This summer, Great Falls diners will be able to escape the D.C. region’s heat at a new restaurant designed to mentally transport patrons to a rustic mountain lodge.
Great Falls Lodge Bar & Grill is on track for a soft launch at 9835 Georgetown Pike in Great Falls Center in the first week of July, with a potential opening as soon as Monday, June 29, according to owner and chef Neel Kamal.
A Springfield resident could face more than a decade in federal prison after guns and explosive devices were found in his home while he was being evicted.
A federal jury in Alexandria convicted 42-year-old Amer Taisir Zghailat Qaralleh yesterday (Thursday) of possessing an unregistered firearm and improper storage of explosive materials, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced.
Nearly four in five parents say their child brings home mostly B’s or better. We built a K-8 math program, and when we assess children, about 8 in 10 turn out to be at least a full grade behind in some area of math.
In our first study, about 6 in 10 of the children we assessed were two or more grades behind somewhere, usually in one or two areas.
Is our test simply hard? No. Our results are close to those of the federal NAEP test, which finds only about 1 in 4 US eighth graders proficient in math.
A child who has learned this week’s steps can get the worksheet right without knowing why they work. That is often enough for an A or a B, until a test asks for more.
Homework looks fine too, since it practices the topic just taught. Neither shows the missing earlier skill, so extra practice goes to this week’s topic, not the gap underneath.
Even Virginia’s state test can reassure too easily: a 2026 federal study put its 2022 fourth-grade “proficient” bar in math among the nation’s lowest.
Math builds on itself, so a missing skill does not stay small. Kindergartners we assess are almost never behind, but from third grade on, more than 9 in 10 have a gap somewhere. Research agrees: children who start behind tend to fall further behind, and fifth graders’ grasp of fractions predicts their high-school algebra results.
Our second study looked at more than 10,000 answers from more than 250 children who recently signed up for Level Up, including questions from earlier grades.
The misses were not math in general: basic multiplication and division facts mostly held up. What tripped them up was a few topics from a grade or two earlier, the ones this year’s math is built on: second-grade subtraction at the end of fourth grade, fourth-grade fraction word problems at the end of fifth, and fifth-grade decimal ordering at the end of sixth.
Fractions kept coming back: among children finishing seventh grade, about 8 in 10 of those asked missed fifth-grade fraction word problems.
One child in our study, just out of fifth grade, missed a fourth-grade fraction question and its fifth-grade version. Practice started with the fourth-grade topic. Within two weeks, the child had mastered all nine of its skills, then four from the fifth-grade version.
That is the approach: find the real gaps, start at the deepest one, and practice each skill from three sides:
Identify: recognize the idea, like picking which picture shows three quarters.
Construct: build the answer yourself, like marking three quarters on a number line.
Fairfax Rescue Team Responds to Earthquakes — “A search-and-rescue team from Fairfax County, Virginia, is being deployed to Venezuela to assist with recovery efforts following a pair of powerful earthquakes that have left at least 164 people dead … The Virginia Task Force One (VA-TF1) said an 80-person, six-dog heavy urban search and rescue team was deployed.” [WJLA]
New Law Will Allow Stop Sign Cameras — “You’ve seen speed cameras, and red light cameras, but soon you could be seeing AI stop sign cameras in Virginia. Starting July 1, a new law allows Virginia communities to use cameras at stop signs and crosswalks in school zones, work zones, and high-crash corridors. The cameras can supplement the work being done now by crossing guards or law enforcement.” [WUSA9]
Gun Background Checks Can Resume — “A Lynchburg judge cleared the way for the reinstatement of background checks for the private sale of firearms on Wednesday after a legal back and forth that had halted the checks off and on since October. Background checks for the private sale of firearms will resume on July 1.” [Cardinal News]
Student Journalists Advocate for Protections — “Student journalists across Virginia are forming a new coalition to create protections for free speech in the classroom. It’s happened in Albemarle County and in Loudoun County, in Fairfax and in Alexandria — school administrators threatening to pull the plug on student journalism.” [WVTF]
Fairfax Firefighter Exits Hospital — “#FCFRD members, family, and friends gathered today to support Firefighter Thomas ‘Pup Jr.’ Williams as he was discharged from the hospital. On Sunday, Firefighter Williams suffered a life-threatening medical emergency while at work. His crew sprang into action performing life-saving emergency medical care before transporting him to the hospital” [FCFRD/Facebook]
