Afternoon rush-hour traffic on I-495 near the Gallows Road exit (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

County Board Schedules Special Meeting — “The Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 9 a.m. to authorize the County Attorney’s Office to petition the Circuit Court, which will then set the date for a special election.” The election would fill the Braddock District supervisor’s seat vacated by James Walkinshaw, who was sworn into Congress yesterday (Wednesday). [Fairfax County Government]

GMU Board Head Rejects Call for Resignation — “George Mason University Rector Charles Stimson informed Democratic leaders in the Virginia Senate that he will not step down from his post on the school’s governing board despite their request for him to do so.” Sens. Scott Surovell, L. Louise Lucas and Mamie Locke argued Stimson’s role as an advisor to the president of the Heritage Foundation is a conflict of interest as Mason faces federal investigations into its diversity policies. [Virginia Mercury]

Two Arrested for Carjacking — A 20-year-old man from Alexandria and a 17-year-old are facing criminal charges in connection with an armed carjacking that occurred in Woodlawn on Monday (Sept. 8). “The victim reported he met with a buyer to sell clothing he advertised online when a second suspect approached him, displayed a firearm, and the two stole his vehicle.” [FCPD]

Swim Club Cell Tower Voted Down — The Mantua Swim and Tennis Club (MSTC) won’t move forward with a proposed project to allow a Verizon cell tower on its property after members declined to approve a necessary amendment to its bylaws, the board of directors said in a statement. “We thank all members who participated in the process and appreciate the engagement from our broader community.” [MSTC]

Mahjong Studio Open in Falls Church — “Local mahjong player Tori Rittinger, who launched Talk Tiles to Me at 113 Rowell Court last week, said she fell in love with the game when a friend got her hooked in 2021.” The new mahjong studio offers lessons for newcomers to the Chinese game, open play hours, event rentals and league nights. [ARLnow]

Tysons Club Plots Return — “Tower Club Tyson’s Corner, the old-school standby in the sky for NoVa’s business types with big wallets, will resurface in late October following a lavish renovation. Around since 1989, the club’s needed makeover to the tune of $1 million includes the addition of two restaurants.” [DC Eater]

Parents Warn About Opioid Overdoses — “Cayden Foster, Sean and Afrodita’s only child, died of a fentanyl overdose in early 2023 at 18 years old. Afrodita found him dead in his bed one morning when he should have been getting ready for school.” The parents have now spoken to thousands of students about the dangers of opioids and stay in contact with the Fairfax County Police Department’s overdose task force. [WTOP]

It’s Thursday — Expect a mostly sunny day with a high around 80 degrees and a gentle north wind at 6 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear with lows near 60 degrees, as the northeast wind around 5 mph becomes calm in the evening. [NWS]


News

The main question surrounding the special election yesterday (Tuesday) wasn’t whether Democrats would hold onto Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, but by how much.

Even in an area as deeply blue as Fairfax County, a 50-point victory came as a welcome surprise for James Walkinshaw, who secured just under 75% of the vote to best Republican nominee Stewart Whitson, according to unofficial results.


News

Fairfax County leaders have put in writing their concerns about the possibility of the Space Shuttle Discovery moving from Chantilly to Texas.

The Board of Supervisors voted 10-0 on Tuesday (Sept. 9) to send a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, asking him to carefully consider whether a move is in best interests of the nation.


News

A farm that has provided produce to Great Falls for decades was devastated last night by a fire.

The fire at Krop’s Crops (11110 Georgetown Pike) was first spotted around 11:34 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday) by a Fairfax County police helicopter returning from an unrelated call, according to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.


News

Update at 5 p.m.– James Walkinshaw has officially been sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives

Here's James Walkinshaw being ceremonially sworn-in by Speaker Mike Johnson earlier today.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools is appealing the dismissal of its lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education.

The school system asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit of Virginia yesterday (Tuesday) to overturn a lower court’s decision denying a preliminary injunction that would’ve prevented the Education Department (DOE) from restricting its access to federal funding, Superintendent Michelle Reid announced.


