DY Begay (Diné [Navajo], b. 1953) weaving a private commission in her studio. Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2023.
Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay exhibition. Photos by Norwood Photography for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay exhibition. Photos by Norwood Photography for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay exhibition. Photos by Norwood Photography for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
Visit the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian to see the first-ever retrospective of Diné fiber artist DY Begay and experience the love she holds for her homelands, expressed through 48 inspired tapestries.
Bring the whole family and join an interactive experience for young visitors to understand the care and pride involved in weaving a Navajo rug.
Weaving Family Threads Saturday and Sunday, April 5-6, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free | National Mall
In support of the exhibit Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay, fiber artist DY Begay (Diné) and her sisters, Berdina Charley and Berdine Begay will share their stories and talents with the public. There will be hands-on interactive demonstrations to share some of the processes involved with weaving, including carding (combing) wool and spinning wool into thread.
While you are at the museum, enjoy Indigenous-inspired cuisine at the Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe, open daily 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Major support provided by Henry Luce Foundation. Generous support provided by Ameriprise Financial. Additional support provided by The Coby Foundation, Ltd., and Furthermore: a program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund. This project received Federal support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.
Fairfax County cleared a homeless encampment in Reston in September 2024 (staff photo by Fatimah Waseem)
Fairfax County leaders have agreed to some proposals from the local NAACP branch on how to address homeless encampments, but divides between the civil rights organization and county government on the issue remain.
Perhaps the biggest point of contention is whether outside observers should be allowed on site when camps are dismantled.
People walk and cycling on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Herndon (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Fairfax has scored a Top 5 spot on a ranking of the healthiest counties in the U.S.
The 2025 Niche rankings released last week found that Fairfax County is the fifth healthiest county in the country based on a review of 2,764 counties.
From right to left, the Fairfax County Spelling Bee's 2025 champion Nikita Ramakrishnan, first runner-up Nargiza Muzhapaer and second runner-up Laasya Mohan (via Fairfax County Spelling Bee/Facebook)
Eighth-grader Nikita Ramakrishnan bested 86 spellers to win the Fairfax County Spelling Bee March 23.
Ramakrishnan, a student at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, claimed the title after spelling “xanthic,” an adjective of Greek origin meaning “colored with some tint of yellow – used of a flower.”
A bridge in Fairfax City’s Daniels Run Park (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Cherry Blossoms Boost Metro Ridership — Metro says Friday, Saturday and Sunday (March 28-30) were its busiest days since 2020, with 28 stations setting post-2020 single-day ridership records. Demand was fueled by the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms hitting peak bloom, a busy day at the National Zoo and opening weekend games for the Washington Nationals. [WMATA/Bluesky]
Dulles Airport Highway Reduced to One Lane — “Starting [Monday, March 31], traffic will be restricted to one lane in both directions on the Dulles Airport Access Highway between Hunter Mill Road and Beulah Road around the clock for paving work. Allow additional time for merging.” [Dulles Airport/X]
Federal Layoffs Could Affect Child Care Centers — Despite mandating that federal employees return to the office, the Trump administration has eliminated an office that oversees dozens of child-care centers housed in federal buildings “leaving them vulnerable to a drop in quality, higher costs or outright closure, former employees said.” [Washington Post]
DCA Worker Charged With Assault — “A Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport employee was arrested for an air traffic control tower fight, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).” The air traffic controller was put on leave Saturday (March 29) following the incident on Thursday night (March 27), an FAA spokesperson said. [WJLA]
Va. Schools Under Scrutiny Based on ‘Parental Rights’Laws — “The U.S. Department of Education is putting Virginia schools on notice, warning they could lose federal funding and face further investigation if they fail to comply with parental rights laws.” The move appears to stem from debates over whether schools should be required to disclose a student’s gender transition to parents. [Virginia Mercury]
Temporary Art Galleries to Pop Up Around Annandale — “‘Art in Daily Spaces,’ an exhibition of 21 local artists in a variety of media, opens to the public April 5 in six locations across Annandale. The exhibition, now in its second year, was organized by Community Art for Everyone (CAFE) and sponsored by ArtsFairfax.” [Annandale Today]
Meet Teacher Behind Reston Community Newsletter — Herndon High School English and journalism teacher Dawn Stuvland Crosson started the Reston Letter in early 2023 after seeing “a lapse in local reporting in her community … The free, local, monthly printed newspaper is mailed to more than 23,000 Reston residents.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Oakton Teen Advocates for Rare Disease Research — “Isolation was becoming a problem in 2020 when the world was beginning to learn about COVID-19. The feeling of being alone become much more severe when Khartik Uppalapati was diagnosed with two rare diseases.” The experience inspired the Oakton High School student to co-found the nonprofit advocacy group RareGen. [WTOP]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunshine and a high temperature near 59 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind ranging from 11 to 16 mph and gusts up to 25 mph. As the night progresses, there will be increasing clouds and the temperature will drop to around 43 degrees, with an east wind blowing at a speed of 3 to 7 mph. [NWS]
Opening of NoVA Prism Center in McLean (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)
Northern Virginia’s lone nonprofit community center for LGBTQ+ individuals marked the opening on Saturday (March 29) of a new facility designed to expand opportunities serving the region.
