Around Town

One fitness center at Merrifield’s Mosaic District intends to close shortly after the start of the new year.

The LA Fitness gym located at 8190 Strawberry Lane will shutter next month, with its last day scheduled for Jan. 13, according to an email sent to members.


News

Update — Fairfax High School has been cleared after a sweep of the campus didn’t turn up any safety threats, police say. Students are being dismissed in accordance with “normal” procedures.

“Nothing was found and there were no reported injuries,” a Fairfax City police spokesperson said.


News

Fairfax Democrats won’t have to look far for a candidate to succeed Del. David Bulova (D-11) in the House of Delegates.

Gretchen Bulova will seek to replace her husband as the 11th House District’s delegate once he officially joins the cabinet of Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger next month, she told FFXnow.


News

Some Fairfax voters will soon be faced with yet another special election.

Del. David Bulova (D-11), who represents Oakton, Fairfax City and the Fair Oaks area, will step down from his seat in the General Assembly after accepting an appointment from governor-elect Abigail Spanberger to serve as Virginia’s secretary of natural and historic resources.


Event

One of Northern Virginia's favorite Halloween traditions is back for the 13th year. Think you’re ready for one of the area’s scariest haunted experiences?

Haunt: Dark Encounters at the Workhouse Arts Center is happening in Lorton, Virginia from October 3 – 30, 2026—and this year, you never know what’s waiting around the next corner. Step inside and there’s no telling what you’ll find. Strange sounds. Unexpected scares. And just when you think you’re in the clear…think again. Bring your bravest friends, because this is one fall night you won’t soon forget.— Haunt: Dark Encounters at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Va.


News

Local police are investigating after a body was located this morning (Thursday) in a Seven Corners lake.

Fairfax County police responded to the 3300 block of Lakeside View Drive in the Water’s Edge neighborhood around 8:07 a.m. after community members reported seeing the body of an adult man floating in the lake.


News

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.


News

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.


Countywide
Fallen leaves on the sidewalk along District Avenue in Merrifield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

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]


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 — Dec 10, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Thursday’s forecast

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.

🌅 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.