News

Fairfax County’s newest Congressman is taking on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) less than a week after taking office.

Rep. James Walkinshaw, sworn in to represent Virginia’s 11th Congressional District last Wednesday, officially co-sponsored the “Delete DOGE Act” last week, fulfilling a campaign promise to target the agency behind widespread federal workforce cuts.


Countywide
Benches face Belmont Bay at Mason Neck State Park (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Family Reunited with Missing Cat — “Two years ago, one family’s beloved cat Spencer went missing. Last week, they were finally reunited.” [ABC7]

It’s Wednesday — Showers and potential thunderstorms are likely throughout the day, with temperatures reaching a high near 70°F and north winds of 11 mph, gusting up to 20 mph. There is a 60% chance of precipitation, and new rainfall amounts may vary between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, potentially higher during thunderstorms. The chance of showers decreases to 30% before 2am on Wednesday night, with a cloudy low of 63°F and north winds of 6-8 mph. [NWS]

Senators Demand Education Department Restore School Funding — “U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner sent a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday demanding the immediate reversal of federal funding cuts to Alexandria City Public Schools and four other Northern Virginia school districts over transgender student policies.” [ALXnow]

Dranesville Shooting Suspect Charged with Murder — “A 25-year-old man has been charged with murder after police say he rammed the victim’s vehicle with his own and then shot him multiple times.” [FOX5]

Banners Hallmark Shop Files for Bankruptcy — “A Virginia retail chain filed for bankruptcy, telling the court it hopes to recoup its losses during the upcoming holiday shopping season.” [Patch]

Falls Church Officials Prepare for Early Voting This Week — “Falls Church election officials are getting ready for the start of early voting on Friday and the general election in November.” [ARLnow]

Celebrate Guacamole Day at These 5 Northern Virginia Restaurants — “We’re in the last few weeks of summer, so it’s time to savor all the bites, dishes, and ingredients that remind us of sunny days and balmy nights. One of the best? Chips and guacamole. Plus, September 16 is National Guacamole Day, so we’ve rounded up five NoVA restaurants serving up some of the best guac around.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]


Legal Notice

Please be advised that LW STAR INC doing business as Szechuan Star, has applied to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to sell alcoholic beverages at:

6960 Bradlick Shopping Center CTR H Annandale Fairfax County VIrginia 22003.

The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a wine and beer on and off premises and mixed beverages type license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Owner -Jing LIN and LiRong Lian

NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or (800) 552-3200


Around Town

Good Tuesday 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 — Sep 16, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

  • No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.

⛈️ Wednesday’s forecast

Expect showers and thunderstorms likely before noon, followed by potential showers and a thunderstorm between noon to 2pm, with chances of further showers and thunderstorms later. Anticipate a cloudy day with a high near 69, with the north wind around 11 mph, gusting to 20 mph. The chance of precipitation is 60% with new rainfall ranging between a tenth and quarter of an inch, though higher in thunderstorms. For Wednesday night, there is a 30% chance of showers before 2am, with mostly cloudy conditions and a low around 62. The north wind will blow at 6 to 8 mph. 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.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.


Event

The Reston Museum’s next program, held on June 3rd at 7:00PM, will feature the talented students of the South Lakes High School STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Team/National Art Honor Society, who will discuss the creative and technical process behind their upcoming public art installation at the Lake Thoreau spillway. This fascinating program will provide attendees with a behind-the-scenes-look at how students developed the concept for the installation and worked through the planning, engineering, environmental and artistic considerations involved in creating public art for a community space. Program takes place at South Lakes High School and admission is free. For more information visit: restonmuseum.org.


News

County leaders have now joined School Board members in pushing for more early budget collaboration, to avoid repeating an impasse that soured relationships last spring.

At a Sept. 16 meeting of the Board of Supervisors’ Budget Policy Committee, County Executive Bryan Hill said school leaders needed to develop a “budget of reality” for fiscal 2027.


News

Fairfax County again leads the region in the number of participants in the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics.

Those competitors are among a record contingent of 1,200 taking part in the 2025 event, which runs Sept. 13-Oct. 1 at venues across the region.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent (FCPS) Michelle Reid sent a message to the school community explaining more about the ongoing legal fight with the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).

Earlier this month, a federal judge in Alexandria dismissed a lawsuit the Fairfax and Arlington school boards filed against the DOE after the federal department froze their funding. The DOE put the schools on “high risk” status and restricted their access to federal funds after they refused to rescind policies allowing students to use bathrooms and other facilities that match their gender identity.


News

A new Braddock District Supervisor could be seated by the end of this calendar year.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors officially petitioned the Fairfax Circuit Court on Tuesday to schedule a special election to fill the vacancy — one of the initial steps following last week’s resignation by James Walkinshaw.