When shoppers at Tysons Galleria ascend to the third floor for a bite to eat, they can choose between handmade pasta, burgers, street tacos, two different types of southeast Asian cuisine and two of Northern Virginia’s hottest chains.
The assortment stands in sharp contrast to what visitors encountered just three years ago, when the food hall lineup had dwindled to mainstay Andy’s Pizza and a couple of other holdovers that soon left.
Democratic members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors again blocked efforts on Tuesday (July 14) by Springfield District’s Pat Herrity to designate an autumn day as “Church Heritage Recognition Day.”
Herrity, the 10-member body’s lone Republican, failed to get the necessary seconding motion required to take up consideration of his proposal to recognize Nov. 21 as Fairfax County Church Heritage Recognition Day, which he has unsuccessfully championed for several years.
Fall-A-Palooza Brings Seasonal Fun to Reston Station
Fall into the fun at Reston Station’s Fall-A-Palooza on Sunday, October 25, from 4–7 p.m. Celebrate the season with an afternoon of live music, family-friendly activities, delicious food, and harvest-inspired drinks at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza in Reston.
A live DJ kicks off the festivities from 4–5 p.m., followed by the cover band headliner Gonzo’s Nose from 5–7 p.m., bringing an energetic soundtrack to your fall afternoon.
Between songs, explore a petting zoo, let the kids bounce into the fun at the bounce house, or add a little sparkle with glitter tattoos. Outdoor games and a photo booth offer plenty of ways to play and capture the day, while Sip-n-Stroll lets guests enjoy a festive drink as they explore.
Come hungry for giant Bavarian pretzels, pies, apple cider donuts, cotton candy, gelato, and more. Toast the season with seasonal cocktails and spiked apple cider, or cozy up with hot apple cider and hot chocolate.
Gather your friends and family and make an afternoon of fall’s favorite flavors, lively entertainment, and seasonal fun at Reston Station.
Seeking a fix for your posture, relief from migraines or rehabilitation for a back injury? Fairfax County is home to an array of specialists equipped to straighten out those health concerns.
Here are the nominees for “Best Chiropractor in Fairfax” as part of our FFXnow Readers’ Choice Awards. Did we miss your favorite practice below? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks. Be sure to cast your vote before 8:30 a.m. Friday, July 31.
Voting for Best Race for Runners in Fairfax County is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday, July 24 at 8:30 a.m.
A few weeks ago, we voted on the Best Real Estate Agent for Buyers in Fairfax County. The results are now official:
Hazardous air quality levels due to wildfire smoke have been reported in the D.C. region, prompting cancellations of outdoor activities across Fairfax County.
Early this morning (Friday), the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) issued a Code Purple Air Quality Advisory for the region after conditions considered “very unhealthy” for everyone were recorded in D.C., Northern Virginia and parts of suburban Maryland by 9 a.m.
Powering the AI Decade is a free half-day policy forum on Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 3:30 PM at Towers Crescent Plaza in Tysons (Vienna), VA. Presented by Knowledge Networks and The American Bazaar, it brings together lawmakers, regulators, developers, utility leaders, investors and energy journalists to look at the infrastructure, energy and policy decisions shaping America's AI build-out. Northern Virginia has the world's largest concentration of data centers, and the forum asks who builds them, who pays for the power, who approves where they go, how they're financed and how the public is responding. Attendees can join one panel or all five, with a networking lunch and break for meeting speakers and fellow guests.
The transformation of Fannie Mae’s former office campus in Reston into a residential community is progressing rapidly.
Construction has been completed on the first townhouse building in Sunset Station, the new neighborhood at 11600 American Dream Way, developer Wheelock Communities announced this week, noting that residents have now moved into those eight units.
The public may soon get a look at the multi-billion-dollar expansion proposal for Dulles International Airport.
Jack Potter, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), said Wednesday (July 15) that the internal plan had passed an important milestone.
More Heat, Smoke and Storms Expected — “Fairfax County residents face a mix of weather hazards over the next several days. Smoke from Canadian wildfires is reducing air quality now, and forecasters expect heat and severe thunderstorms to build in by the weekend.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]
Nonprofit Youth Programs Shut Down — “Second Story, a nonprofit that serves youths and families in underserved areas, learned with very little notice that four of its programs were at risk of closing on July 1 ‘due to unexpected interruptions to long-standing funding sources,’ said Chief Executive Officer Jade Leedham. Second Story was able to save the Culmore Teen Center, at least temporarily, thanks to donations, but shut down the Safe Youth Projects in Culmore, Annandale, and Springfield.” [Annandale Today]
Dominion Officially Files for Merger — “Dominion Energy on Wednesday submitted their official arguments to the State Corporation Commission to allow the utility to merge with the Florida-based NextEra … The SCC now has six months to review the arguments, hear testimony from both sides and make a decision on if the merger will succeed.” [Virginia Mercury]
New Acting U.S. Attorney Appointed — Former Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo “Stamos has been appointed first assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. With the U.S. Attorney position currently vacant, she also will serve as acting U.S. Attorney until the post is filled permanently.” [ARLnow]
Youngkin Joins Tysons Company — “Virginia’s former Gov. Glenn Younkin has made a return to the private sector. Youngkin has joined Tysons-based company Red Cell LLC as a partner, chairman, and board member … Youngkin’s appointment at Red Cell follows months of speculation about his future plans, including whether he would return to politics.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Dominion Faces Data Center Connection Backlog — “For years, the number of data centers asking for connection dates from Dominion Energy had been a secret … Now a State Corporation Commission hearing has parted the curtain. What it revealed surprised and infuriated the one dozen data center companies, citizens, and environmental groups that participated.” [Prince William Times]
Negative Approval Rating for Spanberger — “The Summer 2026 Commonwealth Poll, released Wednesday by Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, found 44% of registered voters approve of the job Spanberger is doing as governor, while 47% disapprove. Nine percent said they were unsure. Voters cited economic concerns as their top issue.” [Virginia Scope]
National Ice Cream Day Deals in Fairfax — Moo Thru’s Herndon and Burke locations will celebrate National Ice Cream Day this Sunday (July 19) with 10% discounts on all sales. Meanwhile, Dolcezza will mark that occasion and its 22nd anniversary by offering free scoops of its limited-edition Chocotorta gelato on Tuesday, July 21 from 5-7 p.m. at all locations, including the Mosaic District.
It’s Friday — This afternoon, expect widespread smoke mainly after 2 p.m., with mostly sunny skies and a high near 92°F. Tonight, there is a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m., along with widespread smoke. Conditions will be partly cloudy with a low around 74°F. [NWS]
Good Thursday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Jul 16, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Friday throughout the county, from our event calendar.
In the afternoon, expect mostly sunny skies with widespread smoke and temperatures reaching around 91°F. Winds will be calm, shifting to northwest at approximately 5 mph later in the day. On Friday night, there’s a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m., with continued widespread smoke and increasing cloud cover. The low will be near 73°F, with winds transitioning from east to south at 5 to 7 mph after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.
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.
Fairfax County hasn’t yet seen clear evidence of the wildfires raging in Canada and Minnesota, but that could change tomorrow (Friday), as smoke continues wafting toward the East Coast.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) are both forecasting Code Red air quality tomorrow for Northern Virginia and the greater D.C. region, meaning conditions will be unhealthy for everyone.
