Around Town

Lake Anne Plaza in Reston will be immersed in the sounds of reggae this weekend with the return of the annual Reggae on the Lake festival.

Now in its fifth year, the free festival will bring live music, crafts and Jamaican food to Lake Anne Village Center (1609 Washington Plaza North) this Saturday (Sept. 12) from noon to 9 p.m.


Countywide

Local bus networks serving both Fairfax County and Fairfax City posted year-over-year passenger declines in fiscal year 2026, even as transit usage increased more broadly across Northern Virginia.

Fairfax Connector saw a drop of 1.1% and Fairfax City’s CUE service was down 4.5%, according to data from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation as analyzed by FFXnow.


News

Gold-colored robotaxis developed by Tesla have been spotted driving on roads in Fairfax County, specifically in the Tysons area.

Footage shared last Thursday (Sept. 3) by NBC4 Washington and its transportation reporter, Adam Tuss, showed a so-called Cybercab traveling on Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) and turning into a residential neighborhood off Lewinsville Road in McLean. The self-driving vehicles appear to be collecting data on local roads and traffic.


Countywide
Skymark apartment building looms over an RTC West parking garage in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

County to Host 9/11 Ceremony — “Fairfax County’s public safety agencies and county leaders will hold a remembrance ceremony on Friday, Sept. 11, at 10:10 a.m. commemorating all those impacted 25 years ago by the 2001 event. The ceremony will take place at the county’s Public Safety Headquarters in Fairfax, though the public is invited to watch the ceremony live online.” [Fairfax County Government]

Mechanic Killed in Bus Collapse Mourned — “A Virginia mechanic killed while working beneath a tour bus at Wolf Trap is being remembered by friends and colleagues across the country as a beloved husband, father and expert troubleshooter who earned the nickname ‘The Bus Doctor.'” [WTOP]

Rehab Planned for Va. to D.C. Bridge — “A rehabilitation project on the I-395 northbound bridge over the Potomac River has taken a key step forward. The construction firm Skanska has been awarded a $114 million design-build contract to conduct renovations and upgrades on the bridge … Construction is expected to begin in early 2027, Skanska said in a press release.” [ARLnow]

Tysons VC Firm Nabs Pentagon Contract — Red Cell Partners has “inked a one-year federal contract with the Defense Department’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office” that’s projected to generate up to $100 million in new revenue for startups in its portfolio. The company will identify “slow, manual or redundant processes” that could be made more efficient with AI or other tools developed by its startups. [Washington Business Journal]

Beyer Discusses Economic Challenges — “U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Alexandria, joined a recent call with small business owners from around the country to discuss economic challenges Americans are facing due to rising healthcare, food and fuel costs, which he said are the result of President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans not meeting their promise to lower costs.” [Virginia Mercury]

Foster Family Wanted for Reston Cats — “Oliver, a 4-year-old tabby, and Princess Peach, a 2-year-old tuxedo cat, need a temporary foster home together from Oct. 15, 2026, through April 20, 2027, according to Operation Foster. Their owner is deploying to the Middle East.” [Patch]

Reston Bank to Acquire Rival — “John Marshall Bancorp in Reston, Va., has agreed to buy Eagle Financial Services in Berryville, Va. The $2.4 billion-asset John Marshall said in a press release that it will pay $253 million in stock for the $1.8 billion-asset parent of the Bank of Clarke.” The deal is John Marshall’s first-ever acquisition since it was established by local business leaders 20 years ago, the Washington Business Journal says. [Bank Slate]

Woodson Graduate Finishes Epic Run — “A Woodson High School graduate who saw his professional career as a tri-athlete go up in flames has found redemption by completing a 2,000-mile run from Boulder, Colo., to Washington, D.C. Collin Chartier celebrated the end of the journey Aug. 30 at the Lincoln Memorial after completing the last 20 miles on the W&OD trail with members of the Marymount cross-country team.” [Annandale Today]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny weather with a high near 88 degrees and a south wind blowing at 7 to 11 mph. Wednesday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 72 degrees. A southwest wind will continue at about 11 mph, with gusts reaching up to 20 mph. [NWS]

There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.


Event

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Around Town

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 — Sep 8, 2026.

📅 Upcoming events

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

  • No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

It will be mostly sunny with a high near 88°F, accompanied by a southwest wind at 7 to 11 mph. Wednesday night will be mostly clear with a low around 71°F, with southwest winds around 11 mph and gusts up to 20 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.


Around Town

An annual celebration promoting the D.C. region’s theater scene is returning this month with an expansion to Dulles International Airport.

Theatre Week is set to kick off on Sept. 24 with pop-up performances at Dulles and Reagan National Airport, featuring actors Ben Bogen and Divine Iweha, who have both starred in past shows at Arlington’s Signature Theatre.


News

Association Drive’s long-contemplated transition from office park to mixed-use neighborhood could start with townhomes.

An affiliate of the home builder Toll Brothers is seeking to redevelop the office building at 1902 Association Drive in Reston with 54 rear-loaded townhouses, according to a rezoning application submitted to Fairfax County on Aug. 31.


Around Town

Él Bebe is out, and a brand-new restaurant with a beer garden from the Northern Virginia chain Open Road is in at The Boro in Tysons.

Open Road Outpost & Biergarten opened at 11 a.m. today (Tuesday) at 8354 Broad Street, taking over an approximately 5,000-square-foot space that had been occupied by the tacos-and-tequila eatery since December 2022.


Countywide

Fairfax County officials have started making preparations for what they anticipate will be another challenging budget season next spring.

“The low-hanging fruit is gone,” Philip Hagen, director of the county’s Department of Management and Budget, told the Board of Supervisors at its Budget Policy Committee meeting on Sept. 1.