. The night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 39, and a westward wind at 6 to 10 mph, gusting up to 18 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
