Countywide

With the federal government slashing its workforce and attempting to freeze billions in funding, Virginia lawmakers are bracing for impact. House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) on Tuesday evening announced the formation of an Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions, a bipartisan panel tasked with assessing the economic fallout and crafting solutions to protect the commonwealth.

“This is not about politics — it’s about protecting Virginia’s workforce, economy, and essential services,” Scott said in a statement. “With nearly 145,000 federal civilian employees and even more federal contractors calling Virginia home, we depend on a strong partnership with the federal government to provide critical services. The federal administration’s announced plans to ‘drain’ the federal workforce and the pause in federal funding raise serious concerns for Virginia’s economy and the ability to maintain essential services.”


Around Town

A fast-casual food chain has settled on Lincolnia for its next Fairfax County restaurant.

The salad and stir-fry chain honeygrow has signed a lease for the storefront at 6464A Lincolnia Road in Barcroft Plaza, filling the space vacated by Chico’s Natural Pet Market last summer.


News

Fairfax County Public Schools has received the zoning changes necessary to build a future Dunn Loring Elementary School.

The unanimous vote yesterday (Tuesday) by the Board of Supervisors doesn’t mean a school will necessarily be built at the site of the current Dunn Loring Administrative Center, but a four-story building to serve nearly 1,000 students is now allowed, if the Fairfax County School Board ultimately opts to move forward.


News

The Town of Herndon Police Department (HPD) hopes to quash rumors that it has been collaborating with federal immigration agents on raids.

Claims that local police have participated in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids began cropping up in phone calls to the police department a few weeks ago and have now emerged in social media posts, particularly on TikTok, according to HPD spokesperson Lisa Herndon.


News

A man who tried to sexually assault a woman near the Springfield Crossing apartments late last month has been arrested, Fairfax County police announced yesterday (Tuesday).

According to the Fairfax County Police Department, officers were called to the 6700 block of Metropolitan Center Drive shortly after 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 27 for a report of an abduction and an attempted sexual assault.


Countywide
Sunset Hills Road heading toward the Skymark building at Reston Town Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Candlelight Vigil Tonight for DCA Crash Victims — “Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) invites the community to a candlelight vigil in remembrance of the 67 lives lost in the tragic American Airlines crash at National Airport last week. The gathering will take place Feb. 5, at 5:30 p.m., at Rivergate City Park, 2 Montgomery St., on the Alexandria waterfront.” [Annandale Today]

Concerns About Crowded Airspace Have History — “With a preliminary NTSB report not expected for several weeks, Arlington’s federal representatives have ventured few opinions on what factors may have contributed to last week’s crash. However, local advocates’ concerns about the number of flights at DCA stretch back years.” [ARLnow]

Route 28 Bypass Project Officially Dead — The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted 5-3 yesterday (Tuesday) to cancel a planned road extension that would’ve diverted traffic off of Route 28 (Centreville Road) before reconnecting north of Bull Run Stream in Fairfax County. Approved in 2020, the bypass proposal faced various challenges, including a “lack of buy-in from Fairfax County.” [WTOP]

Lawmakers Could Regulate License Plate Readers — “Virginia lawmakers are moving to regulate automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) for the first time, but privacy advocates warn that the legislation could expand surveillance rather than rein it in.” The House of Delegates passed a bill yesterday that would limit police data storage and authorize VDOT to issue permits for the devices’ installation. [Virginia Mercury]

Loudoun to Consider Dulles Airport Noise Mitigation — “As residents near Dulles International Airport continue to voice concerns over noise from aircraft flying over their homes, a community-involved process to consider mitigation methods will kick off this spring … A virtual community kick-off meeting is envisioned for April to provide an overview of the project.” [Loudoun Now]

Update on FCPS Athletics Policy Review — “Months after Hayfield Secondary School’s football team withdrew from the playoffs, Fairfax County Public Schools is crafting a plan that it hopes will improve its athletic processes and transparency ahead of the next school year.” The plan is being developed by a working group in collaboration with the Virginia High School League. [WTOP]

Secret Service Cracks Down on ‘Card Skimmers’ — “A U.S. Secret Service task force cracked down on a card-skimming scheme that targeted people who rely on government assistance … The unit visited 879 businesses in the D.C. area, inspected 6,561 devices and found 24 skimmers.” [NBC4]

Hunter Mill District Invited to Town Hall — “Do you want to know more about the proposed casino or have other questions or issues you want to discuss with me? Let’s talk!” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn will host a town hall tomorrow (Thursday) from 7-8:30 p.m. at the North County Governmental Center (1801 Cameron Glen Drive) in Reston. [Walter Alcorn/Instagram]

It’s Wednesday — There’s a 30% chance of precipitation during the day, with an increased likelihood of combined snow and sleet after 1 p.m. At night, though, the chance of preciptation is 100%, with sleet transitioning to freezing rain and sleet from 1-4 a.m. The high temperature will be around 37 and the low near 32. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Tuesday 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 — Feb 4, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌨️ Wednesday’s forecast

Expect a slight chance of snow and sleet before noon, transitioning to sleet between noon and 1pm, and snow and sleet after 1pm. The weather will be cloudy, with a high near 37 and light winds. There is a 30% chance of precipitation. Wednesday night, sleet is likely before 1am, followed by freezing rain and sleet between 1am and 4am, and rain or freezing rain after 4am. The low will be around 31 with a southeast wind of 6mph. Precipitation is 100% during the night, with potential ice accumulation of less than 0.1 inch and sleet accumulation of less than half an inch. 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.


Sports

This season it was the Chantilly Chargers’ turn to win the boys Concorde District swimming and diving championship.

The Chargers won the crown Saturday (Feb. 1) at the Cub Run Rec Center in Chantilly with 565 points. The defending champion Oakton Cougars were second with 443 in the high-school meet.


Sports

Led by three winning relays and two individual champions, the Oakton Cougars won their fourth straight Concorde District girls swimming and diving title.

Oakton finished first in the high-school meet Saturday (Feb. 1) with 521 points at the Cub Run Rec Center in Chantilly under first-year Oakton head coach Nathan Pawlowicz, a former swimmer with the team.