Around Town

FFXnow Daily Debrief for Jun 16, 2026

By FFXnow.com

Good Tuesday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Jun 16, 2026.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Wednesday throughout the county, from our event calendar.

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

Expect mostly sunny weather with a high of around 87°F and a west wind between 3 to 8 mph. Wednesday night will bring increasing clouds and a low near 69°F, with a south wind blowing at 5 to 10 mph and gusts reaching up to 21 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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.

News

FCPS: State police, Congress close investigations into Centreville HS abortion claims

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Centreville High School (file photo)

A Senate committee and Virginia State Police have concluded their separate investigations into a Centreville High School teacher’s claims that school staff facilitated abortions without parental consent, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid said this week.

“Neither investigation found any evidence of wrongdoing or any need for further action,” Reid wrote in a letter to the school’s staff and families. “This situation has had a significant impact on all of those involved, and it reminds us of the responsibility we all share to act thoughtfully, with integrity, and compassionately as a caring, connected community.”

Go to FCPS: State police, Congress close investigations into Centreville HS abortion claims Read more
Sponsored

Your child’s good grades may be hiding a math gap

By Level Up
Infographic: '8 in 10 kids we assess have a gap somewhere.' Ten icons show 2 green on track, 2 yellow (one grade behind), 6 orange (two or more grades behind).
Ten children: 2 on track, 2 one grade behind, 6 two or more grades behind.

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.

Most children are behind somewhere

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.

How good grades hide gaps

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.

Why gaps get bigger

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.

What trips children up

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.

What trips kids up, grade by grade: at the end of fourth grade, 53 percent of the children asked missed second-grade three-digit subtraction; at the end of fifth grade, 73 percent missed fourth-grade fraction word problems; at the end of sixth grade, 77 percent missed fifth-grade decimal ordering.
What trips kids up, grade by grade: at the end of fourth grade, 53 percent of the children asked missed second-grade three-digit subtraction; at the end of fifth grade, 73 percent missed fourth-grade fraction word problems; at the end of sixth grade, 77 percent missed fifth-grade decimal ordering.

Fractions kept coming back: among children finishing seventh grade, about 8 in 10 of those asked missed fifth-grade fraction word problems.

What closes a gap

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.

    (more…)

Find and close gaps
News

Great Falls has Virginia’s priciest ‘starter’ homes, new data reveals

By Scott McCaffrey
Houses in Great Falls off Georgetown Pike (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A Fairfax County community tops the list as Virginia’s most expensive place to purchase a starter home.

Great Falls is one of 242 communities nationally where the typical entry-level home costs $1 million or more, according to a new analysis from Zillow.

Go to Great Falls has Virginia’s priciest ‘starter’ homes, new data reveals Read more
News

Spanberger agrees to marijuana retail market after vetoing Fairfax County lawmaker’s bill

By Emily Leayman
Cannabis plant (via Rick Proctor/Unsplash)

After vetoing legislation last month that would’ve established a retail market for cannabis, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has agreed to establish a market through an addition to the state budget.

The compromise between Spanberger, Fairfax County Del. Paul Krizek (D-16) and state Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D-13) would allow recreational marijuana sales to begin on July 1, 2027. The governor’s office says this allows time for the Cannabis Control Authority to develop regulations, testing and safety standards and oversight framework.

Go to Spanberger agrees to marijuana retail market after vetoing Fairfax County lawmaker’s bill Read more
Event

Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance Annual Luncheon

Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance logo with blue and red text and a silhouette graphic.

Event location

PJ Skidoos Restaurant

9908 Fairfax Blvd (Route 50)

Fairfax, Virginia 22030

Add to Calendar

SPEAKERS
Pat Herrity, Springfield District Supervisor
Arthur Purves – FCTA President

Meal: $50, including tip, taxes and salad.

Go to Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance Annual Luncheon Read more
Countywide

DACA recipients in Fairfax County concerned about delayed renewals

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Rep. James Walkinshaw, of Virginia's 11th Congressional District, speaks to local DACA recipients and immigration advocates during a round table discussion June 15 (staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

When the U.S. celebrates its 250th birthday next month, one Fairfax man could see the end of his American dream.

Over the years, the South Korean immigrant and medical professional has regularly renewed his lawful immigration status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act (DACA), the federal policy that offered relief from removal proceedings and the ability to work in the U.S. for young immigrants.

