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 — May 30, 2025.

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

  • Three Fairfax County communities ranked among Best Places to Live in U.S. (74746 views)
  • ‘Hidden’ Japanese cocktail lounge opens in Tysons hotel (22768 views)
  • Lake Anne getting new signage and possibly new, less suggestive logo (22278 views)
  • Church and Franklin Farm neighbors at odds over downsized affordable housing project (5803 views)
  • Redevelopment proposals in Seven Corners draw pushback from some neighbors (5509 views)
  • FCPD charges Chantilly man with murder of wife (4572 views)
  • Athletic facilities, housing and retail planned for GMU campus development (3795 views)
  • Former Venezuelan congressman joins race to succeed Rep. Gerry Connolly (2989 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

    Showers and thunderstorms are expected before 4pm, followed by likely showers and potential thunderstorms between 4pm and 5pm, and a continued chance for showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. The high will be near 71 with a partly sunny sky, and a west wind of 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Precipitation chance is 60%, with new rainfall amounts ranging from a tenth to a quarter of an inch or higher during thunderstorms. Saturday night will be mostly clear with a low around 48 and northwest winds between 9-14 mph and gusts up to 22 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. 👋


    Around Town

    Hungry customers seeking the flavors of Mexico have a new spot to try in Kingstowne’s Hayfield Shopping Center.

    El Fogon Taqueria officially opened its doors in the shopping center this spring with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 8, replacing the former Kochix restaurant at 7554 Telegraph Road.


    News

    A Fairfax man has been arrested for groping and assaulting multiple women at different shopping centers in the Fair Oaks area earlier this week, police say.

    Officers responded first to Fair Oaks Mall (11700 Fair Oaks Mall) at 5:04 p.m. on Wednesday (May 28) after two women reported that a man had “approached and touched them inappropriately,” according to the Fairfax County Police Department.


    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.


    Countywide

    Virginia may need to enact more food safety requirements at the state level in response to cutbacks and deregulation efforts by the Trump administration, two legislators and several advocates said at a recent forum.

    “We have historically, in my opinion, not done the kind of oversight we need to do. We’ve let the federal government do most of it,” Del. Mark Sickles (D-17) said during the press event on May 28.


    Event

    Grand Opening of a new hight-end, high-tech co-work office in the Boro at Tysons Corner. Grand Opening Ceremony at 10am-noon and Open House event 4:30pm-8:00pm on Wednesday, September 16th, 2026. Free event.


    Opinion

    Fairfax County is home to some sushi restaurant gems, with offerings from California roll to nigiri, tempura and more.

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

    Voting will close in two weeks. Be sure to cast your vote before 9 a.m. Friday, June 13.

    Voting for the Best Middle Eastern 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 Swimming Facility in Fairfax. The results are now official:

    1. Reston Association pools
    2. Vienna Woods Swim and Tennis Club
    3. Old Keene Mill Swim & Racquet Club

    News

    A special election to fill the late Rep. Gerry Connolly’s now-open seat in Congress still hasn’t been officially ordered, but the number of Democrats seeking to stake a claim is now up to six.

    Amy Roma, a Vienna resident and lawyer who specializes in energy policy, officially launched a campaign for the 11th Congressional District yesterday (Thursday) — the same day that Leopoldo Martínez, who’s also a lawyer, announced his own bid to become the Democratic nominee.


    Around Town

    A Taylor Swift tribute band is coming back to Reston Station this summer as part of an extensive array of free seasonal concerts organized throughout the area by Reston Community Center (RCC).

    The community center kicked off its annual summer concert and entertainment series over Memorial Day weekend with a jazzy happy hour at Reston Town Square Park (11900 Market Street) on May 23, courtesy of the Tania & Jeff Grubbs Quartet.


    News

    A key piece of the Franconia Triangle redevelopment effort is moving into the rezoning phase.

    CIA-Beulah Street LLC, an affiliate of Capital Investment Advisors, filed paperwork on May 20 to rezone a 6.6-acre site at the intersection of Beulah Street and Grovedale Drive for residential uses.


    Countywide
    A ramp and sidewalk outside Langston Hughes Middle School in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

    New Charges in Herndon Shooting — “Additional charges have been obtained in the homicide that occurred on Friday, May 23, 2025. In addition to Second Degree Murder, Kianmehr Shirinipaziziba has been charged with four other felonies: Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, Reckless Handling of a Firearm, Discharge of a Firearm in a Public Space, and Shooting from a Vehicle.” [Herndon PD/FB]

    Student Just Shy of Spelling Bee Finals — “Fairfax County eighth-grader Nargiza Muzhapaer reached the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Wednesday and fell just one word short of reaching Thursday’s finals. Muzhapaer, an eighth-grader at Pinnacle Academy in Chantilly … and was among just 18 spellers left out of 243 who started the competition on Tuesday.” [Inside NoVA]

    Fairfax ‘Town’ Richest in State — South Run is the “richest small town” in Virginia, according to a Census data analysis. “GOBankingRates reported that South Run has a median income of $238,456, which is considerably higher than the statewide median income of $87,249 in 2023. According to Redfin, the median price of a home sold in the area in April was $1.12 million.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

    New Movie Theater Opening Soon — “Paragon Theaters will have a soft opening on June 15. The upscale theater is located 112 Founders Ave. in Falls Church. Between June 15 and the end of the month, Paragon Theaters will run ‘Sneak Preview Days,’ with $8 tickets for all showings, formats, and seats … Regular pricing will start on July 1 the date of the official grand opening.” [Annandale Today]

    A.I. Startup Adds Tysons Office — “Meibel, a startup developing tools to help companies adopt artificial intelligence technology across enterprises, is moving into its first office space in Tysons after raising $7 million from investors … The company will start with about 10 people at a built-out 3,000-square-foot office, which has room to expand if needed, at 7925 Jones Branch Drive.” [DC Inno]

    Historic Landmark Undergoes Maintenance — “One of the most recognizable elements of the historic Original Mount Vernon High School is its rooftop cupola — a symbol that’s been incorporated into the logo of the future Commons Mount Vernon. In recent weeks, the cupola has been shrouded in scaffolding and tarp, lending an aura of mystery to the building.” [On the MoVe]

    Special Concert for Fairfax Symphony — “The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra marks a milestone May 31 at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts: It’s Maestro Christopher Zimmerman’s 15th anniversary as music director.” The program includes two works that Zimmerman conducted when he made his debut with the orchestra in 2009 and the East Coast premiere of a piece that features his son, Cristian “Kit” Zimmerman, as one of two violin soloists. [Inside NoVa]

    Tennis Court Renovations Coming — “The Fairfax County Park Authority will be making improvements to tennis courts #2 and #5 at Jefferson District Park. Contractors will mobilize on site in early June, with work expected to begin on Saturday, June 7. The project will include crack repairs and resurfacing of the courts.” [FCPA]

    Soccer Fest Launch Party in Tysons — “Come join us at Shipgarten for an exciting evening filled with fun, food, and football! We are thrilled to celebrate the launch of Copa Tysons with an epic UCL Watch Party where you can catch all the action on big screens surrounded by fellow fans.” The Copa Tysons Soccer Fest will return this summer after its inaugural event last year. [Tysons Community Alliance/IG]

    It’s Friday — Expect a slight chance of showers before 2pm, followed by showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 5pm, and potentially a thunderstorm after 5pm. Patchy fog may appear before 9am with a high near 79. Night will bring more rain with lows around 59. Precipitation chances are at 90%, with 1 to 2 inches of rainfall possible. [NWS]