Wendy’s is back up and running in Herndon.
The fast-food chain temporarily shuttered its restaurant at 2160 Centreville Road, just outside town limits, late last year for a remodeling. After welcoming customers back on March 23, Wendy’s will celebrate its return with a grand reopening celebration this Saturday (April 12).
Organizers of the WorldPride 2025 celebration coming to the D.C. region on May 31 through June 8 are reevaluating their attendance expectations, especially among international participants.
Event organizers have anticipated upwards of 2 million visitors for the LGBTQ community celebration, but with foreign travel to the U.S. plunging amid reports of visitors being detained and the Trump administration barring changes to the gender marker on passports, they may not meet that figure — another potential setback for an economy already facing multiple headwinds.
Fairfax families now have a vibrant new destination for creative exploration — a dedicated children’s art studio has officially opened its doors, bringing with it one of the largest selections of children’s art programs in the area.
A Vision Rooted in Community
The journey behind this new studio is a simple but meaningful one: a belief that every child in the Fairfax community deserves access to quality art education. That conviction became the driving force behind building a space where young people can discover, create, and grow — not just as artists, but as individuals.
“We wanted to provide the opportunity of art education to the Fairfax community,” the studio shared.
More Than 40 Art Forms Under One Roof
What makes this studio particularly remarkable is its breadth. Children have access to more than 40 varieties of art, offering a rare opportunity to explore disciplines far beyond the typical drawing and painting classes. Whether a child is drawn to sculpture, printmaking, mixed media, or illustration, there’s a path here waiting to be discovered.
The philosophy is intentional: instead of narrowing a child’s focus too soon, the programs are designed to let curiosity lead the way. Children are encouraged to try, experiment, and explore until something clicks — because finding a true passion is just as important as developing a skill.
Programs Built for Every Child and Every Schedule
The studio has been thoughtfully designed to meet families where they are, with age-appropriate programs that build skills progressively and purposefully. Here’s a closer look at what’s available:
Tiny Hands (Ages 3–4)
Art is a skill developed over time, and it all starts here. In Tiny Hands classes, children begin to express themselves through art in guided, small group activities that encourage community, collaboration, and relationships. This two-year program introduces young learners to drawing, painting, clay, printmaking, collage, design, and more — laying the foundation for a lifelong creative journey.
Intro to Art (Ages 5–6)
This two-year program introduces children to beginning art skills, tools, and basic vocabulary. Students are encouraged to explore different mediums and express their growing interests, working with clay, printmaking, charcoal drawing, painting, design, montage, watercolors, sculpture, stained glass, and more. Along the way, they’ll learn about color theory — including primary, secondary, cool, and warm colors — while gaining self-confidence and earning recognition for their creations.
Beginning Art (Ages 7–8)
Building on the foundation of Intro to Art, Beginning Art is designed for children ready to deepen their skills and grow more comfortable with art tools. Students expand their art vocabulary, apply their knowledge of color theory, and explore design principles through hands-on creating. This two-year program offers opportunities to work with charcoal, mono printing, clay, ink, color design, collage, self-portrait, watercolors, balsa wood carving, sculpture, and much more.
Art 1 (Ages 9+)
Art 1 is the foundation of the studio’s four-year curriculum — a class designed to maximize and maintain each child’s art interest as they develop a higher level of skills and knowledge. Students also begin building their personal portfolio. Projects include ebony pencil from photomontage, charcoal still life, India ink design, and scratchboard art, with a strong focus on line, value, and texture. Later in the program, students dive into an in-depth study of color theory and apply it to a series of color design projects. Art 1 also includes hand building with clay.
More than three years after Fairfax County leaders authorized collective bargaining, a majority of the county government’s workers have yet to choose a representative for future contract negotiations.
That could soon change, as one established union gears up for a potential election this month, while a challenger turns to the courts in an effort to halt the vote.
A man stationed at the German military’s outpost in Reston will serve more than six years in prison after pleading guilty to downloading thousands of images and videos of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia says.
Peter Markus Kuttke, a 49-year-old German national who lives in Reston, was indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 7, 2024 on one count of receiving child pornography, according to court records.
The Reston Museum is excited to announce that the much-anticipated Reston Home Tour will take place from 10:00AM to 4:00PM Saturday, October 17th. The tour will feature six fabulous residences throughout Reston. Visit the homes at your own leisurely pace and enjoy the special touches, unique styles and specially crafted designs of each home. Tickets can be purchased at the Reston Museum located on Lake Anne Plaza or online at restonmuseum.org.