Vienna Hosts Naturalization Ceremony — As part of its Liberty Amendments Month celebrations, Vienna will host a naturalization ceremony at the Vienna Community Center tomorrow (Saturday). The festivities begin at 3:30 p.m. with live music and entertainment before fifteen people take the Oath of Allegiance and be officially welcomed as new U.S. citizens at 5 p.m. [Town of Vienna]
Area Restaurants Recognized for Wine Offerings — “Wine Spectator has released its 2026 Restaurant Awards, and several spots across Northern Virginia have earned honors,” including Barcelona Wine Bar in Reston, the Capital Grill, Seasons 52 and more. “The annual program celebrates top destinations for wine and hospitality.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Metro Selling 50th Anniversary Merch — Metro opened a 50 Years of Metro Pop-Up Shop at 300 7th Street SW in D.C. yesterday (Thursday) that will stick around through July 10. “It’s stocked with everything you need to celebrate five decades of America’s Metro System, including exclusive 50th anniversary styles, rare finds, authentic bus stop signs, and a little DMV pride to honor the region’s most iconic ride.” [WMATA]
Local Graduate Builds Junk Removal Business — “What started as a college job for some extra coin in the pocket and beer money has now turned into a thriving business in Northern Virginia. [Andreas] Karagounis started Gen Z Junk Removal last March and now demos hot tubs and sheds and hauls them off for customers.” [WTOP]
It’s Friday — There is a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms mainly after 5 p.m., with partly sunny skies and a high of 92°F. At night, there is a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., with patchy fog possible after 3 a.m. It will be mostly cloudy, with a low of around 70°F and variable winds. [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 — Jun 25, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Friday throughout the county, from our event calendar.
Expect a mostly cloudy day with a high near 92°F and a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5 PM, with southwest winds at 5 to 8 mph. Friday night will be cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely, especially between 8 PM and 2 AM, and a low around 69°F. Winds will shift from west to east, and there’s a 70% chance of precipitation, with potential rainfall between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, and possibly more during thunderstorms. 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.
Event location
Harris Pavilion
9201 Center Street
Manassas, Virginia 20110
Manassas Latino Festival is the oldest Hispanic/Latino, family-centric festival in the area! Held during National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), join in the celebrations with live music, dance performances, diverse foods, and fun for the whole family! Come enjoy this premier annual tradition filled with cultural heritage and contributions of the Latin American community.
A Fairfax County high school student is one of just five to reach the finals of a national cooking contest held in Arlington this summer.
Safaa Haizoun, a 10th grade student at the Virginia Virtual Academy, an online program offered by multiple public school districts statewide, earned a spot in the K-12 National Cook-Off in early June by designing an original recipe for creamy masala chicken.
A woman and her 8-year-old child were in their car when a man reportedly climbed on the hood and robbed them earlier this month, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
The department is asking for the public’s help identifying the suspect in the incident, which occurred in the 5200 block of Montgomery Street in Springfield on June 14 around 9:10 p.m.
Fairfax County leaders say a recent proliferation of electrically assisted bicycles (e-bikes) among young people provides benefits but also brings dangers.
“It’s only a matter of time before we see serious injuries and worse,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said at the Board’s June 23 meeting.
With the short-lived mochi donut wars in the rearview mirror, a new contest between more traditional, Southern-style donut chains has officially begun in Vienna.
The Texas-based franchise Shipley Donuts is now selling its signature hexagon-shaped pastries at 256 Maple Avenue East, filling a long-vacant storefront previously occupied by T-Mobile.
The Fairfax City Council has unanimously approved the first pay raise for its members and the mayor in over a decade, increasing annual compensation to $22,000 for members and $24,000 for the mayor.
The new rates are the maximum allowed under Virginia law, and will take effect July 1, 2027. The current pay is $12,000 for council members, and $13,000 for the mayor.
