News

A man traveled from Minnesota to Virginia this past weekend to engage in illicit sexual acts with a teenager, Fairfax County police say.

Officers were called to a house in the 2000 block of Blue Ridge Court near Herndon at 3:05 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25 after a resident reported finding his 15-year-old child with an adult man, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.


Countywide

Fairfax County leaders have joined hundreds of municipalities across the nation in pledging to do more to help the monarch butterfly’s survival.

The county’s Board of Supervisors agreed during its Jan. 14 meeting to sign on to the National Wildlife Foundation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge Program, which commits local governments to take various actions to stem loss of habitat for pollinators.


News

A pair of apartment buildings in north central Tysons recently changed hands, resulting in a name change for one of the properties.

Hanover Tysons, a 412-unit residential building at 1500 Westbranch Drive, has been rebranded as The Jones at Tysons after its original developer, The Hanover Company, sold the property to the financial services firm Mesirow Financial late last year.


Around Town

A company that provides athletic and strength training is planning to open a studio at Reston Station once the weather heats up.

Healthy Baller, which already has a location on Inova Health Systems’ campus in Merrifield, has signed a lease for 4,700 square feet of retail space in the office building at 11400 Commerce Park Drive, property owner Comstock Companies announced late last week.


Event

Local author and Fairfax County Public Library librarian Luis D. Aponte invites parents and community leaders to an empowering discussion inspired by his book “A Safe Place: How to Prevent the Next School Shooting.” Drawing on seven years of research into more than 1,200 U.S. school shooting incidents, he shares practical, nonpartisan, research‑based steps families and schools can use to strengthen safety and emotional well‑being. Discover hopeful, community‑building solutions that help every child feel supported and able to thrive. Attendees receive two free ebooks, with a paperback signing to follow.

Adults. No registration required. Free event. For more information, visit ASafePlaceBook.com.


Countywide

Hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s technology meltdown, Fairfax County Park Authority officials are making revisions to their 2025 spring and summer camp registration procedures.

The biggest change: The first day of registration will vary depending on where a camp program is located.


Countywide
An art wall designed by Dan Cheetham on 1950 Opportunity Way in the Reston Town Center expansion (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Groveton Apartments Targeted by ICE Raid — “Some residents of an apartment complex in Fairfax County, Virginia, say they’re alarmed and frightened after waking up to loud door knocks from federal agents before sunrise on Sunday.” The raid at the Beacon Hill Apartments was one of many carried out nationwide by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 26, leading to more than 1,170 arrests. [NBC4]

Two Virginia Children Die From Flu — “The Virginia Department of Health on Monday reported two influenza-associated pediatric deaths, the first reports for the 2024–25 flu season. One death occurred in a young school-aged child between the ages of 5 of 12 years old in Virginia’s Eastern Region and one in a teenage child between the ages of 13 and 17 years old in the Central Region, which is in the southern part of the state.” [Inside NoVA]

Senate Passes Bill to Protect Voting ‘Quiet Period’ — The state Senate voted 20-18 yesterday (Monday) to pass a proposal from Sen. Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) “to clarify the federal 90-day threshold for voter roll removals and extend the response time for flagged individuals to contest their potential purge.” Removals of voters flagged as “non-citizens” last year led to a lawsuit and reports of people being erroneously dropped from voter rolls. [Virginia Mercury]

Longtime Radio Anchor Dies — “WTOP evening anchor Dimitri Sotis, whose deep, warm voice informed and kept listeners in the D.C. region company during storms, elections and breaking news, has died at the age of 55 … Sotis was the evening anchor at WTOP for more than two decades; listeners heard his distinctive timbre weekdays from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.” [WTOP]

N. Va. Business Leaders Optimistic About Economy — “Northern Virginia business owners are overwhelmingly optimistic about the region’s economy in the new year, but affordability has become a top concern for business leaders trying to attract new talent and new businesses to the region,” according to a recent survey conducted on behalf of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce. [WTOP]

Fairfax City Police Make Arrest After Gunshots Reported — “City of Fairfax Police have apprehended a suspect in connection to the attempted malicious wounding that occurred Friday morning in the 3100 block of Campbell Drive … Investigators recovered shell casings on the scene. No injuries were reported and no property was reported damaged, according to police.” [Patch]

Falls Church Advances Accessory Unit Policy Update — “Falls Church officials are nearing a decision on an ordinance that would make it easier to build accessory-dwelling units … At a Council work session last week, however, there was a split between elected leaders and top staff on how much remaining public input is advisable before the matter goes to a vote.” [ARLnow]

Local Students Compete in World Diving Championships — “Carter G. Woodson High School senior Nathaniel Grannis and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) senior Rem Turatbekov have gone international. Nathaniel and Rem recently returned from the Junior World Diving Championships in Rio de Janeiro, where Nathaniel represented the U.S. and Rem dove for his birth country, Kyrgyzstan.” [FCPS]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny conditions today with a high of around 52 degrees and west winds at 7 to 12 mph, increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon, with potential gusts up to 33 mph. The evening will bring mostly clear skies and a low of about 31 degrees. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Monday 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 — Jan 27, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Tuesday’s forecast

Expect sunshine and a high of approximately 48 degrees today, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 8 to 18 mph and gusts reaching up to 33 mph. Tonight, the skies will be mostly clear as temperatures drop to around 32 degrees. The light and variable wind will shift to a southwestern direction, at a speed of 5 to 9 mph in the evening. 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

Overall depth, including victories in two relays and three in individual races, and many more top-five finishes helped the Flint Hill Huskies win their second straight swimming and diving league championship.

The Oakton private school’s boys high school team won the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference private-school title on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Catholic University with 162.5 team points. The Huskies’ neighborhood rival Potomac School Panthers were second with 127.


Sports

An entertaining individual shootout occurred involving three top scoring leaders when neighborhood rivals met on Saturday, Jan. 25 in a girls’ high-school basketball game.

The Potomac School Panthers defeated the host Flint Hill Huskies, 73-53, for their second straight win in that Independent School League private-school clash. The loss snapped the Huskies’ four-game victory string, as Flint Hill stands 12-6.