A new Indian restaurant will open its doors in Reston Town Center next week.
Masti, the newest venture from the owners of Indochen, is scheduled to open next Wednesday, Oct. 8, the restaurant announced.
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Reston
Poe Middle School is getting closer to having an Advanced Academic Program (AAP) center of its own, and other middle schools could soon follow suit.
The Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously last Thursday (Sept. 25) to begin engaging with the community on a plan to open a new AAP center at Poe (7000 Cindy Lane), which would be the first middle school in the Annandale High School pyramid to offer full-time advanced academic services.
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As county and regional leaders gathered yesterday (Wednesday) to mark the 40th anniversary of the Fairfax Connector bus service, nearly everyone wanted to get a photo taken with John Ashford.
Ashford was one of the original drivers when the local bus system began operations in September 1985, and he remains behind the wheel today.
Much of the federal government has ground to a halt, as Republicans and Democrats in Congress remain at odds over a funding plan.
With no clear end to the shutdown in sight after Democrats held firm yesterday (Wednesday) on their demands for a budget that extends health insurance tax credits, local government officials shared resources to help federal workers and other people affected by a loss of services, while some area restaurants are offering deals to ease the financial blow.
Shutdown Could Influence Va. Elections — “Republicans control the White House, the federal government barreled into a shutdown at midnight Wednesday morning, and a race for governor in Virginia is weeks away. Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger has so far led Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in both polling and fundraising,” but some Republicans see an opportunity to change the race by holding their opponents as responsible for the shutdown. [NBC News]
Antisemitism Alleged at Reston Apple Store — The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency “that enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws sued Apple on Tuesday, claiming the manager of a retail store made antisemitic comments and denied a Jewish employee’s requests for time off before firing him.” [CNN]
Flagging for Construction on McLean Road — Traffic on Old Dominion Drive between Old Gate Court and Dulany Drive will be limited to one way in alternating directions from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, starting today (Thursday) through Friday, Oct. 24. “Flagging operations are needed for crews to perform milling and paving work on Old Dominion Drive” as part of the I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension project. [VDOT]
Three Injured in Richmond Highway Crash — “Watch this: A car overturned in this crash [Tuesday] afternoon on Route 1 at Mt. Vernon Hwy. Three people with non-life threatening injuries. Bystanders righted the vehicle before @FairfaxCountyPD & @ffxfirerescue arrived. Also note that the red car kept rolling after the driver got out. Video via SafetyVid.org.” [Dave Statter/X]
McLean Pop-Up Art Gallery Open — “The McLean Art Society’s Pop-Up Art Gallery is now open at Chesterbrook and will be open through the end of 2025. The Gallery will welcome visitors Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Mondays and Tuesdays, it will host educational workshops and events designed for both artists and the broader community.” [Federal Realty press release]
Student Group Warns About Vaping — Langley High School senior Rujvi Thakkar “launched ClearLungs, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading awareness about the dangerous vaping and nicotine trends, in April. It came in response to the amount of vaping she saw in the community and school, specifically where many students encountered their peers vaping in bathrooms.” [WTOP]
Map Shows Virginia’s Shrinking Tree Canopy — “Approximately 60% of Virginia is located inside the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and those communities now have access to an updated map that shows precisely how their landscapes are changing over time … The research shows Virginia has lost nearly 50,000 acres of tree canopy in its portion of the watershed to development over just seven years.” [Virginia Mercury]
New Center Treats Addiction With Music — “Recovery Unplugged, a new addiction treatment center in Seven Corners, uses music as a catalyst to help people change their lives. The center offers holistic treatment for mental and behavioral health, as well as detox for addiction, said Riley Osborne, the company’s chief growth officer, at an open house on Sept. 30.” [Annandale Today]
It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 70 degrees accompanied by an east wind around 8 mph. Thursday night will see partly cloudy conditions with a low around 52 degrees. The east wind at around 5 mph will become calm in the evening. [NWS]
Fairfax County’s very own film festival is returning this month with a lineup that ranges from “Shrek” to ruminations on women’s rights in Iran and European attitudes toward refugees.
