Around Town

A fast-food chain that originated in California and specializes in Nashville-style hot chicken has landed in West Springfield.

Crimson Coward announced on Friday (Jan. 3) that its new restaurant in the Old Keene Mill Shopping Center (8424 Old Keene Mill Road) is now open. Operating daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., the 1,449-square-foot eatery is located in between Zips Cleaners and the forthcoming juice shop South Block.


Countywide
Toy soldier flag hangs over a snowy Church Street in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

National Airport Runways Closed for Snow — Reagan National Airport closed all of its runways last night (Monday) “to allow crews to focus on snow removal and prevent refreezing amid plunging temperatures.” The snowstorm also prompted flight cancellations at Dulles International Airport, which advised travelers to check their flight’s status before arriving. [FOX5]

No Fairfax County Trash Collection Today — Fairfax County government offices will open at 10 a.m. today (Tuesday) after shuttering yesterday for the snowstorm. However, the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services will again forgo trash and recycling collection, and vacuum leaf services have been delayed by a week. [Fairfax County/Twitter]

ICYMI: Driver Uses Storm Drain to Elude Police — Virginia State Police spent hours scouring a storm drain in the Rose Hill area for a driver who allegedly fled two crashes on I-495 yesterday (Monday) afternoon. After stationing troopers at drain covers to watch possible exits, police eventually learned that the driver had been spotted coming out of a manhole a quarter-mile away from where he entered the drainage system. [FFXnow]

National Zoo Pandas Enjoy Snow — “The Smithsonian National Zoo’s new pandas didn’t have to wait long for their first D.C. snowfall, and they made the most out of it Monday. The zoo posted video on Facebook of giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao — who both arrived to the zoo from China in October — playing in their snow-coated outdoor habitat.” [WTOP]

Fairfax County’s IT Leader to Retire — Gregory Scott, Fairfax County’s chief technical officer and director of its Department of Information Technology, plans to retire after nearly six years in the role “once his successor is on board.” The county is now looking for applicants to fill the position, which requires overseeing a department with over 300 employees. [Government Technology]

Talk Reflects on History of Motels on Route 1 — “Between the late 1920s and mid-1960s, the Richmond Highway Corridor was blanketed with motels. Following U.S. Route 1’s paving in 1927, motels popped up ‘almost overnight,’ according to Chris Barbuschak, an archivist with Fairfax County Public Library’s Virginia Room.” [On the MoVe]

How Much Casino Opponents Have Spent So Far — “Opponents of the proposed Tysons casino have spent more than $755,000 in donations and on lobbying efforts to influence lawmakers in Virginia since the beginning of 2023.” Potential casino developer Comstock Companies and other proponents have spent a reported $1.2 million “on their lobbying efforts in Richmond during the same time period.” [Patch]

N. Va. Eateries to Try in 2025 — “Ring in the new year with a fresh batch of new restaurants that have opened recently in Northern Virginia. The eateries run the gamut, from Thai food to southern comfort. With every day comes a new opportunity for finding your new favorite restaurant.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 32 degrees accompanied by a northwest wind of 15 to 17 mph with gusts reaching 36 mph. Tonight, the skies will be partly cloudy, and the temperature will drop to around 18 degrees. The northwest wind will blow at 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Monday 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 — Jan 6, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Tuesday’s forecast

Expect a sunny day with highs reaching 31 degrees and northwest winds blowing at 15 to 17 mph, gusting up to 37 mph. The night will be partly cloudy with lows around 18 degrees, while northwest winds continue at 13 to 15 mph and gusts up to 26 mph. 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.


Sports

With a 10-1 overall record and seven-game winning streak, the South Lakes Seahawks are off to a strong start in the squad’s effort to defend three postseason tournament titles the boys basketball team won last season.

South Lakes won Concorde District, 6D North Region and Virginia High School League Class 6 state championships in 2024.


Sports

The host Chantilly Chargers finished third while three other Fairfax County high-school teams placed among the top squads at the annual Joe Verciglio Memorial wrestling tournament.

Grassfield High School from Chesapeake won the 16-team competition with 246.5 points. Chantilly had 167.


News

Virginia State Police spent hours scouring a storm drain in the Rose Hill area for a driver who allegedly fled the scene of a crash on I-495 this afternoon (Monday).

Troopers were responding to eastbound I-495 near Eisenhower Avenue around 2:35 p.m. for two vehicle crashes when a third crash occurred, according to state police.


Countywide

Fairfax County students will get a second extra day of winter break.

After a midday lull, snow is starting to fall again across the D.C. area, prompting Fairfax County Public Schools to cancel classes and all activities on its grounds for tomorrow (Tuesday). School-aged child care centers are included in the closures, and all workers not designated as “essential” have been granted administrative leave again.


Around Town

It is safe to say that Monday’s snowstorm has impacted every inch of Fairfax County.

As numerous residents and businesses work to dig themselves out of roughly 6 inches of snow, some storefronts have opened their doors to offer various snow day specials. These include:


Countywide

Northern Virginia’s wary embrace of data centers could have major long-term impacts on both water consumption and wastewater treatment across the region, the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) says in its annual report for 2024.

The 134-page document offers a status update and recommendations on environmental issues, including land use, air and water quality, transportation, waste management, climate change and ecological conservation.