News

The number of Fairfax County residents counted as unemployed and looking for work in February spiked 17% from the same month in 2024 in new data.

The city and county-level unemployment figures released by the Virginia Employment Commission last Thursday (April 10) kickstarted what could be a series of punishing monthly jobless reports in coming months, as the D.C. region begins to adjust to the ripple effects of the Trump administration gutting the federal government and tariff-related uncertainty.


News

A Merrifield man who evaded arrest for eight years will spend the next decade in federal prison in connection to drug charges.

Otis Chevalier, 46, was sentenced last Thursday (April 10) to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty last year to both the distribution of and the conspiracy to distribute the drug phencyclidine — otherwise known as PCP, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.


News

Three proposals for future development in Reston were mostly greeted with varying degrees of skepticism by community members who crowded into the cafeteria at Langston Hughes Middle School (11401 Ridge Heights Road) last Monday (April 7).

Drawing an estimated 350 to 400 attendees, the meeting was one of three held by Fairfax County planning staff over the past two weeks to gather feedback on 11 different pitches for changes to land use guidance in the Reston Comprehensive Plan.


Countywide

Keep an eye on your grass: Fairfax County’s Department of Code Compliance (DCC) will start investigating grass complaints starting today (Monday).

In a newsletter last week, Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw noted that today marks the start of “grass season,” the period when the county accepts complaints about too-tall grass. The season typically lasts from April through October.


A flowering tree near the Shops at Avenir Place courtyard (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Search and Rescue Task Force Returns From Floods — On Friday night (April 11), Virginia Task Force 1’s “45 team members and 2 canines returned home to waiting family members after assisting Frankfurt, Kentucky with swift water rescue resources and damage reconnaissance. We are honored to be able to serve whenever and wherever the need arises.” [Virginia Task Force 1/Facebook]

Chantilly Pickleball Facility to Open This Week — “The Dill Dinkers team has announced that their 12 p-ball courts will be ready for players on Thursday, April 17. The 30,000 s.f. sporting venue is located in the Sully Place Shopping Center off of 50, east of State Road 28. The space used to be a Babies R Us store.” [The Burn]

Pilot Falsely Linked to DCA Crash Sues for Defamation — “A transgender pilot is suing a popular right-wing influencer after he falsely connected her to the midair collision that killed 67 people near Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, in January. Jo Ellis, a helicopter pilot with the Virginia Army National Guard, filed the defamation lawsuit against social media personality Matt Wallace in a Colorado federal court.” [WTOP]

Single-Family Residents Object to Apartment Expansion — “Residents of the single-family neighborhood that backs up to The Jefferson Apartments in Seven Corners expressed significant concerns about a proposal to add more housing to the site. The property owner has submitted an amendment to the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan to add 101 additional multifamily units on the surface parking lot at … 6166 Leesburg Pike.” [Annandale Today]

First Look at Forthcoming Reston Restaurant — “Award-winning Vienna restaurant Clarity is eager to complete its new outpost near Reston Town Center, with a goal to be open for business in the spring of 2026 … Expect vibrant lunch offerings and a robust happy hour.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

VDOT to Pause Lane Closures for Easter Weekend — “Whether you are on spring break or driving to see family and friends, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) wants to help make your travels egg-cellent. VDOT will be suspending many highway work zones and lifting most lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon on Friday, April 18, until noon on Tuesday, April 22.” [VDOT]

Deadline to Get a Real ID Approaches — “You have under a month to obtain a Real ID before it’s required for domestic flights and access to some federal facilities like courthouses and military bases — but if you’re a D.C. or Maryland resident, chances are you’re on it.” In comparison, only 59% of Virginia residents have obtained the new ID. [Axios DC]

Local Food Critics Check Out Tysons Supermarket — “Move over H Mart, Great Wall and 99 Ranch. Tysons has a new Asian market and it’s a stunner. Opened in January, the 18,000-square foot Marufuji Japanese Market is a Japanophile’s dream, chockablock with (mostly Japanese) food products, plus some home goods thrown in.” The Washington Post’s Tom Siestema also recently assessed the new specialty grocer. [Arlington Magazine]

It’s Monday — Expect a mostly cloudy day with temperatures reaching near 69, and a calm wind turning south at 5-7 mph in the morning. Night will likely bring showers and possibly a thunderstorm, with a low temperature around 58. There is a 60% chance of precipitation. [NWS]


Countywide

A new audit report suggests ways Fairfax County leaders can improve collection rates and recoup more of the costs of providing ambulance services.

