News

Multiple trees have been erroneously cut down along a ramp from Wiehle Avenue to the Dulles Toll Road in Reston, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority says.

Kevin Lerner, who works in a Reston Station office building, says he noticed a team of contractors starting to remove trees along the entrance ramp to the westbound toll road lanes around 10 a.m. on Oct. 31. By 1 p.m., over half of the tree stand had been cut down.


Around Town

King Arthur Baking Company’s bake truck will make its long-awaited local debut this weekend.

The truck will dish out free chocolate chip cookies this Saturday (Nov. 9) in Fairfax Corner, near the brand’s new pop-up store, starting at 11 a.m.


Countywide
A sculpture with a hummingbird hovering over a flower has been installed on a Reston Town Center sign (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Metro Bus Redesign Set for Vote — Metro’s board is scheduled to vote today (Thursday) on “an overhaul of the bus network in and around D.C. — the first major redesign of the system in half a century.” Expected to take effect next summer, the proposed routes were revised from a plan unveiled in July based on public feedback. [Washington Post]

Woman Killed in I-495 Crash — “A Massachusetts woman died and three others were injured in a five-vehicle, chain-reaction crash Tuesday on Interstate 495 near Alexandria. Troopers were called to the wreck in the through lanes of westbound I-495 near Telegraph Road at 5:33 p.m. after a Dodge Ram struck the right rear of a Lexus sedan stopped in traffic, state police said in a release.” [Inside NoVA]

Trump Could Upend D.C. Area’s Economy — “Trump has called for creating an office of efficiency that would be tasked with slashing $2 trillion from the federal budget by, among other things, reducing the government workforce, moving some of those jobs outside of the region and even eliminating federal agencies such as the Department of Education.” [Washington Business Journal]

Fairfax Resident Sentenced for Jan. 6 Role — “A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former member of an alleged Alexandria-area militia was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation for his role in the Capitol riot. Fi Duong, 30, of Fairfax County, was arrested in July 2021 and pleaded guilty in April 2023 to one felony count of civil disorder.” [WUSA9]

Fairfax City Reelects Mayor — “Mayor Catherine Read defeated challenger Susan Hartley Kuiler in the Fairfax City mayor’s race, according to unofficial results reported by the Virginia Board of Elections.” City voters also weighed in on new school board members and a public schools bond referendum. [Patch]

Murder Suspect Arrested at Dulles Airport — “A man wanted in connection with a 2022 robbery and murder in Woodbridge was arrested Sunday at Dulles International Airport as he tried to board a one-way flight to El Salvador, federal authorities said.” [Inside NoVA]

Fort Hunt Butcher Shop Under Construction — “Construction kicked off in late October at the former Top It Off space at Hollin Hall Shopping Center … When The Cut opens early next year, it will sell a variety of meats, seafood and provisions like wine and cheese.” [On the MoVe]

It’s Thursday — There’s a 40% chance of precipitation, with showers mainly before noon, followed by partly sunny skies and a high near 77. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures around 50 and precipitation chances dropping to 20%. [NWS]


Sports

The top seed Langley Saxons and Chantilly Chargers held serve by winning recent district-tournament volleyball championships.

Langley (23-1) won its third straight girls Liberty District crown and Chantilly (19-2-1) was first in the Concorde District high-school competition.


Event

Have you been feeling emotionally exhausted, overwhelmed by what's happening in the world, or quietly carrying something heavy in your heart?

Sometimes life brings unexpected changes, painful losses, disappointments, and uncertainty that leave us feeling unsettled, disconnected, or unsure how to move forward.


Sports

Seven years after its founding, a small, four-team girls soccer tournament remains the same size but has significantly grown in stature.

The event is the Northern Virginia Independent Schools State Invitational, held for teams that play in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and the Independent School League.


Countywide

Fairfax County supervisors remain supportive, in concept, of enacting a pilot program lowering speed limits from 25 mph to 20 mph on some streets.

But the availability of resources to implement a fully countywide program down the road remains an open question.


Countywide

In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, Fairfax County Democrats are confronting a more competitive Virginia, where heightened Republican mobilization has raised alarms about their hold on power in the purple state.

While Vice President Kamala Harris won Virginia by more than 5 percentage points, her margin was notably lower than President Joe Biden’s in 2020, when he won the state by over 10 points. Similarly, in Fairfax County, Harris captured 65.44% of the vote, down from Biden’s 69.85%.


News

White Oaks Elementary School’s principal and assistant principal have both been permanently removed from their posts after a special education teacher was charged in June with multiple assaults of students.

In a message sent to the school’s staff and families on Oct. 30, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid confirmed that principal Ryan Richardson and assistant principal Dana Chen won’t return after they were put on administrative leave this summer during a police investigation into the assaults.


Around Town

Tysons Corner Center and Fair Oaks Mall are getting into the winter holiday spirit with Santa Claus gliding into both shopping centers tomorrow (Thursday).

At Fair Oaks, the man in red will set up shop for photo sessions at Santa’s Flight Academy in Center Court, starting around 2 p.m. Tysons Corner Center will greet Santa with a VIP arrival event from 10 a.m. to noon on the mall’s lower level near Wasabi.