Around Town

The local baker behind Dano’s Granola can now, once again, call Reston her personal and professional home.

Relocating from Chantilly, the snack business will officially unveil its new retail shop and production space at 11495 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 105, with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon on Sept. 6, owner and founder Dania Abimourched says.


News

Residents concerned about a proposal for additional single-family homes in one Franconia neighborhood may not have much recourse, they learned at a recent community meeting.

“I don’t have the ability to stop this process,” Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk said at a community forum last Thursday (Aug. 14) attended by about 35 residents.


Around Town

Last week was a busy one in the D.C. area for Tous les Jours. A day after soft-launching at Reston Row, the bakery chain began serving its signature French pastries and bread in Tysons.

The Tysons franchise opened Friday (Aug. 15) alongside Dumpling District in the first Virginia site of area restauranteur Zong Chen’s Luna Hall, a food hall that launched in D.C.’s Chinatown in 2023 and can now also be found in Wheaton and Ellicott City in Maryland.


Countywide
An electric scooter rider passes Tysons Galleria (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Watch for Returning Students — “As students across Fairfax County head back to school on Monday, August 18, the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) encourages families and community members to participate in Walk, Bike & Ride to School Safely Day. Whether students walk, bike, ride the bus, or are dropped off, their safety starts with all of us.” [FCPD]

Va. National Guard to Deploy — “About 60 Virginia National Guard members will be deployed around the state as early as September to support immigration enforcement agents … Immigrant advocacy groups, including Ayuda — which provides legal, social and language access services to low-income immigrants in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. — have condemned Youngkin’s plan.” [VPM News]

Teen Reported Missing Found Dead — An 18-year-old who was last seen driving in the 9500 block of Old Creek Drive around 6 a.m. on Saturday (Aug. 16) “was found deceased in another jurisdiction,” police said yesterday (Sunday). “Our thoughts are with his friends and family. No foul play is suspected.” [FCPD/X]

NOVA Parks Chooses New Leader — “Former Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson has been selected as the next executive director of NOVA Parks, the regional park authority announced Friday.” He will officially assume the role “beginning Oct. 6, succeeding Paul Gilbert, who announced his retirement in April after 20 years leading the organization.” [ALXnow]

Mars to Introduce ‘Natural’ Dyes for Candy — “McLean-based food and pet care company Mars Inc., Greater Washington’s largest private company, will … release natural-dye options for its M&M’s, Skittles, Starburst and Extra Gum Spearmint products” starting in 2026. The company made the announcement on July 24, shortly after leaders met with Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, but it hasn’t committed to a timeline for phasing out artificial dyes yet. [Washington Business Journal]

Menswear Store to Open in Falls Church — “Withered Fig, an online menswear retailer, is coming to Falls Church in 2026 … This will be Withered Fig’s first brick-and-mortar location. The new storefront will be located in West Falls at the base of The Oak at West Falls.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Rec Center Pools Temporarily Close — “Projects at Fairfax County Park Authority Rec Centers will result in temporary closures for pools and spas.” In addition to the Franconia facility’s previously reported closure, the pools at the Oakmont, Audrey Moore, Cub Run, George Washington and Spring Hill rec centers will shut down for varying periods to allow repairs and system maintenance. [FCPA]

McLean Native Develops Resale App — “When McLean, Virginia native Sophia Kianni and her roommate Phoebe Gates (yes, that Gates) asked their classmates at Stanford University if they shopped secondhand, they were shocked to see only two people raise their hands … Kianni and Gates came up with an idea for an app that compares prices on items across many retailers and secondhand shopping sites.” [NBC4]

It’s Monday — Showers are most likely between 2pm and 5pm, with cloudy skies and a high temperature near 79°F. There is a 30% chance of precipitation. For Monday night, expect another chance of showers mainly after 8pm, mostly cloudy conditions, and a low temperature around 68°F. [NWS]


Event

Menopause is more than a physical transition—it can also be a time of profound change in how we see ourselves and what we want from life. As familiar roles, responsibilities, and priorities shift, many women find themselves asking, “Who am I now?” In this presentation, we'll explore how our identities have been shaped and consider which parts of ourselves still fit and which may be ready to change.

RSVP: erica@indigotangles.com


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 15, 2025.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  • NASA remains tight-lipped about Discovery space shuttle transfer plans (24446 views)
  • ‘Wonder’ food hall reveals which restaurants will be on the menu in Fairfax County (14331 views)
  • Roggenart bakery and cafe set for grand opening in Reston (9441 views)
  • Tatte Bakery and Cafe scheduled to open in Fairfax City this month (8081 views)
  • JW Marriott hotel and condos on track to launch at Reston Station this fall (5920 views)
  • Regional Summer Restaurant Week returns this month with two dozen Fairfax participants (5189 views)
  • Brothers sentenced for Fairfax-area armed robberies to at least 10 years in prison (4030 views)
  • Urban farm coming to long-vacant Fairfax Circle site after receiving $25k grant (3943 views)
  • FCPD: Chantilly man charged with sexual abuse of teen (3605 views)
  • FCPD: Herndon private school teacher fired, arrested in child solicitation sting operation (4608 views)
  • Plan for final building in Tysons’ Park Crest neighborhood is under review (3227 views)
  • Two FCPD leaders dropped from wrongful death lawsuit over fatal police shooting (3181 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

    Patchy fog is expected to clear by 9am, giving way to partly sunny skies and a high temperature near 89 degrees. The east wind will range from 3 to 6 mph. As for Saturday night, anticipate mostly clear conditions with a low temperature around 70 degrees and a south wind at approximately 6 mph. 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

    Fairfax County Public Schools is joining its counterparts across Northern Virginia in rejecting the Trump administration’s demands that it rescind policies supporting transgender and gender-nonconforming students.

    In a message to FCPS staff and families, Superintendent Michelle Reid says she has sent a response to the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) defending the school system’s policies as consistent with existing state and federal law, requesting that the federal government pause any further action until the issue is “clarified” by the courts.


    Countywide

    With schools around Fairfax County starting up next week, this is your reminder to pay extra-special attention on the roads and look out for kids.

    Fairfax County Public Schools are back in session starting Monday, Aug. 18, meaning roads around the region will once again feature over 1,600 school buses loading and unloading students.


    News

    Fairfax County voters will have a second chance on Monday (Aug. 18) to hear from the two men vying to succeed the late Gerry Connolly as Virginia’s 11th Congressional District representative.

    Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, the Democratic nominee, and former FBI agent Stewart Whitson, the Republican nominee, will both participate in a candidate forum at 8 p.m. organized by the League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area, a nonpartisan group that advocates for voting rights and civic participation.


    News

    An Ashburn man who taught at a private school in the Herndon area has been arrested for child solicitation, among other charges, after allegedly interacting online with detectives he believed were minors.

    According to the Fairfax County Police Department, David Mark Sabin, 38, contacted an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old online in July.