Countywide

An end to Fairfax County Public Schools’ first district-wide boundary overhaul in four decades is within sight, though the approval of new maps is unlikely to resolve all questions.

Superintendent Michelle Reid’s final recommendations for the revised boundaries have been released ahead of a presentation to the Fairfax County School Board tonight (Thursday) and a public hearing that will be held at Luther Jackson Middle School this Saturday (Jan. 10) at 10 a.m.


Countywide
Sun beams shine on the pedestrian walkway to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Virginia U.S. Attorney Challenged — “A federal judge Tuesday ordered Trump ally Lindsey Halligan to explain why she continues to call herself the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia even though another judge determined in November that she had been unlawfully appointed to the position.” [NBC News]

Bill Would Restrict National Guard Deployments — “Virginia lawmakers are proposing a plan that would allow them to review any federal deployment of the state’s National Guard members … The bill would prohibit the Commonwealth’s National Guard from being used to interfere in an election and ensure there’s a legal review of any deployment. It also requires information about how deployments are funded, Del. Dan Helmer said.” [WTOP]

Falls Church Could Introduce Ranked-Choice Voting — “Falls Church will be able to hold ranked-choice City Council elections as early as 2027, if current Council members want to make the switch. The city is on track to acquire new voting equipment that would accommodate the ranked-choice format in time for the 2027 elections, city elections director David Bjerke told the Falls Church Electoral Board on Monday.” [ARLnow]

Lawmakers Seek to Update Social Services Tech — “Social services staffers around Virginia have for years grappled with outdated technology and are now preparing for extra workloads … House Bill 66 by Del. Michael Feggans, D-Virginia Beach, would direct the Department of Medical Assistance Services and the Department of Social Services to modernize the information technology they use to provide social and medical programs to Virginians.” [Virginia Mercury]

Rep. Walkinshaw on Goals for New Year — Rep. James Walkinshaw, who was elected to represent Virginia’s 11th Congressional District last fall, cites the Jan. 30 deadline to pass a new federal budget as the “biggest challenge” facing Congress at the start of 2026. He also says “the health care affordability issue is very real and very urgent …  so we’ve got to find a way to deal with that.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Drunk Driving Prevention Program Hits Milestone — SoberRide, which gives free rides during holidays to discourage impaired driving, has now served more than 100,000 people since it launched in 1991. Washington Regional Alcohol Program, the Tysons-based nonprofit that operates the initiative, says 1,446 people used SoberRide for last week’s New Year’s holiday alone. [Inside NoVA]

‘Queer Eye’ Reboot Ends With D.C.-Area Season — “Alexandria was home to the reality TV show ‘Queer Eye’ last summer as the Fab Five filmed their tenth and final season in the D.C. area. The Netflix show held its production headquarters in a warehouse at Van Dorn Station during a five-week shoot from late June to August 2025, Visit Alexandria spokesperson Allison O’Keefe told ALXnow.” [ALXnow]

New Legal Notice — Restaurant seeks state alcohol license; objections due in 30 days. [Public Notices]

It’s Thursday — Expect a mostly sunny day with a high temperature near 53 degrees and light, variable winds. Moving into Thursday night, the skies will become mostly cloudy with a low around 40 degrees, accompanied by a southeast wind blowing at 3 to 6 mph. [NWS]


News

For the second time in one day, Fairfax County police are investigating a pedestrian death resulting from a hit-and-run crash.

Officers responded around 9:48 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 7) to Richmond Highway at Mount Eagle Drive in Huntington after a pedestrian was reportedly struck by at least four vehicles.


Around Town

Good Wednesday 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 — Jan 7, 2026.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌥️ Thursday’s forecast

Expect patchy fog from 8am to 9am, followed by mostly sunny skies and a high near 53. The calm wind will shift to the south at about 5 mph in the afternoon. For Thursday night, the sky will be mostly cloudy and have a low temperature around 40, accompanied by a south wind at 6 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

Join the Do It for Dan Foundation for our annual fall fundraiser supporting lung cancer research at Inova Schar Cancer Institute. Enjoy live music, trivia, raffles, foundation updates, and a special presentation from thoracic oncologist Dr. Janakiraman Subramanian. Help us raise $10,000 to advance research and better treatment options for people facing lung cancer.


News

A national apparel and textile distributor has leased approximately 95,600 square feet of warehouse space at the historic Robinson Terminal property in Springfield.

The transaction “stands as one of Northern Virginia’s largest industrial lease commitments this past year,” according to George Boosalis, principal broker of Boosalis Properties, which represented the tenant for the lease at 7201 Wimsatt Road.


Around Town

With its first exhibit of the new year, Reston Art Gallery and Studios is turning its attention to a subject close to home: Lake Anne Plaza.

The gallery at 11400 Washington Plaza West, Suite B, will unveil the new exhibition “Art of Lake Anne” tomorrow (Thursday), showcasing interpretations of Reston’s original village center from nine different local artists.


Around Town

A new eatery at Tysons Galleria is catering to diners who crave staples of Thai cuisine but don’t have the time to eat a full, sit-down meal.

Bird’s Eye Thai, a relatively new concept from the team behind Reston’s Tiki Thai, opened just over a month ago on Dec. 6 in the mall’s third-floor food court, taking the place of the recently relocated Empanadas de Mendoza.


News

Two candidates seeking to be the Fairfax County School Board’s next Braddock District representative made their cases to local Democrats in an online forum on Monday (Jan. 5) ahead of this weekend’s endorsement caucus.

Both Tom Dannan and Alexa Krezel are vying to succeed Rachna Sizemore Heizer, who was elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors late last year.


Countywide

Fairfax County will soon have a void to fill at the agency that provides its behavioral health services.

Daryl Washington, who has led the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) since 2018, has been appointed commissioner of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger announced on Monday (Jan. 5).