A Fairfax County Public Schools substitute teacher has been arrested and dismissed from her job for allegedly assaulting a student at Dogwood Elementary School (12300 Glade Drive).
The county’s Child Protective Services received a referral on Sept. 25, 2024 indicating that a substitute teacher had assaulted a student at the Reston school, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a press release on Saturday (Feb. 1).
Archer Hotel at the Mosaic District in Merrifield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Fire Burns Down Century-Old Barn in Centreville — Fairfax and Loudoun county firefighters responded around 4:30 a.m. yesterday (Sunday) to a barn fire at Cox Farms at 15621 Braddock Road. While no people were injured, the farm lost “about a dozen chickens, a tractor and a slide were lost in the fire, along with artwork that decorated the barn and a sunflower sculpture.” [WUSA9]
Alleged Serial Killer Convicted of Women’s Murders — “It took a jury only 30 minutes to find ‘shopping cart killer’ suspect Anthony Eugene Robinson guilty of killing two women in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in 2021. The jury recommended four life sentences, plus 10 years in prison and a $400,000 fine in the deaths of Allene ‘Beth’ Redmon and Tonita Smith.” [WTOP]
Va. Mothers Advocate for Stronger Driving Laws — “Two Virginia mothers who lost their children in car crashes are turning their grief into action, working with state lawmakers to push for stricter driver and passenger safety laws. Their efforts could lead to new penalties for unlicensed minors driving, expanded driver education in public schools, and a requirement for all adults in a vehicle to wear seat belts.” [Virginia Mercury]
Demolition Looms for Annandale Shopping Center — “The developer of a future mixed-use project at the Eastgate Shopping Center on John Marr Drive in Annandale submitted a demolition plan to Fairfax County on Jan. 28 … Everything to the left of K Market — including Kimen Ramen Izakaya, Pelicana Chicken, The Block, b-Thrifty, ToBe Nails, Sinsegye Department, and Ben Gong’s Tea — is slated for demolition.” [Annandale Today]
Pizza Chain Founders to Open Falls Church Cafe — “A French cafe and creperie with a vintage aesthetic may be opening soon in Falls Church. The Little Falls Cafe is a new concept by Enzo Algarme and Anastasiya Laufenberg, the founders of Pupatella, an acclaimed Arlington-based pizzeria. The team aims for a spring opening.” [ARLnow]
Fairfax City Replaces Sewer — “Crews are replacing 200 feet of an aging sewer line on Orchard Street. The work area extends from Bevan Drive to a utility access point about 200 feet to the west of the intersection. Work is scheduled to take place at the site from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays through Friday, Feb. 21.” [City of Fairfax]
Tysons ID Verification Company Pursues Growth — “ID.me has closed on a gargantuan $275 million credit facility from Los Angeles’s Ares Management, which is also making a ‘substantial equity investment’ in the digital identity verification company. ID.me announced the financing Thursday and said in a news release it would use its largest-ever funding vehicle to speed its growth.” [Washington Business Journal]
FFXnow Seeks Feedback with Reader Survey — FFXnow is conducting our annual reader survey. “The survey is quick and straightforward to complete, but your responses will significantly influence our direction throughout 2025. Thank you for helping us better serve Fairfax County!” [FFXnow]
It’s Monday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures around 57°F and gentle south winds blowing at 3-8 mph. By night, the skies will turn mostly cloudy with the temperature dropping to approximately 46°F, as southwest winds pick up to around 7-10 mph. [NWS]
My name is Drew, and I wanted to take a moment to tell you about what I’ve been working on as I try to make my way in the world.
This past year, I took a leap that honestly scared me. I challenged the comfortable path I’d been on and built something new with trusted partners and friends: a local roofing and home‑exterior company called All Team Exteriors. On paper, it’s a business. But in my heart, it’s something much more personal than that.
I don’t just want to make a living here — I want to contribute something meaningful to a place that’s helped mold me.
I’ve worked in environments where professionalism, follow‑through, and integrity weren’t optional — they were the baseline. But when it came to home services, especially roofing, I saw how often homeowners were left frustrated, confused, or ignored. Slow responses. Vague communication. Contractors disappearing mid‑project.
And I thought:
Someone young, hungry, and honest should try to fix this.
So… I’m giving it everything I’ve got.
What I’m trying to build
All Team Exteriors isn’t a giant corporation. It’s not some out-of-state outfit with a call center. It’s me — and a small team of people committed to doing things the right way. We spent an extensive amount of time training under a perennial award-winning roofing company in Arizona this winter and learned what great looks like.
We’re bringing modern tools, photo-documented inspections, real-time updates, fast communication, and a “do what we say we’ll do” mentality. Not because it looks good in a brochure, but because that’s how I’d want someone to treat my own family.
So far we are off to an absolutely amazing start. It’s been a great first summer and we’d love to help you as well. You can give us a call anytime at 703-705-7207 for an absolutely free inspection and estimate on your roof, siding, gutters, doors, and windows. I’d love to have a chance to swing by and meet you and take a look at how we can work together to make your home safer and more secure.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and I sincerely hope we can help you and your family soon.
Come and learn about NVHC! Meet the Clergy, chat with other congregants, and see the sanctuary. Get to know our welcoming, vibrant, Reform Jewish community and enjoy some ice cream.
The weather will transition from mostly cloudy to sunny, with temperatures reaching a high of around 45 degrees. There will be a north wind blowing at a speed of 10 to 16 mph and gusts climbing up to 28 mph. During Saturday night, expect partly cloudy skies and a low temperature of approximately 25 degrees, accompanied by a northeast wind blowing at 3 to 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
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. 👋
Randolph-Macon's McKenzie Matheny (courtesy of Randolph-Macon athletics)
Two former high-school players from Fairfax County have helped the Division III Randolph-Macon College men’s and women’s basketball teams to standout records during the 2024-25 campaign.
West Springfield High graduate McKenzie Matheny has helped the women’s squad to a 17-1 record and 16 straight wins through Wednesday (Jan. 29) action.
Richmond runningback Andrew King (courtesy of Richmond football)
The pipeline of Flint Hill School graduates to college football teams keeps on growing.
As some high-school senior football players at the Flint Hill School have recently made commitments to play the sport at the next level, at least three others were freshmen members of college squads this past fall season.
An American Airlines flight passes over nearly two dozen crosses near Gravelly Point, a tribute to the 67 victims of the mid-air collision over the Potomac River (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Two of the three soldiers on the Army helicopter that collided with an American Airlines passenger jet over the Potomac River on Wednesday (Jan. 29) have been identified.
One of the bodies that has been recovered so far appears to be that of Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, a 28-year-old Lilburn, Georgia, native who had served in the Army as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot since 2017, the Department of the Army announced today (Friday).
A preschool kid drawing (via Gabe Pierce/Unsplash)
Fairfax County leaders anticipate asking voters to support funding this fall for early childhood education facilities.
Details of the potential standalone bond referendum, including the proposed dollar amount and projects to be supported, will come when County Executive Bryan Hill unveils his fiscal year 2026 budget and related capital-improvement program on Tuesday, Feb. 18.