Countywide
The sky is reflected in Walney Pond at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Workers Fired at D.C. Area National Parks — “More than 750 national park workers have been fired amid the Trump administration’s purge of federal employees, per an unofficial tally … Nearly 40 employees were fired from the National Capital Region, which encompasses 15 designated parklands, including Great Falls.” [Axios DC]

Man Charged with Indecent Exposure in Centreville — Police have arrested a 20-year-old man from Maryland who allegedly exposed himself in front of a woman. “On February 26, the victim reported that she was walking near Route 28 and Machen Drive in Centreville when she was approached by a man in a car who exposed himself.” [FCPD]

WaPo Columnist Resigns Over Op-Ed Changes — “A top political columnist for The Washington Post resigned today, accusing Post chief executive and publisher Will Lewis of killing her column that criticized owner Jeff Bezos’s drive to overhaul the opinion pages to focus on his libertarian priorities.” [NPR]

Parent Concerned by Potential FCPS Start Time Changes — “As Fairfax County Public Schools weighs options for how to start middle schools later in the morning, some parents in the Northern Virginia school district are concerned about the impact such a change would have on their kids’ routines.” [WTOP]

Middle Eastern Eatery Opens in Seven Corners — “Hamza & Madina Halal Food is now open in the Seven Corners Center. The eatery offers $10.99 platters featuring chicken, lamb, fish, kofta, or falafel over rice or salad.” [Annandale Today]

Bills Would Bolster Tree Canopy Preservation — Two General Assembly bills currently awaiting Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s signature would give all localities statewide the option to increase their tree canopy preservation requirements and create funds for planting and maintaining trees. Right now, only a select few localities in Northern Virginia, including Fairfax County, have those authorities. [Virginia Mercury]

General Assembly Passes Invasive Plants Bill — “Del. Holly Seibold, D-Fairfax, introduced House Bill 1941 and Sen. Saddam Salim, D-Fairfax, introduced Senate Bill 1166. The bills, which passed with bipartisan support, require stores to post signage to educate shoppers on invasive species and encourage native plants as an alternative.” Previous versions of the bills that included fines were vetoed last year by Youngkin. [VCU Capital News Service/Virginia Mercury]

New Art Studio in Vienna Welcomes Beginners — “You can’t miss the entrance to iCreate. The eccentric new art studio in Vienna caters to nonartists, with an array of beginner-friendly creative classes — including an option to aim BB guns and throw water balloons filled with nontoxic paint at your canvas.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunshine and a high of around 72 degrees, with calm winds shifting to the south at around 6 mph in the afternoon. As for Tuesday night, it will be mostly clear with a low of approximately 44 degrees. South winds at 5 to 7 mph will transition to northwest after midnight. [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 — Mar 10, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

  • No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.

☀️ Tuesday’s forecast

Expect sunny skies and a high of 71 degrees, accompanied by calm winds that will shift to a southwest direction at 5 to 7 mph during the afternoon. Tuesday night will be mostly clear with a low temperature of around 45 degrees. The south wind, blowing at roughly 7 mph, will change to a northwest direction after midnight. 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

Matchbox is no longer just about pizza, especially in McLean.

In late February, the regional chain rolled out an expanded “Matchbox Prime” dinner menu with steak and seafood options exclusively at its McLean location, which opened at 1340 Chain Bridge Road next to Lidl in April 2023.


News

A one-time Virginia Senate candidate will have to spend time in jail and pay restitution to her victims after fraudulently posing as an immigration lawyer.

Jasmine Moawad, a 49-year-old woman originally from Bolivia, was sentenced to five years in jail for fraud on Friday, March 7, with all but six months suspended, the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office announced.


Event

Join Comunidad for its Annual 5Dollar5K—a fun, family-friendly race that brings neighbors together in support of local children, teens, and families in Falls Church and Arlington. Run, walk, or cheer from the sidelines, and bring the little ones for a special Kids’ Dash! Registration is just $5, and children ages 12 and under participate for free. Comunidad is a community development organization based in the Seven Corners area of Falls Church. We hope you'll join us and together help us build comunidad!


