News

After a transformative election ousted most of Fairfax City Council’s experienced members, Mayor Catherine Read is pushing for election reforms to improve stability and representation.

Her plan includes adopting ranked-choice voting (RCV) and extending council terms to four years with staggered elections. Read says the changes are needed to prevent the kind of turnover seen this year, which she worries could disrupt long-term city projects.


Countywide
Silverline Center, home of Clark Construction’s headquarters, in Tysons seen from I-495 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Rideshare Startup Ordered to Halt D.C. Operations — The McLean-based startup Empower, which “markets itself as a cheaper, fairer alternative to Lyft and Uber,” was ordered to stop operating in D.C. by a D.C. Superior Court judge. The company could face contempt charges if it doesn’t comply and keeps providing rides to and from the District without registering with the city’s Department of For-Hire Vehicles. [Washington Post]

Reston Holiday Parade Returns Today — “The annual Reston Holiday Parade returns on Friday, November 29, 11:00 AM. Celebrating its 32nd year, the one-of-a-kind, one-hour, half-mile parade along Market Street also welcomes the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus in a horse-drawn carriage. Since 1992, rain or shine, the parade has been an annual tradition on the day after Thanksgiving.” [Reston Town Center]

Hot Chicken Restaurant Opens in Annandale — “Crimson Coward, a fast-casual restaurant featuring Nashville hot chicken, is expected to have a soft opening in Annandale on Black Friday, Nov. 29. The restaurant, located at 7004 Columbia Pike, features ‘the Crimson,’ a boneless chicken breast with Crimson sauce, slaw, and pickles in a brioche bun.” [Annandale Today]

Local TV Station May Have Pulled on Natural Gas Hazards — “It looks as if Washington Gas would very much prefer that people don’t read this new report from environmental advocates describing the health dangers of gas appliances they tested in the D.C. area. So much so that the company appears to have pressured local CBS affiliate WUSA9 into burying a story about the report that ran last week.” [Washington City Paper]

How McLean Got Its Name — “According to Chris Barbuschak, the Virginia Room archivist and librarian at the City of Fairfax Regional Library, the village that eventually became the suburban community of 50,000 was named after John Roll McLean, owner of The Washington Post, who acquired it in 1905. McLean was also president of Washington Gas Light Company and a director of two banks.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Falls Church Moving to Ease ADU Rules — “A majority of the 2,400 owners of single-family homes in Falls Church soon could be allowed to build standalone accessory-dwelling units (ADUs) with far less government oversight.” The city council agreed on Monday (Nov. 25) to start considering a policy change that would allow ADUs “by right” in low-density and medium-density residential neighborhoods. [ARLnow]

County EDA Donates to Food Drive — “Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) staff members proudly donated canned and other non-perishable food items through an annual food drive to Food for Others. This year, the FCEDA donated 2,335 pounds of food, and from 2021, staff members have donated 4,930 pounds to Food for Others.” [FCEDA]

Girls’ Wrestling Arrives as Varsity Sport in FCPS — With girls’ wrestling rolling out as a varsity sport this winter, students hope female participation in the sport will be more encouraged after some faced obstacles when the only option was coed teams dominated by boys. Justice High School girls’ wrestling coach Benjamin Alvarado expects to see eight to 10 wrestlers on the team. [WTOP]

It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures reaching around 47 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 5 to 11 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. The night will be mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 28 degrees, and a west wind persisting at 8 to 10 mph. [NWS]


Sports

With a seventh-place finish, sophomore Gavin Silva helped the Langley Saxons place eighth in the boys team standings at a big regional cross-country meet in North Carolina.

Silva’s time was 16:18 in the rising stars race on the 5,000-meter WakeMed Soccer Complex course in Cary, N.C., Nov. 23 at the Nike Southeast Regional high-school meet.


Sports

A number of local boys runners and girls teams had strong showings at the Nike Southeast Regional cross-country high-school meets.

The competition was run Saturday (Nov. 23) on the WakeMed Soccer Complex course in Cary, N.C.


Event

The Malls of JRKO show is a first of its kind opportunity for all members of the TCG community. Whether you’re a veteran vendor, a brand new tcg vendor, a seasoned collector, or a parent who just wants to take their kids to their first card show, this show is made for you!

We strive to build an incredible family friendly environment with tons of giveaways, children’s activities, incredible collector opportunities and digital guides for all levels of experience. You can find all our community resources on our linktree including a road map of all the progress and effort going into the event.


Around Town

As we approach Thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude to the local businesses and organizations that have supported FFXnow’s mission of delivering essential community news throughout 2024.

Our advertisers make it possible for us to bring you timely, accurate local journalism while keeping our content free and accessible to all local residents.


Around Town

The locally owned businesses at Lake Anne Plaza in Reston hope residents will still have an appetite for shopping after they get stuffed on Thanksgiving and scramble to take advantage of (or avoid) Black Friday.

Several shops at the plaza will offer discounts, specials and other deals throughout the day on Small Business Saturday, which falls this year on Nov. 30, according to OmBaked CBD Boutique, one of the participants.


Countywide

The first major redesign of Metro’s bus operating network since the system’s founding in the early 1970s will help Fairfax County riders and those across the region, local transit leaders say.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) board of directors approved the Better Bus Network redesign last Thursday, Nov. 21. Two years in the making, the changes aim to create a more seamless, easy-to-understand system for riders that’s also more efficient for the transit agency.


News

At least one gunshot was reportedly fired at apartments in Tysons Towers, a senior living community off of Gosnell Road near the Greensboro Metro station.

Police officers responded to the 8500 block of Tyspring Street in Tysons at 7:58 p.m. last Friday (Nov. 22) after receiving a call for a “missile” fired into an occupied dwelling, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.