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).


Countywide
Dennis Heimbach’s “Fidelity of Form” sculpture at Reston Town Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Trump Administration Restores Student Visas — “President Donald Trump’s administration is reinstating international student visa records that it previously revoked. The announcement was made Friday, amid a slew of court cases filed by impacted students in recent weeks.” Records for 14 of 15 affected George Mason University students have been restored, a university spokesperson says, but eight students already left the country. [Virginia Public Media]

Deadline to Apply for Tax Relief Today — Seniors and people with disabilities who qualify for relief from Fairfax County’s real estate and vehicle taxes “must file their application no later than May 1, 2025.” Today is also the deadline to declare business furniture and fixtures, machinery and tools, and computer equipment on county tax forms. [Fairfax County Government]

Another Local CVS Store Set to Close — “The CVS store in the Heritage shopping center at 7859 Heritage Drive, Annandale, is closing. The store manager, known as JD, said the store’s last day will be June 5.”  The company also shuttered its longtime location at the Cedar Park Shopping Center in Vienna in April. [Annandale Today]

Job Fair for Cut Federal Workers Planned — “Alexandria is joining forces with Congressman Don Beyer and nearby communities to hold a job fair this Saturday (May 3) for federal workers and contractors affected by recent government workforce cuts … Alexandria is working alongside Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Falls Church to organize the fair.” [ALXnow]

Metrobus Changes Will Eliminate Dozens of N. Va. Stops — “Fifty-seven bus stops are set to be cut from Metrobus’ routes in Northern Virginia, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The changes have been scheduled to take effect June 29” as part of the system’s first major redesign of its bus network since the 1970s. [WUSA9]

Tysons Spring Bicycle Ride to Return — “Kick off Tysons Bike Month with a scenic spring ride during Pedal with Petals … Join us at Westbriar Elementary School for a FREE fun-filled day of biking with family and friends.” This year’s bicycle ride, organized by the Tysons Community Alliance, will take place on Saturday, May 10, with registration starting at 10 a.m. [Eventbrite]

Fairfax Students Plant Trees for Arbor Day — “On April 23, [Katherine Johnson Middle School] students planted three Eastern redbud trees to green the school grounds, and they learned about the benefits trees provide … The trees were provided by SPROUT, a new city initiative to encourage the community to plant, care for, and learn about the trees that make up our urban forest.” [City of Fairfax]

It’s Thursday — Expect a 20% chance of showers from 2-5pm, followed by possible thunderstorms after 5pm. The day will be partly sunny with a high around 80. On Thursday night, storms could occur before 11pm, possibly continuing until 2am. The night will be mostly cloudy with a low of 66 and a 40% chance of precipitation. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Wednesday 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 — Apr 30, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

⛈️ Thursday’s forecast

Showers are possible from 2pm to 5pm, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. The high will be near 80, with partly sunny skies. Winds will start from the east at 6-10 mph and shift to the southeast in the afternoon. Precipitation chances stand at 20%. Thursday night, expect showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, followed by showers until 2am. The low will be around 66, under mostly cloudy skies and a southeast wind at 9 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%. 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.


Event

Join Breast Cancer Collective for the 2026 Walk to Bust Cancer on Sunday, October 18, at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria.
Walk alongside survivors, caregivers, friends, families, and neighbors for an uplifting community event supporting access to breast cancer screening and care across the DMV.
Walk to Bust Cancer brings our community together to turn hope into action and help expand access to timely breast health care. Register to walk, gather your team, and join us at Fort Hunt Park.


Around Town

A new option for Peruvian chicken has arrived in Vienna, courtesy of a couple with extensive knowledge of both Vienna and Peru.

Cuco’s Peruvian opened its doors today (Wednesday) at 146 Maple Avenue West in the Vienna Shopping Center, taking over a space that had belonged to another Peruvian chicken restaurant, Don Pollo.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools is one of two Virginia school divisions that reportedly declined to sign a form committing it to complying with federal anti-discrimination laws and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that barred race from being considered in college admissions.

Superintendent Michelle Reid instead sent a “modified certification and assurance document” to Virginia education leaders last week affirming FCPS’ compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Virginia Mercury reported yesterday morning (Tuesday).


Countywide

Six months after being defeated by Rep. Gerry Connolly in what turned out to be his final election, the most recent Republican nominee for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District will return to the campaign trail.

Mike Van Meter, who garnered almost 33% of the vote in the 2024 general election against the longtime Democratic incumbent, confirmed to FFXnow that he plans to run for the seat in the 2026 midterm elections.


News

Fairfax County police are investigating a shooting outside a nightclub in Bailey’s Crossroads that sent a man to the hospital early this morning (Wednesday).

Officers responded to the Black Rose Lounge at 5815 Seminary Road at 1:02 a.m. for a report of shots fired. According to the police scanner, officers in the neighborhood heard “what we believe is a lot of gunfire” and sent someone to “check it out” before the official dispatch came in.


News

An Alexandria woman has been arrested in connection with a bank robbery that occurred in Annandale on Monday (April 28).

The Fairfax County Police Department alleges that Vicky Vien Phung, 36, took just over $1,000 from the Capital One Bank at 7030 Little River Turnpike before fleeing.