Reston

New NASA Head on Proposed Space Shuttle Move — “There’s a new NASA administrator in the Trump administration. And just a few weeks into his role, Jared Isaacman has already shared his thoughts on the controversial plan to move the Space Shuttle Discovery from Virginia to Texas,” telling CNBC that NASA could send another spacecraft to the Johnson Space Center if it can’t relocate the Discovery. [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Lake Barcroft Businesses Assess Damage After Fire — “Several business owners at Barcroft Plaza are assessing what comes next after a fire tore through the shopping center Thursday morning … Among the businesses damaged were a martial arts studio, a swimming school, and a Benjamin Moore paint store.” [WUSA9]

FCPD Reports Drop in Some Crimes — “Crime fell across several categories in Fairfax County last year, Police Chief Kevin Davis told WTOP, touting the agency’s use of emerging technology, recruitment, retention efforts and focus on road safety. In an interview with WTOP on Friday, Davis said homicides fell 15% in 2025, compared with 2024.” [WTOP]

Progress Stalls on Virginia’s Clean Energy Law — “But five years after [the Virginia Clean Economy Act’s] passage, its clean-up has stalled. The data-center and AI explosion is forcing utilities to take desperate measures to generate more energy, even using dirty fuels. And, it turns out, the law provided exemptions allowing them to do so.” [New Energy Crisis]

Va. Woman’s Napkin Collection Preserved — “That early fascination seeded what over decades would become a paper napkin collection worth preserving. LaRoy kept sliding new finds into a blanket box under her bed — until, some years ago, she finally walked into the Library of Virginia. LaRoy handed them over, more than 1,100 in all, surprising and delighting curators.” [Washington Post]

McLean and Great Falls Legislators Hold Town Halls — “Want to hear about what is in store this General Assembly session and make your voice heard on state level issues? Join me and Senator Jennifer B. Boysko as we host a series of pre-General Assembly session town halls” at Great Falls Library at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Monday) and the McLean Community Center at the same time tomorrow (Tuesday). [Rip Sullivan/Facebook]

Firefighters Offer Free Public Safety Training — “Learn life-saving skills at free public safety training from February through May at Fire Station 3 … Classes cover hands-only CPR/AED, stop the bleed, stroke awareness, fire extinguisher use, smoke alarm basics, and more.” [City of Fairfax]

It’s Monday — Expect partly sunny skies with a high near 45 and a light wind shifting to the south between 5 and 10 mph in the morning. Winds may gust up to 18 mph. By night, skies will be mostly cloudy and the temperature will drop to around 35. The south wind will become calmer in the evening. [NWS]

Fairfax Office Market in Flux — “While uncertainty remains and the Fairfax office market has stayed soft, there are signs of tightening or stabilizing. Demand for Class A and trophy office space remains high as tenants trade up from aging spaces in a ‘flight-to-quality’ trend as they seek new and improved amenities.” [Virginia Business]

Three Injured in Great Falls House Fire — Firefighters responded yesterday (Thursday) morning to “a two-alarm house fire in the 11100 blk Rich Meadow Drive in the Great Falls area. Firefighters arrived on scene with heavy fire showing from the rear of the home extending into the attic … Two civilians and one firefighter were evaluated with non-life-threatening injuries.” [FCFRD/Facebook]

Respiratory Illnesses Rising — “Respiratory illness activity in the Fairfax County Health District has increased to its highest level since February, according to the latest data from the Virginia Department of Health … This year’s flu season is expected to be more serious due to a new Influenza H3N2 mutation known as ‘subclade K,’ which is spreading in North America.” [Patch]

AG Looks to Settle Tuition Aid Lawsuit — “Outgoing Attorney General Jason Miyares is facing some pushback after he chose to enter into an agreement with the Trump administration rather than take its lawsuit … to court. In a Dec. 31 joint press release, the Legal Aid Justice Center, the ACLU of Virginia and the Dream Project announced that they had filed an emergency motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit that took aim at both undocumented and refugee students in Virginia.” [WRIC]

Health Centers Sue State — “Fifteen Virginia health centers on Tuesday announced they are suing the state government, claiming it has violated state and federal law through underpayments on Medicaid reimbursements. The collection of medical providers are designated as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), a type of nonprofit health clinics that are federally funded.” [Virginia Mercury]

Lawmakers to Consider AI Use in Education — “Moore’s experience with AI may help inform Virginia legislators as they head back to Richmond for the 2026 legislative session in mid-January. While details on legislation are still being parsed out, Roanoke Democratic Delegate Sam Rasoul, who chairs the House Education Committee, thinks any future regulations” will focus on children’s safety and emotional development as well as whether the technology actually helps them learn. [WVTF]

McLean Restaurant Featured on TV — “‘Signature Dish,’ the WETA PBS show highlighting the DMV’s diverse food landscape, kicks off its fourth season on Monday by visiting a McLean restaurant that specializes in serving new interpretations of American classics. Host Seth Tillman joins celebrity Chef David Guas for brunch at Neutral Ground Bar + Kitchen, which is located at 6641 Old Dominion Drive.” [Patch]

Fairfax Library’s Top Reads of 2025 — Fairfax County Public Library recently released its lists of the most in-demand digital and print books for 2025. The library system also surpassed 4 million digital checkouts in a single calendar year for the first time on Dec. 22, a milestone met by only 29 libraries that use the digital catalog Libby by OverDrive in 2024. [FCPL]

Metro Silver Line Service Changes — Track work will disrupt some Metro service this weekend (Jan. 3-4), including on the Silver line. “Trains single track between McPherson Sq and Foggy Bottom. Trains run every 15 minutes between Ashburn and Clarendon. No Silver Line service in DC or Maryland.” [WMATA]

It’s Friday — The weather will transition from mostly cloudy to sunny, reaching a high of around 41 degrees. In the afternoon, calm winds will shift northwest at approximately 6 mph. At night, expect mostly cloudy skies and a low temperature around 26 degrees. [NWS]