Countywide

More than three years after Fairfax County leaders authorized collective bargaining, a majority of the county government’s workers have yet to choose a representative for future contract negotiations.

That could soon change, as one established union gears up for a potential election this month, while a challenger turns to the courts in an effort to halt the vote.


News

A man stationed at the German military’s outpost in Reston will serve more than six years in prison after pleading guilty to downloading thousands of images and videos of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia says.

Peter Markus Kuttke, a 49-year-old German national who lives in Reston, was indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 7, 2024 on one count of receiving child pornography, according to court records.


Around Town

Local pho fans have a new restaurant to choose from, this time in Dunn Loring.

Viet Corner, which comes from the family behind the Alexandria eatery Pho Viet Flare, opened on Saturday (April 5) in the former Quickway Hibachi storefront in the Shops at Avenir Place.


Countywide
Kwanzan cherry blossoms at Hunters Woods Village Center in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Springfield Parents Allege Assaults on School Bus — The mother of an autistic kindergarten student at Springfield Estates Elementary School says video footage showed her daughter being sexually assaulted by another student on a school bus that transports special education students. “She contacted police to make them aware, and learned other students may have experienced something similar.” [WTOP]

Driver Crashes into Fairfax Japanese Restaurant — “An elderly man drove his car into the dining room of Ariake, a Japanese restaurant in Fairfax, on Friday, April 4. The incident occurred around noon, just as the lunchtime rush was about to start. About 15 customers were inside Ariake at the time of the accident, Shiho Norris, the restaurant’s manager says.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Dulles Airport Flight Evacuated for Security Search — “Frontier Airlines Flight 4708 inbound from Atlanta landed around 2:30 p.m. and then stopped just off the runway. Several emergency vehicles staged nearby but most kept their distance. According to Frontier, a beeping noise from the cargo area prompted a ‘precautionary security search.'” [WUSA9]

Agriculture Department Could Leave D.C. HQ — “The Agriculture Department is planning to dismantle its presence in Washington, D.C., according to several officials briefed on the plans, and will relocate those it does not lay off to three hubs around the country.” The potential new locations and the extent of layoffs accompanying the moves are unclear. [Government Executive]

Gun Charge Dropped Against N. Va. Man — “The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alexandria is dropping a criminal charge against a Dale City man dubbed by the Trump administration as the East Coast’s top leader of the MS-13 street gang.” Prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the firearm possession charge against the 24-year-old man, who was arrested on March 27 in a “dramatic and highly-publicized” raid. [Inside NoVa]

Eden Center Businesses Thrown by Tariffs — “Massive retaliatory tariffs that went into effect today before abruptly going on pause have left Eden Center businesses rethinking pricing and fearing for the future.” The 120-plus family-owned businesses in the Falls Church shopping center rely heavily on imported goods from China, Vietnam and other mostly Asian countries. [ARLnow]

Reston Association Election Results Announced — “At the Reston Association’s annual meeting on Tuesday night, the results of the 2025 board of directors election were announced. Matthew Mullenix and Michael Lanza were elected to serve three-year terms as the new At-Large Director and North Point Director, respectively.” [Patch]

Tysons Steakhouse Rolls Out Brunch — “801 Chophouse Tysons Corner (8484 Westpark Dr.) is thrilled to debut its new Sunday brunch service, available weekly from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.” The brunch menu includes dishes like avocado toast and steak and eggs, along with a selection of cocktails. [Tysons Today]

It’s Thursday — Expect cloudy skies and temperatures reaching up to 57. Southeast winds will range from 6-10 mph, gusting up to 20 mph, and there’s a 60% chance of precipitation, mainly after 2pm. Night will bring a 90% chance of rain, lows around 47 and east winds of 7-10 mph. [NWS]


Event

Menopause is more than a physical transition—it can also be a time of profound change in how we see ourselves and what we want from life. As familiar roles, responsibilities, and priorities shift, many women find themselves asking, “Who am I now?” In this presentation, we'll explore how our identities have been shaped and consider which parts of ourselves still fit and which may be ready to change.

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Around Town

Good Wednesday 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 9, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌧️ Thursday’s forecast

Showers are likely after 2pm, accompanied by a cloudy high of 57°F and south winds between 7-13 mph, gusting up to 21 mph. There’s a 40% chance of precipitation. Thursday night brings rain and a low of 46°F, with southeast winds between 9-13 mph, gusting up to 26 mph. Precipitation chances increase to 80%, with new precipitation amounts possibly ranging between a quarter and half of an inch. 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.


News

Fairfax County police are investigating an SUV crash that killed a pedestrian in February but was previously not publicly reported.

Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Centreville Road and Parcher Avenue in the Hutchinson area just outside the Town of Herndon at 2:55 p.m. on Feb. 14 for a crash involving a pedestrian, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release today (Wednesday).


News

After staying largely dormant since 2021, plans for a 2-mile bicycle/pedestrian path from the Franconia-Springfield Metro station south to Newington Road are back — as is opposition from some neighbors and advocacy groups.

Fairfax County officials in recent months have ramped up efforts to obtain easements from property owners along the planned route of the Cinder Bed Road Bikeway.


Countywide

Even without taking into account the global economic havoc being wreaked by new tariffs, the Trump administration’s gutting of the federal workforce could have worse impacts on the D.C. region than Covid, Fairfax County authorities say.

A 20% reduction in the federal workforce could devastate the economy in Fairfax County, where approximately 80,000 residents — about 13% of the workforce — are employed by the federal government, according to updated data from the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA).


Countywide

Fairfax County supervisors piled on the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) yesterday, criticizing the agency’s response to the Jan. 6-7 snowstorm — and what local leaders saw as a seeming indifference to concerns raised about it.

“You failed miserably, [and] it doesn’t seem to me you have a plan to go forward. All you have are excuses, and I don’t want to hear excuses,” Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez said during a Tuesday (April 8) meeting of the Board of Supervisors’ Transportation Committee.