A capacity crowd filled a church in Reston yesterday (Thursday) to remember two U.S. citizens recently shot and killed by federal immigration officers in Minnesota.
Rep. James Walkinshaw, who helped organize the vigil, was joined by local religious and human rights leaders at United Christian Parish to commemorate the lives of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, along with others who have recently died in the custody of or during encounters with federal immigration agencies.
The proposed fiscal year 2027 Fairfax County Public Schools budget includes funding to increase athletic programming and augment stipends to coaches.
“We’re expanding middle school sports again next year, as well as adding junior-varsity boys volleyball,” Superintendent Michelle Reid said during her Jan. 22 budget briefing to the Fairfax County School Board.
Don’t just visit the Chesapeake Bay
Explore, unwind, and create memories on the water.
Imagine a Saturday morning on the water. Coffee on the dock as Annapolis wakes up. Cruising by historic waterfronts. Anchoring in a quiet cove with friends and family. Enjoying dinner at a waterfront restaurant before heading back as the sun sets over the harbor.
That’s the Chesapeake lifestyle.
With miles of shoreline, charming waterfront towns, protected waters, and endless places to discover, the Bay offers a unique combination of adventure and accessibility. It feels like a getaway, but it’s closer than you think.
Every fall, the Annapolis Powerboat Show brings that lifestyle to downtown Annapolis.
From October 8–11, City Dock transforms into a waterfront experience where visitors can step aboard hundreds of boats, explore the latest innovations, meet boating experts, and discover what life on the water could look like.
You don’t have to own a boat to enjoy the show. You just have to be curious.
Find Your Place on the Water
The Annapolis Powerboat Show is your chance to explore the many ways to enjoy the Chesapeake.
Looking for a way to spend weekends with family and friends? Explore spacious pontoon boats and deck boats built for relaxing, entertaining, and making memories on the water. Interested in adventure? Discover center consoles designed for exploring, fishing, and cruising the Bay’s many destinations. Dreaming about longer escapes? Step aboard cruisers and yachts built for comfortable weekends and extended adventures.
Every boat offers a different way to experience the water. The show gives you the opportunity to see them all in one place, compare options, ask questions, and imagine what your own Chesapeake adventures might look like.
More Than a Boat Show
The Annapolis Powerboat Show is about more than boats. It’s about the people, places, and experiences that make life on the water special.
Spend the day exploring the docks, then continue your Annapolis adventure beyond the show grounds. Enjoy waterfront dining, browse local shops, stroll historic streets, and take in views of one of the most beautiful harbors on the Chesapeake. Meet passionate boaters, connect with marine experts, discover new products and innovations, and experience the energy of Annapolis’s signature fall events.
From first-time visitors to longtime boating enthusiasts, there is something new on every dock.
Discover How Easy It Is to Get Started
Not a boater yet, and not sure where to begin? The Annapolis Powerboat Show makes the first step easier by giving you the chance to learn, ask questions, and experience life on the water firsthand.
Explore educational opportunities designed for every level of interest. Attend free seminars led by boating experts, learn more about navigation and safety, and discover resources that will help you feel comfortable on the water.
Visitors may also experience boats in action at the PropTalk Demo Dock, where select models are available for on-water sea trials. For those looking to build their skills, BoatUS on-water training offers hands-on instruction to help new boaters gain confidence at the helm.
The Annapolis Powerboat Show is more than a place to see boats. It’s a place to explore the boating lifestyle.
Your Next Adventure Is Waiting
The Chesapeake Bay offers endless ways to make the water part of your life.
A quiet morning cruise. A waterfront lunch. An afternoon anchored with friends. A new hobby waiting to be discovered. The Annapolis Powerboat Show brings those possibilities together in one unforgettable weekend.
Come curious. Walk the docks. Step aboard. Experience the boating lifestyle for yourself.
After waiting through five months and one blizzard, the Cathy Hudgins Community Center at Southgate is back in action.
The Reston-based community center (12125 Pinecrest Road) will celebrate its reopening following an extended renovation with a party at 1-4 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday).
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.
Whether you’re looking for a simple trim, extensions or a more elaborate makeover, there are salons around Fairfax that can deliver the right hair style for you.
Here are the nominees for “Best Hair Salon in Fairfax” as part of our FFXnow Readers’ Choice Awards. See your favorite salon below? If not, write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks. Be sure to cast your vote before 8:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 13.
Voting for the Best Urgent Care in Fairfax County is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday, Feb. 6 at 8:30 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Orthopedist in Fairfax. The results are now official:
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.
The first restaurants have been announced for Vienna Restaurant Week, which is slated to return next month to showcase the town’s diverse culinary scene.
This year’s restaurant week will run 10 days from Feb. 27 to March 8. Participating restaurants will offer specially-priced prix fixe menus, exclusive specials or limited-time dining experiences.
