The Vienna Town Council decided not to move forward this week with tightened restrictions on noise produced by lawn and landscaping equipment.
After receiving largely dissatisfied feedback at a public hearing, the council voted 6-1 on Monday (Dec. 8) to reject noise ordinance amendments that would’ve prohibited multiple pieces of equipment from being used on residential properties before 8 a.m. and expanded a Sunday ban on all contractor noise to also include federal holidays.
The owner of Herndon’s Hyatt House appears ready to move forward with a potential redevelopment, but it may have to wait a little longer for any changes to be considered.
New York-based developer Widewaters has asked the Town of Herndon to amend its comprehensive plan for the hotel site at 467 Herndon Parkway to allow housing as “a viable near term redevelopment option,” according to the submitted request.
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DCA Crash Families Object to Waivers — “Family members of those killed in the January midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet are raising alarms about a provision in the defense funding bill that they say would allow the military to potentially restore flying procedures that may have been factors in the crash.” [Washington Post]
Next VDOT Leader Named — “Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday tapped transportation expert Nick Donohue as Virginia’s next transportation secretary, selecting the VCU graduate to help steer her administration’s policies over the next four years … The former deputy transportation secretary was recently heavily involved in developing a funding plan to create a new revenue stream to stabilize Metro service in Northern Virginia,” among other initiatives. [Virginia Mercury]
Legislator Preparing Gaming Commission Bill — “Efforts are underway to establish one regulatory board to oversee gaming in the Commonwealth as conversations about a possible plan to construct a casino in Fairfax County re-enter the spotlight … Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax County, emphasized the importance of establishing the commission before expanding gaming, which includes future proposals for a casino in the Tysons area.” [WUSA9]
School Board Approves New Courses — “Fairfax County students will get the opportunity to take classes on artificial intelligence, personal finance and cybersecurity in the 2026-27 school year. The Fairfax County School Board unanimously approved the middle and high school course offering changes during a meeting” last Thursday (Dec. 4). [WTOP]
Former Tysons Furniture Store Finds New Home — “Patrick’s Elegant Living, a high-end furniture brand, will move into a new store at Dulles Town Center, Washington Business Journal reported. It will occupy the space of the former Nordstrom, which closed in 2017. Patrick’s Elegant Living vacated its former Tysons Corner Center location in October after a legal dispute with the landlord.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Viral Drunk Raccoon Boosts Animal Shelter — “The Hanover County Animal Protection & Shelter in Virginia has raised $170,560 in just 72 hours by selling over 15,000 pieces of ‘Trashed Panda’ merchandise — hoodies, mugs, stickers, and T-shirts, all featuring a raccoon sprawled on its stomach, paws splayed in every direction, next to a toppled bottle of booze.” [Washingtonian]
Researchers Help Track Monarch Butterflies — “This fall, a massive international effort called Project Monarch used new technology to track hundreds of monarchs from Canada to Cuba, providing the most comprehensive look yet at the famous journey. Researchers in Virginia helped make it happen.” [VPM News]
It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high temperature near 37 degrees and northwest winds blowing at 13 to 15 mph, occasionally gusting up to 29 mph. Cloud cover will increase during Thursday night, bringing the temperature down to around 27 degrees while a gentle west wind blows at 5 to 9 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 — Dec 10, 2025.
Here is what’s going on Thursday throughout the county, from our event calendar.
Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching a high of around 36 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 14-16 mph and gusts up to 31 mph. As the evening progresses, cloud cover will increase, and temperatures will dip to a low of around 26 degrees, with the west wind blowing at a gentle 5-9 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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The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) is starting to test the waters on an initial concept for its plan to replace and expand on Reston’s Crescent Apartments.
Now more than a decade in the making after a previous push to revitalize the Lake Anne area stalled, the redevelopment will prioritize preserving the property’s status as a valuable affordable housing site, while also better integrating it with the surrounding community, according to FCRHA Associate Development Director Thor Nelson.
A local favorite for a taste of the Mediterranean is now offering more than just quick bites.
Moby Dick House of Kabob, which boasts 30 locations across the D.C. area, recently celebrated the grand opening of Moby’s Market in McLean — adding a grocery element to the restaurant at 6703 Lowell Avenue.
Residents of Fairfax County’s manufactured home communities pressed county leaders yesterday (Tuesday) to do more to protect the properties from redevelopment and those who live there from displacement.
“We don’t want to be moved out of the county — we’d like to stay in our homes,” said Denia Moya, a resident of the Harmony Place Mobile Home Park (8018 Richmond Highway) in Hybla Valley.
The largest pet event in the D.C. region is leaving Fairfax County.
With the Dulles Expo Center, their home of 25 years, permanently closing in Chantilly this month, Super Pet Expo organizers will bring their showcase for local pet businesses, nonprofits and experts to Manassas Mall next year instead.
Reston Association had hoped to dredge sediment from Lake Thoreau this fall, but paltry precipitation may force the project to wait until next spring.
While staff still hope to schedule the dredging for sometime this winter, the rain and snow that passed through the D.C. region last week weren’t enough to sufficiently raise water levels at the manmade lake, according to RA communications director Cara O’Donnell.
