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.


    Sponsored

    Hi Fairfax,

    My name is Drew, and I wanted to take a moment to tell you about what I’ve been working on as I try to make my way in the world.

    This past year, I took a leap that honestly scared me. I challenged the comfortable path I’d been on and built something new with trusted partners and friends: a local roofing and home‑exterior company called All Team Exteriors. On paper, it’s a business. But in my heart, it’s something much more personal than that.

    I don’t just want to make a living here — I want to contribute something meaningful to a place that’s helped mold me.

    Why I started All Team Exteriors

    I’ve worked in environments where professionalism, follow‑through, and integrity weren’t optional — they were the baseline. But when it came to home services, especially roofing, I saw how often homeowners were left frustrated, confused, or ignored. Slow responses. Vague communication. Contractors disappearing mid‑project.

    And I thought:

    Someone young, hungry, and honest should try to fix this.

    So… I’m giving it everything I’ve got.

    What I’m trying to build

    All Team Exteriors isn’t a giant corporation. It’s not some out-of-state outfit with a call center. It’s me — and a small team of people committed to doing things the right way. We spent an extensive amount of time training under a perennial award-winning roofing company in Arizona this winter and learned what great looks like.

    We’re bringing modern tools, photo-documented inspections, real-time updates, fast communication, and a “do what we say we’ll do” mentality. Not because it looks good in a brochure, but because that’s how I’d want someone to treat my own family.

    So far we are off to an absolutely amazing start. It’s been a great first summer and we’d love to help you as well. You can give us a call anytime at 703-705-7207 for an absolutely free inspection and estimate on your roof, siding, gutters, doors, and windows. I’d love to have a chance to swing by and meet you and take a look at how we can work together to make your home safer and more secure.

    Thanks for taking the time to read this and I sincerely hope we can help you and your family soon.


    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.


    Event

    Local author and Fairfax County Public Library librarian Luis D. Aponte invites parents and community leaders to an empowering discussion inspired by his book “A Safe Place: How to Prevent the Next School Shooting.” Drawing on seven years of research into more than 1,200 U.S. school shooting incidents, he shares practical, nonpartisan, research‑based steps families and schools can use to strengthen safety and emotional well‑being. Discover hopeful, community‑building solutions that help every child feel supported and able to thrive. Attendees receive two free ebooks, with a paperback signing to follow.

    Adults. No registration required. Free event. For more information, visit ASafePlaceBook.com.


    News

    An Alexandria man died yesterday (Thursday) at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, the second death to occur in the jail this year.

    Omar Maknassi, 32, was arrested and transported to the jail on Wednesday evening (July 30), but early the following morning, a Fairfax County sheriff’s deputy found him unresponsive in the cell where he was being held, according to statements from the sheriff’s office and Fairfax County Police Department.


    Opinion

    From drunken noodles to pad see ew, Thai restaurants across Fairfax County offer a variety of flavorful staple dishes.

    Here are the nominees for “Best Thai Restaurant in Fairfax” as part of our FFXnow Readers’ Choice Awards. See your favorite place below? If not, write them in!

    Voting will close in two weeks. Be sure to cast your vote before 8:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 15.

    Voting for the Best Korean Restaurant in Fairfax is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 9 a.m.

    Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Art Gallery in Fairfax. The results are now official:

    1. Vienna Arts Society
    2. Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art
    3. Reston Community Center

    News

    She’s not yet in high school, but Caroline Tso already is being heralded as an accomplished historical researcher.

    Tso, who will enter Carter G. Woodson High School as a ninth-grader in August, created the exhibition “The Family Tea House: Where Culture and Cuisine Met in Arlington” as part of a project for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.


    News

    Like a monster in a horror movie franchise, the hydrilla that long plagued Lake Thoreau before lying low over the past couple of years has now returned.

    Though past management efforts have seen some success, the invasive aquatic plant, whose full scientific name is Hydrilla verticillata, has resurfaced in “significant quantities” throughout the lake this summer, Reston Association announced on Monday (July 28).


    News

    One of the drivers featured in a viral video of a Tysons street race last year received a 90-day jail sentence yesterday (Thursday).

    Carlos Montero, 38, of Sterling had all but five days of his sentence suspended, in addition to receiving a six-month limitation on his driver’s license and fines totaling $950.