After a contentious primary, Republican nominees for Virginia’s next governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general took the stage last night (Tuesday) in Vienna to try and present a unified image.
Incumbent Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the party’s gubernatorial nominee, and others criticized the Democratic slate of candidates but also repeatedly took aim at Zohran Mamdani, attempting to associate Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger with the mayoral candidate in New York City.
Though Fairfax County set off some Fourth of July fireworks prematurely, with displays in Lorton, McLean and at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston last weekend, residents who are sticking around for the holiday will still have plenty of options for celebrating.
Coming up first, the Town of Vienna will host its annual celebration with fireworks at Yeonas Park (1319 Ross Drive SW) from 6-10 p.m. tonight (Wednesday).
Fairfax County is home to plenty of artists, but many of them struggle to find space for practicing and displaying their craft, a survey recently released by ArtsFairfax found.
According to the Fairfax Regional Artist Survey, limited opportunities for networking and a scarcity of appropriate, affordable venues are the biggest obstacles to artists presenting their work in Fairfax County, pushing many of them to other localities.
Last month, Inova officially opened a new care center in Herndon, bringing together its family, women, and children-specialized clinics under one roof.
The new facility is located at 365 Herndon Parkway, Suite 105, just across Fairfax County Parkway from Reston Hospital.
For Fairfax County residents preparing to make a getaway for the Independence Day holiday, planning ahead could ease hassles no matter the mode of travel.
Here’s what to expect if you’re traveling for the extended weekend, from driver and airplane passenger projections to Metro and bus service impacts.
Firefighter Injured in Tysons Fire — “At 3:05 p.m. [Tuesday], #FCFRD responded to reports of a townhouse fire in the 8100 block of Madrillon Court in the Tysons area. Units arrived to find fire showing from the roof of multiple townhouses. A second alarm was requested. The fire is under control. No civilian injuries. One firefighter was transported with non life-threatening injuries.” [FCFRD/Facebook]
Senate Passes Federal Budget Bill — “Virginia’s two Democratic senators voted against a Republican budget package that passed the Senate Tuesday morning in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote after an all-night session.” Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner say thousands of Virginians will lose health insurance coverage under the bill. [ALXnow]
Budget Bill Would Move Space Shuttle — “Texas lawmakers have added legislation to the One Big, Beautiful Bill that, if passed, would move the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center to Houston.” Kaine filed an amendment to nix the $85 million needed for the shuttle to be transported from its current home in Chantilly. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Science Center Construction Underway — The Northern Virginia Science Center, a long-planned, 70,000-square-foot interactive science museum in Dulles, broke ground in March. Expected to finish construction in 2027, the facility is a partnership between the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond and the Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation, the nonprofit that runs the Children’s Science Center at Fair Oaks Mall. [Washington Business Journal]
Beyer: More AI Regulation Needed — “Rep. Don Beyer warns that AI could have significant negative consequences if not regulated and lauded the promise of fusion energy at a recent forum hosted by the Democratic Business Council of Northern Virginia … Beyer is working on a master’s degree in machine learning at George Mason University, which is informing his work in Congress on the issue.” [Annandale Today]
Fourth of July Safety Tips — “Many of us are getting ready to celebrate with barbecues, fireworks and outdoor fun. But this popular holiday also brings some serious safety risks that you need to know about. From dangerous heat to firework injuries, here’s what you need to watch out for this Independence Day weekend.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]
Meetings Coming on Gallows Road Plan — “Long-term recommendations from a Gallows Road study will be presented at two meetings held by the Fairfax County Department of Transportation in July.” An initial meeting on the road’s north and middle segments is planned at Kilmer Middle School on Tuesday, July 15, while one focused on the southern segment will be held on July 17 at Woodburn Elementary School. [Patch]
It’s Wednesday — Showers and thunderstorms likely before noon, followed by a slight chance after 5pm. Clouds will gradually clear, reaching a high near 84. The chance of precipitation is 60%, with possible higher amounts in thunderstorms. Wednesday night will be mostly clear with a low of 69. [NWS]
It looks like Ronald McDonald gets the last laugh in Reston’s fast food burger battle.
Following extensive renovations to a former Burger King at Hunters Woods Village Center, McDonald’s expects to open on the site this month, a company representative told FFXnow.
Update — The National Weather Service has just issued a Flash Flood Warning for much of the D.C. area, including Fairfax County and Fairfax City.
The alert is scheduled to be in effect until 6 p.m.
Hints of the blue-green algae that often emerge in Reston’s lakes during the summer have been spotted at Lake Audubon.
“We have learned that a small amount of blue-green algae has been observed at Lake Audubon,” Reston Association said in an alert and social media posts sent out this morning. “RA Watershed staff are monitoring the potentially harmful algae.”
The Washington Business Journal did a little snooping and discovered that McLean’s own Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is buying up a new office in Dulles.
The Journal reported on Friday (June 27) that the CIA — appropriately through a pseudonym but linked to the same exclusive ZIP code — has purchased the 434,000-square-foot Dulles Discovery 2 office building at 13870 Air and Space Museum Parkway.