Even as that discussion starts, the county is working to collect payments for ambulance services provided last year after encountering problems with a contractor that left many bills in limbo.


Around Town

Multiple new thoroughfares line the course for next month’s Tour de Hunter Mill bicycle ride.

Registration is now open for May 4’s event, which will be the fifth annual bike ride through Fairfax County’s Hunter Mill District.


Flowering tree on Trap Road outside the entrance to Wolf Trap National Park’s Filene Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Airplane Wings Clipped at DCA — “A plane clipped the wing of another passenger jet carrying several members of Congress on a taxiway at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Thursday afternoon.” No injuries were reported in the collision, which involved an American Airlines flight headed for South Carolina striking another flight bound for New York City. [WTOP]

Contentious Fairfax City Trail Project Delayed — “Fairfax City Council voted unanimously during its Tuesday meeting on a motion not to advertise the controversial George Snyder Trail Project in its present form. The motion, which was introduced by Councilmember Tom Peterson, also directed city staff to explore possible modifications to the project.” [Patch]

Possible Development Near Bren Mar Park Draws Questions — “Of the four development proposals for Mason District reviewed at a community meeting on April 9, the only one to draw concern from residents was a townhouse project on Edsall Road … Bruce Olcott, the representative for the developer, said the project would be a high-end townhouse community with about three dozen homes” adjacent to Bren Mar Park. [Annandale Today]

Automated Metro Trains Raise Red Flags — “Two eye-opening reports released Tuesday are raising concerns about safety on Metro. One details how two trains came within 400 feet of a head-on collision, and another could delay automatic train operation from moving beyond the Red Line.” [NBC4]

Money for Route 28 Bypass Project Returned — “The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to reimburse the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority nearly $7.5 million in funds related to the Route 28 bypass project. The board voted to cancel the project during its Feb. 4 meeting,” citing uncertainty about Fairfax County’s commitment to the regional project as a contributing factor. [Inside NoVa]

Reston Energy Efficiency Firm Has New Leader — “GridPoint Inc., a Reston company that helps its customers reduce commercial building energy costs, has tapped an insider to be its next CEO as it prepares to enter a new stage of growth following a recent $45 million capital infusion.” Derek Booth was promoted from his chief operating officer role this week. [DC Inno]

Pepsi Challenges Coke in Tysons Face Off — “From April 11 to the 13, Pepsi invites local residents to take the Pepsi Challenge and decide for themselves if they prefer Pepsi Zero Sugar over its rival Coke Zero Sugar. The event is open to challengers from noon to 7 p.m. at Tysons Corner Center at 1961 Chain Bridge Rd.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Falls Church Debates Trash Collection Funding — “Falls Church City Council members appear as divided as ever on how costs for trash collection in single-family neighborhoods should be funded. At a Monday work session, Council members split almost down the middle on whether to shift to a fee-for-service model or to stick with funding weekly trash services through the city.” [ARLnow]

It’s Friday — Expect showers with a high near 54, a northeast wind of 8 to 10 mph, and a 90% chance of precipitation bringing three quarters to one inch of rain. There’s a 100% chance of showers at night with a low around 44 and a north wind of 11 mph with gusts up to 21 mph. [NWS]


Countywide

Regional leaders seem to agree that they must cooperate and coordinate in an effort to blunt impacts of Trump administration’s gutting of the federal workforce.

But that may not be so simple in a region where jurisdictions across the D.C. metropolitan area typically have competed, rather than collaborated, to achieve economic development goals.


Around Town

Wendy’s is back up and running in Herndon.

The fast-food chain temporarily shuttered its restaurant at 2160 Centreville Road, just outside town limits, late last year for a remodeling. After welcoming customers back on March 23, Wendy’s will celebrate its return with a grand reopening celebration this Saturday (April 12).


View More Stories