Around Town

With the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival getting started last week, multiple Fairfax County restaurants are getting in on D.C.’s fun.

Some eateries across the county are offering special dishes, drinks and more, while others are offering celebratory discounts.


Around Town

Little Leaves Behavioral Services, a center that offers specialized therapy programs for young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, is opening four new centers around the region including two in Fairfax.

According to a press release, the new centers will open sometime this summer. They will each be able to serve 24 children.


Countywide

Community members will now get their first chance to weigh in on dozens of pitches submitted to Fairfax County earlier this year for potential future developments.

The county will host a series of community meetings over the next month so the developers can share information about their proposals with the public, who can then ask questions and provide feedback.


Event

Local author and Fairfax County Public Library librarian Luis D. Aponte invites parents and community leaders to an empowering discussion inspired by his book “A Safe Place: How to Prevent the Next School Shooting.” Drawing on seven years of research into more than 1,200 U.S. school shooting incidents, he shares practical, nonpartisan, research‑based steps families and schools can use to strengthen safety and emotional well‑being. Discover hopeful, community‑building solutions that help every child feel supported and able to thrive. Attendees receive two free ebooks, with a paperback signing to follow.

Adults. No registration required. Free event. For more information, visit ASafePlaceBook.com.


Countywide
Looking down Eskridge Road outside the Mosaic District in Merrifield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Man Charged After Firing Gun Outside CIA HQ — “A man who authorities say fired a handgun repeatedly at CIA headquarters on Wednesday morning in an hours-long barricade situation has been charged with a single federal firearms count, court records show.” The 28-year-old man allegedly “fired ‘several rounds’ at the facility before turning the gun on himself.” [Washington Post]

Former U.S. Attorney Found Dead in Alexandria — “Jessica D. Aber, who served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, has died at 43, officials say. Alexandria police responded to a call about an unresponsive woman in the 900 block of Beverley Drive in Alexandria around 9:18 a.m. on Saturday (March 22). They found Aber dead at the scene.” [ALXnow]

Fairfax Station House Fire Under Investigation — Fairfax County firefighters responded to a house fire Saturday (March 22) afternoon in the 7100 block of Laketree Drive. “Crews immediately went to work to extinguish the fire and conduct searches. All occupants safely evacuated. No firefighter or civilian injuries. Fire investigators are on scene working to determine the cause of the fire.” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department/Facebook]

Restaurant Advocacy Group Warns of Potential Closures — “The D.C. area’s restaurant community is warning of closures as economic pressures and federal actions raise fears of less spending and higher costs … An RAMW survey released this week found that 44% of ‘full-service casual restaurants’ in the region say they are ‘somewhat likely’ or ‘very likely’ to close this year.” [ARLnow]

County Cheers Newly Naturalized Citizens — “The Office of Elections cheered on new citizens at the USCIS naturalization ceremony held at the Government Center on Thursday. With the help of the League of Women Voters, staff assisted all 75 new citizens in registering to vote and even several citizens in the audience.” [Fairfax County Office of Elections/X]

Google Expands Reston Station Footprint — “Google continues to grow at Comstock’s Reston Station, expanding into another floor in the mixed-use development’s signature trophy office” at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza. “Google will now occupy more than 168,000 square feet in the tower, the [Comstock] spokesperson said.” [Washington Business Journal]

Richmond Highway Sign Company Closes — “A longtime family-owned business on Richmond Highway closed at the end of January, according to a recent media advisory from the Mount Vernon Springfield Chamber of Commerce. FASTSIGNS of Alexandria was acquired by Howard Newman in 1991, and his son Kirby joined him in the business eight years later.” [On the MoVe]

Forever 21 to Shutter U.S. Stores — “The current plan is for Forever 21 stores to hold liquidation sales, and the website will continue to run while operations wind down. There are currently six Northern Virginia store locations, including Arlington, Fairfax, Leesburg, Springfield, Woodbridge, and the Dulles Town Center.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

It’s Monday — Showers mainly before 8am, followed by cloudy skies clearing to become mostly sunny with a high near 66. There is a 60% chance of precipitation, with new amounts potentially reaching less than a tenth of an inch. At night, anticipate increasing clouds and a low around 43. [NWS]


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 — Mar 21, 2025.

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

  • UPDATED: Man taken into custody after barricade incident at CIA HQ in McLean (14879 views)
  • Fairfax leaders urge Dominion to stop cutting trees along W&OD Trail (9405 views)
  • Missing Fairfax teen spotted in Fredericksburg, prompting school closures (8796 views)
  • Fairfax school board split on when to address overcrowded elementary schools (6837 views)
  • Despite recent headwinds, MWAA CEO says future is bright at Dulles (4775 views)
  • Great Falls man who ran laser tag businesses sentenced for tax and investment fraud (4372 views)
  • Judge finds frozen embryos are not divisible property in cancer survivor’s case against ex-husband (4352 views)
  • Fairfax board advertises meals tax, higher real estate tax rate for public comment (4149 views)
  • Oakton redevelopment discussion paints grim picture for future multi-family housing (3865 views)
  • Lakeside Asia Cafe announces reopening date in Reston after extended closure (3836 views)
  • Woman who ran brothels out of Tysons, Merrifield apartments sentenced to prison (4070 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

    Expect partly sunny skies and a high near 65 degrees, alongside southwest winds ranging from 9 to 18 mph and gusts reaching up to 30 mph. Saturday night will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 34 degrees, accompanied by northwest winds blowing at 11 to 16 mph and gusts as high as 26 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. 👋


    News

    The “resistance” to the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the federal government is coming to Great Falls Park.

    The park at 9200 Old Dominion Drive in McLean is expected to host a rally tomorrow (Saturday) as part of a nationwide Protect the Parks Protest organized by a group of off-duty, former and retired National Park Service rangers and staff known as the Resistance Rangers.


    Around Town

    The national stir-fry and salad chain honeygrow is continuing to nurture its Northern Virginia presence.

    Honeygrow opened its fifth restaurant in the region today (Friday) at Old Keene Mill Shopping Center in West Springfield. Located at 8426 Old Keene Mill Road, the 2,500-square-foot space can be found on the Planet Fitness side of the strip mall, in between Massage Envy and Visionworks.


    Sports

    For three years now, winning state championships or finishing second — all by close margins — has been the norm for the West Springfield Spartans boys’ indoor track-and-field team.

    This winter, the Spartans won the Virginia High School League Class 6 state crown by one of the smallest lead possible: a half-point.