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]


Around Town

Good Thursday 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 29, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

⛈️ Friday’s forecast

Showers and potential thunderstorms are expected after 2 pm, with patchy fog clearing before 9 am. Temperatures will reach a high near 78°F, accompanied by a northwest wind at 3-6 mph. An 80% chance of precipitation could bring a quarter to half an inch of rainfall. At night, heavy storms may occur before 2 am, followed by a chance of showers. Lows will be around 58°F, with northwest winds at 7-15 mph and gusts up to 22 mph. There’s a 90% chance of precipitation, with rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. 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

This has been an unusually wet May in the D.C. region, conditions that are expected to linger through the month’s final days.

In her latest forecast for FFXnow, DC News Now meteorologist Jackie Layer advises Fairfax County residents “to stay weather-aware” tomorrow (Friday), as storms could potentially swing through the area in the afternoon and evening.


News

A nearly 60% reduction in initially proposed units has not swayed many Franklin Farm residents to support efforts to bring affordable housing to a church site in their community.

But the project nonetheless took a procedural step forward at a Fairfax County Planning Commission meeting on May 22.


Event

Join Comunidad for its Annual 5Dollar5K—a fun, family-friendly race that brings neighbors together in support of local children, teens, and families in Falls Church and Arlington. Run, walk, or cheer from the sidelines, and bring the little ones for a special Kids’ Dash! Registration is just $5, and children ages 12 and under participate for free. Comunidad is a community development organization based in the Seven Corners area of Falls Church. We hope you'll join us and together help us build comunidad!


News

At 38 years old, an exclusive social club that looms over Tysons has decided it’s time for a makeover.

Tower Club of Tysons Corner will undergo a “substantive” interior renovation this summer, owner and operator Invited Club announced on April 18. The $1 million overhaul will be the club’s first significant redesign since its founding in 1989.


News

Reston Town Center is now deriving some of its power from the sun.

A 1.3-megawatt solar photovoltaic system mounted on top of the town center’s green parking garage was substantially completed at the end of 2024 and began commercial operations on Tuesday (May 27).


News

Dominion Energy appears to be open to addressing the damage done by its extensive tree clearings along the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail in Vienna and Dunn Loring.

The utility confirmed its interest in a new agreement to govern vegetation management for parts of the trail that overlap with its power lines less than 24 hours before NOVA Parks Executive Director Paul Gilbert gave an update on the situation to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and Vienna Town Council.


News

Two development proposals in the Seven Corners area ran into community opposition at a recent Fairfax County Planning Commission meeting, but they’re likely to clear initial procedural hurdles in June.

In contrast, a plan to put more than 1,300 apartments augmented by retail use on the Food Star site further east on Route 7 drew no community pushback.


News

The race to find a replacement for the late Rep. Gerry Connolly has added another contender.

Leopoldo Martínez, a lawyer who once served in Venezuela’s National Assembly, launched a campaign today (Thursday) for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, where he’ll compete for the Democratic nomination in an increasingly crowded field.