News

A former teacher at White Oaks Elementary School in Burke will surrender her teaching license amid accusations that she physically assaulted students at the school.

Elizabeth Yoshimi Nagagata, who previously worked as a special education teacher at the school, entered an Alford plea on June 18 to two misdemeanor counts of assault & battery, allowing her to plead guilty while maintaining her innocence.


Countywide

Housing costs are daunting for Fairfax County residents in general, but for seniors with limited financial resources, even subsidized housing options are becoming increasingly beyond their means, county staff say.

“We’re starting to see some disconnect,” Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development Director Tom Fleetwood said, describing the “emerging challenges” to the Board of Supervisors at a housing committee meeting on Tuesday (July 8).


News

After years of planning, the Town of Vienna is finally kicking its Capital Bikeshare program into gear.

The Vienna Town Council voted unanimously on Monday (July 7) to award $231,000 in state grant funds toward the purchase and installation of four bicycle-sharing stations, with an option to add a fifth station in the future.


Announcement

The Virginia Hurricanes Girls Basketball program is holding tryouts for its 3rd Grade and 5th Grade travel teams, competing in a full schedule this Fall and Winter season. Join a competitive, supportive program built to develop skilled, confident players on and off the court.

Registration is required at: https://www.virginiahurricanes.net/basketball/aau-teams


Event

Clear Out. Shred Securely. Give Back.
Sept. 19th | from 9-12 | Bring your unwanted documents to be securely shredded on-site by Priority 1 Shredding while helping support our local community!

Join Us To:
~Securely shred your unwanted documents
~Protect your personal information
~Help care for our environment
~Make a donation to help those in need
Non – Perishable Food or Personal Care Donations are welcome and appreciated!


News

The first major rewrite of zoning rules governing Fairfax’s manufactured home communities since the 1970s soon could head to county supervisors by the end of this year.

If approved, the new regulations would guide future development at the seven existing residential parks, which are mostly located in the Route 1 corridor. They also potentially would provide more protections for residents in cases of redevelopment or other displacement.


Around Town

A group of Northern Virginia residents who bonded through their shared love of live music now hopes to translate that passion into support for a worthy cause — and a memorable goodbye for a local band.

NoVA Live Music Mingle will host its first-ever fundraiser tonight (Thursday) at Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern (697 Spring Street) in Herndon to benefit the music education program StudioRock of Northern Virginia.


Countywide
A cardinal sits on a power line in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Families Challenge Army Response to DCA Crash — “The Army has avoided accountability and shirked oversight months after the deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter in Washington, dozens of family members said in a letter to the Army’s top official, calling for action and greater transparency.” [Washington Post]

WNBA Game at Mason to Bring Traffic — “Due to a WNBA game at EagleBank Arena w/5k attendees expected, there will be an increased volume of traffic on/around GMU’s campus + increase in on-campus parking on Thursday, July 10, from 4-10pm. Subscribe to Mason alerts (ready.gmu.edu/masonalert) for details on high impact areas + alt routes.” [Supervisor James Walkinshaw/Bluesky]

Algae Spotted in Reston’s Lake Anne — “RA watershed staff members have observed a small occurrence of potentially harmful blue-green algae on Lake Anne. While swimming is never permitted in the lake, it is additionally recommended to keep dogs from the lake water at this time. ” Blue-green algae was also seen earlier this month in Lake Audubon. [Reston Association]

Local Activist Group Plans Rally — “In honor of civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Herndon Reston Indivisible is hosting a Good Trouble Lives On rally on Thursday, July 17, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Baron Cameron Park, which is located at 11300 Baron Cameron Ave. in Reston.” The group previously drew an estimated 2,000 people to its “No Kings” rallies on June 14, part of a nationwide anti-Trump protest movement. [Patch]

Falls Church Considers Parking Ticket Aides — “Falls Church officials are considering whether to allow public safety aides to issue parking tickets, direct traffic and respond to abandoned vehicles. Under current Falls Church city code, only sworn law enforcement officers have the ability to conduct parking and traffic control.” [ARLnow]

When Mount Vernon Mansion Might Reopen — “Visitors at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate will have to wait until this December to see the founding father’s fully renovated mansion.” Sections have been closed since last November as part of a multi-year, comprehensive restoration project that began in 2019. The mansion will be open, except for the cellar, during the final phase of work from December through September 2026. [ALXnow]

Adult Education Scholarships Available — “Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Community Education (FCPS ACE) invites students interested in careers in the skilled trades to apply for a scholarship. Current and prospective FCPS ACE students can apply for a $1,000 scholarship that can be used toward upcoming apprenticeship classes starting this fall. The deadline to apply is Aug. 15.” [Annandale Today]

Free French Fries at Big Buns — Reston-based Thompson Hospitality’s burger chain, Big Buns Damn Good Burgers, will celebrate National French Fry Day — a relatively new occasion organized by Checkers and Rally’s — by offering free regular or Cajun fries with any burger, sammie or bowl purchase tomorrow (Friday). “Just use code FRYORCRY25 online or mention it in-store. This deal is only valid July 11th, so don’t let this FRYday pass you by.” [Big Buns]

It’s Thursday — Showers and thunderstorms are expected throughout the day. The sky will be mostly cloudy, with a high temperature near 85 and a 60% chance of precipitation. At night, chances of showers and thunderstorms decrease to 30%, with a low temperature around 72. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Wednesday 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 — Jul 9, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

⛈️ Thursday’s forecast

Expect showers and thunderstorms mainly before 2pm and between 2-3pm, with additional possibilities after 3pm, under mostly cloudy skies and a high near 85. The southwest wind will be mild at 3-5 mph, and the chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall may be under a tenth of an inch, with more possible during thunderstorms. For Thursday night, showers and storms are likely before 11pm, followed by showers until 2am. The weather will remain mostly cloudy with a low near 72, a light south wind, and a 30% chance of precipitation. 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.


Countywide

Update — More than 10,000 Dominion Energy customers in Fairfax County have lost power as thunderstorms sweep through the D.C. region.

As of 7:20 p.m., the outages appear to be concentrated in the south central part of the county, from Newington up to the Falls Church area, according to the utility’s outage map.


Announcement

For homeschooling families, finding activities that fit a non-traditional school day can be a challenge. EvolveAll, the martial arts and fitness studio that’s served the local community for more than 15 years, is addressing that gap with a new Homeschool Youth Martial Arts (YMA) program.

The program runs Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:15 to 2:00 PM and follows EvolveAll’s established YMA curriculum, which focuses on discipline, focus, coordination, and self-defense fundamentals for kids ages 5 to 10. Classes are led by EvolveAll’s head YMA Instructor Mr. Christian, who has over a decade of instructing experience. The class size is capped to keep the student-to-instructor ratio low.