Now in its 14th year, the Washington West Film Festival will kick off this Friday (Oct. 3) at Reston Town Center with a 25th-anniversary screening of “Shrek,” organized in conjunction with the town center’s inaugural Rocktoberfest. More than a dozen other movies will follow from Oct. 9-13.
County supervisors voted yesterday (Tuesday) to withhold some funding for a planned Fairfax County Park Authority initiative, saying it should be considered as part of the fiscal year 2027 budget process next spring.
County Executive Bryan Hill had recommended giving $1.8 million to the project as part of the county government’s fiscal year 2025 budget carryover process, where excess funds are redistributed in the next year’s budget.
A growing D.C.-area sushi chain is settling in at Reston Town Center.
Since opening next to PR Run and Walk at 11909 Democracy Drive on Sept. 19, Kusshi Sushi has been offering 20% discounts on all food items — a promotion that will continue throughout its soft launch.
Fairfax County school leaders are paying careful attention to start-of-school enrollment figures, attempting to determine if the Trump administration’s immigration policies are leading some families to keep their children at home.
“Some students are a bit reluctant to be in school at this time,” Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid told school board members during a Sept. 25 report on the first month of classes.
Federal Government Shuts Down — “Plunged into a government shutdown, the U.S. is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday’s deadline. Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by the Trump administration.” [Associated Press]
Fairfax Football Team Banned From Playoffs — “Fairfax High School football team will not be in the playoffs this season, no matter how they play. The Virginia High School League placed the team on probation and banned it from postseason play after the school self-reported a recruiting violation … The league has tightened enforcement of rules after last year’s major controversy over transfers at the highly-ranked Hayfield Secondary School.” [WUSA9]
More Details on Burke Police Shooting — Fairfax County police released more details yesterday (Tuesday) on the circumstances leading up to an officer shooting a man in crisis who was allegedly wielding an ax, chainsaw, blowtorch and, at one point during negotiations, a gun. “The officer involved in the shooting has been identified as a 6-year veteran assigned to the Crisis Intervention Team.” [FCPD]
Rep. Beyer to Forgo Pay During Shutdown — “During my telephone town hall last night [Monday, Sept. 29], a constituent asked if Members of Congress get paid during a shutdown. I told her yes they do because of the 27th Amendment, but I will have mine withheld for the duration of a shutdown in solidarity with federal workers.” [Don Beyer/Bluesky]
Driver Charged in Fiery I-495 Crash — A Burke resident has been charged with reckless driving, with additional charges pending, after allegedly racing other drivers and crashing on I-495 on Sunday (Sept. 28). Three people, including the charged driver, were seriously injured when a 2020 McLaren 720S sideswiped a Honda Pilot before crashing over a guardrail and catching fire, Virginia State Police say. [FFXnow]
Maryland Increases Speeding Fines — “Maryland is adopting a tiered system for fines issued by speed cameras, effective Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The higher a driver’s speed, the steeper the fine. Fines could cost hundreds of dollars, depending on how fast a driver is going.” [NBC4]
Sleepy Driver Leads to Vienna Crash — One driver was transported to a hospital with injuries from a three-vehicle crash that occurred on Lawyers Road NW at Blair Court NW around 4:36 p.m. on Monday (Sept. 29). Police say the driver was heading north on Lawyers when they “fell asleep at the wheel” and rear ended another vehicle, which in turn rear ended a third vehicle “due to the force of being struck” by the original vehicle. [Vienna Police]
County Conducts Business Survey — “The Fairfax County Department of Economic Initiatives (DEI) is asking business owners to participate in its latest Business Pulse Survey. This is an opportunity for all businesses, large and small, across the county to provide direct feedback on the current economic climate, operational challenges, and their outlook for the future.” [Fairfax County DEI]
It’s Wednesday — Expect partly sunny skies to transition to sunnier conditions, with temperatures reaching around 72°F and a 10 mph north wind. Wednesday night will be clear and cool with a low near 51°F, accompanied by a 6 mph northeast breeze. [NWS]