Members of the Fairfax City Council have reacted generally favorably to the latest proposal to redevelop the Courthouse Plaza Shopping Center.
Representatives from Combined Properties, which owns the 10-acre site, detailed its latest proposal at a July 28 City Council work session.
The popular D.C.-area restaurant Founding Farmers is preparing to bring on-site distilleries to its Fairfax County locations.
According to Fairfax County zoning records, Founding Farmers’ existing Tysons and Reston locations each plan to operate a small-scale distillery producing no more than 5,000 gallons of spirits per year for patrons of the farmer-owned restaurant.
For Fairfax County families, deciding to seek help is often only the beginning. The next question is more difficult: does the person need residential treatment, a Partial Hospitalization Program, an Intensive Outpatient Program, or standard outpatient care? The answer depends on more than the severity of substance use. Withdrawal risk, mental health symptoms, the home environment, previous treatment experiences, and the ability to remain stable between sessions can all change the recommendation. A clinical assessment helps determine the appropriate level of care without requiring families to make that decision alone.
No two people experience addiction the same way. The factors that influence treatment decisions include:
A thorough clinical assessment evaluates these factors before recommending a level of care. The goal isn’t to fit every person into the same program; it’s to match the amount of structure and support to what the individual actually needs at that point in recovery.
This is why addiction treatment in Fairfax, VA often involves different levels of care for different people, even when the underlying substance use appears similar.
For many individuals, the first step in treatment is detoxification; the process of managing withdrawal when the body is no longer receiving the substance it has become dependent on. Alcohol, opioids, and benzodiazepines are among the substances where withdrawal can be uncomfortable or, in some cases, medically serious.
Detox serves a specific purpose: stabilization. It helps individuals move through the acute withdrawal phase safely, with medical supervision when appropriate. However, detox isn’t a standalone treatment. It’s a preparation for ongoing care.
Novara Recovery Center in Fairfax coordinates inpatient detox placement when clinically appropriate and provides outpatient detox management for individuals who don’t require 24-hour medical supervision. The goal of detox isn’t to resolve addiction; it’s to create a stable foundation for the therapeutic work that follows.
The levels of care available in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia each serve a distinct purpose.
Residential Treatment provides higher structure and separation from everyday triggers. It may be recommended when someone can’t safely maintain stability in their home environment or needs a break from their usual surroundings.
Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) offer highly structured daytime clinical programming while allowing individuals to return home in the evenings. PHP provides intensive support without the need for residential care.
Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) involve multiple weekly treatment sessions while maintaining more independence. IOP offers consistent therapeutic support while accommodating work and family responsibilities.
Outpatient Addiction Treatment provides lower-intensity ongoing support when appropriate. It’s often used as a step-down after higher levels of care or for individuals who need less frequent clinical supervision.
The goal isn’t to place everyone in the most intensive program available. It is to match the level of structure to what the person needs at that point in recovery.
Fairfax County voters will head to the polls Tuesday (Aug. 4) to cast their votes in Democratic and Republican primaries, which will determine nominees for the 2026 midterms.
Polls will be open between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday. Voters are not registered by party in Virginia, so they can choose to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary. As of Aug. 1, Fairfax County has over 817,000 registered voters.
Seafood fans will soon have a new option in Fairfax County: Hot N Juicy Crawfish is preparing to open its second Virginia location in Centreville.
According to county zoning records, the mini chain of Louisiana-style seafood restaurants is renovating the 3,390 square-foot space at 14245H Centreville Square previously occupied by Gaboja II, and Sino’s Inn before that. A “coming soon” sign with the business logo is placed on the windows.
Dreaming about your next vacation? Join Cruise Planners Beth Borrego and Rod Rodriguez for an inspiring day devoted to ocean and river cruises, guided tours, luxury travel and unforgettable destinations!
Meet representatives from AmaWaterways, Collette, Oceania Cruises and Premier World Discovery. Hear informative presentations, ask questions, explore exciting vacation possibilities and discover which travel experience may be the perfect fit for you.
Janet Howell, a former Democratic state senator who had represented parts of Fairfax County for decades, has died at age 82.
