A new restaurant specializing in shawarma and other Iraqi cuisine is ready to make its debut in Vienna.
Mashahweez Shawarma and Grill will welcome its first customers in the Vienna Shopping Center at 128 Maple Avenue West with a soft launch tomorrow (Wednesday).
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has formally filed to intervene in the proposed merger of Dominion Energy with Florida-based NextEra Energy.
The $67 billion merger proposal is under review by Virginia’s State Corporation Commission (SCC). According to her office, Spanberger is the first governor in Virginia history to intervene in an SCC case. Chief Energy Officer Josephus Allmond, the first person appointed to Spanberger’s new cabinet position, also filed to be a party in the case.
George Mason University’s Center for the Arts is one of six D.C.-area venues that will host the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) during its upcoming season.
Faced with an uncertain future due to a potential two-year closure of the Kennedy Center, its long-established home, the NSO made its delayed 2026-27 season announcement today (Tuesday), 5 1/2 weeks before its opening concert on Sept. 26 and five months later than the release of its 2025-26 schedule.
Nearly a decade ago, Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity backed an effort to eliminate glass from Fairfax County’s single-stream recycling program.
Herrity now thinks the time is right to reconsider the decision.
One of the very first restaurants to open at Merrifield’s nascent Mosaic District development has permanently closed its doors.
Matchbox shuttered on Sunday (Aug. 16) after more than 13 years in business at 2911 District Avenue, Suite 120, community members shared on the popular Facebook group Vienna VA Foodies.
Man Injured in Centreville Crash — An adult male driver was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries following a two-vehicle crash at Centreville Road and Compton Road yesterday (Monday) afternoon. Northbound Centreville Road, also known as Route 28, was closed for an extended period at the intersection as detectives investigated. [FCPD/X]
Arrest in Hybla Valley Stabbing — An Alexandria man has been charged with malicious wounding in connection with a stabbing that occurred in the 7800 block of Richmond Highway on Saturday (Aug. 15). “Officers found a 41-year-old man who had been stabbed in his upper body. Responders transported him to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was still hospitalized as of Monday afternoon.” [DC News Now]
Change in FBI HQ Plans Blocked — “Maryland and Prince George’s County secured a win in court Monday in their fight to keep the FBI’s future home in Greenbelt. A federal judge ruled President Donald Trump’s administration cannot scrap those plans in favor of its preference to move the bureau’s headquarters across the street to the Ronald Reagan Building in D.C.” [WTOP]
Man Committed for Killing Flies Out of U.S. — A man who was charged with murder for the killing of his landlord in Vienna in 2019 left the country on a one-way flight from Dulles Airport to Tajikistan via Istanbul on July 6, court documents show. Found not guilty by reason of insanity, Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda was committed in 2022 to the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute, which had granted him a weekend pass despite opposition to his release. [FOX5]
Virginia Tapped for Early Primary — “The Democratic National Committee on Saturday approved by voice vote its lineup of six early primaries for the 2028 election cycle, kicking off with South Carolina and Nevada.” Virginia will be sixth on the schedule, with a Democratic presidential primary on Feb. 29, 2028. [Virginia Mercury]
Donations for Online Gaming Bill Supporters — During this year’s General Assembly session, “five Republican senators broke with their caucus and supported legalized online casino gambling. Four months later, the trade group behind the bill sent each of the five GOP senators a campaign donation of $100,000, according to campaign finance disclosures released last month.” [Poole Report]
Va. AG Creates Worker Protection Unit — “Attorney General Jay Jones announced on Friday the creation of a Worker Protection Unit, which Jones said will put the voices of working people first … The unit will be tasked with investigating potential violations of labor laws like wage theft, employee misclassification and more.” [WRIC]
Dessert Shop Coming to Falls Church — “A new spot for cupcakes, ice cream and other sweet treats is preparing to open in Falls Church. Lil’ Cakes & Creamery … is hoping to open at 120 Founders Avenue by the end of August, a spokesperson told ARLnow.” The regional chain currently has two Virginia locations in Sterling and Alexandria City. [ARLnow]
It’s Tuesday — Sunny conditions are expected, with temperatures reaching a high of 87°F and northwest winds blowing at 6 to 8 mph. By night, the weather will become partly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to around 69°F. [NWS]
Want more local news? Check out our newest sister site, WSHnow, with the latest from across the region.
