D.C.’s National Cherry Blossom Festival recently branched out to Reston with the planting of six Yoshino cherry trees at South Lakes High School.
Representatives of the festival and the Japanese airline All-Nippon Airways (ANA), which sponsored the trees, joined school officials and students on Nov. 13 for a ceremony to celebrate the plantings, which had taken place on Oct. 23.
What to Expect From Thanksgiving Travel — “Almost 80 million people nationwide are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, per a AAA forecast — a record that shatters last year’s traveler record.” In addition, driving congestion is projected to peak on “Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 4:30pm on the US-50 East stretch between D.C. and Annapolis, per data transportation group INRIX.” [Axios DC]
Suspect in 2023 Shooting Still at Large — “Detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau continue to seek the community’s help in locating Javon Reid, who is wanted for a murder that occurred on May 7, 2023.” A man from D.C. was killed and another man was hospitalized in the shooting in the 3800 block of South George Mason Drive. [FCPD]
Great Falls Restaurant Ranked Among Top 100 in U.S. — “As if it wasn’t hard enough to get a reservation at L’Auberge Chez François, good luck now. The Great Falls restaurant was selected as one of the Top 100 Restaurants in the United States by OpenTable. This marks the second year in a row the old-school French eatery made OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants list.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Redevelopment Rolls Along in Falls Church — A proposal for 223 senior-living residences with ground-floor retail and restaurants on S. Washington Street and S. Maple Avenue is “the latest in a series of projects helping transform the Little City from a bedroom community with aging office and commercial spaces, benefiting from a prime location between Tysons and Arlington.” [ARLnow]
Sushi Restaurant Opens in Annandale — “Issho, an authentic Japanese sushi restaurant and izakaya, had a soft opening in Annandale on Nov. 20. It’s located at 7358 Little River Turnpike in the former Baden spot between a laundromat and Gopchang Story BBQ. For those unfamiliar with an izakaya, it’s a casual, late-night bar with small bites.” [Annandale Today]
Woodlawn Home Getting Renovation — “Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia (Habitat DC-NOVA) is back in Southeast Fairfax County with an active build site in Woodlawn.” The house on Frye Road, first purchased and remodeled by Habitat in 2016, is getting “additional renovations with the goal of selling the house to another family” after its last owner passed away. [On the MoVe]
Falls Church Wine Store Recovers From Theft — “The overnight intruder is believed to have smashed a window at Dominion Wine and Beer in Falls Church last week before cutting a hole in a wine cabinet and climbing through it to access the store, owner Arash Tafakor told ARLnow.” The suspect made away with about $3,000 worth of wine. [ARLnow]
South Run Trail Project Undergoes Maintenance — “The Fairfax County Park Authority has begun a trail maintenance project in South Run Stream Valley Park. The project includes trail repairs, culvert replacements and related improvements to enhance safety and usability.” Occasional trail closures may be needed, but the repaving is expected to finish by next Wednesday, Nov. 27. [FCPA]
It’s Friday — Scattered snow showers will turn into a mix of rain and snow between 11am and noon, likely followed by rain after noon. Expect increasing clouds and a high of 44. There’s a 70% chance of precipitation, but negligible snow accumulation. Night could bring scattered showers before 10pm with a low of 38. The precipitation chance decreases to 40%. [NWS]
Greenheart Juice Shop is ready to welcome customers in Reston.
The local juice and smoothie chain will celebrate the grand opening of its newest location at North Point Village Center (1432 North Point Village Center) at 8 a.m. this Saturday (Nov. 23).
With just seven weeks before the start of the 2025 General Assembly session, supporters and opponents of a proposed casino operation in Tysons are dusting off their arguments and ramping up their efforts.
In the latest round in the fight, advocates on both sides of the issue used a public hearing on the county’s draft 2025 legislative priorities and the public comment period at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday (Nov. 19) to focus attention on the matter.
Winterfest is back for three magical days at Reston’s Brown’s Chapel Park, and it’s the perfect way to kick off the holiday season.
This three-day event returns December 5-7 and promises to be bigger and even more festive than last year’s event.
Winterfest features a half-mile Light Up the Park walk, featuring thousands of holiday lights in various scenes and displays along the trail through the park. The event also features firepits with s’mores, holiday vendors, live musical performances, and plenty of food and drink options, as well as the Grinch’s Village and the chance to meet Santa — all in one festive event right in your own community.
