Around Town

FFXnow Daily Debrief for Oct 2, 2025

By FFXnow.com

Good Thursday 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 2, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Friday’s forecast

Expect mostly sunny skies with a high of around 72 degrees as calm wind shifts to the south at about 5 mph in the afternoon. For Friday night, the sky remains mostly clear with a low temperature of approximately 51 degrees accompanied by a light south wind. 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

NEW: Smithsonian directed to prepare Space Shuttle Discovery for relocation

By Angela Woolsey
Udvar-Hazy Center visitors take in the Space Shuttle Discovery (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The White House is reportedly seeking to move forward with a planned relocation of the Discovery space shuttle from its longtime home in Chantilly to Texas.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has requested that the Smithsonian Institution work with NASA on preparing to transfer the orbiter from the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center to the Space Center Houston Museum in Texas, according to a letter sent to members of Congress earlier this week.

Go to NEW: Smithsonian directed to prepare Space Shuttle Discovery for relocation Read more
Around Town

Lidl will open new Herndon grocery store this month at former Kohl’s building

By Jared Serre
Lidl is finishing construction in Herndon (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Herndon residents will have another option for grocery shopping later this fall.

Budget supermarket chain Lidl is planning to open its latest Fairfax County location at 2110 Centreville Road on Oct. 29, a spokesperson confirmed.

Go to Lidl will open new Herndon grocery store this month at former Kohl’s building Read more
Announcement

Native Art Market

By National Museum of the American Indian

The museum’s annual Native Art Market features award-winning and innovative Indigenous artists from across the Western Hemisphere. This event invites lovers of art and craftsmanship to meet Indigenous artists and learn about the traditional arts and contemporary Indigenous creativity. Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase traditional and contemporary handcrafted artworks, including beadwork, jewelry, paintings, photography, pottery, and sculpture.

Go to Native Art Market Read more
Countywide

Apartments costs down in Tysons and Centreville, up in other areas of county

By Scott McCaffrey
Now leasing sign for the Lumen Apartments in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The median rental cost for apartments in Tysons was down year-over-year last month but in most other areas of Fairfax County, it continued to rise, according to new data.

Tysons still maintained its ranking in September as the county’s most expensive corridor tracked by Apartment List, with a median rent of $2,389 for a one-bedroom unit and $2,865 for two bedrooms. But rental rates declined 0.7% year-over-year.

Go to Apartments costs down in Tysons and Centreville, up in other areas of county Read more
Event

11th Annual Walk to Bust Cancer

Promotional poster for Walk to Bust Cancer, showing smiling diverse walkers and event details in pink and purple hues.

Event location

Fort Hunt Park

8999 Fort Hunt Rd

Alexandria, Virginia 22308

Add to Calendar

Join Breast Cancer Collective for the 2026 Walk to Bust Cancer on Sunday, October 18, at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria.
Walk alongside survivors, caregivers, friends, families, and neighbors for an uplifting community event supporting access to breast cancer screening and care across the DMV.
Walk to Bust Cancer brings our community together to turn hope into action and help expand access to timely breast health care. Register to walk, gather your team, and join us at Fort Hunt Park.

Go to 11th Annual Walk to Bust Cancer Read more
Around Town

Reston Town Center to welcome new Indian restaurant next week

By Jared Serre
A variety of the offerings at Masti (photo courtesy of Lyza Pyvovarova)

A new Indian restaurant will open its doors in Reston Town Center next week.

Masti, the newest venture from the owners of Indochen, is scheduled to open next Wednesday, Oct. 8, the restaurant announced.

Go to Reston Town Center to welcome new Indian restaurant next week Read more
Countywide

FCPS to explore adding advanced academic centers in all middle schools

By Angela Woolsey
Proposed boundary change to allow an AAP Center at Poe Middle School (via FCPS)

Poe Middle School is getting closer to having an Advanced Academic Program (AAP) center of its own, and other middle schools could soon follow suit.

The Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously last Thursday (Sept. 25) to begin engaging with the community on a plan to open a new AAP center at Poe (7000 Cindy Lane), which would be the first middle school in the Annandale High School pyramid to offer full-time advanced academic services.

Go to FCPS to explore adding advanced academic centers in all middle schools Read more
Countywide

Fairfax Connector celebrates 40 years, salutes those who keep the buses running

By Scott McCaffrey
Commemorative design on Fairfax Connector bus (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

As county and regional leaders gathered yesterday (Wednesday) to mark the 40th anniversary of the Fairfax Connector bus service, nearly everyone wanted to get a photo taken with John Ashford.