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — In the cold formality of a northern Virginia courtroom, Brendan Banfield testified on Thursday that prosecutors got it wrong: He did not fatally stab his wife in 2023, but instead shot the man who did.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission has approved plans to modernize a facility used to reduce the amount of smelly — in some cases potentially lethal — hydrogen sulfide in neighborhoods near Braddock Road in the southwestern part of the county.
The unanimous vote on Wednesday (Jan. 28) paves the way for the 35-year-old Lincoln Lewis Vannoy Odor Control Facility to be replaced with more updated technology to limit unwanted smells emanating from pressure sewers in the vicinity.
Fairfax Connector Resumes Full Service — For the first time since Saturday (Jan. 24), “Fairfax Connector will operate full service with some snow detours on Friday, Jan. 30. All regularly scheduled weekday routes will be in service. The following routes will begin operating with snow detours in the morning until road conditions improve: 151, 152, 161, 162, 231, 232, 310, 321, 322, 334, 703, 803 and 937.” [Fairfax Connector]
Memorial Planned for Midair Crash Victims — “A new memorial in Alexandria will honor the lives of the 67 people killed in last year’s midair collision over the Potomac River, which happened one year ago [Thursday]. A bench, newly planted trees and plaque bearing the names of the 67 victims will be installed on the Potomac waterfront on the northeastern portion of Rivergate Park.” [ALXnow]
N. Va. Skating Community Honors Crash Victims — Ashburn figure skater Alexis “Winch was friends with Everly Livingston, 14, a victim of the regional jet’s mid-air collision with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River … Winch and a few peers participated in a commemorative tribute skate at the Ashburn Ice House on Tuesday following a sculpture unveiling ceremony.” [Inside NoVA]
Felon Disenfranchisement Partly Struck Down — “A federal judge in Richmond partially struck down Virginia’s felony disenfranchisement rule earlier this month, in a court decision that could make hundreds of thousands of people eligible to vote again — and have broader implications across the southern United States.” Virginia General Attorney Jay Jones is expected to “make a public announcement on the case this week.” [VPM News]
Virginia AG Condemns DOJ Pressure on Minnesota — “Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones joined 21 colleagues on Thursday in sharply condemning the U.S. Department of Justice’s latest push to force Minnesota officials to surrender sensitive state data and dismantle public-safety policies as a condition for federal cooperation, calling it unconstitutional and an overreach of federal power.” [Virginia Mercury]
Fairfax Speed Skater Set for Olympic Debut — “When 24-year old Brandon Kim was growing up in Fairfax, Virginia, he first saw short-track speedskating on television, during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver … Now, he’s preparing to make his Olympic debut in Italy next month.” [WTOP]
Renewed Push for Paid Sick Leave — “While Virginia does have a paid sick leave law, it applies to a narrow scope of workers. House Bill 5 by Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler, D-Virginia Beach, would expand that to all public and private sector employees in the state. Workers would be able to earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.” State Sen. Jennifer Boysko, who represents Reston, Herndon, Great Falls and McLean, has also proposed a paid family medical leave bill. [Virginia Mercury]
Oakton Golf Center Named Among Best in U.S. — “Oakmont Golf Center range was recognized as one of America’s Top 50 Public Ranges by Golf Range Magazine,” which has now included the facility in its ranking four years in a row. Owned and operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority, the range “features 78 lighted stations, with 30 stations that are also covered and heated.” [FCPA]
New Legal Notice — Public hearings on FY2027 budget: Feb 10; overflow Feb 11. [Public Notices]
New Legal Notice — Application for restaurant beer/wine on- and off-premises license. [Public Notices]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high of around 21 degrees during the day, with wind chill values dropping as low as -1 due to a 6 mph northwest wind. The night will be mostly cloudy, seeing a low of around 9 degrees, identical wind chill values, and a calm wind that will shift to north at around 6 mph after midnight. [NWS]
Good Thursday 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 29, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Friday throughout the county, from our event calendar.
Expect mostly sunny skies with a high of 21 degrees and wind chill values down to -3 as the northwest wind blows at around 6 mph. Moving into Friday night, it will be mostly cloudy with a low of 8 degrees, with wind chills as low as -1. A calm wind will pick up from the north at around 6 mph after midnight. 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.
We love fall at Art House 7 and can’t wait for you to explore all our offerings. Painting, drawing, ceramics, and sewing/crocheting are our perennials, along with less traditional mediums. Kawaii Style Drawing and Digital Art are among our new classes for kids. We offer an excellent 6-week program for high schoolers preparing their college portfolios. Want something shorter? We have 3-week classes, including linocut notecards. Love ceramics? We have a dedicated studio that comfortably accommodates wheel and hand-building classes.
Fall 1 Session begins Tue. Sep. 8.
