News

Fairfax County is making progress on a stream restoration project at Lamplighter Way in Reston after receiving the needed land rights to move ahead with designing the project.

The project was identified by the county’s management plan for the Difficult Run watershed and a nomination by Reston Association, which owns the land.


Around Town

The Red Bird has landed in Vienna.

The hot chicken chain’s first Northern Virginia franchise is in the midst of a soft opening at 282 Cedar Lane in the Cedar Park Shopping Center, where it has replaced the McDonald’s that closed in 2022. The location is currently open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to Instagram posts.


Countywide

At the halfway point of his administration, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin unveiled a budget proposal that calls for significant income tax cuts, increases in state sales and use tax — and a push to get rid of the car tax, which the Republican called “the single most hated tax” in Virginia.

“The car tax belongs in the trash can and not in your mailbox,” he said.


Countywide

Report Recommends Options for Closing Metro Funding Gap — “The report, issued Tuesday by a working group of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, suggests boosting local jurisdictions’ collective subsidies to Metro by as much as $462 million, plus various additional compromise measures.” Suggestions include fare increases and “targeted service reductions” that could be less drastic than the partial Silver Line closure proposed by WMATA. [Washington Business Journal]

Three Arrested for Theft and Fraud at Tysons Clothing Store — “The Tysons Urban Team (TUT) detectives arrested a crew believed to be responsible for multiple fraudulent transactions and recovered property belonging to U.S. Postal Service (USPS). At 2:14 p.m. on December 15, detectives responded to the Diesel store in the McLean area for a suspicious person call. A store employee recognized several suspects from a fraudulent purchase that was made a few weeks prior.” [FCPD]


Around Town

Escape Room Herndon is venturing into new territory as it prepares to open an expansion of its existing space in Herndon Centre.

Omer Aru, the owner of the business, says the location on Elden Street is expected to open sometime around Jan. 1.


Around Town

The TGI Fridays in Fair Lakes has served its final whiskey-glazed pork ribs.

The American chain restaurant has permanently closed its location at 12249 Fair Lakes Promenade Drive, an employee at the TGI Fridays in Tysons confirmed.


News

The man behind Divan in McLean has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for failing to pay taxes and stealing COVID-19 relief funds — including money used to establish the Persian restaurant.

Gholam “Tony” Kowkabi, 63, of Vienna was sentenced by a federal judge on Monday (Dec. 18) to 57 months in prison after pleading guilty on Aug. 14, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of D.C. announced.


Countywide

For the first time in over four decades, Fairfax County’s police officers and firefighters got an opportunity this year to negotiate their pay, benefits and working conditions with the local government.

The collective bargaining process led to new contracts for Fairfax County Police Department and the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department employees that union representatives and county leaders both lauded as meaningful wins for public safety workers.