News

Two men on opposite ends of the age spectrum pleaded guilty yesterday (Monday) to manslaughter for separate fatal shootings, the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced this morning.

Herndon resident Ismael Cruz Delcid, now 20, was arrested in March 2024 and charged with second-degree murder after shooting 14-year-old Michai Malave outside the Sonesta Extended Stay Suites in the McNair area south of Herndon.


News

The City of Fairfax Police Department is investigating multiple crimes believed to have been perpetrated by a group of “young adults and juveniles.”

Each of the incidents in question occurred over the past weekend at various different locations, the department announced yesterday (Monday).


News

Plans to raze an aging office building and replace it with 400 residential units in the Fairfax Ridge Road area of Fairfax Center won unanimous support from the Fairfax County Planning Commission last Thursday (Oct. 16).

The proposal to amend the county’s comprehensive plan guiding development of the site will now be considered by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Nov. 18.


Announcement

There’s something a little bit magical about picking up a foil for the first time — or drawing back a bow and watching your arrow fly true. It’s why fencing and archery have such a hold on kids and adults alike: real focus, real skill, and a thrill you don’t get from the usual sports lineup.

This fall, Nova Fencing & Archery Club in Bailey’s Crossroads is opening registration for both, with beginner classes for every age starting the week of September 12th. Fencing welcomes ages 7 to 12 and teens and adults 13 and up. Explore Archery, coached by USA Archery certified instructors, welcomes ages 8 to 12 and meets Tuesdays or Saturdays. And for our youngest fencers, ages 4 to 6, ABC’s of Fencing meets on Saturdays. All classes run eight sessions for $195, equipment provided, no experience needed — yes, even for grown-ups who’ve never held a sword or a bow before.


Around Town

Though the weather is getting colder, Fairfax County’s Mason District hopes to get residents out to their favorite local eateries with the return of its nascent restaurant week campaign.

The second annual Mason District Restaurant Week launched yesterday (Monday) and will continue through Sunday (Oct. 26) with 17 participating establishments — almost twice as many as last year.


Event

Join us for the LLT 5K Run/Walk, a community-powered fundraiser supporting Empower Latina and our mission to uplift, empower, and create opportunities for Latina women and girls. Whether you run, walk, or cheer from the sidelines, your participation helps make a meaningful impact. Lace up, show up, and empower Latina!


Countywide

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is hoping to improve fire response by enlisting the help of the community.

The department re-launched its “Adopt a Hydrant” program earlier this month, allowing residents to assist firefighters by ensuring fire hydrants remain accessible during an emergency.


Countywide
Passing the East Market condominiums in Fair Lakes on I-66 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Amazon Web Outage Stems From N. Va. Data Center — “A massive outage at Amazon Web Services disrupted major websites and apps on Monday, in a show of how one company’s online infrastructure has become essential for many modern businesses to function … Amazon reported ‘increased error rates and latencies’ starting around 3 a.m. ET that involved its facility in Northern Virginia.” [NPR]

Woman Hit by Falling Tree Dies — “A woman crushed by a falling tree on Pimmit Run Trail last month was later pronounced dead at the hospital, ARLnow has learned. The incident happened around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, near the Arlington-Fairfax County border.” [ARLnow]

Warmer Winter Forecast — “La Niña can benefit winter lovers in the D.C. area by tilting odds toward slightly cooler winters, mainly when the event is weak. But that tendency is running headlong into a steadily warming climate, which is one reason forecasters at the Weather Service still lean toward above-normal temperatures this winter.” [Washington Post]

Va. Leaders Dispute Recession Prediction — “The Youngkin administration and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond are pushing back on a recent analysis saying Virginia is one of 22 states and districts in, or at risk of, a recession … Virginia isn’t immune to a downturn, but local economists and state leaders tell Axios they’re not seeing one yet.” [Axios Richmond]

Founder of Prominent Developer Dies — “Robert “Bob” Youngentob, a founding partner at Bethesda developer EYA LLC, died Saturday after a battle with cancer, according to an online obituary. He was 64.” Started by Youngentob and Terry Eakin in 1992, EYA has been involved in a number of Fairfax County developments, from the Mosaic District in Merrifield to Reston Station. [Washington Business Journal]

Franconia Food Drive Underway — “My office is collecting donations of non-perishable food and household goods to benefit three organizations doing impactful work in the Franconia District: ECHO, The Koinonia Foundation, Inc., and United Community. Donations will be distributed by need … The donation box will be in the lobby of the Franconia Governmental Center through November 30.” [Supervisor Rodney Lusk/Facebook]

Campaign to Reduce Water Bottle Use Awarded — “The Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination is presenting an Environmental Excellence Award to the Friends of Holmes Run and Hispanics Against Child Abuse and Neglect (HACAN) for promoting the use of tap water in Culmore. The groups encouraged residents to use refillable water bottles for tap water instead of buying disposable water bottles that often end up in streams.” [Annandale Today]

Program Brings Ballet to Kids with Down Syndrome — “Program Director Madison Harden brought The Purple Tutu to Alexandria with the goal of teaching ballet to dancers in the special needs community. Every Sunday, young dancers meet up at the Just Dance Studio and receive a free 30-minute ballet class, taught by members of the West Potomac High School Dance team.” [WTOP]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 71 degrees, accompanied by a south wind ranging from 5 to 11 mph and gusts reaching 22 mph. Tonight, there is a 40% chance of showers before 2 am; however, the mostly cloudy skies will gradually clear with a low of around 49 degrees. The west wind will be around 7 mph. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Monday 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 — Oct 20, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌥️ Tuesday’s forecast

Clouds will increase throughout the day, reaching a high around 71°F, while a south wind blows at 5-13 mph and gusts up to 23 mph. On Tuesday night, there is a 40% chance of showers before 2am, later transitioning from mostly cloudy to mostly clear skies. The temperature will drop to around 48°F, accompanied by a west wind at around 7 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.


News

Regional transportation planners continue to take the pulse of riders and other local residents as they prepare for a major revamp of the Route 7 bus corridor.

“It’s a good thing” to be out in the community, said Kate Mattice, executive director of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC), which is overseeing a study that could bring bus rapid transit (BRT) service to the corridor from Tysons to Alexandria.


News

The Fairfax City Council approved a handful of special exceptions for the forthcoming Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center last week, but not every official was on board.

Three of the councilmembers — Stacy Hall, Rachel McQuillen and Thomas Peterson — symbolically voted against each of the zoning requests at the council meeting last Tuesday (Oct. 14), though all items ultimately passed by a slim majority vote.