Around Town

The author who wrote and won a Pulitzer Prize for “The Sympathizer” is coming to Reston.

Reston Community Center (RCC) will host Viet Thanh Nguyen at its recently renamed Leila Gordon Theatre on Sept. 27 to kick off its 2025-2026 Professional Touring Artists Series, which will bring established and emerging artists to the Hunters Woods facility (2310 Colts Neck Road).


News

Police expect to bring charges in connection with a crash on I-66 that killed one driver and sent another to the hospital over the weekend.

Troopers responded to a reported crash with injuries at 5:51 p.m. on Saturday (Aug. 2) on I-66 West at Fairfax County Parkway near Fair Lakes, according to the Virginia State Police (VSP).


Around Town

Though one longstanding Chinese restaurant recently closed, another has opened in the Tysons area.

Chef Tan launched its soft opening at Danor Plaza in Vienna Thursday night (July 31), serving up Hunan-style cuisine in the former Zenola suite at 132 Branch Road SE.


Countywide

Apartment rental rates across Fairfax County continue to rise, even as national costs are falling.

All seven county corridors tracked by Apartment List showed year-over-year increases in July, according to new data reported last Wednesday (July 30).


Countywide
Horse rider tries to snag ring at the 2025 Fairfax County 4H Fair (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Walker Road Reopens — The new Walker Road bridge reopened “to traffic late Friday night, Aug. 1. Remaining project work, which includes grinding the bridge deck smooth and finishing the shoulders, guardrail and the asphalt approaches, will occur via weekday daytime lane closures. Final project completion is scheduled late this fall.” [VDOT]

Homeless People Found Dead — “Three apparently homeless people died on the streets in Annandale on July 29, the Fairfax County Police Department confirms. Officers responded to a report of two people unresponsive outside the Goodwill store at 7031 Columbia Pike at 6:45 a.m. They discovered an adult male and an adult female deceased.” A third person was found deceased behind the 7-Eleven an hour later. [Annandale Today]

Tysons Firm Hired to Build Ballroom — “On July 31, The White House announced its plan to build a new ballroom. The $200 million project will begin next month and is expected to be completed before the end of President Donald Trump’s term … McLean-based Clark Construction is on board to build the ballroom.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Pet Dies in Apartment Fire — “#FairfaxsBravest are on scene of a 2-alarm garden-style apartment fire in the 7900 blk of Charles Thomson Ln in Annandale. Units arrived to smoke/fire showing & located a fire on the 3rd floor. Fire is under control. No injuries. Sadly 1 pet was found deceased. 14 units affected.” [FCFRD/X]

Football Coaches Put on Leave — “Two football coaches at Fairfax High School in Virginia have been placed on leave, following allegations of recruitment violations last school year. The allegations come less than one month before the season’s kickoff on Aug. 28.” FCPS says it’s working with independent investigators on the issue, which embroiled Hayfield Secondary School last year. [WTOP]

Gaza Protest in Vienna — “A group of citizens met at Peterson Lane Park, 599 Malcolm Road, NW, for a planned protest [on July 25]. The protestors walked from Malcolm to Lawyers Road, and then to the area of Colin Lane, NW, protesting the events in Gaza. The citizens were using bullhorns and other items to create noise. They were warned of the violation of using a portable public address system and that it was also a violation to protest a residence.” [Vienna Police]

County Offers Back-to-School Vaccine Clinics — “The Fairfax County Health Department’s back-to-school immunization clinics begin Friday, August 1 from 1-4 pm at the Joseph Willard Health Center and Mount Vernon District Office clinics. Appointments are encouraged but walk-ins are also welcome.” [Fairfax County Health Department]

Twin Peaks Cast Visits Tysons — “Thirty-five years after that first premiere, the two cast members and executive producer Sabrina S. Sutherland (who worked as production coordinator on the original series and executive producer on Twin Peaks: The Return) are going on a cross-country tour to chat with fans and share stories … On Monday, Aug. 4, the group stops at Capital One Hall in Tysons.” [Washington City Paper]

Middle Eastern Food Festival Returning — “Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek-Catholic Church in McLean is preparing for a celebration of culture, cuisine, and community at the 32nd Annual Middle Eastern Food Festival on Aug. 30 and 31. Attendees can enjoy Middle Eastern favorites such as Kibbeh, Shish Kabob, Roast Lamb, Falafel, and more.” [Patch]

It’s Monday — Expect a sunny day ahead with a high temperature of approximately 87 degrees. The calm morning wind will transition to an easterly 6 mph breeze in the afternoon. As night falls, the sky will become partly cloudy and the temperature will drop to around 66 degrees. The southeast wind of 5 mph will subside and become calm as the evening progresses. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Friday 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 — Aug 1, 2025.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  • Fairfax County Carnival and Fair brings summer fun for 75th year this week (29912 views)
  • Split Fairfax City Council approves apartment development plan for old house (14615 views)
  • JUST IN: Fairfax realtor charged with inappropriately touching children (11952 views)
  • Private school for special-needs students coming to Reston this summer (10088 views)
  • Lake Anne cooling system falters again amid summer heat (8426 views)
  • Smithsonian warns potential Texas move could damage Space Shuttle Discovery (7647 views)
  • Work to begin on extending I-495 ramp in McLean, affecting traffic (7170 views)
  • Vienna home builder plans mixed-use project with condos, future HQ (5548 views)
  • JUST IN: Man dies in Fairfax County jail hours after arrest (6845 views)
  • Man sentenced to jail, fined after viral drag race in Tysons (6654 views)
  • French-inspired bakery and cafe to open soon on Leesburg Pike (4558 views)
  • 📅 Upcoming events

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

    Here are the events planned for Sunday:

    ☀️ Saturday’s forecast

    The weather will be mostly sunny with a high near 80 and a northeast wind at around 7 mph. Saturday night will see mostly clear skies, a low of approximately 61, and an east wind at 5 mph, which will become calm in the evening. 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.

    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. 👋


    Countywide

    The new student representative to the Fairfax County School Board is urging school leaders to enforce consistent standards, now that new restrictions on student phone use are being rolled out countywide.

    Starting with the upcoming 2025-2026 school year, Fairfax County Public Schools will prohibit students in all grades from using their cell phones at any point during the day — with the exception of high school students during lunch. Teachers can also no longer incorporate phones into instructional activities.


    Countywide

    It’s been a rough six months for federal government workers, and few places in the country have been hit as hard by layoffs as Fairfax County.

    Based on 2023 Census estimates, approximately 80,000 people — or 13% of the county’s entire workforce — are employed by the federal government, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority reported this spring. But with drastic cuts initiated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in recent months, that number has likely plummeted.


    News

    A mental health care provider is charting new territory in Virginia.

    Serenity Mental Health Centers will open a clinic in the Fair Oaks area next week, its first in the state. A temporary clinic will launch at 12150 Monument Drive, Suite 375, on Monday (Aug. 4), with a permanent location following later in Suite 815, also in the One Monument Place office building.