Around Town

Good Thursday 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 16, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Friday’s forecast

Expect sunny skies and a high temperature of about 39 degrees today, accompanied by a west wind at 6-9 mph, which will shift to a south wind in the afternoon. Tonight, the weather will transition to increasing cloudiness, with the temperature dropping to around 29 degrees, as the south wind continues at 5-8 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.


Sports

A contest-within-the-contest played out Monday (Jan. 13) when the Wakefield Warriors hosted the Marshall Statesmen in Liberty District boys basketball action.

The game feature a battle-of-the-big men showdown between 6-foot-6 senior centers Kooper Odar of Wakefield and Anderson Krisko of Marshall.


Sports

The initial girls and boys Division I private-school state basketball rankings of the 2024-25 high-school season includes a number of teams from Northern Virginia.

In the girls poll, the Potomac School Panthers of McLean are ranked fifth. The Panthers finished second in the Division I state tournament last season, losing to St. Paul VI Catholic in the title game.


News

After years of anticipation, the Mount Vernon RECenter is skating closer to its grand reopening.

The Fairfax County Park Authority plans to host an information session next Thursday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. in the Belle View Elementary School cafeteria (6701 Fort Hunt Road) to preview the revamped facility.


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.


News

Fairfax County Public Schools won the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s support yesterday (Wednesday) for construction of a new Dunn Loring Elementary School.

The zoning recommendation, which now goes to the Board of Supervisors, will help support “decades of [student] growth to come,” Providence District Commissioner Jeremy Hancock said.


News

A Maryland man has been convicted of cocaine possession after the drug was found in a cake he transported from Colombia to Dulles International Airport last spring.

Gildo Ricci, a 69-year-old Peruvian citizen who legally resides in Rockville, had 2.07 kilograms of cocaine concealed in food that customs agents discovered in his luggage on April 25, 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.


News

A gift from The Madeira School’s past will enable it to plan for the future, the head of the private, all-girls’ school in McLean says.

The Madeira School, a college preparatory and boarding school that serves students in grades 9 through 12, announced this week that an anonymous former graduate has donated $60 million — a record amount not only for this 118-year-old school, but for any independent girls’ school in the U.S.


News

Fairfax County’s plan to transform a shuttered hotel in the Fair Oaks area into an emergency family shelter has cleared a major hurdle, but the county’s planning commission will have the final say later this month.

The Board of Supervisors voted 9-1 on Tuesday (Jan. 14) to allow the former Extended Stay America at 3997 Fair Ridge Drive to be repurposed as a public facility. Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity was the lone dissenting vote.