Northern Virginia’s lone nonprofit community center for LGBTQ+ individuals marked the opening on Saturday (March 29) of a new facility designed to expand opportunities serving the region.
“We have a lot of exciting things we want to do with this space,” said NoVA Prism Center board president Sydney Mastrangelo during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the expanded service center at 1340 Old Chain Bridge Road in McLean.
Competition for seats on the McLean Community Center’s Governing Board remains strong.
After fielding a dozen candidates for four adult seats and two youth seats last year, the MCC announced last Thursday (March 27) that 15 residents — six adults and nine teens — have qualified for the 2025 board elections.
SAVE THE DATE!
December 4-6, 2026
Experience the magic of the holiday season at this beloved event that has offered truly unique, handcrafted treasures for more than four decades. Find pottery, glass, jewelry, fashion accessories, woodwork, artisanal foods, and more from eighty exceptional regional artisans. Come discover the perfect gifts, treat yourself to lunch at the onsite café, and celebrate the spirit of the season with us! A juried show since 1982.
• FREE parking | 1234 Ingleside Ave, McLean, VA 22101
• Proceeds support the NVHG Scholarship Program for college art students
• Tote bags will be given to the first 200 attendees each day
• MCC has accessible entrances and restrooms
For additional information please visit:
www.nvhg.org
www.mcleancenter.org
While Fairfax County continues studying what to do with Lake Accotink, another local manmade body of water is gearing up for a dredging.
A contractor will begin operations in Reston next Monday (April 7) to dredge up and dispose of accumulated sediment from the canal at the northwest corner of Lake Anne, Reston Association announced in a newsletter on Friday (March 28).
Finding better ways for bus networks across Northern Virginia to better collaborate seems to be a priority for local representatives on the DMV Moves task force.
However, the possibility of consolidating the disparate systems into one appeared to be a non-starter, especially for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.
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Fairfax Corner will kick off a long year of retail openings with three new arrivals this spring.
Both salad restaurant Sweetgreen and ear piercing studio Rowan expect to open their doors tomorrow (Tuesday), spearheading a list of half-a-dozen new storefronts scheduled to open in 2025.
Two women are facing a range of criminal charges in connection to a series of thefts at Fairfax County businesses more than seven months after the crimes occurred.
In the most recent case, on July 19, 2024, officers were dispatched to the 2900 block of District Avenue in Merrifield’s Mosaic District at 5:51 p.m. for a grand larceny report.
Ash Seen Falling in Fairfax — “Ash [was] falling on parts of Arlington and Fairfax County due to a ‘very large controlled burn’ nearby … Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said on social media around 5:30 p.m. [Sunday, March 30] that it’s due to an intentional brush fire to the south” at Quantico Marine Corps Base. [ARLnow]
Police Chief Comments on Immigration Enforcement — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced he wanted to tie state funding to cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. He said that would, in particular, impact Fairfax County. [Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin] Davis admitted he wasn’t aware of the governor’s comments, but that his department had its hands full enforcing state and local laws, and was content to let federal agencies handle federal laws.” [WTOP]
Fairfax City Music Venue to Close — “Fairfax City’s Earp’s Ordinary announced on social media [last Wednesday, March 26 that] it was closing its doors after 15 months. The 10,000-square-foot restaurant/bar/music venue will pack up its guitars and amplifiers for the last time on Sunday, April 13.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Two-Alarm House Fire in Springfield — “Earlier [Sunday], around 3:30pm, #FairfaxsBravest responded to reports of a house fire in the 7900 block of Hill Stream Court in Springfield. Units arrived to heavy fire and smoke coming from the home and fire rapidly spreading … All occupants safely evacuated. No firefighter or civilian injuries.” [FCFRD/Facebook]
FCPS to Pilot Later Middle School Start Times — “The Fairfax County School Board directed the superintendent to develop a pilot program for later start times at Mason District middle schools … The motion says the plan should minimize start time changes for the high school pyramids that serve those middle schools. It calls for Superintendent Michelle Reid to report back to the school board by April 10.” [Annandale Today]
Upgrades in the Works for Rec Centers — “The Fairfax County Park Authority is undertaking significant revitalization projects at Oakmont and Franconia Rec Centers to enhance pool air quality for swimmers and spectators.” Work at Oakmont is underway and expected to finish in April, while the Franconia renovations are set to begin in mid-April and continue into early May. [FCPA]
GMU Men’s Basketball Coach’s Contract Extended — George Mason University announced has extended its contract for Tony Skinn, the head coach of its men’s basketball team, through the 2029-2030 season. Skinn was named the 2024-25 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year after leading the Patriots to their best-ever season in the Atlantic 10 conference and a school record-tying 27 overall wins. [GMU]
Local Little League Kicks Off 60th Anniversary Season — “Little League Opening Day today at Fort Hunt and [Woodlawn]. Woodlawn LL celebrating its 60th anniversary! Lots of happy kids ready to get outside and experience some teamwork and community activity!” [Scott Surovell/Bluesky]
It’s Monday — Expect isolated showers to develop into afternoon thunderstorms with a high near 79. Rainfall amounts may reach up to a quarter of an inch. Thunderstorms continue before 8pm, followed by potential showers until 2am; low near 45. Chance of precipitation remains high, with up to three-quarters of an inch of rain possible. [NWS]
Good Friday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Mar 28, 2025.
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
Here is what’s going on Saturday throughout the county, from our event calendar.
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
The weather will be predominantly cloudy, reaching a high of 83 degrees accompanied by a southwest wind blowing at 9 to 11 mph and gusts potentially reaching 22 mph. Saturday night also brings a mostly cloudy sky, with temperatures dipping to a low of around 63 degrees, while the southwest wind maintains a speed of about 9 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
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. 👋
A rally organized by local LGBTQ advocacy groups outside Luther Jackson Middle School in Merrifield last night (Thursday) served as both a celebration of the upcoming Transgender Day of Visibility and a call for solidarity.
During the half-hour rally, that solidarity manifested in dozens of passing vehicles honking in apparent support of the crowd, which had gathered ahead of a Fairfax County School Board meeting to support the trans community.