Voters approach Cedar Park Elementary School for the Sept. 9, 2025 special election (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Driver Charged in Fatal Pedestrian Crash — “Detectives from our Crash Reconstruction Unit have charged the driver from the August 15 fatal pedestrian crash in Springfield with Failure to Stop for Pedestrians in a Crosswalk.” Police say an investigation found that Jay Kim, a 76-year-old Springfield resident, was using a crosswalk on Hunter Village Drive when the driver of a Toyota Camry hit him. [FCPD]

Metro Reports Crime Drop — “As Metro wraps up a yearlong review of its service, the transit agency is reporting two major wins: a sharp drop in crime and a steady rise in ridership. According to Metro’s newly released FY2025 Annual Service Excellence Report, crime across the system fell by 43% between June 2024 and June 2025,” while ridership was up 9% over the previous year. [WTOP]

Fairfax Seeks Balance in Office Space — “In a market that is oversaturated with older office buildings that are unlikely to ever be desirable to tenants again, there has been some progress toward repositioning the stock, panelists said onstage at Comstock’s newly delivered 1800 Reston Row Plaza. But there’s still a long way to go for the Fairfax market to get to a healthy place.” [Bisnow]

Police Dog Dies From Cancer — “The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) announced on Monday that K9 Onyx had died. She served the force for 11 years in the Organized Crime and Narcotics unit and for the U.S. Postal Service.” [DC News Now]

New Steakhouse in Falls Church — “A family-owned steakhouse and raw bar from Maryland hosted a ribbon cutting at its first Virginia restaurant yesterday (Monday) in Falls Church. Olney-based GrillMarX is now open in the Little City, serving hand-cut steaks, hearty entrees and Virginia wines at 510 S. Washington Street.” [ARLnow]

Book Festival Finalizes Lineup — “George Mason University’s annual fall literary festival, Fall for the Book, is back from October 7 to 11. Big names in literature will attend, including headliner Erik Larson, Jeff Goodell, and Maggie Stiefvater … Celeste Ng was previously announced as a headliner, but her event was cancelled.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Volunteers Clean Up Litter in Culmore — “Local youths and organizations came together on Sept. 6 to pick up litter in the Culmore area of  Bailey’s Crossroads. A total of 106 people participated in Culmore Cleanup Day, reports organizer Andres Curtin of Second Story, the lead agency for Fairfax County’s Opportunity Neighborhoods initiative in Bailey’s Crossroads.” [Annandale Today]

Alpacas Add Twist to Open House — To sell a five-bedroom, four-bath house at 4635 Wood Glen Road near George Mason University’s Fairfax campus, real estate agent Kat Massetti of Serhant recruited My Pet Alpaca to set up a petting zoo that featured Mochi and Loki the alpacas, Princess Peach the goat and an albino snake. The event on Sunday (Sept. 7) was aimed at families with kids and turned into Massetti’s “most attended open house so far this year.” [Washington Business Journal]

It’s Wednesday — Showers are likely mainly before 9am, followed by mostly cloudy skies and a high near 72. The chance of precipitation is 30%. For Wednesday night, expect partly cloudy conditions, a low around 60, and a north wind between 3 to 5 mph. [NWS]


News

Democrat James Walkinshaw will succeed his former boss, the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, as U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, the Associated Press projects.

Walkinshaw, who represents the Braddock District on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, bested Republican nominee Stewart Whitson, a former FBI staffer, in today’s special election.


News

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Appellate judges heard arguments Tuesday in an appeal brought by a U.S. military contractor ordered to pay $42 million for contributing to the torture of three former detainees at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, with judges questioning the accuracy of some legal filings by the contractor.

The three-judge panel in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments and questioned attorneys for nearly an hour in the appeal brought by Reston, Virginia-based CACI, which is challenging last year’s civil lawsuit that led to a finding against it. The judges did not immediately issue a ruling. It’s not clear when an opinion could come.


News

The airplanes at the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center need a bigger hangar.

The extension of the National Air and Space Museum is embarking on the first major expansion of its public space since opening in Chantilly more than two decades ago, the Smithsonian Institution announced today (Tuesday).


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