Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell presents his Fairfax County casino bill to the House General Laws Committee on Feb. 24, 2026 (via Virginia House of Delegates)
A bill to make Fairfax County eligible for a casino is advancing through the Virginia House of Delegates after undergoing some significant changes from the version passed by the state Senate earlier this month.
The House’s General Laws Committee voted 12-7 yesterday (Tuesday) to send Senate Bill 756, patroned by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34), to the chamber’s appropriations committee. All four delegates representing portions of Fairfax County, including committee chair Del. Paul Krizek (D-16), opposed advancing the legislation.
Lights wrap around trees in the green space outside the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax City (photo by Amy Woolsey)
Call for More Sewer Funding After Potomac Spill — “Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) was among 14 members of Congress from the region who requested federal funding today (Tuesday) to rehabilitate and modernize the burst Potomac Interceptor. The delegation is also seeking additional funds for wastewater infrastructure nationwide following a recent briefing on efforts to repair the sewer line and mitigate health risks.” [ARLnow]
Man Charged With Threatening Metro Riders — A 37-year-old man was arrested on Saturday (Feb. 21) after allegedly brandishing a knife at other passengers on a Silver Line train heading from Herndon to Ashburn. “Deputies met the train at Ashburn Station and evacuated the affected train car. While on the train, deputies encountered the suspect and learned that he had also allegedly touched a 6-year-old child inappropriately.” [Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office]
Cat Cafe Open in McLean — “A nonprofit cat café, MeowTown Lounge, is holding its grand opening in McLean on Saturday, February 28, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.” Located in the Salona Village Shopping Center at 1345 Chain Bridge Road, the lounge is currently home to 14 different cats. Since its soft opening back in January, MeowTown has helped place 10 cats in their forever homes.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Town Hall Planned on Centreville Gas Leak — “The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department will host a virtual Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, to provide the community with updated information regarding the recent incident in Centreville. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and will offer residents an opportunity to … learn about ongoing response and recovery efforts, and ask questions.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]
Bill to Reduce Development Lawsuits Postponed — Del. Marcus Simon agreed to hold House Bill 447 for further deliberation over the next year after the Hanover County NAACP worried it would make it harder to challenge encroachments on historic Black neighborhoods. The bill aimed “to curb people filing lawsuits to stall housing developments by fine-tuning requirements for legal challenges against local government land use decisions.” [Virginia Mercury]
Maryland Rolls Out Beltway Sensors — “After years of testing, the Maryland State Highway Administration announced that ramp metering signals along northbound I-270 are fully operational. The new signals aim to streamline merging and cut morning commutes by up to 30 minutes.” [WUSA9]
How ICE Activities Shaped Virginia Bills — “As the 2026 General Assembly session began, state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D–Fairfax) introduced bills to put restrictions on federal immigration enforcement in Virginia, framing them as a response to the growing fear in immigrant communities.” While Democratic leaders were initially hesitant to center the bills, they gained urgency as ICE activities increased across the country. [VPM Media]
Springfield Gas Station to Add Convenience Store — “Demolition is expected to start in about two weeks on a project at the Ravensworth Shell service station to convert the auto repair shop to a convenience store. The auto repair business closed on Feb. 22.” [Annandale Today]
It’s Wednesday — There’s a slight chance of rain between 8 and 10am. The sky will transition from mostly cloudy to sunny, and the temperature will reach a high near 55. Night will be partly cloudy with a low around 37, as the west wind shifts to 5 to 7 mph and becomes calm after midnight. [NWS]
There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.
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There is a 20% chance of snow before 8am, followed by a slight chance of rain between 8am and 10am. The day will be mostly cloudy at first, and then gradually become sunny with a high temperature near 55°F. The southwest wind will blow at speeds of 10-14 mph, gusting up to 25 mph. As for Wednesday night, expect partly cloudy skies with a low temperature around 36°F. The west wind will slow down to 5-7 mph and become calm after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.
This year’s Very Godly VBS, inspired by The Titan’s Curse, invites children into the world of Camp Half-Blood to explore faith, courage, belonging, and community through storytelling, music, crafts, games, science, and reflection in a fun and welcoming environment for all.
A road blocked off in Centreville on Feb. 19, 2026 near the Feb. 15 home explosion in Centreville (staff photo by Emily Leayman)
More than a week after a house in Centreville was decimated by a fire, leading dozens of residents to evacuate, investigators have finally identified the source of a natural gas leak that might’ve caused the explosion.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has removed a section of polyethylene plastic pipe near the corner of Quail Pond Court and Belle Plains Drive that leaked air during pressure testing, sending to a lab in D.C. for examination.
Fil-Am Spring Fest 2026 is a free Filipino-American cultural festival hosted by Fil-Am FEST Inc. on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax, Virginia.
The festival celebrates Filipino culture, heritage, food, music, dance, small businesses, and community connection. Guests can enjoy cultural performances, Filipino food vendors, family-friendly activities, artisan and retail vendors, community partner booths, and nonprofit initiatives.
Employees of a Springfield Plaza store stifled an attempted armed robbery last night (Monday) after disarming a would-be perpetrator of his gun, police said.
Officers responded to the Cricket Wireless store, located at 6330 Springfield Plaza in the northeast corner of the shopping center, around 8 p.m. after receiving a report of the attempted heist, according to scanner traffic.
Glory Days at 3059 Nutley Street in Merrifield's Providence Place shopping center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Months after an August 2025 fire, Glory Days Grill has decided to make its closure in Merrifield permanent.
The sports bar, located at the Providence Place shopping center (formerly the Pan Am Shopping Center), announced the closure in an email to customers. A Fairfax County notice posted outside the 3059 Nutley Street restaurant deemed it unsafe to occupy following the Aug. 22, 2025 kitchen fire.
Entrance to the office building at 11955 Democracy Drive in Reston (via Google Maps)
AOL’s Northern Virginia presence continues to shrink, as the one-time internet pioneer prepares to lay off more than 100 employees in the coming months.
A total of 108 workers who work at or receive assignments from the company’s office at 11955 Democracy Drive in Reston Town Center will be laid off between now and May 31, according to notifications sent to the Virginia Department of Workforce Advancement and Development and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay on Feb. 17.
Fairfax County police Capt. Chris Cosgriff briefs media on a suspicious death in Hybla Valley (via FCPD/Facebook)
A man identified earlier as a person of interest in a woman’s suspicious death in Hybla Valley on Monday (Feb. 23) has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder, Fairfax County police announced on Wednesday (Feb. 25).
Police had pegged Abdul Jalloh, 32, as the last person to see Stephanie Minter, a 41-year-old woman from Fredericksburg who was found dead with “upper body trauma” at a bus stop in the 7400 block of Richmond Highway.
Construction is starting on a new stormwater culvert under Nutley Street near Marshall Road SW in Vienna (courtesy Town of Vienna)
After an extra one-day delay due to Sunday’s snowfall, the Town of Vienna will begin construction today (Tuesday) on a stormwater project that’s more than a decade in the making.
To address ongoing flooding challenges, the town is replacing an underground culvert along Nutley Street near Marshall Road SW, a process expected to unfold in five phases over nearly a year.