Go to DACA recipients in Fairfax County concerned about delayed renewals Read more
Countywide

Fairfax County calls for preemptive strikes against emerging spotted lanternflies

By Angela Woolsey
Spotted lanternfly nymphs on an outdoor stair in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Summer in Fairfax County means a break from school, an abundance of outdoor music options and, in recent years, the return of the spotted lanternflies.

The invasive insects started to reemerge earlier this month, but they are still in their young “nymph” stage, resembling small beetles with white spots on their black bodies instead of the larger, winged form they take as adults, according to the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES).

Go to Fairfax County calls for preemptive strikes against emerging spotted lanternflies Read more
Around Town

King Arthur Baking Company to close Fairfax Corner pop-up this June

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
King Arthur Baking Company's pop-up store in Fairfax Corner (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

King Arthur Baking Company’s popular pop-up store at Fairfax Corner is getting ready to close, as the company shifts its focus to a permanent location coming later this year to Northern Virginia.

The pop-up at 11948 Grand Commons Avenue, which opened in September 2024, is slated to close on June 25. As of yesterday (Monday), the remaining inventory is on sale until the store’s closure.

Go to King Arthur Baking Company to close Fairfax Corner pop-up this June Read more
News

RA seeks input on opposition to Reston National Golf Course development

By Angela Woolsey
A person driving a golf cart on Reston National Golf Course (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Reston Association remains opposed to any development on Reston National Golf Course, but the latest proposal to add housing has it questioning just how much effort should be devoted to that cause.

RA launched a survey yesterday (Monday) asking community members to share their thoughts on whether its staff should prioritize the issue when determining where to focus their limited time and financial resources.

Go to RA seeks input on opposition to Reston National Golf Course development Read more
Countywide

Morning Notes for June 16, 2026

By FFXnow.com
A stars and stripes banner on a fence around the Vienna Town Green during a Flag Day celebration on June 14, 2026 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

How House and Senate Budget Plans Compare — “With a June 30 deadline looming before a state government shutdown, Virginia legislators have released new budget proposals, the latest actions in a long-simmering debate over the state spending plan that has deadlocked over whether data centers should keep being exempt from the state’s sales and use tax.” [Virginia Mercury]

Repeal of Campaign Finance Audits Proposed — “A budget provision released Friday by Democrats in the House of Delegates would send Virginia back to the days when the public had to accept on faith that candidates’ campaign finance disclosures were complete and accurate. A nine-word sentence … would strip the Virginia Department of Elections of its authority to audit campaign finance reports.” [Poole Report]

Fairfax EDA Names New President — George D. Thomas, currently head of the regional collaboration nonprofit Connected DMV, has been appointed as the next president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. Starting in August, he will succeed Victor Hoskins, who is leaving after nearly seven years to become an advisor for organizations exploring “large-scale public-private investment,” the Washington Business Journal reported in February. [FCEDA]

Microsoft Pulling Back on Clean Energy Goals — “Microsoft is considering ending its round-the-clock or 24/7 clean energy goal, which aims to meet 100 percent of its energy consumption 100 percent of the time with zero-carbon electricity by 2030.” The company has a number of data centers in Virginia, including in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties. [Inside Climate News]

Route 29 Ramp Closure Tomorrow — “Weather permitting, the southbound Route 29 ramp to westbound I-66 at Exit 52 in Centreville will be closed from 10 p.m. Tuesday, June 16, to 5 a.m. Wednesday, June 17, for asphalt patching … Drivers are asked to follow posted detour signs.” [VDOT]

Student Competes on American Ninja Warrior — Woodson High School student Grace Walk was featured last night (Monday) on the reality competition show, where contestants tackle elaborate obstacle courses. “Walk’s journey to appear on the show has been years in the making. She began with the ninja sport when she was just 9 years old.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Wakefield Softball Fields Updated — “The softball fields at Wakefield Park have been upgraded, the Fairfax County Park Authority announced on June 11. The improvements include renovated playing surfaces and amenities, upgraded LED lighting, new dugouts, new fencing, new batting cages, and new picnic tables and bleachers.” [Annandale Today]

Hearing Set on Fairfax City Council Pay — “Fairfax City Council members will hold public hearings Tuesday, June 23 on a proposed green building policy, subdivision ordinance changes and pay increases for the mayor and council members. The regular meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.” [Patch]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies with a high near 80 degrees and light, variable winds. Tuesday night will bring increasing cloud cover and a low of around 63 degrees, with south winds at 3 to 6 mph. [NWS]

Want more local news? Check out our newest sister site, WSHnow, with the latest from across the region.

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