Countywide

Fairfax County leaders believe they and other Northern Virginia leaders are getting an unfair deal when it comes to state transportation funding.

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday (May 13) to send a letter to Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sheppard Miller III, expressing concern about being passed over in the latest round of “Smart Scale” funding for transportation improvements.


Opinion

Fairfax County will soon join most other Northern Virginia jurisdictions in having a meals tax.

The Board of Supervisors officially adopted a budget on Tuesday (May 13) that will decrease the local property tax rate by a quarter-cent to $1.1225 per $100 of assessed value, though homeowners will still see their annual tax bill for 2025 rise by an average of $499, due to higher home assessments.


News

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD) is advising residents to be careful when storing lithium-ion batteries in the wake of a recent house fire.

Firefighters were dispatched to the 1500 block of Millikens Bend Road in the Dranesville area north of Herndon on Saturday, May 3 just before 7:30 p.m. for the reported fire, the FCFRD says.


Countywide
People under pavilion near Waters Field in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Technical Issues Close County Courts — The Fairfax County Courthouse is closed today (Thursday) “due to ongoing technical difficulties.” Cases scheduled to appear in the county’s Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court “will be continued to another date,” as staff work to resolve the issue. [Fairfax County]

Bike to Work Day Is Here — Fairfax County is hosting more than two dozen pit stops today (Thursday) for this year’s Bike to Work Day, which encourages commuters to hop on a bicycle instead of getting in a car and is taking place throughout the D.C. region. “The first 16,000 who register and check into a pit stop by bike will receive a free T-shirt (this year’s color is red).” [FCDOT]

Recession Possible, GMU Researcher Says — “Terry Clower, director of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, told WTOP the region is not in a recession yet, but what happens in the next several months will determine how severe the economic downturn is and how long it will last.” If the Trump administration’s federal government cuts are fully enacted, a recession is “undoubted,” Clower says. [WTOP]

Flight Attendant Training Center Opens — United Airlines will open its new 20,000-square-foot flight attendant training center in Chantilly today. “This is the first facility of its kind in the DC area, and will train flight attendants servicing Dulles International, Reagan National, and Baltimore-Washington International airports.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

New Reston Startup Launches — Kovr.ai “has emerged from stealth with $3.6 million in funding to scale its federal compliance assistance product it says can save millions of dollars and years of document procurement for companies looking to do business with the federal government.” CEO Andrew Black and Chief Technology Officer Sri Iyer both worked for Amazon Web Services before leaving in 2024 to found the new company. [Washington Business Journal]

Annandale School Searches for New Principal — “Fairfax County Public Schools is beginning the search for a new principal for Poe Middle School, but many teachers and parents already know who they want for the job — Interim Principal Sarah Eqab,” who came on board in March after working at Annandale High School. [Annandale Today]

Pet Supply Donation Drive Underway — “The Department of Family Services cares about every family member, including pets. To help keep pets with the families, DFS is hosting a pet supply drive during National Pet Month in May. The drive will run from Sunday, May 11, to Saturday, May 24, with all donations benefiting Fairfax County Animal Shelter’s Pet Pantry.” [Fairfax County DFS]

It’s Thursday — There’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Patchy fog before 11am will shift to clouds and then mostly sunny skies, with a high near 79. Chance of precipitation is 50%, dropping to 40% at night with a low around 66. [NWS]


Event

It’s time to get festive. In partnership with Angelika Film Center, the Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan is rolling into Mosaic to kick off the season! Take photos with the iconic Coca-Cola Polar Bear and see the truck before it heads to the next stop on its nationwide tour.

Catch Elf on the big screen, enjoy kids activities and face painting, send a letter to Santa and soak up all the festive fun!


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 — May 14, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

⛈️ Thursday’s forecast

Expect showers and possible thunderstorms after 2pm, with patchy fog clearing by 11am. Gradual sunshine later, reaching a high of 79°F and calm southwest winds around 5 mph. Precipitation at 50%. Tonight, showers and thunderstorms likely before 2am, then briefly pausing until 5am, with patchy fog returning. Partly cloudy, a low of 66°F, and calm winds, with a 40% 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

A Herndon man is facing multiple criminal charges after allegedly grabbing and kissing a child.

The victim reported on Monday (May 12) at 8:40 a.m. that she had been walking in the 13300 block of Hungerford Place in the Hutchison neighborhood near Herndon when a man approached her, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.


News

A Fairfax man who allegedly exposed himself multiple times in Oakton and Chantilly over the past decade has been arrested.

The Fairfax County Police Department shared last month that detectives were investigating a series of indecent exposure incidents after receiving a report of an unidentified man exposing himself “to multiple victims” near the 4600 block of Stonecroft Road in Chantilly between 5 and 6 p.m. on March 30.


News

A high-speed chase on the Capital Beltway (I-495) this morning started with a driver getting pulled over for using their cell phone, police say.

After allegedly seeing a violation of Virginia’s “hands-free” law banning the use of cell phones while driving, a trooper attempted a traffic stop on northbound I-495 near Braddock Road in the North Springfield area around 8:54 a.m. today (Wednesday), according to the Virginia State Police (VSP).


News

A longtime teacher in Chantilly faces decades in prison after being charged with numerous child sex crimes.

Nicolas Martin Zimmerman, who formerly taught at St. Veronica Catholic School in Chantilly, was arrested last month by law enforcement in Loudoun County, the sheriff’s office announced today (Wednesday).