FCPS Says Bodyguard Needed After Threats — “Brian Lambert, the school division’s chief of security, said in an interview that he had been pushing for more security for Reid for months. She initially resisted efforts to institute a security detail, Lambert said, but the threats made against her, political tensions and recent targeted violence across the country helped make the case.” [Washington Post]
Secretive Investor Group Looks for Va. Venue — “Dialog — a secretive, invite-only network founded two decades ago by Peter Thiel and Auren Hoffman, the star investors and entrepreneurs — is preparing a major expansion, including a real estate purchase to build a campus in the D.C. suburbs, a tipster familiar with the group’s plans tells Axios.” The tipster says Dialog is “in active discussions to buy a physical venue in Virginia … as a permanent hub for its off-the-record meetings.” [Axios]
Report Predicts More N. Va. Power Outages — “The Northern Virginia area could face more than 430 hours of power outages per year by 2030 as the power grid struggles to keep up with the growth of AI and data centers, a report from the Department of Energy says. That’s a significant increase from the current rate of 2.4 hours per year.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Parkour Gym Open in Reston — “When Urban Evolution announced it was closing down and Wotowie was about to retire from the federal government, he decided to take the leap and open his own parkour facility in Reston. MindShift Gym, located at 11501 Sunset Hills Road in Reston, specializes in teaching parkour, acrobatics, and aerial silks.” [Patch]
Mars Invests in Gene-Editing Tech — “McLean, Virginia-based Mars Inc., the world’s largest candy maker, is investing in gene-editing technology to make cacao plants less vulnerable to disease and changes in climate patterns that have pushed prices to near record highs. Mars has licensed gene editing tools for cacao research and development with biotech company Pairwise.” [WTOP]
WaPo Exodus Continues — “The exodus of staff began as a trickle early this year and grew to a steady flow last week as the paper’s beleaguered staff approached their July 31 deadline for making final decisions on the buyout offer. Current and former Post journalists feel conflicted about what this moment represents — a bittersweet group retirement party that gives younger reporters an opportunity for growth, or an exodus that hollows out the heart of the paper and leaves it directionless.” [Washingtonian]
Why Annandale HS Has a Bomb Shelter — “Annandale High School has a secret underground chamber that stems from its establishment in 1954, the height of the Cold War. That history lives on in the school’s nuclear age iconography, like its mascot, the Atoms, red and white colors, and newspaper, the A-Blast. Annandale also has a lesser-known feature from that era – a bomb shelter, offering a safe space during a nuclear attack.” [Annandale Today]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching about 83°F, accompanied by a gentle northeast breeze at 6 to 8 mph. As night falls, the skies will remain mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 64°F and an east wind blowing at 3 to 7 mph. [NWS]