News

With an entrance flanked by a Little Free Art Gallery and a colorful “LOVE” sign, Arts Herndon brings visible energy to a block of downtown Herndon otherwise dominated by an asphalt parking lot.

After this month, however, there will only be the parking lot and an empty concrete building, even though the development project that necessitated a temporary displacement of the art groups on the property has ground to a halt.


Countywide

Fairfax County high school students may soon have to keep their phones off and out of sight for the entire school day, not just during class.

This week, school staff recommended the School Board adopt a stricter “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban, replacing the current policy of allowing phone use during passing periods and lunch.


News

Seven people were taken to a hospital as a result of a house fire that occurred Friday afternoon (March 7) in the Crosspointe area near Lorton.

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD) dispatched units around 2 p.m. to a single-family home in the 8300 block of Ivy Green Road after getting calls for a fire in the attached garage.


Countywide

State health officials have been alerted to a confirmed case of measles in a recent traveler at Dulles International Airport.

A Maryland resident returning to the D.C. area earlier this month may have exposed other travelers to the highly contagious, airborne illness, local health departments said over the weekend.


Countywide
Rustic Love’s “Hearts and Homes” mural in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

State Department Worker Charged in Espionage Case — “A U.S. Department of State employee from Alexandria is facing federal charges for allegedly participating in a criminal conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information.” The 42-year-old man is accused of sharing classified information with people he met online “in exchange for payments.” [ALXnow]

Metro Axes Diversity and Sustainability Offices — “Metro is eliminating its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as the transit system looks to secure federal funding from the Trump administration … Metro’s Office of Sustainability will also be eliminated. Department head Rachel Healy will assume a new role as the director of Energy and Environment.” [WTOP]

GW Parkway Ramp to Close for Tree Clearing — “On Tuesday, March 11, the ramp from George Washington Memorial Parkway to northbound I-495 will be closed between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. The ramp closure will allow crews to conduct tree clearing as part of the I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project.” [VDOT]

GMU Women’s Basketball Team Makes NCAA Tournament — “The George Mason women’s basketball team is going to the NCAA tournament for the first time in the school’s history after beating St. Joseph’s 73-58 Sunday to claim the Atlantic-10 Conference tournament title. The Patriots’ program has existed for 51 years and this is the team’s first-ever appearance in the upcoming NCAA tournament.” [WTOP]

Man Sentenced to Jail for Grocery Store Thefts — “A 33-year-old D.C. man was sentenced last month to eight months in prison for committing a string of petit larcenies at grocery stores in Alexandria and Fairfax County.The man was arrested on January 28 for four outstanding warrants in Alexandria [and] nine outstanding warrants in Fairfax County.” [ALXnow]

Park Authority Launches Needs Study — “The Fairfax County Park Authority is launching the Parks Count! 2026 Parks Needs Assessment to evaluate park and recreation needs across the county. We want to hear from you! Your feedback will help guide improvements to amenities, facilities and programs for the next five years.” [FCPA]

Centreville Restaurant Still a Draw After a Decade — “At a restaurant that’s already successful, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. But introducing a cheese wheel, well, that couldn’t hurt. That’s what Antonino Di Nicola, executive chef and partner at Ciao Osteria, was thinking at the start of 2020 when he began serving fettuccine with lobster out of a wheel of Parmesan.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Photo Show Coming to Vienna — “Amateur photographers from across the region are invited to put their talent and photography skills on full display in the 2025 Vienna Photo Show. The show and contest are set to take place Saturday and Sunday, March 15-16, at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., SE, Vienna, Virginia.” [Town of Vienna]

It’s Monday — Expect a sunny day with a high temperature around 65 accompanied by a light southwest breeze. As the night progresses, it will be mostly clear with temperatures dropping to around 40, along with mild and fluctuating winds. [NWS]