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 1, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

⛈️ Friday’s forecast

Expect a slight chance of early morning showers, followed by a chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms with a partly sunny high of around 86°F. Southwest winds will be approximately 10 mph, with gusts reaching 18 mph. There’s a 40% chance of precipitation. On Friday night, possible showers and thunderstorms before 2am with a low of around 65°F, a 6 mph 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.


News

NOVA Parks and the Town of Vienna are partnering for an initiative that could transform a pair of offices into a visitor center for the Washington and Old Dominion Trail.

Fresh off its 50th anniversary last year, the 45-mile trail runs from Shirlington out to Purcellville, with Vienna as its “geographic center,” NOVA Parks Executive Director Paul Gilbert said when announcing the project during an Arbor Day event at the Vienna Town Green last Friday (April 25).


Countywide

The warmth that has greeted May in Fairfax County could be offset by a few days of much-needed rain, starting tonight (Thursday).

DC News Now meterologist Jackie Layer has the forecast for Fairfax County, provided exclusively to FFXnow, including details on when to expect rain and how much might fall through this weekend.


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


News

Update — The Fairfax County Police Department announced on June 25 that a 34-year-old man from Maryland has been arrested in connection with the vehicle break-ins reported around Tysons.

“He is being held at Prince George’s County Jail awaiting extradition back to Fairfax County where he will be charged with three counts of Felony Credit Card Theft, three counts of Credit Card Fraud, and three counts of Destruction of Property,” the FCPD said.


Event

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.


News

Fairfax County transportation staff are developing plans to fill in sidewalk gaps along a neighborhood road just outside the Town of Herndon.

Details of the Crestview Drive Walkway project will be shared with the public for the first time at a community meeting next Wednesday (May 7) at 6 p.m. in the Clearview Elementary School cafeteria (12635 Builders Road).


Countywide

The ranks of unemployed Fairfax County residents ticked up nearly 8% month-over-month and 37% year-over-year in March, according to new state data, as Northern Virginia’s economy takes a hit from the federal government’s downsizing and collateral economic impacts.

A total of 20,836 Fairfax residents were counted as unemployed for March, according to figures reported this week by the Virginia Employment Commission. That compares to 19,315 in February and 15,171 in March 2024.


Countywide

Early voting in Virginia’s 2025 Democratic primary begins tomorrow (Friday), officially kicking off the party’s bid to retake statewide seats that were swept by Republicans in 2021.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger has already secured the gubernatorial nomination, setting up a historic race with Republican nominee and current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears that will give Virginia its first-ever female governor.


Countywide

A Fairfax County School Board member accused of defrauding a company he is a part owner of out of more than $1.5 million has stepped away as chairman of the board’s budget committee.

Kyle McDaniel, an at-large representative, no longer oversees the committee, having willingly ceded the position to vice chair Rachna Sizemore Heizer in recent weeks, he confirmed to FFXnow.


News

Update —  With rain in the forecast for this weekend, the traffic shift for northbound I-495 has been postponed to the night of May 9 through the morning of May 10, VDOT says.

Earlier: Traffic on the Capital Beltway (I-495) in the Tysons area will start moving to newly constructed lanes on the outer side of the highway tomorrow (Friday).