Ashford was one of the original drivers when the local bus system began operations in September 1985, and he remains behind the wheel today.

Go to Fairfax Connector celebrates 40 years, salutes those who keep the buses running Read more
Countywide

Fairfax officials, local businesses offer resources for federal workers affected by shutdown

By Angela Woolsey
The U.S. Capitol building dome in D.C. (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Much of the federal government has ground to a halt, as Republicans and Democrats in Congress remain at odds over a funding plan.

With no clear end to the shutdown in sight after Democrats held firm yesterday (Wednesday) on their demands for a budget that extends health insurance tax credits, local government officials shared resources to help federal workers and other people affected by a loss of services, while some area restaurants are offering deals to ease the financial blow.

Go to Fairfax officials, local businesses offer resources for federal workers affected by shutdown Read more
Countywide

Morning Notes for October 2, 2025

By FFXnow.com
Fallen leaves on the Town of Vienna’s veterans memorial fountain (photo by Amy Woolsey)

Shutdown Could Influence Va. Elections — “Republicans control the White House, the federal government barreled into a shutdown at midnight Wednesday morning, and a race for governor in Virginia is weeks away. Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger has so far led Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in both polling and fundraising,” but some Republicans see an opportunity to change the race by holding their opponents as responsible for the shutdown. [NBC News]

Antisemitism Alleged at Reston Apple Store — The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency “that enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws sued Apple on Tuesday, claiming the manager of a retail store made antisemitic comments and denied a Jewish employee’s requests for time off before firing him.” [CNN]

Flagging for Construction on McLean Road — Traffic on Old Dominion Drive between Old Gate Court and Dulany Drive will be limited to one way in alternating directions from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, starting today (Thursday) through Friday, Oct. 24. “Flagging operations are needed for crews to perform milling and paving work on Old Dominion Drive” as part of the I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension project. [VDOT]

Three Injured in Richmond Highway Crash — “Watch this: A car overturned in this crash [Tuesday] afternoon on Route 1 at Mt. Vernon Hwy. Three people with non-life threatening injuries. Bystanders righted the vehicle before @FairfaxCountyPD & @ffxfirerescue arrived. Also note that the red car kept rolling after the driver got out. Video via SafetyVid.org.” [Dave Statter/X]

McLean Pop-Up Art Gallery Open — “The McLean Art Society’s Pop-Up Art Gallery is now open at Chesterbrook and will be open through the end of 2025. The Gallery will welcome visitors Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Mondays and Tuesdays, it will host educational workshops and events designed for both artists and the broader community.” [Federal Realty press release]

Student Group Warns About Vaping — Langley High School senior Rujvi Thakkar “launched ClearLungs, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading awareness about the dangerous vaping and nicotine trends, in April. It came in response to the amount of vaping she saw in the community and school, specifically where many students encountered their peers vaping in bathrooms.” [WTOP]

Map Shows Virginia’s Shrinking Tree Canopy — “Approximately 60% of Virginia is located inside the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and those communities now have access to an updated map that shows precisely how their landscapes are changing over time … The research shows Virginia has lost nearly 50,000 acres of tree canopy in its portion of the watershed to development over just seven years.” [Virginia Mercury]

New Center Treats Addiction With Music — “Recovery Unplugged, a new addiction treatment center in Seven Corners, uses music as a catalyst to help people change their lives. The center offers holistic treatment for mental and behavioral health, as well as detox for addiction, said Riley Osborne, the company’s chief growth officer, at an open house on Sept. 30.” [Annandale Today]

It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 70 degrees accompanied by an east wind around 8 mph. Thursday night will see partly cloudy conditions with a low around 52 degrees. The east wind at around 5 mph will become calm in the evening. [NWS]

Announcement

A Bison Celebration

By National Museum of the American Indian

A Bison Celebration is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The Bison Celebration will be a full day event that brings together organizations, scholars, scientists and filmmakers to celebrate the past, present, and future of North America’s largest land mammal. Through captivating films and thought-provoking panel discussions, the museum will explore the bison’s vital role in restoring grassland ecosystems and its deep spiritual connection to Tribal nations.

Go to A Bison Celebration Read more
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