The forthcoming McDonald's in Reston (staff photo by Jared Serre)
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.
Algae seen in Lake Audubon (via Reston Association/Facebook)
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.”
Two of the Dulles Discovery office buildings (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
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.
Mural and seating area at Providence Place shopping center in Merrifield (photo by Susan Woolsey)
New State Laws in Effect — “Many laws that were passed by the General Assembly during the 2025 legislative session take effect in Virginia on Tuesday, July 1.” Starting today, all adult passengers must wear a seat belt, social media app users have to verify their age, and suppliers can no longer hide fees, among other changes. [Fairfax County Government]
Police Called to Stabbing Near Skyline — Detectives are investigating a stabbing reported Sunday (June 29) at 6:03 a.m. in the 3800 block of South George Mason Drive. The victim, who called 911 himself, was taken to a hospital with stab wounds initially deemed life-threatening but later downgraded to non-life-threatening. As of yesterday afternoon, no information on a possible suspect was available. [FCPD]
Neighborhood Objects to School Boundary Proposal — “Families from a couple of neighborhoods off Sherwood Hall Lane are voicing their objections to draft boundary changes proposed by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).” One change would eliminate an attendance island at Whitman Middle School but require more travel time for some elementary and high school students, families say. [On the MoVe]
Regional Rail Expansion Proposed — “Maryland is reviving plans to expand MARC, its regional rail service, into Delaware and Virginia and add more trains every hour, even as the state struggles to fund its current transit system.” A proposal released last week would add service from Wilmington, Delaware, to Alexandria on top of more frequent trips from D.C. to Baltimore and Frederick. [Washington Post]
Capital One-Discover Merger Complete — “McLean-based Capital One Financial completed its $35.3 billion acquisition of Discover Financial Services in May, finalizing the merger of the credit card giants announced last year … The all-stock acquisition, Capital One’s largest ever purchase, was under regulatory scrutiny.” [Virginia Business]
Meet Head of Reston Video Game Studio — “Kristin Wood, a longtime senior intelligence officer at the CIA, left the famed spy agency in 2015 after 26 years to pursue private-sector ventures.” She now serves as CEO at August Interactive, a Reston video game development and entertainment studio that’s currently working on its first title — code-named “Operation Fiero” and set for release in early 2027. [Biz Women]
Falls Church Trash Talks Progress — “The ad-hoc task force studying trash collection options in Falls Church continues to refine ideas as a key deadline draws ever nearer … The City Council created the panel as part of considerations on moving away from current practice of paying for single-family trash collection through general taxes.” [ARLnow]
Tiny Music Festival Underway in Fairfax City — “You’re probably familiar with NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts — but have you heard about the Tiny Music Fest? This new, free monthly event series takes a small parking lot in Old Town Fairfax and transforms it into a musical destination.” The monthly concerts started in May and will continue through September. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
It’s Tuesday — Expect showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 91. Precipitation chances are 80%, with potential rainfall between a quarter and half an inch. Tonight, the chance of precipitation drops to 60% with a low of 71. [NWS]
James Walkinshaw speaks at a victory party (staff photo by Jared Serre)
It can be hard to pinpoint where Gerry Connolly ends and where James Walkinshaw begins.
Walkinshaw appeared to have no reservations about leaning into his close ties to the longtime representative for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District in his bid to succeed his political mentor and former boss.
The latest iteration of the "Wooden Horse" at Lake Anne Plaza, first created by Gonzalo Fonseca and recreated by Marco Rando (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
With summer in full swing, Public Art Reston has a new activity for families looking to take in both the outdoors and some culture.
The nonprofit launched its first Public Art Scavenger Hunt last week, offering prizes to anyone who visits and shares photos with the many artworks installed throughout the community.
Aerial view of Clifton Elementary School in 1997 (Fairfax County GIS & Mapping Services via FCPS)
Fifteen years after Clifton Elementary School shut its doors, Fairfax County Public Schools leaders are at last taking steps toward demolishing it.
“It’s time we close this chapter,” at-large Fairfax County School Board member Kyle McDaniel said as the board debated taking action to officially declare the building uninhabitable last Thursday (June 26).
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is seeking the county circuit court’s approval for a $460 million school bond referendum to be included on the Nov. 4 ballot.
The Fairfax County School Board formally requested on June 12 that the supervisors approve a referendum, a request that was granted without comment at a board meeting last Tuesday (June 24).