A luxury pajama brand is expanding for the first time with the opening of a store in the Mosaic District.
BedHead PJs will open at 2910 District Avenue in the Merrifield neighborhood this Saturday (Aug. 22), with a custom monogramming station running from 1-3 p.m. to mark the opening.
A Reston woman was found fatally stabbed in a parking lot near trails in the Great Falls area Monday morning (Aug. 17), Fairfax County police say.
Officers responded at around 7 a.m. to the 8800 block of Georgetown Pike after a community member in the area for a morning run reported seeing a woman “lying unconscious outside her vehicle,” according to Fairfax County Police Department Capt. Jason Chandler, commander of the public affairs bureau.
ICE Agents Previously Seen in Chicago — “Unraveled has verified the agents in Molina’s videos were far from their usual base of operations. The team has been recorded inflicting violence on immigrants, protesters, and observers in the Chicago area since last summer, including outside the region’s ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois.” [Unraveled]
Police Seek Leads in 20-Year-Old Murders — “It has been 20 years since two women named Marion were killed 2 miles apart by the same person, Fairfax County, Virginia, police said. And the suspect has never been located. Police are asking for the public’s help in finding new information on who killed them.” Police say DNA testing confirmed that Marion Newman and Marion Marshall, both Springfield residents, were killed by the same person. [WTOP]
Grocer Bans Workers From Wearing Masks — “Employees at MOM’s Organic Market locations across Maryland are demanding answers after the Rockville-based grocery chain instituted a policy prohibiting them from wearing medical face masks on the job. According to an internal document reviewed by The Banner, the policy, which went into effect [on Aug. 10], is related to customer service.” [Baltimore Banner]
Dominion Requests Help With Fuel Costs — “Dominion Energy asked the State Corporation Commission for permission to recover an additional $922 million in fuel costs, citing extreme power demands during severe winter weather and a national rise in gas prices as reasons for the escalation beyond its original calculations.” [Virginia Mercury]
MedStar McLean Building Sold — The MedStar Health Medical Center at 1420 Beverly Road was sold last week by owner Stewart Investment Partners to Thomas Park “for an undisclosed price.” The 47,185-square-foot building is fully leased with MedStar Health occupying 85% of the space, and it was last renovated in 2022. [Citybiz]
Contractor Indicted for Fraud — “A former accounting contractor is accused of diverting nearly $2 million from a Falls Church software company by disguising payments to her personal bank account as legitimate vendor expenses, according to federal court records.” The woman was indicted on seven counts of wire fraud last Wednesday (Aug. 12) by a federal grand jury. [Patch]
Push for Tysons Convention Center Continues — “Tysons as the right environment for a convention center isn’t the question, [Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay] said; it’s whether the economics and partnership opportunities make it a good idea financially.” Tysons has been considered as an option for a “hotel/motel conference center” since the county’s 1984 comprehensive plan, but as the area develops, potential sites are dwindling. [Washington Business Journal]
Netflix Movie Has Local Origins — “Don’t Say Good Luck,” starring Adam Sandler’s daughter, Sunny Sandler, “was inspired by the co-screenwriter and D.C. native Laura Hankin’s own experience: She landed the lead in the then-Woodrow Wilson High School’s production of ‘Moby Dick! The Musical’ right when her own mother became sick.” The movie includes places inspired by D.C.-area hangout spots, such as the malls in Tysons. [Axios DC]
It’s Monday — Expect mostly sunny skies today with a high near 89°F and a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 PM. Tonight, there will be partly cloudy skies and a low around 71°F. North winds will blow at 3 to 6 mph. [NWS]
ArtsFairfax’s $601,900 in new operating support grants exceeds last year’s support by $10,000 and will aid organizations in all nine county magisterial districts plus the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church.
The organization announced its fiscal year 2027 grant awards on Thursday (Aug. 13). A total of 65 local arts groups will receive funds, up from 56 a year ago. Four organizations were first-time recipients.
