News

Fairfax City Council members continue to consider what priorities they should focus on in the 2026 General Assembly session, and in what order.

At a Nov. 18 discussion on the city’s legislative package, residents evidently opted not to weigh in, with no speakers attending the scheduled public hearing.


Around Town

Sweetgreen has settled on a new opening date for its restaurant in McLean, one that will hopefully stick.

After canceling a previously scheduled Nov. 11 launch, the fast-casual salad chain now anticipates opening its doors at 6220 Old Dominion Drive in Chesterbrook Shopping Center on Tuesday, Dec. 2.


Countywide

This winter is expected to be a little warmer than usual in Northern Virginia. But when inclement weather does hit, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will have thousands of trucks — with access to 120,000 tons of salt, 250,000 gallons of brine, and 25,000 tons of sand — ready to go.

During VDOT’s annual winter weather briefing for local government officials and the media on Nov. 17, staffers with the transportation agency and the National Weather Service (NWS) explained how they’re preparing — and what Northern Virginia residents can expect to see on the roads — over the coming months.


Countywide

Fairfax County is one step closer to updating its regulations for manufactured homes for the first time in nearly half a century.

At its meeting last Wednesday (Nov. 19), the Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended that the Board of Supervisors amend the Comprehensive Plan and zoning ordinance guidelines for manufactured homes, which are sometimes called mobile homes or trailers.


News

Fairfax County police are investigating the death of a man who was reportedly involved in a fight near the Dunn Loring Metro station early this morning (Monday).

Around 1:10 a.m., law enforcement responded to the intersection of Merrilee Drive and Prosperity Avenue in Merrifield after multiple callers reported a physical fight between two men.


News

The next phase of development at Reston Town Center took a step closer to construction last week.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved changes last Tuesday (Nov. 18) to the plan for the mixed-use project known as RTC Next, including an increase in office space and a change in location for a planned arts facility.


News

An Annandale-based drug dealer will spend the next 15 years in federal prison for possessing nearly 10,000 fentanyl pills with an apparent intent to distribute them.

Marcantonio Juarez Velasquez, 20, was sentenced yesterday (Thursday) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia — more than a year after his arrest, according to court records.


Countywide
A crescent moon is visible over Maple Avenue in Vienna (photo by Amy Woolsey)

Man Hospitalized After Metrobus Fight — “A Metrobus ride turned violent Saturday [Nov. 22] after an argument escalated into a brutal beating, leaving a man hospitalized in critical but stable condition, according to the Metro Transit Police Department … MTPD and Fairfax County Police officers responded to the bus in Falls Church for reports of a fight on board.” [WJLA]

Woman Who Chained Children Sentenced — A Groveton woman has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty in July to assault and abduction charges. “Police called to an apartment in Groveton in August 2024 found two brothers, ages 7 and 9, with red marks on their ankles. Investigators seized chains and padlocks that had been used to restrain them while their mother, Wendi Del Cid Rodriguez, was at work.” [NBC4]

Lawmakers Seek Trump Call Transcript — “U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman on Friday led a press conference urging President Donald Trump to release the transcript of Trump’s 2019 phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. The issue relates to the crown prince’s involvement in the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Northern Virginia resident and Washington Post journalist.” [Inside NoVA]

Centreville Fun Land Faces Lawsuit — “Annandale residents Ellen and Michael Smith say a faulty go-kart caused severe injuries to their adult daughter, Chloe Elizabeth Smith. They have filed a $1 million personal injury lawsuit against Fun Land in Fairfax, The Independent reported. Chloe is autistic and is under the legal guardianship of her parents.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

FroYo Shop Opens in Annandale — “A frozen yogurt shop called Yomo opened Nov. 15 at 7406 Little River Turnpike in Annandale in the former Casa d’Mama Pizzaria spot. In addition to self-serve frozen yogurt, Yomo offers smoothies and Nutella crepes. Additional crepe varieties will be added later.” [Annandale Today]

Buckle Up for Thanksgiving Travel — “The holiday travel season is nearly upon us and Virginia State Police is asking everyone to buckle up every time you enter a vehicle. During the last two Thanksgiving holidays, more than half of the fatal crashes involved someone not wearing a seatbelt, or seatbelt use could not be determined.” [Press release]

Teacher Nominated for National Award — Laure Grove, an early childhood inclusion teacher at Terra Centre Elementary in Burke, has been nominated for a National Wildlife Federation award for her work leading sustainability initiatives. “What started as a small project to get the gardens ready for use again evolved into a schoolwide approach to get students involved and excited about protecting the environment.” [WTOP]

Holiday Donation Drives Underway — “There are many ways to support your neighbors and community this holiday season. We’ve rounded up a list of giving opportunities right here in Fairfax County,” including the annual Toys for Tots campaign and several food and winter clothing drives. [Fairfax County Government]

It’s Monday — Expect sunshine and a high of 55 degrees with a northwest wind around 6 mph, calming in the afternoon. By Monday night, skies will become mostly cloudy and the temperature will drop to around 41 degrees. The calm wind will shift to the south at about 6 mph after midnight. [NWS]


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 — Nov 21, 2025.

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

  • Single-family houses to transform rare undeveloped land in McLean (25957 views)
  • Split board decides which FCPS students can opt into new ‘western high school’ (22017 views)
  • Reston Association moves to end enforcement of Lake Anne AC unit ban (11043 views)
  • Conceptual plan approved for ‘Piazza at Tysons’ development (9466 views)
  • NEW: Booz Allen Hamilton plans HQ move from Tysons to Reston (8670 views)
  • JUST IN: Man charged with assault after multiple incidents around Reston (7613 views)
  • FCPD: Woman fatally stabbed at Dulles Station apartments (5405 views)
  • Vienna accepts $3M from Navy Federal to jump-start work on aquatics center (4996 views)
  • Fairfax County urban forester among victims of deadly Herndon house fire (4712 views)
  • Construction begins on mixed-use development at West Falls Church Metro station (4575 views)
  • Fairfax County adopts new massage therapy rules to promote professionalism, weed out bad actors (4507 views)
  • Herndon private school settles lawsuit that alleged antisemitic harassment (4219 views)
  • Man serving time for Fairfax carjacking accused of attacking state prison officer (3955 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

    Showers are expected mainly before 10 am, accompanied by patchy fog until noon. Afterward, the skies will gradually clear up, bringing a high temperature close to 55°F. The north wind will range from 6 to 8 mph, with a 40% chance of precipitation. For Saturday night, the weather will be partly cloudy and a low around 35°F. The 5 mph north wind will become calm in the evening. 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. 👋