“We have a lot of exciting things we want to do with this space,” said NoVA Prism Center board president Sydney Mastrangelo during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the expanded service center at 1340 Old Chain Bridge Road in McLean.
The Lake Anne Canal in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
While Fairfax County continues studying what to do with Lake Accotink, another local manmade body of water is gearing up for a dredging.
A contractor will begin operations in Reston next Monday (April 7) to dredge up and dispose of accumulated sediment from the canal at the northwest corner of Lake Anne, Reston Association announced in a newsletter on Friday (March 28).
Fairfax Connector bus to Oakton (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Finding better ways for bus networks across Northern Virginia to better collaborate seems to be a priority for local representatives on the DMV Moves task force.
However, the possibility of consolidating the disparate systems into one appeared to be a non-starter, especially for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.
A Fairfax County police car with lights on at the Mosaic District (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Two women are facing a range of criminal charges in connection to a series of thefts at Fairfax County businesses more than seven months after the crimes occurred.
In the most recent case, on July 19, 2024, officers were dispatched to the 2900 block of District Avenue in Merrifield’s Mosaic District at 5:51 p.m. for a grand larceny report.
Traffic on I-66 East nearing the I-495 interchange in Dunn Loring (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Ash Seen Falling in Fairfax — “Ash [was] falling on parts of Arlington and Fairfax County due to a ‘very large controlled burn’ nearby … Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said on social media around 5:30 p.m. [Sunday, March 30] that it’s due to an intentional brush fire to the south” at Quantico Marine Corps Base. [ARLnow]
Police Chief Comments on Immigration Enforcement — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced he wanted to tie state funding to cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. He said that would, in particular, impact Fairfax County. [Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin] Davis admitted he wasn’t aware of the governor’s comments, but that his department had its hands full enforcing state and local laws, and was content to let federal agencies handle federal laws.” [WTOP]
Fairfax City Music Venue to Close — “Fairfax City’s Earp’s Ordinary announced on social media [last Wednesday, March 26 that] it was closing its doors after 15 months. The 10,000-square-foot restaurant/bar/music venue will pack up its guitars and amplifiers for the last time on Sunday, April 13.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Two-Alarm House Fire in Springfield — “Earlier [Sunday], around 3:30pm, #FairfaxsBravest responded to reports of a house fire in the 7900 block of Hill Stream Court in Springfield. Units arrived to heavy fire and smoke coming from the home and fire rapidly spreading … All occupants safely evacuated. No firefighter or civilian injuries.” [FCFRD/Facebook]
FCPS to Pilot Later Middle School Start Times — “The Fairfax County School Board directed the superintendent to develop a pilot program for later start times at Mason District middle schools … The motion says the plan should minimize start time changes for the high school pyramids that serve those middle schools. It calls for Superintendent Michelle Reid to report back to the school board by April 10.” [Annandale Today]
Upgrades in the Works for Rec Centers — “The Fairfax County Park Authority is undertaking significant revitalization projects at Oakmont and Franconia Rec Centers to enhance pool air quality for swimmers and spectators.” Work at Oakmont is underway and expected to finish in April, while the Franconia renovations are set to begin in mid-April and continue into early May. [FCPA]
GMU Men’s Basketball Coach’s Contract Extended — George Mason University announced has extended its contract for Tony Skinn, the head coach of its men’s basketball team, through the 2029-2030 season. Skinn was named the 2024-25 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year after leading the Patriots to their best-ever season in the Atlantic 10 conference and a school record-tying 27 overall wins. [GMU]
Local Little League Kicks Off 60th Anniversary Season — “Little League Opening Day today at Fort Hunt and [Woodlawn]. Woodlawn LL celebrating its 60th anniversary! Lots of happy kids ready to get outside and experience some teamwork and community activity!” [Scott Surovell/Bluesky]
It’s Monday — Expect isolated showers to develop into afternoon thunderstorms with a high near 79. Rainfall amounts may reach up to a quarter of an inch. Thunderstorms continue before 8pm, followed by potential showers until 2am; low near 45. Chance of precipitation remains high, with up to three-quarters of an inch of rain possible. [NWS]
