Hoping to paint your house a new hue? Exterior painters in and around Fairfax County are ready to help with all the right shades and expertise.
Here are the nominees for “Best Exterior Painter in Fairfax” as part of our FFXnow Readers’ Choice Awards. See your favorite painter below? If not, write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks. Be sure to cast your vote before 8:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7.
Voting for the Best Interior Painter in Fairfax is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 9 a.m.
Pedestrian flashing beacons have been installed at the crosswalk on Edsall Road outside the Bren Pointe neighborhood (photo by Brian Sterling)
Years of advocacy have paid off for residents in Lincolnia’s Bren Mar area with the recent addition of flashing pedestrian beacons at a key intersection.
An estimated 50 to 60 community members gathered last Saturday (Oct. 18) to officially celebrate the beacons’ installation at a crosswalk on Edsall Road that connects dozens of homes to the Bren Mar swimming pool and tennis courts as well as Fairfax County’s Bren Mar Park.
Advance Your Career. Explore Graduate Programs Near D.C.
Are you looking to make a real impact in government or public service? Advanced education can be the key, and it’s closer than you think.
The Schar School offers master’s degrees and graduate certificates designed to help students build expertise, advance their careers, and make an impact in their communities and professions. Located just minutes from Washington, D.C., the Schar School combines rigorous academics with access to the institutions, organizations, and networks shaping policy and public service today.
Students benefit from:
• Renowned faculty with academic and real-world experience
• Hands-on learning through applied research and policy simulations
• Connections to government, nonprofit, and private-sector organizations
• Access to one of the nation’s most dynamic professional environments
Graduate programs are available in areas including:
• Public Policy
• International Affairs
• Public Administration
• National Security and Defense
• Government and Public Management
Explore programs, connect with admissions, and discover the graduate pathway that’s right for you.
A flyer for FedSupport, a hub of resources for current and former federal workers, seen at a Northern Virginia job fair (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
A quarterly survey of Northern Virginia business leaders shows an increasing level of concern about the near-term future of the region’s economy.
Just under half the 120 business leaders surveyed — 49% — foresee the economy declining either “slowly” or “significantly” over the next six months, according to results released yesterday (Thursday) by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Pinkston for the fourth quarter of 2025.
A community member picks out food at Food for Others' new market (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Affording groceries, already a challenge for many households in the D.C. region, could become an even greater obstacle next month for thousands of Fairfax County residents with the suspension of federal food benefits.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, is expected to pause payments at the end of next week unless Congress and President Donald Trump resolve the budget standoff that has closed the federal government since Oct. 1.
Airplane spotted flying over Pike 7 Plaza and The Boro in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Va. Dems Expected to Push for Redistricting — “Virginia’s General Assembly will meet Monday in Richmond — in a legislative session hastily reconvened by Democrats — to join nationwide efforts to counteract a gerrymandered redistricting push by President Donald Trump, legislators told VPM News.” Clerks said the meeting will “technically” be part of a special session called earlier this year that’s still active. [VPM News]
FCPS Reports Region’s Biggest Enrollment Drop — “Recent preliminary headcounts taken in September and October are showing a 1-2% decline in enrollment at DC-area schools. These percentages may seem small, but they can have big implications for teacher hiring rates, school budgets and even closures … Fairfax County, the largest school district in the DC-area with roughly 180,000 students, has the most significant drop in enrollment.” [NBC4]
Voting Rights Case Appealed to Supreme Court — “A yearslong legal challenge to Gov. Glenn Youngkin over access to records concerning his administration’s changes to voting rights restoration entered a new chapter this year, after the Virginia Court of Appeals in August ruled that the case, lodged by the Virginia NAACP, can move forward.” Youngkin petitioned Virginia’s Supreme Court last month to review the case. [Virginia Mercury]
Halal Restaurant Opens in Fairfax City — “Shah’s Halal Food opened its doors this week at 9625 Fairfax Blvd., which is adjacent to Okonomi Asian Grill in the Fairfax Circle area. It’s open daily 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.” Serving kababs, gyros and other Mediterranean staples, the chain started in New York City in 2005. [Patch]
Local Telecomms Companies to Merge — “Falls Church telecommunications satellite firm Lynk Global Inc. is set to merge with Omnispace LLC, a Tysons-based communications company,” forming a new entity expected to launch later this year or in early 2026, pending regulatory approval. “The combination of Lynk and Omnispace will yield a workforce of about 100 employees, [Lynk spokesperson Amy] Mehlman said.” [Washington Business Journal]
Learn About Revolutionary War-Era Vienna — “What was the area we now call Vienna like on the cusp of the Revolutionary War? Join local historians and archivists as they travel back through time and provide context and answers at the panel discussion: ‘Vienna in 1775.’ This event, presented by the ViennaVA250 Committee and Historic Vienna Inc., takes place on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at 2 p.m. in the Vienna Community Center Auditorium.” [Town of Vienna]
Rec Center to Celebrate Reopening — “Fairfax County Park Authority will host a grand reopening event at Mount Vernon Rec Center” on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “The free celebration will feature family-friendly activities, demonstrations in each area of the Rec Center, giveaways and games.” [FCPA]
Park Authority Awarded for Energy Improvements — “The Fairfax County Park Authority is proud to announce that it has been awarded the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council award in recognition of its exceptional energy efficiency improvements at the Spring Hill Rec Center. This honor highlights FCPA’s leadership in sustainability and its commitment to reducing energy consumption across its facilities.” [FCPA]
It’s Friday — Clouds will increase throughout the day, reaching a high temperature near 61. A light west wind will shift to the northwest at 8 to 13 mph in the morning and may gust up to 22 mph. By Friday night, skies will be mostly clear and the temperature will drop to around 39. [NWS]
Clouds will increase throughout the day, with a high temperature near 61 degrees. The light west wind is expected to shift to the northwest, reaching 8 to 13 mph in the morning, and could gust up to 23 mph. By Friday night, the sky will be mostly clear, and the low temperature will be around 37 degrees. The northwest wind will be calmer at around 5 to 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
Body camera footage from the September hit-and-run in Hybla Valley (photo via FCPD)
A Fairfax County police officer remains on restricted duty after striking a hit-and-run victim with his police cruiser last month in Hybla Valley.
Both criminal and administrative investigations continue into the Sept. 24 incident, which may have contributed to the death of a 62-year-old woman, police said in a press conference today (Thursday).
South Block took over the former Robeks storefront at Spectrum at Reston Town Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
South Block is ready to make its Reston debut, just a few months after confirming the planned expansion.
The Northern Virginia smoothie chain will celebrate its grand opening at 1835 Fountain Drive in the Spectrum at Reston Town Center this Saturday (Oct. 25) with free food, a banana costume contest, giveaways and a live DJ.
Dominion Energy's Tysons substation on Tyco Road (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
A split Fairfax County Planning Commission voted last night (Wednesday) to recommend requiring future electrical substations to be built at least 200 feet away from residential property lines.
The commission narrowly supported a 200-foot setback as one of four options on the table. County staff had recommended 100 feet, while some commissioners proposed 150 or 300 feet.
