A 15-year-old Chantilly youth is flying high in the art world, while doing her part to promote inclusivity in the world of aviation and aerospace.
Lalitha Kuchipudi recently earned first place in the Senior category (ages 14-17) of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale’s (FAI) Young Artists Contest.
Federal Cuts Constrain Food Banks — “The region’s three main food banks — Blue Ridge, the Capital Area Food Bank and the Maryland Food Bank — together lost more than 1.4 million meals with the March USDA cuts … The Trump administration additionally ended or defunded at least two other programs relied upon by food banks, including funding to purchase food directly from local farmers and to provide food for hungry seniors.” [Washington Post]
Capitals Player Allegedly Involved in Fight — “A Washington Capitals player was pepper sprayed and arrested in Clarendon early Saturday, ARLnow has learned.” Arlington County police responded to the neighborhood’s bar district around 3:26 a.m. on Saturday (May 17) after a witness “reported an active fight outside of a business.” [ARLnow]
Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Arrested — “Authorities in Henrico County, Virginia, arrested and charged Zachary Alam, accusing him of ‘breaking into a home in Henrico County and stealing personal items,’ WUSA9 reports. Alam, who is from Centreville, was previously sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.” [Washingtonian]
Criminal Records Sealing Deadline Extended — “Virginia’s General Assembly passed the record-sealing law in 2021, and now, an amended version is set to take effect July 1, 2026 … Surovell said a $20 million rebuild of Virginia’s criminal record-keeping computer infrastructure is preventing the law from taking effect immediately.” [WTOP]
State Senator Treated for Cancer — “State Sen. Barbara Favola, who represents the majority of Arlington County, is undergoing treatment for uterine cancer. In a social media post today (Monday), the 69-year-old said she successfully underwent a hysterectomy on Friday at Virginia Hospital Center.” [ARLnow]
County Supervisors Back Colleague for Congress — “Supervisor James Walkinshaw’s (D-Braddock) campaign to succeed outgoing U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11th) in Congress received the endorsement of all eight other Democrats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Monday.” [Patch]
Taco Restaurant Still Coming to Annandale — “Over a year ago, the owner of a property in Annandale told us they were planning to open a Shawarma Taco restaurant and accounting firm by the end of 2024 in a building undergoing renovations at 4201 Annandale Road. The renovations are still underway,” but the CEO says he doesn’t know when they’ll finish. [Annandale Today]
Braddock Bark Festival Declared a Success — “Our 4th Annual Braddock Bark festival was a huge success, with over 500 attendees. 7 rescue pups were officially adopted and many more applications to adopt were submitted!” [James Walkinshaw/Bluesky]
It’s Tuesday — Expect clouds to increase throughout the day, accompanied by a high temperature of around 72 and a gentle north wind at 6 mph. At night, anticipate showers mainly after 2 am, with the low temperature dropping to approximately 56. The chance of precipitation stands at 90%. [NWS]
Incredibly excited to wrap up an awesome first summer. I’ve learned a lot, and I thought I’d share some of those lessons with you.
1. Hiring a JMU intern is a great idea.
This summer we were lucky enough to hire a young man from Woodbridge named Owen, who is a rising senior at JMU. He was exactly the spark we needed to help us push through our first busy summer season. We’ve already made him a job offer for next summer when he graduates, and we’re hopeful he’ll join us full-time.
2. People are generally helpful and want to see you succeed when you’re first starting out.
Over the summer, I was amazed by how many people wanted to help me get a strong start in my business. There were definitely times when I knew folks might not need a new roof, but they were still kind enough to let me come by, take a look, and give them a free estimate just in case. It was inspiring and motivating to know that there are strangers out there who don’t even know me but still want to see me win.
3. Hard work solves most problems.
From the beginning, I’ve been honest about having a lot to learn in this industry. What I’ve come to find is that even when I don’t know exactly what I’m doing, hard work will still often get me to the right result. When in doubt, just keep pushing. This is something I’ll remember as more hard times come and as we get ready to go through the cold winter season.
4. Working with property managers and realtors can be a win-win for everyone.
This year, we’ve built some great relationships with property managers and realtors. These folks are hardworking and busy, and the last thing they have time to worry about is a roof for their clients. We’ve worked with them to install new roofs, windows, gutters, doors, and siding on multiple occasions.
5. Some folks will slam the door in your face without thinking twice.
Things aren’t always easy in this game, and I don’t want to paint an overly rosy picture without talking about some of the hard stuff too. As a new person working hard to get your name out there, it can definitely be a little daunting when someone yells at you or slams the door in your face. Luckily, most people are warm and will at least talk to you, and we’ve appreciated that as we navigate these bumps along the way.
6. Most homeowners just want transparency and great customer service.
It’s wild how many contractors out there really can’t be trusted. We’ve come to learn quickly that homeowners just want fantastic customer service and transparency throughout the process. If you can honestly show someone how the process is going to take place and hold their hand a little along the way, you can make almost all of your customers pretty happy.
7. Homeowners taught me more than any training could have.
Good Monday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — May 19, 2025.
Here is what’s going on Tuesday throughout the county, from our event calendar.
Clouds will increase throughout the day, reaching a high of around 71°F with a north wind at 6 mph. Showers are expected Tuesday night, mainly after 2am, with a low temperature of around 56°F. The calm wind will shift to the southeast, reaching 5-7 mph after midnight. There is a 90% chance of precipitation, with new rainfall amounts potentially ranging between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. See more from Weather.gov.
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.
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.
A 2.5-mile segment of the George Washington Memorial Parkway remains inaccessible to traffic three days after a storm brought down over a dozen trees and left others severely damaged.
The closure from Belle View Blvd in Belle Haven to Alexandria Avenue in Fort Hunt is expected to continue at least through the morning rush hour tomorrow (Tuesday), as crews work to remove fallen and hazardous trees, the National Park Service announced this afternoon.
Communities are how we actually experience Congress's impact on our lives. Congressional Communities is hosting a free public briefing making the case for putting communities, instead of districts, at the center of how members of Congress, their staff, and we ourselves think about representation. Speakers Warren Glimpse (ProximityOne) and Dan Carracino (Congressional Communities) will use Virginia's 8th District as a real-world example.
A local outpost for organic cotton home textiles will open its doors in Merrifield later this week.
The latest location of Boll & Branch, a “leading designer and retailer of luxury home textiles,” will open in the Mosaic District on Thursday (May 22), according to a company spokesperson.
Another attempt to develop the Reston National Golf Course for housing appears to have fallen short, for now.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission informally voted last Thursday (May 15) to recommend the project be left off a list of Comprehensive Plan amendment proposals to be recommended to the Board of Supervisors in June.
The arts center planned for downtown McLean has a new name and a potential timeline for starting construction.
The facility will officially be known as the MPA Berlage Arts & Education Center in honor of McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) board member and longtime supporter Bruce L. Berlage, who made a “significant” contribution to help fund the project, MPA announced last week.
After an eventful first few months in office, Herndon Mayor Keven LeBlanc is looking to get a pulse check on where the town is now and where it hopes to go in the future.
The mayor has invited residents to gather in the Herndon Town Council chambers at 765 Lynn Street tomorrow (Tuesday) for a town hall-style meeting titled “Our Herndon, Our Future: A Community Conversation.”
A Fairfax County planning commissioner is the latest candidate seeking to replace retiring Rep. Gerry Connolly.
Candice Bennett, who has served on the commission since 2020, announced Thursday (May 15) that she will campaign for the Democratic nomination for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, which includes most of Fairfax County.
