Around Town

A restaurant brand inspired by the history of the Ford Motor Company has set its sights on Fairfax County.

Formulators of Ford’s Garage, a burger and craft beer eatery chain, have joined with an area franchisee to add three of the brand’s restaurants to Northern Virginia, the company announced Tuesday.


News

One man was killed in a single-vehicle crash at Prosperity Avenue and Morningside Drive near the Mantua neighborhood and south of Merrifield.

According to police, the driver struck a tree near the intersection and was declared deceased at the scene. The crash occurred around noon, according to scanner traffic.


News

A recent briefing from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) did little to quell questions and concerns from regional leaders about a proposal to extend the I-495 Express Lanes from Springfield into Prince George’s County, Maryland.

The Southside Express Lanes project is a “complex and lengthy” undertaking, VDOT Northern Virginia District Megaprojects Director Michelle Shropshire told the D.C. region’s Transportation Planning Board (TPB) at a meeting yesterday (Tuesday).


News

A Lorton man will spend most of the next two decades in federal prison after coercing young girls to create and send him sexually explicit content on social media.

Jose Alejandro Belmonte Cardozo, who pleaded guilty in November to one count of transporting child pornography, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison yesterday (Tuesday) by a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.


Event

In its 14th year of production, Skye Ballet Center presents The Nutcracker. The absolutely gorgeous ballet will take place on Saturday, November 28th at 2 pm and 6 pm. Join us to a wonderful start to the holiday season!!

SBC Nutcracker
South Lakes High School
2:00 and 6:00 pm


Countywide

More than a dozen international students at George Mason University have recently had their visas terminated or revoked by the federal government, the university says.

The U.S. departments of state and homeland security apparently changed the statuses of 15 students without any involvement by or prior notice to university officials, GMU President Gregory Washington and Vice President for University Life Rose Pascarell told the community yesterday (Tuesday).


Countywide
Traffic on Route 50 in West Falls Church (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Education takes center stage in Virginia governor’s race — “With trust in Virginia’s public schools at a crossroads, education is once again taking center stage in the race for governor — and the two nominees are offering Virginians starkly different paths forward.” [Virginia Scope]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny and breezy conditions with highs near 59°F accompanied by a 14 to 21 mph northwest wind and gusts up to 34 mph. Tonight, the skies will remain clear, with lows around 40°F and a 6 to 11 mph northwest wind, gusting up to 22 mph. [NWS]

Virginia braces for changes to student aid programs — “U.S. Education Department suggests permanently altering Public Service Loan Forgiveness, income-based repayment programs.” [Virginia Mercury]

GMU to Launch Virginia’s First Public Master’s Program in AI — “Students will learn how to manage artificial intelligence with real-world applications beginning in fall 2025.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Could Tysons Corner Casino Proposal Be A Potential Gateway To Online Gaming Legalization? — “Virginia lawmakers have decided to continue discussing the possibility of allowing a new casino complex in Tysons Corner, Fairfax County.” [Washington City Paper]

Watch Out for These New Bakeries Coming Soon to Northern Virginia — “Croissants, cupcakes, and pastries are coming your way.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]


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 — Apr 15, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

Expect sunny conditions and a high of 58°F, accompanied by a west wind at 14-18 mph, gusting up to 30 mph. The night will be clear with temperatures dipping to around 38°F, and a northwest wind blowing at 7-14 mph, gusting up to 20 mph. 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.


Around Town

The first shots of the American Revolutionary War were fired in Concord, Massachusetts, 250 years ago this Saturday (April 19).

To commemorate the war’s 250th anniversary, there will be a variety of events around Fairfax County over the next few weeks, continuing a year-long, statewide VA 250 initiative.


News

Some major upgrades could be coming to Dunn Loring Park’s athletic fields.

The Fairfax County Park Authority announced last week that it’s exploring plans to resurface and expand the existing basketball court at 2540 Gallows Road, possibly turning it into a dual-purpose basketball/futsal court.