Howell was first elected to the Virginia Senate in 1991, taking office in 1992 as senator for the 32nd Senate District. The district included Reston, Tysons, Wolf Trap, northern Chantilly and portions of McLean and Arlington County. Before retiring on Jan. 10, 2024, Howell was the longest-serving woman in the state Senate alongside current President pro tempore Louise Lucas (D-18). When Democrats took control of the chamber in 2019, she was the first woman to chair the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
A new face on the Fairfax County Planning Commission to represent the Reston and Vienna area could be in place before the commission’s next meeting.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn will recommend Paul Thomas to be the district’s planning commissioner at the Aug. 25 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting. With the board’s approval, Thomas would begin serving on Sept. 1.
One Fairfax County community recorded the most luxury-home sales this spring across the Mid-Atlantic region, according to new data.
More than 50% of transactions in McLean’s 22101 ZIP code — 76 of 144 — qualified as luxury sales during the second quarter of 2026, under criteria laid down by Bright MLS, the region’s multiple-listing service.
‘Vienna Cloud’ Data Center Proposal Submitted to Fairfax County — “A proposal to turn two old buildings and a parking garage near Tysons into a new data center site called “Vienna Cloud” is requesting exceptions to Fairfax County, Virginia’s rules for such facilities. The parking garage and buildings are located at 7980 and 7990 Quantum Drive, and Serverfarm, the developer, aims to transform the site into a “completely modernized, architecturally refined, state-of-the-art office/data center,” according to Jill Parks, an attorney for the applicant.” [WTOP]
Fairfax City Council Approves Accessory Dwelling Unit Policy — “Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are smaller residences located on the same property as a primary home. Fairfax City has allowed ADUs within or attached to homes, but the newly approved amendments also permit them in separate structures.” [Patch]
Fiery Crash on North Section of GW Parkway — “The crash happened around 1 a.m. in Arlington County, reportedly near the Parkway’s second overlook. Initial reports suggest that one driver was pulled from their burning vehicle by a U.S. Park Police officer, while the other was trapped and extricated by firefighters after a rescue operation.” [ARLnow]
Several Lawmakers Call for Moratorium on New Data Centers — “The calls to stop data center growth in the data center capital of the world are getting louder as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle get behind calls for a statewide moratorium. Some lawmakers said Virginia has to stop approving new data centers altogether until the impacts on water, electricity and other issues are figured out first.” [NBC Washington]
County Releases Demographics Report — “Our population and housing inventory continued to grow during 2024, while median home values climbed over 6% between January 2024 and January 2025, according to the newly released Demographic Reports 2025.” [Fairfax County/X]
Gov. Spanberger Restores Rights to 60,000 Former Felons — “The 66,085 Virginians whose rights have been restored may now vote, serve on juries, run for public office and become notaries public. The announcement comes about seven weeks before early voting begins for the 2026 midterm elections, which include a constitutional referendum that could largely remove Virginia governors from the restoration process.” [Virginia Mercury]
Headliners for Fall for the Book Festival Announced — “Fall for the Book returns for its 28th Annual Festival with worldwide bestsellers taking the headline stage. On Thursday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m., horror icon and author of over 30 novels and collections, Stephen Graham Jones will discuss body of work including his historical vampiric novel, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter … On Friday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m., Celeste Ng will discuss her bestselling novels, Little Fires Everywhere, Everything I Never Told You, and most recently, Our Missing Hearts.” [Fall for the Book]
It’s Monday — Expect showers and thunderstorms throughout the day, with the highest likelihood between 3pm and 4pm. It will be mostly cloudy and around 86°F, with a southwest wind at 7 mph. Precipitation chance is 60%, and rainfall could be heavier in storms. Overnight, there’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers until 1am. The low will be around 69°F, with calm winds shifting to the north at 5 mph after midnight. [NWS]
Good Friday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Jul 31, 2026.
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
Here is what’s going on Saturday throughout the county, from our event calendar.
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
Expect increasing clouds with a high near 91 degrees. Light south winds will pick up to 5 to 10 mph in the morning, with gusts possibly reaching 20 mph. Saturday night will be mostly cloudy with a low of around 74 degrees and southeast winds blowing at 9 to 11 mph, with gusts up to 18 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
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. 👋
