Parks and trails across Fairfax County offer a perfect opportunity to enjoy the fair weather and colorful foliage this fall.
Here are the nominees for “Best Hiking Spot 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, Sept. 19.
Voting for the Best Ramen Restaurant in Fairfax is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 9 a.m.
Fairfax County School Board member Mateo Dunne (staff photo by Jared Serre)
Fairfax County Public Schools is rolling out advanced weapons detectors to all middle and high schools, but is that enough to keep schools safe? At least one member of the school board says no.
“Technology can identify a weapon or observe a fight, but it requires a human to intervene to seize the weapon or stop the fight,” Mount Vernon District Representative Mateo Dunne told FFXnow.
Discover an extraordinary custom residence in Brook Hills Estates, where timeless elegance, expansive living spaces, exceptional privacy, and effortless entertaining come together in one remarkable Northern Virginia estate.
Set on a beautifully landscaped 1.11-acre private lot, this impressive 7,114-square-foot residence spans five finished levels, offering an uncommon combination of scale, sophistication, flexibility, and comfort.
A Cirque du Soleil performer in rain during "Luzia" (photo by Matt Beard)
Cirque du Soleil is back in Tysons.
After visiting George Mason University’s Eagle Bank Arena last spring, the Canadian circus will once again open up its Big Top at Lerner Town Square (8025 Galleria Drive) for a new show, starting tomorrow (Saturday).
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.
Flags indicating Sunset Business Park in Herndon is open (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Local police recently arrested a man who’s believed to be behind multiple criminal incidents targeting the Sunset Business Park in Herndon, including two arson attempts.
The Herndon Police Department (HPD) dispatched officers to 268 Sunset Park Drive at 5:17 p.m. on Monday (Sept. 1) for a larceny after a security camera was reportedly stolen from one of the storefronts.
Fall is in its full glory every first Saturday in October with our Manassas Fall Jubilee and 2026 marks the 43rd one! This community-spirited festival spans all of Center Street and side streets, and includes an assortment of fun for kids and adults with over 100 craft and community booths, live music and entertainment, food, and more. Live music ranges from pop to rock to heavy metal, and dance performances include ballet, clogging, and belly dancing. And, the kids will enjoy a meet & greet with Cinderella, pumpkin painting, games, and more!
Drivers on Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) pass under the pedestrian bridge to the Greensboro Metro station in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Trump to Propose Pentagon Renaming — “President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Friday to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War, his latest effort to project an image of toughness for America’s military. The Republican president can’t formally change the name without legislation, which his administration would request from Congress.” [Associated Press/ARLnow]
Raising Cane’s Coming to Merrifield — “Raising Cane’s, the fast-growing chicken fingers chain, has inked a lease to replace a nearly 30-year-old Wendy’s [in Gatehouse Plaza] just off Arlington Boulevard in Merrifield … It is unclear exactly when the Wendy’s will close, but a Raising Cane’s representative tells me the goal is to open by the fourth quarter of 2027.” [Washington Business Journal]
Questions Around Covid Vaccine Access — “Federal policy shake-ups have turned Virginia into one of several states where getting a COVID vaccine now requires a prescription at major pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens … The FDA recently revoked the broad emergency use authorizations for COVID vaccines, ending the blanket access that once let most Virginians walk into a pharmacy to get one without a doctor’s note.” [Axios Richmond]
Minors Followed at Fair Oaks — “A 22-year-old is behind bars after he was accused of touching a person inappropriately at a store and following minors in Fair Oaks … Officers responded to the 12200 block of Apple Orchard Court for a person acting suspiciously just after 9 a.m. on Aug. 31. Two people also reported that the man was acting strangely in the neighborhood and had attempted to follow a minor.” [DC News Now]
FCPS Schedules Next Meetings on Boundary Plan — Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid has announced the next round of community engagement meetings on the countywide boundary review, starting Sept. 15 at Justice High School. “Because this is a busy time of year for our schools, we are working to finalize all of the meeting locations. The meetings will be hybrid, so you may participate in person or virtually via Zoom.” [FCPS]
Mount Vernon Pool Reopens — “Fairfax County Park Authority is excited to welcome the community to the much-anticipated reopening of Mount Vernon Rec Center pool. The swimming facilities now include a heated, indoor pool and beach entry equipped with two spray features.” [FCPA]
Temporary Home for Culmore Clinic — “The Culmore Clinic, a nonprofit healthcare facility that serves lower-income adults, is moving to a temporary space in Falls Church while its current location, at First Christian Church, is being renovated. Eventually, the clinic will move into Kindred Crossing, an affordable housing project for seniors” that’s expected to break ground next door to the church next year. [Annandale Today]
Local Lost Dog Cafe Celebrates Anniversary — Lost Dog Café celebrated its 13th anniversary in Dunn Loring yesterday (Thursday). Opened on the ground floor of the Halstead Square apartments in 2012, the restaurant “has welcomed thousands of patrons who have made it part of their personal stories — from first jobs and first dates to first meals after moving to the neighborhood.” [Lost Dog Cafe]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 88 today, with light southwest winds picking up to 5-10 mph in the morning. Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low around 71 and south winds at around 6 mph. [NWS]
The weather will be sunny with the temperature reaching a high of around 88°F, accompanied by a light southwest wind that will increase to 5-10 mph throughout the morning. In the evening, expect mostly clear skies and a low temperature of approximately 70°F, with a gentle south wind blowing at about 6 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
Dulles Airport main terminal (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
The man convicted of assaulting a deaf passenger on an airplane bound for Dulles International Airport has been sentenced to prison.
Everett Chad Nelson, 44, was sentenced by a federal judge on Tuesday (Sept. 2) to two-and-a-half years behind bars, though he will receive credit for time served, court documents said.
A conceptual design for the mini roundabout planned at Church Street and East Street NE (via Town of Vienna)
The Vienna Town Council circled back last week to plans that would have added a mini roundabout to Church Street.
The town council ultimately voted on Aug. 25 to cancel the project, noting that the installation of new stop signs seems to have had the desired effect.
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a two-part series of exclusive interviews with James Walkinshaw and Stewart Whitson, who are competing to represent Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. The story on Walkinshaw will be published tomorrow (Friday).
The task currently facing Stewart Whitson is not an easy one.
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.