Local pho fans have a new restaurant to choose from, this time in Dunn Loring.
Viet Corner, which comes from the family behind the Alexandria eatery Pho Viet Flare, opened on Saturday (April 5) in the former Quickway Hibachi storefront in the Shops at Avenir Place.
Springfield Parents Allege Assaults on School Bus — The mother of an autistic kindergarten student at Springfield Estates Elementary School says video footage showed her daughter being sexually assaulted by another student on a school bus that transports special education students. “She contacted police to make them aware, and learned other students may have experienced something similar.” [WTOP]
Driver Crashes into Fairfax Japanese Restaurant — “An elderly man drove his car into the dining room of Ariake, a Japanese restaurant in Fairfax, on Friday, April 4. The incident occurred around noon, just as the lunchtime rush was about to start. About 15 customers were inside Ariake at the time of the accident, Shiho Norris, the restaurant’s manager says.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Dulles Airport Flight Evacuated for Security Search — “Frontier Airlines Flight 4708 inbound from Atlanta landed around 2:30 p.m. and then stopped just off the runway. Several emergency vehicles staged nearby but most kept their distance. According to Frontier, a beeping noise from the cargo area prompted a ‘precautionary security search.'” [WUSA9]
Agriculture Department Could Leave D.C. HQ — “The Agriculture Department is planning to dismantle its presence in Washington, D.C., according to several officials briefed on the plans, and will relocate those it does not lay off to three hubs around the country.” The potential new locations and the extent of layoffs accompanying the moves are unclear. [Government Executive]
Gun Charge Dropped Against N. Va. Man — “The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alexandria is dropping a criminal charge against a Dale City man dubbed by the Trump administration as the East Coast’s top leader of the MS-13 street gang.” Prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the firearm possession charge against the 24-year-old man, who was arrested on March 27 in a “dramatic and highly-publicized” raid. [Inside NoVa]
Eden Center Businesses Thrown by Tariffs — “Massive retaliatory tariffs that went into effect today before abruptly going on pause have left Eden Center businesses rethinking pricing and fearing for the future.” The 120-plus family-owned businesses in the Falls Church shopping center rely heavily on imported goods from China, Vietnam and other mostly Asian countries. [ARLnow]
Reston Association Election Results Announced — “At the Reston Association’s annual meeting on Tuesday night, the results of the 2025 board of directors election were announced. Matthew Mullenix and Michael Lanza were elected to serve three-year terms as the new At-Large Director and North Point Director, respectively.” [Patch]
Tysons Steakhouse Rolls Out Brunch — “801 Chophouse Tysons Corner (8484 Westpark Dr.) is thrilled to debut its new Sunday brunch service, available weekly from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.” The brunch menu includes dishes like avocado toast and steak and eggs, along with a selection of cocktails. [Tysons Today]
It’s Thursday — Expect cloudy skies and temperatures reaching up to 57. Southeast winds will range from 6-10 mph, gusting up to 20 mph, and there’s a 60% chance of precipitation, mainly after 2pm. Night will bring a 90% chance of rain, lows around 47 and east winds of 7-10 mph. [NWS]
Good Wednesday 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 — Apr 9, 2025.
Here is what’s going on Thursday throughout the county, from our event calendar.
Showers are likely after 2pm, accompanied by a cloudy high of 57°F and south winds between 7-13 mph, gusting up to 21 mph. There’s a 40% chance of precipitation. Thursday night brings rain and a low of 46°F, with southeast winds between 9-13 mph, gusting up to 26 mph. Precipitation chances increase to 80%, with new precipitation amounts possibly ranging between a quarter and half 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.
Fairfax County police are investigating an SUV crash that killed a pedestrian in February but was previously not publicly reported.
Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Centreville Road and Parcher Avenue in the Hutchinson area just outside the Town of Herndon at 2:55 p.m. on Feb. 14 for a crash involving a pedestrian, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release today (Wednesday).
After staying largely dormant since 2021, plans for a 2-mile bicycle/pedestrian path from the Franconia-Springfield Metro station south to Newington Road are back — as is opposition from some neighbors and advocacy groups.
Fairfax County officials in recent months have ramped up efforts to obtain easements from property owners along the planned route of the Cinder Bed Road Bikeway.
