Lila the dog sits with Dr. Samantha Storey, nursing trainer Jordan Jangel (left) and Dr. Kit Parkinson (middle, seated) at VEG ER for Pets in Chantilly (photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)
A 24/7 pet emergency room that allows owners to stay with their furry and feathery friends through all stages of treatment opened its 114th location this week in Chantilly.
VEG ER for Pets, located at 5009 Westone Plaza, offers an open floor plan with no lobby, and immediate contact with the medical team. Owners are able to follow their pets throughout treatment and have the option to observe procedures such as surgeries. Overnight stays for hospitalizations are also offered at no additional charge.
The entrance to Oakcrest School in Wolf Trap (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
A private school in the Wolf Trap area is one step closer to expanding its services to younger students.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval Wednesday (Oct. 8) of a special exception permit for Oakcrest School to expand its campus to add kindergarten through fifth-grade students.
Tension, secrets, and lies unspool backwards during a seven-year love affair between a wife and her husband’s best friend.
Betrayal
Written by Harold Pinter
Directed by Alex Levy
October 8 – 25, 2026
Emma, Robert and Jerry have history. As her marriage to Robert comes to an end, Emma reconnects with Jerry, her former lover—and her husband’s best friend—as the action unspools backwards in time in an inventive retelling by the Nobel Prize-winning playwright. At once utterly domestic and dangerous, uncovering hidden truths and revealing how little we know about those we think we know so much about, it’s an “elegy about time and memory (where) the greatest dramatic weight lies in what’s unspoken”- The New York Times
The 1st Stage production of Betrayal features Katrina Clark, Shawn Sebastian Naar, Jaysen Wright, and Anthony Graf.
Betrayal will run at 1st Stage from October 8-25, 2026 with show times as follows: Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2pm.
General admission tickets are dynamically priced at $30 (limited availability), $40 (limited availability), and $55. Student, educator, and military tickets are $15. Tickets can be purchased online at www.1ststage.org or by calling the 1st Stage box office at 703-854-1856.
One University affordable housing development in Fairfax (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Fairfax County leaders appear ready to battle any efforts in the 2026 General Assembly session to strip powers of local government to regulate creation of new housing.
“We want affordable housing,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said, but the county’s lobbying efforts in Richmond would be focused on “making sure the General Assembly doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all” approach that erases local decision-making powers.
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time for commemorating our ancestors. Rather than a period of mourning, it is an occasion for celebrating with family—both living and dead—and honoring the cycle of life. Learn about La Catrina and her joyful view of life and mortality. Enjoy family-friendly activities throughout the day, including dance performances, coloring activities, and paper marigold and mask making. Visitors are invited to leave photos and mementos of their loved ones on the ofrenda (altar) or commemorate them by writing their names on a butterfly to attach to the memorial arch.
Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget director, listens as he addresses members of the media outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.
Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said on the social media site X that the “RIFs have begun,” referring to reduction-in-force plans aimed at reducing the size of the federal government.
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.
In and around Fairfax County, a variety of small business boutiques, vintage stores and gift shops can make for a fun afternoon of browsing.
Here are the nominees for “Best Local Shop in Fairfax” as part of our FFXnow Readers’ Choice Awards. See your favorite store below? If not, write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks. Be sure to cast your vote before 8:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 24.
Voting for the Best Hardware Store in Fairfax is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 9 a.m.
A United Airlines Express airplane taxis at Dulles International Airport (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
A 54-year-old man who admitted to punching a gate agent at Dulles Airport earlier this year will spend two months in federal prison.
Yesterday (Thursday), U.S. District Court Judge Michael Nachmanoff also ordered Christopher Stuart Crittenden to pay $15,000 in restitution and a $5,000 fine as part of his sentence.
Fairfax County police are investigating a hit-and-run crash that happened in Seven Corners late last night (Thursday).
One man is in life-threatening condition after his motorcycle was struck by a “dark color SUV.” The SUV then fled the scene, the Fairfax County Police Department said.
A rendering of the upcoming Chantilly Premier data center (courtesy Penzance)
A new data center is coming online in Chantilly.
Developer Penzance announced yesterday (Thursday) that it recently broke ground and secured $100 million in financing for Chantilly Premier, a three-story data center facility that will occupy approximately 12 acres of land adjacent to the Chantilly Auto Park south of Route 50.
A cardinal in a bush along the W&OD Trail in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Army Ten-Miler Proceeds Despite Shutdown — After raising the possibility of a cancellation, the U.S. Army announced yesterday that “the race with over 28,000 registered participants will take place as scheduled at 8 a.m. on Sunday — beginning and ending, as usual, at the Pentagon.” Runners must pick up their packets today or tomorrow (Saturday) at The St. James in Springfield. [ARLnow]
Two Injured in Reston Parkway Crash — “Police said charges are being pursued after two vehicles collided on the Reston Parkway in Fairfax County early Thursday morning … A preliminary investigation determined that one of the vehicles was driving the wrong way when the collision took place, police detailed. Both drivers sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment.” [DC News Now]
Fiery Crash Slows Beltway Traffic — “Here’s the video from the crash and fire a short time ago on the Beltway, I-95/495S, with at least one person injured. Fire is now out. Traffic down to one lane to the right on the Inner Loop. Left lane closed on the Outer Loop. Video from SafetyVid.org.” [Dave Statter/X]
Springfield Gym Seeks to Expand — “The St. James sports complex is planning a major expansion of its private academy for elite student athletes. The facility, located on Industrial Road in the Springfield area of Mason District, is proposing a 20,000-square-foot expansion to accommodate future growth of the St. James Academy, a private school that opened in August 2024.” [Annandale Today]
Arrest Made in Credit Card Skimming Scheme — “Fairfax County police have arrested a man after they discovered a credit card skimming operation involving ATMs and other payment devices inside stores across the Richmond Highway corridor. The operation was initiated after two skimming devices were discovered in the area in early September.” [WUSA9]
FCPS Offers Algebra to Elementary Students — “After students eagerly entered Amanda Blevins’ classroom at Mosaic Elementary on Thursday afternoon, she returned a graded assignment and then shifted their attention to a series of warmup problems projected in the front of the room … Blevins has 23 sixth graders enrolled in her Algebra I class, a high school course Fairfax County Public Schools is expanding access to through a pilot program this year.” [WTOP]
Falls Church Considers Tree Canopy Rules — “Developers of commercial projects in Falls Church could for the first time be required to meet minimum tree-canopy requirements. City Council members at an Oct. 6 work session generally were supportive of a staff proposal that would set a minimum [of] 10% canopy for future commercial development.” [ARLnow]
New Public Health Center Now Open — “The Fairfax County Health Department is pleased to announce that the Franconia-Springfield Public Health Center, located at 6564 Loisdale Court in Springfield, is officially opened. The state-of-the-art facility provides a wide array of public health services.” [Fairfax County Health Department]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 65, with northeast winds at 6 to 9 mph shifting to the southeast in the afternoon. Friday night will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 53 and southeast winds at 3 to 6 mph. [NWS]
The National Museum of the American Indian’s Native Cinema Showcase is an annual celebration of the best in Native film. The festival celebrates the best of Indigenous film, spanning documentaries, features, animations, and short-format films by Indigenous filmmakers from across the Western Hemisphere and Arctic.
