Countywide
Red trees line Strawberry Lane leading into the Mosaic District in Merrifield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

ICYMI: Hayfield Drops Out of Football Playoffs — Fairfax County Public Schools announced last night (Monday) that Hayfield Secondary School has withdrawn its football team from playoff contention as the fallout of alleged improper student-athlete recruiting practices continues. The Eagles were set to play Fairfax High School tonight at 7 p.m. [FCPS]

Reston Woman Killed in Maryland Car Crash — “Montgomery County police identified a Reston, Virginia, woman as the victim of a fatal single-vehicle collision Thursday evening in Gaithersburg, police said Monday in a statement. Alyssa Marie Clark, 42, was driving a blue 2007 Toyota Camry westbound on Darnestown Road near Bondy Lane when the car left the roadway and collided with a wooden utility pole.” [MoCo360]

GW Parkway Ramp to I-495 Closed — “The northbound GWMP exit ramp to I-495 north toward Maryland will be closed beginning at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, November 26 through 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27 to continue curb demolition and reconstruction and asphalt paving … Motorists should continue along the detour route to access I-495.” [National Park Service]

Supervisor Advocates for Keeping Leaf Vacuuming — “Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez told Annandale Today he is working to ensure Fairfax County permanently retains its leaf vacuuming service. Jimenez is also urging the county executive to make the program more accountable by picking up leaves in a timely manner.” [Annandale Today]

Interactive Map Shows County’s Progress on Climate Goals — “We’re tracking our progress as a community toward a greener future with the Climate Action Viewer from our Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination … Use the map to find opportunities for climate action near you including where to bring compostable waste, recycle glass and charge your electric vehicle.” [Fairfax County Government]

Architectural Firm Opens New Reston Office — “The M Group Architects, an architectural firm specializing in data centers, corporate interiors and industrial projects, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 7, 2024, to celebrate the relocation of its office within Reston to RTC West.” [Fairfax County Economic Development Authority]

Local Nonprofit Seeks Thanksgiving Day Volunteers — “Nonprofit The 25th Project says you can put your name on the list to volunteer with them on Thursday morning in Fairfax County.” The group will hopes to assemble enough meals at the Burke Community Church to feed 2,500 people, though it’s also still seeking donations of turkeys and ham. [WTOP]

Tysons Hotel Hosts Postpartum Care Center — “Nationwide, there are only a few places like Sanu — which opened this year inside the Watermark Hotel in Tysons, Virginia — that offer pampering and rest and a temporary village for those who may be far from family. But stays there don’t come cheap. Some can cost as much as $1,500 a night. Sanu’s nightly rate tops out at $880.” [Washington Post]

It’s Tuesday — Expect mostly cloudy skies until mid-morning. The skies will then gradually clear, and the temperature will reach a high near 61°F. There’s a 60% chance of precipitation, but any new rainfall will likely be less than a tenth of an inch. Night will be mostly clear with a low around 36°F. [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 — Nov 25, 2024.

📅 Upcoming events

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

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

🌤️ Tuesday’s forecast

Expect cloudy skies to clear up gradually throughout the day, reaching a high near 60°F. The west wind will blow at 9-15 mph with gusts up to 26 mph. Tuesday night will be mostly clear with a low around 36°F and a northwest wind at 5-8 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.


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Sports

Winning four state championships, as the Langley Saxons have now done, puts the girls team among rarified company in Virginia High School League (VHSL) volleyball competition.

Langley won its fourth overall Va. crown and second in a row Saturday (Nov. 23) at the Siegel Center in Richmond by edging the Chantilly Chargers, 3-2, in a seesaw Class 6 state-tournament title match.


Event

NoVa Youth Ensembles was recently selected to perform at the White House during the 2026 Christmas season at the Holiday Open Houses. Being chosen to perform at the White House is an incredible honor, and we are excited to represent Fairfax and Loudoun counties during this special time of year. As The White House welcomes visitors each Christmas season, performers have the unique opportunity to share their musical talents and holiday cheer. In the past, only a few dozen performer groups have been selected from over 1,000 applicants.


Countywide

Hayfield Secondary School has withdrawn its football team from playoff contention, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid announced tonight (Monday).

According to Reid, the decision was made by Hayfield principal Darin Thompson as questions continue to mount about the recruiting practices used by head coach Darryl Overton and his staff and how FCPS has responded to the allegations.


Around Town

McLean’s Holiday Homes Tour is coming back.

The previously annual fundraiser organzied by the Women’s Club of McLean will return on Dec. 5, inviting community members to visit local houses decked out for the winter holidays for the first time since 2019.


News

Reston Association members will once again see an uptick in the annual assessment that they pay for the services and facilities provided by the homeowners’ organization.

The RA Board of Directors voted at its meeting on Thursday (Nov. 21) to adopt a $23 million budget for 2025 and implement a $848 assessment fee — a $31 or 3.8% increase from the current rate of $817, according to a memo from RA staff to the board.


News

As a whole, the office market in Tysons remains challenged, but declining demand for office space, a national trend in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, is hitting some properties harder than others.

The area’s office vacancy rate continues to climb, reaching 22% as of Sept. 30, up from 19% at the same time in 2023 and 14% in mid-2020, according to data from the Tysons Community Alliance’s (TCA) inaugural Tysons Quarterly Market Report.


Countywide

Riders on Metro’s Silver Line and other lines serving Fairfax County could see a number of service improvements coming down the track.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s board of directors got a first look at the transit agency’s fiscal year 2026 budget conditions and, if funding allows, potential service improvements at a meeting of its finance and capital committee last Thursday (Nov. 21).