Countywide
Difficult Run in Great Falls on Dec. 29, 2024 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Driver in Fatal Hit-and-Run Still Unknown — “A Fairfax County family is still searching for answers after a devastating hit-and-run crash claimed the life of their matriarch, Mary Wong. The crash happened on Huntsman Boulevard near Bridle Wood Drive just before 8 p.m. on December 27th, 2023 — just two days after Christmas.” [FOX5]

Metro Construction Finishes Ahead of Schedule — Metro resumed normal service at 5 a.m. today (Monday) after suspending operations on parts of the Blue, Orange and Silver lines in D.C. for 10 days of track repairs and upgrades. The construction work finished a day early and “more than $450,000 under budget.” [WMATA]

Motorcyclist Killed in Fair Lakes Crash Identified — Police are continuing to investigate a crash that killed motorcyclist Michael Yung of Lorton at West Ox Road and Piney Branch Road on Friday (Dec. 27). Detectives are looking at whether “speed was a factor” in the crash, which saw Yung collide with an SUV that was turning left in the intersection. [FCPD]

Police Investigate Reston Burglary — “Detectives from our Criminal Investigations Division are seeking the community’s help in identifying suspects who burglarized a business and stole electronics in Reston on Christmas Eve.” Police say four people broke into the business in the 1600 block of Reston Parkway and stole electronics around 5 a.m. on Dec. 24. [FCPD]

Critic’s Take on Year’s Best New N. Va. Restaurants — “I’ve been through the good, bad, and forgettable this year, all to bring you a list of my favorite Northern Virginia restaurants of 2024. From vegan soups to dry-aged fish, these are the new restaurants that I’ve measured most favorably.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

This Silver Line Station is Metro’s Least Used — “About 400,000 people ride Metro trains daily, making it the second-busiest subway system in the country behind New York City’s … But at Loudoun Gateway, the second-to-last stop on the Silver Line extension, there is never any bustle,” with an average of 317 people entering the station each day this year. [Washington Post]

Community Centers Start Lending Tech Devices — “Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services is pleased to announce the new Technology Lending Program available at 12 NCS centers.” Any county resident can borrow technology, such as Canon EOS cameras, 3D printers and, in the future, Chromebooks, for 14 days. [NCS]

Local Student Builds Career on TV, Broadway — “Braden Allen King grew up in Fairfax County and watched as his dad and brother took part in local theater productions, and his mom taught dance, with his sister dancing at her studio. So, it wasn’t much of a shock to anyone in his family when he decided he wanted to pursue a career as an actor.” [Fairfax County Times]

It’s Monday — Expect a mostly cloudy morning followed by gradual clearing and a high around 57°F. There will be west winds blowing at 8 to 11 mph, gusting up to 21 mph. As for Monday night, the sky will be mostly clear with temperatures dipping to around 38°F. A southwest wind of around 5 mph will become calm in the evening. [NWS]


Sports

By nearly upsetting the host team, the West Springfield Spartans went from a much-welcomed 11th-hour replacement savior of sorts to a spoiler at the George Long Holiday boys basketball tournament at Wakefield High School.

The Spartans eventually lost to the host Wakefield Warriors, 55-53, in a seesaw opening-round Dec. 26 game of the eight-team, three-day high-school tourney.


Sports

As he continues head-coaching duties of a boys varsity high-school basketball team in Southern Maryland, Brad Leydig credits two people for influencing his career path.

Those impressions were made when Leydig was a student/athlete at Madison High School in Vienna, learning from the Warhawks’ late head football coach Lenny Schultz and current head boys hoops coach Kevin Roller.


Around Town

Good Friday 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 27, 2024.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. New food options open at Tysons Corner Center, with more to come in 2025 (16155 views)
  2. Police identify pedestrian killed in truck crash on Route 28 (15442 views)
  3. Wintry weather could disrupt holiday travel in Fairfax County (13157 views)
  4. Developer will still pursue indoor ski resort in Lorton after losing exclusive rights (11363 views)
  5. NOW: Crash shuts down Route 7 in Great Falls, driver injured (9804 views)
  6. Pedestrian killed in Route 28 crash involving a truck (4874 views)
  7. Reston neighborhood is first to get EV chargers under county program (4677 views)
  8. Superintendent lays out timeline for revising FCPS athletic policies (4380 views)
  9. School board approves policy to standardize grading across FCPS (3125 views)
  10. Football players from multiple Fairfax schools chosen all-state (2828 views)
  11. Driver charged for Franconia Road crash that killed pedestrian (2734 views)
  12. Smallest and largest homes sold in Fairfax County (November 2024) (2704 views)
  13. Man who killed Mount Vernon woman has death sentence commuted (2443 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

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

🌧️ Saturday’s forecast

Expect rain and patchy fog with a high near 49 and a light south wind at 3 to 6 mph. There’s a 90% chance of precipitation, with potential accumulations ranging from a quarter to half an inch. Saturday night, anticipate more rain, a low around 49, and a south wind at 5 to 7 mph. The probability of precipitation is 80%, with new amounts possibly reaching between a tenth and a quarter 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.

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. 👋


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

A motorcyclist was killed in a crash Friday evening (Dec. 27) on Piney Branch Road near Costco in the Legato area.

The road is currently closed at West Ox Road after police and emergency medical services were dispatched to the intersection at 6:36 p.m. for a crash involving a motorcyclist and the driver of a 2021 GMC SUV, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.


Sports

With a dozen wrestlers finishing among the top four in their weight classes, including three champions, the Justice Wolves won the recent eight-team Saxon Invitational high-school match.

Justice finished with 160.5 points, with the Herndon Hornets second with 131 at Langley High School.


Sports

On a turnaround 12-foot jump shot in the middle of the lane, Anya Rahman scored her 1,000th career point for the Langley Saxons girls basketball team in a recent high-school game.

The basket came with 2:39 left in the second quarter against the Bishop O’Connell Knights on Langley’s home court, giving the Saxons a 20-9 lead.


News

The new year will bring some upgrades to the trails at Royal Lake Park.

With a two-year-long design and permitting process nearing completion, the Fairfax County Park Authority is accepting public comments through Jan. 27 on an environmental review of the planned trail-network improvements at the park in Kings Park West.


News

Fairfax County has bumped up the amount of money developers must contribute toward public facilities in Tysons if they’re unable to deliver the goods themselves.

As of Dec. 16, the county is charging developers who submit rezoning applications for Tysons sites $2.22 per square foot of their project’s gross floor area to support the construction of roads, parks and other public spaces and infrastructure, Department of Planning and Development (DPD) staff said in a recent report to the Board of Supervisors.