A special part of the Winterfest celebration is the Enchanted Forest, which returns this year. The Enchanted Forest is a grove of festively decorated holiday trees — each one sponsored by a local business, non-profit, community group or family/individual. Not only are the trees unique and creative, but also at the conclusion of Winterfest, each tree is donated to a family in need in the Reston area to help make their holiday celebrations a bit brighter.
In its inaugural year, a total of 50 trees were donated to local families, and the goal is to support even more this year. There are still several opportunities for local organizations to help by sponsoring a tree.
Visit the Enchanted Forest sponsor form to learn how your group can be a part of sharing the holiday spirit this season.
Winterfest is free to Reston Association members; non-member tickets range from $8 for children to $18 for adults and includes everything from the Light Up the Park walk to visits with Santa and more. A variety of food vendors will be on hand, and our Vendor Village is the perfect place to explore and perhaps find that unique holiday gift to round out your shopping list.
Registration is required! Visit the Winterfest page on Reston Association’s website to secure your spot to be a part of the magic today.
Fairfax County’s most prominent Republican policymaker is mulling a run for statewide office.
Pat Herrity, the lone conservative voice on the county’s Board of Supervisors, will announce within the next two months whether or not he will seek the office of lieutenant governor next year, he told FFXnow.
Fairfax County Public Schools will enlist an outside firm to conduct an independent investigation of all student-athlete transfers, as questions about Hayfield Secondary School’s football program continue to percolate.
Superintendent Michelle Reid announced last night (Wednesday) that the district will pursue a “comprehensive and external independent investigation” of its student transfer and eligibility practices after she met with six football coaches who reportedly planned to forfeit their scheduled games against Hayfield.
The man charged with raping a woman in Herndon on Monday (Nov. 18) had been sentenced to jail less than a week earlier, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office says.
Denis Humberto Navarette Romero, 31, was previously arrested by Herndon Police for a separate incident and brought to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on Oct. 20, according to the sheriff’s office.
Input Wanted for Arts and Culture Survey — “The Fairfax County Arts Committee is seeking your views about arts and culture preferences through a survey that will help various organizations (such as ArtsFairfax) plan for and understand community needs better. The survey will take 5-8 minutes and will inform county arts policy, resourcing and marketing efforts.” [Fairfax County Government]
Arrests Made in Mosaic District Robbery — Four people have been arrested and charged with allegedly robbing a business in the 2900 block of District Avenue in Dunn Loring on Nov. 16. Police say the individuals “entered a store, stole merchandise, and threatened the employee with pepper spray before fleeing” out of the business and into a vehicle. [FCPD]
Man Charged in McDonald’s Stabbing — A 27-year-old man from Alexandria has been charged with malicious wounding in connection with the stabbing at McDonald’s in Bailey’s Crossroads on Tuesday (Nov. 19). He allegedly stabbed another man “unprovoked,” leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries, police say. [FCPD]
WMATA Leader Guides Metro Comeback — “This crowd, here for the inaugural ‘Metro Fest,’ is admittedly self-selecting … Still, the level of recognition that Clarke, WMATA’s general manager and CEO since July 2022, has attained among them is remarkable — more befitting a charismatic politician or musician than the head of a transit authority.” [Washingtonian]
Community Members Shelter Homeless Residents — A couple in Reston offered use of their temporarily vacant home to three seniors displaced by the closure of the “Hill” encampment on Sept. 10, the advocacy group RestonStrong says. Two of the individuals have now secured long-term homes, though one can’t move in until Nov. 26 due to paperwork delays. [Patch]
Home Health Care Company Expanding — “Agnes Home Health Care, a company in Centreville that helps people age in place, is opening a second location in Annandale on Nov. 25. It’s located on Columbia Pike in a renovated building formerly housing an Ethiopian church across the street from Walgreen’s.” [Annandale Today]
Paris Baguette Opening Near Lincolnia — “Paris Baguette is opening a new location in the Seminary Plaza shopping center (4616 Kenmore Avenue) sometime in the first week of December. The bakery offers a variety of cakes (either by the slice or whole cakes), pastries, bread and sandwiches, along with both hot and cold coffees and teas.” [ALXnow]
It’s Thursday — Expect clouds to increase with a high temperature of around 51, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 8 to 11 mph and gusts reaching up to 23 mph. As night rolls in, the skies will be partly cloudy with a low temperature of 36, and the west wind persists around 10 mph, gusting as high as 28 mph. [NWS]
It was early in her high-school career that Meghan Sullivan reached a crossroads.
The challenge was what sport to continue — basketball or running?
