Around Town

Tysons Corner Center is going all out for cherry blossom season this year.

The mall announced last week that it will host four weeks of “diverse creative programming and themed events” from March 20 to April 13.


Around Town

Update — Lakeside Asia Cafe didn’t reopen on March 18 as previously advertised. In an updated announcement on its website, the restaurant now says it will open its doors again on April 1.

Earlier: By this time tomorrow (Tuesday), Lakeside Asia Cafe should be back up and running.


Sports

It has been an exciting winter for George Mason University’s basketball teams. One made history by earning a Division I NCAA tournament berth, while the other just missed making the big March Madness dance.

The women’s team (27-5) received an automatic berth by winning the Atlantic 10 Conference tourney earlier this month as the No. 2 seed. The George Mason men came close to the same feat, but lost in the Atlantic 10 tournament final to Virginia Commonwealth University in a 68-63 heartbreaker on Sunday, March 16.


News

The Town of Vienna plans to stick with its current real estate tax rate, breaking from the hikes floated by many of its neighbors in Northern Virginia, including Fairfax County, the Town of Herndon and Fairfax City.

However, rising property values will still result in higher bills for most residents, while enabling the town to fund employee pay raises, an initial allocation toward a potential swimming pool and fitness center, and other priorities, according to the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget released on March 5 by Vienna Town Manager Mercury Payton.


Event

Join Breast Cancer Collective for the 2026 Walk to Bust Cancer on Sunday, October 18, at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria.
Walk alongside survivors, caregivers, friends, families, and neighbors for an uplifting community event supporting access to breast cancer screening and care across the DMV.
Walk to Bust Cancer brings our community together to turn hope into action and help expand access to timely breast health care. Register to walk, gather your team, and join us at Fort Hunt Park.


News

A Great Falls businessman has been ordered to serve prison time and pay restitution for stealing nearly $4.5 million from the IRS and his customers.

A federal judge sentenced Rick Tariq Rahim, 56, on Friday (March 14) to six years and six months in prison after he pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and intentionally failing to report and pay taxes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced.


Countywide

By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A northern Virginia judge determined embryos are not property that can be divided up, rejecting a previous analysis by the court saying such fertilized eggs could be considered divisible “goods or chattel” based on 19th-century slave law.


Countywide
Cars pass District Taco on Prosperity Avenue near the Dunn Loring Metro station (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Supervisor Herrity Recovering From Surgery — Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity underwent surgery on Thursday (March 13) for a hereditary heart condition discovered after he experienced medical issues earlier last week. Herrity, who hopes to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor, says he’s expected to fully recover but will be “sidelined from the campaign trail” for a few weeks. [Pat Herrity/Facebook]

Trump to Halt FBI HQ Move Again — “In a speech Friday at the Department of Justice, President Donald Trump (R) said he would stop plans to build the new FBI headquarters in Maryland because it’s ‘three hours away’ from the agency’s current site.” Maryland leaders said they will continue fighting for a relocation to Greenbelt, which was chosen over potential sites in Springfield and Landover. [Maryland Matters]

Man Banned from Flying United After Punching Dulles Worker — “A Frederick man punched a United Airlines gate agent at Dulles International Airport Thursday night, hospitalizing him. The shocking swing was caught on camera in a video shared with WUSA9.” The 54-year-old man has been charged with assault and disorderly conduct. [WUSA9]

WaPo Sportswriter Dies in McLean — “John Feinstein, a Washington Post sportswriter who became the best-selling author of more than 40 books, including “A Season on the Brink,” an inside look at volatile Indiana University men’s basketball coach Bob Knight, died March 13 at his brother’s home in McLean, Virginia. He was 69.” [Washington Post]

Local Contractor Charged with Fraud — “A Fairfax County, Virginia, contractor faces criminal charges for allegedly taking money from clients but never doing any work.” The owner of Capital Pro Services is facing six criminal charges related to three cases, including two involving homeowners they paid for construction that was never started. [NBC4]

D.C. Area Population Is Growing — “The Washington metro region is growing faster than the country overall, per the U.S. Census Bureau. The number of DMV residents dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic, per Census data, hurting everything from the office market to the restaurant scene. But the region has since bounced back — and then some.” [Axios DC]

Vienna Man Bites Officer, Police Say — “Officers responding to the report of an intoxicated man located the man lying on the ground. The man aggressively ran toward one of the officers attempting to assault him. As the officer was taking him into custody, the man bit the officer.” The 33-year-old man was arrested and charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer and obstructing justice. [Vienna Police]

Speed Humps Planned for Mount Vernon Road — “Slowly but surely, Radford Avenue — a residential road connecting Richmond Highway with the neighborhood of Mount Zephyr — is getting safer. The section of Radford between Route 1 and Jackson Place, an approximately one-third-mile segment of road, is getting two speed humps, according to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT).” [On the MoVe]

It’s Monday — Expect partly sunny skies with temperatures reaching a high around 56°F, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 15 to 17 mph, and gusts peaking at 28 mph. As night falls, the sky will be mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to about 36°F. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Friday 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 — Mar 14, 2025.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  • Health officials confirm measles case at Dulles Airport (18570 views)
  • Pennsylvania brewery to open first D.C. area restaurant near Herndon (18095 views)
  • Former Va. Senate candidate sentenced to jail for posing as immigration lawyer (11873 views)
  • Survey recommends preserving sites built during Fairfax County’s Modern architecture craze (6187 views)
  • Proposed Fairfax County budget threatens middle school summer and after-school programs (5652 views)
  • NEW: Arts Herndon to lose home despite Comstock project stalling (4558 views)
  • Fairfax County meals tax would require new staff, funding to administer (3560 views)
  • House fire in southern Fairfax County sends seven people to hospital (3507 views)
  • Fairfax County Public Schools to weigh stricter cellphone ban for high schools (3415 views)
  • Fairfax County leaders get initial, hazy look at scope of federal government cuts (3291 views)
  • Fairfax County board cautious on conversion of industrial land to housing (3078 views)
  • 📅 Upcoming events

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

    Here are the events planned for Sunday:

    🌥️ Saturday’s forecast

    Expect patchy fog to clear by 10am, giving way to cloudy conditions and a high of around 62°F, with south winds at 6 to 10 mph. For Saturday night, there’s a slight chance of showers after 2am and mostly cloudy conditions with a low of approximately 59°F. Expect southeast winds of 9 to 15 mph, gusting up to 26 mph. The chance of precipitation is 20%. 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.

    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. 👋


    News

    A teenager believed to be behind more than 50 graffiti incidents in Burke was caught this week by Fairfax County police.

    Responding to the 9500 block of Burke Road for multiple reports of vandalized property around 11:20 p.m. last night (Thursday), officers located a 16-year-old suspect who was covered in spray paint, police said.