News

Dominion Energy is planning to take down more trees near its power lines along the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail — this time, with the consent of NOVA Parks.

Starting next Monday (Oct. 20), the power company will begin “selective” pruning and removals of trees and other vegetation on a 2.6-mile section of the trail between its Clark substation in Vienna and the Hunter substation in Wolf Trap, just outside Reston.


Countywide
A Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department engine and ambulance respond to a medical emergency at the Tysons Office Center at 8133 Leesburg Pike (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Tysons Offices Bought for Possible Data Center — Affiliates of Serverfarm, a California-based data center investor, acquired the office buildings at 7990 and 7980 Quantum Drive in mid-September for $37 million and $13 million, respectively. The 7990 Quantum building is already home to the 44,000-square-foot Equinix DC7 data center, but the 7980 building’s proximity to the Reserve at Tysons Corner apartments, which are 150 feet away, means the Fairfax County board’s approval is required for any data center development. [Washington Business Journal]

Government Shutdown Drags On — “Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted Monday the federal government shutdown may become the longest in history, saying he ‘won’t negotiate’ with Democrats until they hit pause on their health care demands and reopen.” [Associated Press]

Cause of Franconia House Fire Identified — “On Sunday, October 12, around 8:00am, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department responded to reports of a house fire in the 5800 block of Queens Gate Court.” No injuries were reported, but the fire resulted in an estimated $259,338 in property damages. Investigators found that the fire started from “improperly discarded ashes” in a plastic trash can next to the garage. [FCFRD]

Oldest Metro Railcars Retired — “The era of carpeted Metro trains ended with the official retirement of railcars dating to the 1980s … The 2000 series railcars began service in 1983. They had to be pulled out of storage to help carry riders a few years ago when there were wheel issues with the 7000 series.” [NBC4]

Maternal Mortality Data Funding at Risk — “Virginia’s Maternal Mortality Review Team will continue its operations until August of next year. The future of the team, however, will depend on future congressional action and Virginia’s willingness to continue it.” [Virginia Mercury]

Comet Could Be Visible Over D.C. Region — “It has been five years since the Northern Hemisphere had a really bright and beautiful comet to see, which was Comet NEOWISE. Sky watchers can now start looking for Lemmon about 90 minutes before dawn and starting Thursday, it may be visible in the predawn and post-sunset dark skies.” [WTOP]

World’s Largest Earthquake Drill Coming — “The Great Southeast ShakeOut is the world’s largest earthquake drill. People in homes, schools, offices and other places all practice the same thing at the same time. The drill happens every year on the third Thursday in October. That’s Oct. 16 this year, and it starts at exactly 10:16 a.m.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]

Vienna to Give Away Free Tree Seedlings — “Get a free tree at the Town’s fifth annual Native Tree Seedling Giveaway! The event takes place Saturday, Oct. 18, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (or until the last tree is given away) outside the Vienna Community Center … Volunteers will give away 150 bareroot seedlings in six species.” [Town of Vienna]

It’s Tuesday — The weather will be mostly cloudy and reach a high near 70, accompanied by a north wind at 11 to 14 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. Tuesday night will see mostly clear conditions, with temperatures dropping to around 54 and a north wind around 8 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 13, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌤️ Tuesday’s forecast

The weather will transition from cloudy to mostly sunny, reaching a high near 70, accompanied by a north wind of 11 to 13 mph and gusts up to 22 mph. Tuesday night will be mostly clear with a low around 52 and a north wind at around 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.


Announcement

Reston Children’s Center announces that it is continuing to be a sponsor of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Reston Children’s Center has been part of the CACFP program since 1995.

The same meals will be available at no separate charge to all participants at each CACFP facility without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.


Around Town

From local business happenings and county board meetings to public safety incidents and new development projects, FFXnow is staying busy trying to keep you informed on all the latest news from Fairfax County.

Quality local journalism requires time and funding, though. To supplement advertising revenue and give readers an option for directly supporting our work, we launched the FFXnow Press Club over the summer.


Event

The Reston Museum is honored to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lambda Kappa Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority with a new exhibit, unveiled on September 13, 2026, immersing museum visitors in the chapter’s rich legacy of sisterhood and service to our community. Established with the help of the late Cathy Hudgins, former member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the chapter has made significant contributions to the people of Fairfax County through extensive service and charitable investments. Admission to the museum is free to the public.


News

The Fairfax County Park Authority is looking for the community’s feedback again on a proposal for developing Salona Park in McLean.

The new concept, which will be presented at a community meeting at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Monday), centers on a half-mile-long walking trail that would loop around the approximately 10-acre site, which currently consists of undeveloped meadows and woods.


Countywide

Home sales and average sales prices across Fairfax County rose in September, as buyers cashed in on lower interest rates despite ongoing economic concerns.

A total of 953 properties went to closing for the month, up from 920 in September 2024, according to figures reported Friday (Oct. 10) by Bright MLS, using data from MarketStats by ShowingTime.


Around Town

Longtime food critic Tom Sietsema wrapped up his 25-year run at the Washington Post last week with the release of his final fall dining guide.

Sietsema’s survey of the “40 Best Restaurants in and Around D.C.” is dominated by the District, which is home to all of the top-five ranked entries. But five Fairfax eateries still made the cut, along with one that will soon set up shop in the area.


News

Reston RELAC is dead again, and this time, a resurrection might not be on the table.

Reston Lake Anne Air Conditioning, the utility that provides cooling services for most Lake Anne residents, discontinued operations last Thursday (Oct. 9) following a trying summer where mechanical issues led to reported temperatures of 85 degrees and higher in some homes.