Don Beyer | FFXnow

Local and state police can enforce traffic laws on GW Parkway, starting in July

Published June 15, 2026 at 1:45PM

The George Washington Memorial Parkway (staff photo by James Cullum)

Local and state police will soon be allowed to enforce speed limits and other traffic laws on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, though drivers might not see an immediate increase in officers and troopers.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed Senate Bill 81 in April authorizing state and local law enforcement officers to cite drivers for traffic infractions on federal highways in Northern Virginia, starting on July 1. Local agencies can also seek the federal government’s permission to install automated speed monitoring cameras.

News

Northern GW Parkway’s first major refresh since 1960s is complete

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 9, 2026 at 9:15AM

Officials hold an America 250 pennant with the newly rehabilitated GW Parkway in the background (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

After nearly four years of construction, drivers can at last travel the George Washington Memorial Parkway in McLean and Arlington without navigating shifting lanes and work zones.

Federal officials assembled at Turkey Run Park in McLean yesterday (Monday) to rededicate the parkway’s 7.6-mile northern section after completing a $161 million rehabilitation project — the first substantial update since the road extension opened in 1962.

News

Deep slate of candidates vies for Fairfax’s seats in Congress under proposed redistricting map

By Jared Serre

Published February 12, 2026 at 3:45PM | Updated February 12, 2026 at 4:46PM

The dome of the U.S. Capitol building, where Congress sits (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

With Virginia expected to adopt a new Congressional map later this year, many potential candidates are shifting around their future plans.

The so-called “10-1” map proposed last week by Democrats in Virginia’s General Assembly would shift the boundaries of the state’s Congressional districts in hopes of expanding the party’s presence in Congress — a move that opponents have decried as unconstitutional gerrymandering even as Republican-led states make similar moves.

News

State, federal legislators look to address speed enforcement on GW Parkway

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 18, 2025 at 10:15AM | Updated December 23, 2025 at 1:44PM

Southbound traffic on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Belle Haven (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Lawmakers who represent southeastern Fairfax County at both the state and federal levels are looking to clear the way for increased speed enforcement on the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Rep. Don Beyer unveiled legislation yesterday (Wednesday) to authorize revenue generated by any speed cameras on roads maintained by the National Park Service, such as the GW Parkway, to be used for speed camera installations, maintenance and construction projects on those same roads.

Countywide

N. Va. Congressmen oppose deal to reopen government without health care guarantees

By Jared Serre and Associated Press

Published November 10, 2025 at 12:00PM | Updated November 10, 2025 at 3:46PM

Rep. James Walkinshaw (staff photo by Jared Serre)

All three of Fairfax County’s Congressional representatives say they will not support a legislative deal advanced late yesterday (Sunday) by the U.S. Senate to reopen the federal government.

Without a guarantee that health care subsidies will be extended, the latest effort by lawmakers to break the record-long stalemate over funding is a non-starter, Rep. James Walkinshaw, who’s in his first term representing Virginia’s 11th District, said in a statement.

Countywide

White House begins firing federal workers amid shutdown, as Democrats call move ‘illegal’

By Associated Press and Angela Woolsey

Published October 10, 2025 at 1:15PM | Updated October 10, 2025 at 2:51PM

Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget director, listens as he addresses members of the media outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.

Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said on the social media site X that the “RIFs have begun,” referring to reduction-in-force plans aimed at reducing the size of the federal government.

News

NoVA elected officials report ‘improved conditions’ at ICE field office in Chantilly

By Jared Serre

Published September 30, 2025 at 11:45AM | Updated December 12, 2025 at 3:42PM

ICE protest in Chantilly (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Conditions at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Chantilly have improved in recent weeks, four of Northern Virginia’s federal legislators say.

Sen. Mark Warner, as well as Reps. James Walkinshaw, Suhas Subramanyam and Don Beyer, visited the facility last Friday (Sept. 26) “after a month of attempting to gain access.”

News

N.Va. leaders: Messaging will determine political success or failure in November

By Scott McCaffrey

Published June 30, 2025 at 3:45PM

Del. Marcus Simon (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Control of state government in 2026 will hinge on which political party better connects with voters’ top concerns in coming months.

That’s the view of Del. Marcus Simon (D-13), speaking at a June 28 forum sponsored by NAACP’s Northern Virginia branches.

Countywide

Fairfax officials scramble to assess impact of Trump’s federal funding freeze

By James Jarvis and Angela Woolsey

Published January 28, 2025 at 3:45PM | Updated January 28, 2025 at 6:31PM

The White House (via René DeAnda on Unsplash)

Update: A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s order freezing federal grants and loans minutes before it was set to take effect at 5 p.m.

Earlier: Fairfax County officials are scrambling to assess how a new federal directive halting financial aid programs might impact local services and capital projects.

News

Park Police officers who fatally shot Bijan Ghaisar didn’t violate policies, report says

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 13, 2024 at 9:45AM

Video from a Fairfax County police officer's dashboard camera captured U.S. Park Police officers shooting Bijan Ghaisar on Nov. 17, 2017 (via Interior Department's Office of the Inspector General)

Almost seven years after his death, federal officials have determined that the two U.S. Park Police officers who pursued and shot McLean resident Bijan Ghaisar complied with department policies.

The report released yesterday (Tuesday) concludes officers Alejandro Amaya and Lucas Vinyard were reasonable in their belief that Ghaisar “presented a clear and immediate threat to public safety” when he fled after being rear-ended by a rideshare driver on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Alexandria on Nov. 17, 2017.