Around Town

Businesses at Lake Anne Plaza in Reston hope to get residents and visitors buzzing again with the return of their new “Second Sunday” event.

Conceived by OmBaked CBD Boutique owner Radhika Murari, the effort to draw foot traffic to the plaza and its many independently owned businesses and nonprofits will expand on Sunday, Sept. 8 with new promotions and additional participants after a successful introduction on the second Sunday of August (Aug. 11).


Countywide

Virginia students’ reading and math assessments for the 2023-24 school year saw some improvement over last year after months of recovery efforts, according to data released by the Department of Education Tuesday. However, pass rates in other subjects are still behind results from the 2022-23 school year.

Pass rates for grades 3 through 8 in reading, math, and science Standards of Learning tests all showed increases statewide by at least 1%. Writing showed the highest increase — 17 percentage points — while history and social science saw little gain, less than a percentage point.


Around Town

Te’Amo Boba Bar is now serving tea, along with other sweet treats, at the Mosaic District in Merrifield.

The boba tea cafe chain had a soft opening at 8190 Strawberry Lane, Suite 5, on Monday (Aug. 19), making the Merrifield location its first outside of the Chicago, Illinois, area where it originated in 2018.


Countywide
A buck walks by a house in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Arrest Made in Reston Shooting — A suspect in yesterday’s fatal shooting at Gold’s Gym in Reston has been arrested and is now in custody, Fairfax County police announced last night. Charges are expected today. [FCPD/Twitter]

Army Horses Not Going to Live at Mason Neck — The U.S. Army has decided not to stable “the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment’s famed Caisson horses at Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area.” After Mason Neck residents raised concerns, a search for a long-term home for the ceremonial animals continues. [On the MoVe]

Temporary Baking Shop Coming to Fairfax Corner — “King Arthur Baking Company, which started out as a flour company in 1790, is opening a pop-up restaurant next month in Fairfax Corner. The bakery chain’s new location is set to operate for a limited time as a pop-up shop next door the REI outlet at 11948 Grand Commons Drive.” [Patch]

Tysons Coffee Shop Eyes Loudoun Expansion — “The Burn has learned that Shotted will be taking a spot in the food court at the Dulles Town Center mall. It will be going into a vacant spot…previously occupied by a cupcake business.” The coffee shop can be found at Tysons Galleria and Tysons Corner Center, where it recently moved from a kiosk to a storefront. [The Burn]

McLean Defense Startup Lands Big Investment — “Defcon AI, a McLean startup that aims to simplify logistics operations in complicated and dynamic military environments, has raised $44 million in funding led by prominent San Francisco investment firm Bessemer Venture Partners. It brings the company’s total outside funding to $47 million following the startup’s 2022 spinout from Tysons investment and incubation firm Red Cell Partners LLC.” [Washington Business Journal]

Annandale Mural Design Revealed — “The community got a sneak peek at the mural design for the ACCA Child Development Center building at the Art Appreciation Festival Aug. 17 at the Eileen Garnett Civic Space in Annandale. The mural should be mostly completed in time for the Taste of Annandale, which will be held at the civic space on Sept. 21.” [Annandale Today]

Winter-Themed Playground Open in Franconia — “Parents who are looking for ways to beat the heat can now take their kids to a new winter-themed indoor playground in Franconia. Hyper Kidz Alexandria opened [on Aug. 1] in the Festival at Manchester Lakes shopping center.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Lake Accotink Park Celebration Coming Up — “Join the Fairfax County Park Authority and Friends of Lake Accotink Park for a free day of family fun at Lake Accotink Park on Saturday, Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Celebrate summer with free amusements, boat rentals, hikes, mini golf, face painting, history activities and more!” [FCPA]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny conditions with a high near 76 degrees and a northwest wind blowing at 7 to 11 mph. For Wednesday night, it will be mostly clear with a low around 57 degrees and a gentle north wind at 3 to 5 mph. [NWS]


Event

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Meet representatives from AmaWaterways, Collette, Oceania Cruises and Premier World Discovery. Hear informative presentations, ask questions, explore exciting vacation possibilities and discover which travel experience may be the perfect fit for you.


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 — Aug 20, 2024.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

Expect sunshine and a high temperature near 75 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind at 6-11 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. Tonight, the sky will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 54 degrees and a gentle northwest wind blowing at 3-5 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.


Around Town

A family-owned ice cream shop is now churning the frozen dessert daily on the ground floor of Tycon Courthouse, the office building better known to locals as the “Toilet Bowl” building.

Terra Bechara, who lives in nearby Vienna with her husband and five kids, opened Terra’s Ice Cream, Coffee and Sweets at 2070 Chain Bridge Rd, Suite 180, in Tysons on Thursday, Aug. 8, overcoming months of permitting and construction hurdles.


News

It’s that time of the year when algae tends to surface in Reston’s lakes.

Reston Association reported yesterday (Monday) that “potentially harmful” blue-green algae was seen that morning in Lake Anne, advising community members to avoid contact with the lake’s waters.


News

Updated at 9:05 p.m. An arrest has been made in this afternoon’s fatal shooting at Gold’s Gym in Reston, Fairfax County police announced on Twitter, stating that additional information will be shared tomorrow (Wednesday).

Earlier: A man was killed in a shooting this afternoon at the Gold’s Gym in Reston.


News

A Springfield man has been convicted for his role in a string of mail thefts from the West Springfield Post Office.

Kenshaun Thompson, 26, faces up to 15 years in prison after a federal jury convicted him last Thursday (Aug. 15) of three charges of possessing and receiving stolen mail, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.