Around Town

An Arlington-based chain of health-conscious eateries is now catering to more than just local diners.

South Block began serving customers at Dulles International Airport on Monday, Dec. 30, opening up its collection of smoothies, acai bowls and cold-pressed juice to travelers.


Around Town

The transformation of Farmtruck Pizza & Greens into Farmside Kitchen is complete.

After closing last Sept. 15, the health-conscious, fast-casual restaurant reopened under its new branding at 11 a.m. today (Thursday) at 14385 Newbrook Drive, Suite 500, in Chantilly’s The Field at Commonwealth shopping center.


News

A project to convert a vacant office building in Merrifield into workforce housing could move forward this year.

The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) and private developer Conifer Realty are in the midst of negotiations with Inova Health Care Services to acquire the four-story office building at 2990 Telestar Court, according to FCRHA spokesperson Allyson Pearce.


Around Town

The new year will bring a new coffee and snack spot to Reston.

De Clieu Coffee and Sandwich has boarded up the windows of a vacant commercial building at 2235 Soapstone Drive near 7-Eleven in anticipation of opening its third location in Northern Virginia later this winter.


Countywide
Flags fly at half-staff over the water fountain at Vienna’s Town Green (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Lightning Strikes D.C. Landmarks — “2024 did not go out with a whimper, as storms moved into the region on New Year’s Eve, producing heavy rain, wind gusts and prompting a tornado warning and lightning strikes at two iconic D.C. structures. Lightning struck the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol Tuesday night as the storms rolled through the District.” [WTOP]

Rep. Connolly Reacts to New Orleans Attack — “I am heartbroken by the horrific attack in New Orleans. My heart is with the victims, their families, and the people of New Orleans. Thank you to every first responder who ran toward danger to protect innocent lives.” [Rep. Gerry Connolly/Twitter]

Fairfax City Police Investigate Shots-Fired Incident — “Police are asking the public’s help in identifying the person who shot a firearm around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday in the 9900 block of Fairfax Square. This is the second such shooting in the neighborhood” in December. No injuries or property damage were reported, but bullet casings were found. [Patch]

South County Sees Rebound in Tourism — “Visit Fairfax, the county’s destination marketing organization, is upbeat about the post-pandemic resurgence of tourism in Southeast Fairfax County — particularly in the resource- and attraction-rich parts of the Mount Vernon District.” Attractions like the Woodlawn and Pope-Leighey House and the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton reported upticks in visitors for 2024. [On the MoVe]

Police Seek Suspects in Annandale Home Burglary — “On December 27, at 2:48 p.m., officers responded to the 3300 block of Elm Terrace in Annandale for a residential burglary alarm. The complainant reported seeing two suspects enter her home on surveillance cameras. After activating an audible alarm, the suspects fled prior to police arrival.” [FCPD]

Tysons Marriott Hotel Sold — “The Tysons Corner Marriott has sold for nearly $63.9 million, or $161,227 per key, to a New York real estate investment management firm that appears to be making its first entry into Greater Washington’s hospitality market. The sale, to an affiliate of Prospect Ridge, was recorded Dec. 5, per Fairfax County land records.” [Washington Business Journal]

Incoming Fairfax City Council Member Gets Engaged — “As if getting elected to the Fairfax City Council didn’t make 2024 special enough for Anthony Amos, he decided to cap the year off by getting engaged … Monterrosa and Amos first met in Hawaii in 2018. The couple has set Sept. 20, 2025 as a tentative date for their wedding ceremony.” [Patch]

It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high temperature near 40 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 11 to 16 mph and gusts up to 28 mph. For Thursday night, the conditions will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 29 degrees and a west wind at 6 to 9 mph. [NWS]


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 — Dec 31, 2024.

📅 Upcoming events

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

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

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

Mostly sunny skies are expected today, with comfortable afternoon temperatures reaching the low 70s, making for a pleasant day. As the evening progresses, scattered clouds will begin to appear along with light winds, cooling the temperatures down into the mid 50s overnight. Tomorrow, expect an increase in cloud cover leading to a chance of showers in the afternoon, followed by steadier rain towards the evening. 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

With 2025 on the horizon, FFXnow is taking a final look back at the past year in Fairfax County news.

In the past, we’ve closed out the year by reviewing the 10 most-read stories, but with “best restaurant” rankings taking up nearly half of the top 10 spots (in case you’ve ever wondered why we cover every shoutout to a local establishment by the Washington Post, Washingtonian or another outlet), we’re going to instead highlight the most memorable stories of this year.


Countywide

New Year’s Day will bring a number of new laws and regulations into effect across Virginia.

While legislation passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor typically has an effective date of the start of the state government’s fiscal year on July 1, some measures are delayed until Jan. 1 each year.