November will be a busy month for McLean’s Chesterbrook Shopping Center, bringing a new restaurant and the completion of a multi-million-dollar renovation project.
Sweetgreen announced today (Tuesday) that it will officially open its doors to customers on Nov. 11 at 6220 Old Dominion Drive in Chesterbrook Shopping Center.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) faces reporters, joined from left by Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota), and Small Business Administration head Kelly Loeffler at a news conference on day 27 of the government shutdown, at the Capitol on Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
By KEVIN FREKING and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The pressure to end the second-longest federal government shutdown is gaining new urgency this week as millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance, more federal workers miss their first full paycheck and recurring delays at airports snarl travel plans.
Food for Neighbors volunteers sort donated food for students on Oct. 25, 2025 (courtesy Food for Neighbors)
Hundreds of volunteers congregated at sites across Northern Virginia on Saturday (Oct. 25) to collect, sort and distribute donations to local school food pantries.
Timed to coincide with National Make a Difference Day, the sorting events were organized by the nonprofit Food for Neighbors to help the many students in the region who struggle with getting consistent access to food — a challenge expected to worsen as the federal government shutdown approaches a month in length.
A rendering of The Cube and Piazza Lawn in Piazza at Tysons from Spring Hill Road (via WDG Architecture)
A mixed-use development that could transform a corner of Tysons West sailed through the Fairfax County Planning Commission last week after more than five years of review.
All of the commissioners present for the Oct. 22 public hearing recommended that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approve a conceptual development plan for the Piazza at Tysons, which would replace a gas station and the Tysons 3 shopping center near the Spring Hill Metro station with housing, office, over 2 acres of park space and, potentially, a public arts and culture center.
Students walk down a school hallway (via FCPS/YouTube)
Fairfax County school leaders see signs of improving mental health, but also some ongoing red flags, in the county’s most recent youth survey.
“This is always a bittersweet report to read,” at-large Fairfax County School Board member Kyle McDaniel said after Superintendent Michelle Reid detailed the report’s findings at the board meeting last Thursday (Oct. 23).
Trees with fall colors in the parking lot of Vienna Presbyterian Church (photo by Amy Woolsey)
General Assembly Begins Special Session — “With just one week before Election Day, Virginia lawmakers returned to the state Capitol Monday for a surprise special session that swiftly turned into a partisan clash over the future of the state’s congressional map — and, potentially, its balance of political power for years to come.” [Virginia Mercury]
Update: County Workers Ratify Contract — Members of SEIU Local 512’s Fairfax County chapter officially ratified their collective bargaining agreement on Friday, Oct. 24 by a 99.9% vote, the union announced. If approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the three-year contract will take effect on July 1, 2026. [FFXnow]
Cat Reunited With Family After 15 Years — “Flora the cat was reunited with her family last week after a 15-year adventure, thanks to the Fairfax County Animal Shelter … According to her family, Flora wandered off when she was just a kitten during a move to a new apartment.” [NBC4]
Capital One Settles Class Action Lawsuit — “Anyone who had a particular account through Capital One could soon be receiving money as part of a multi-million dollar class action settlement. The $425 million settlement involves the bank’s popular 360 Savings accounts, which a lawsuit alleges was ‘deceptively marketed,’ ‘cheating’ millions of customers out of more than $2 billion in interest.” [NBC4]
Fewer Early Childhood Centers in Need of Support — “Virginia’s list of early childhood centers rated as ‘needing support’ has been cut in half from 51 to 25 over back-to-back school years, with instruction identified as the most common aspect requiring improvement.” [Virginia Mercury]
Great Falls Estate for Sale — Alderley Manor, a 22,000-square-foot mansion originally at 576 Innsbruck Avenue in Great Falls for AOL executive Richard Hanlon, is on the market for an initial asking price of $16 million. Currently owned by SilverArrow Capital Group founder Thomas Limberger, the six-bedroom home features gardens and a koi pond, a car barn with a cigar lounge, a sport court, a chef’s kitchen, a theater, a wine cellar, a fitness center, a library and a heated lap pool, among other amenities. [Washington Business Journal]
TJ Students Use AI to Make Computers More Accessible — “Dhanvin Ganeshkumar recalls seeing his grandparents struggle with computer tasks because of hand tremors. He wanted to help — but the 16-year-old says existing technologies were either expensive or outdated. So, he started coding in his bedroom using a smartphone camera and came up with a tool that allows them to use simple hand gestures and voice commands to control a computer.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
It’s Tuesday — Expect mostly cloudy skies with temperatures reaching near 57 degrees, accompanied by a northeast wind at 10 to 14 mph and gusts up to 24 mph. On Tuesday night, there is a 30% chance of showers primarily after 2am, with mostly cloudy conditions and a low around 45 degrees. [NWS]
Firefighters use a pressurized water can to take down a fire (photo via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department)
Last-minute modifications that weren’t properly communicated contributed to the burns sustained by a firefighter during a training exercise last year, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department says.
One team of firefighters was not equipped to properly handle two live fires during the Oct. 13, 2024, training at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy, attributable to a lack of communication among training organizers, according to a department report released Friday (Oct. 24).
Town, a new American restaurant, is coming to 6671 Old Dominion Drive in McLean (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
A new restaurant is taking shape in McLean, one that its owners hope will give local residents a reason to dine in town instead of driving down Route 123 into Tysons.
Described on its Instagram page as an “American neighborhood bistro,” Town will join forces with the recently relocated Moby Dick House of Kabob to revitalize a retail center on Old Dominion Drive left dormant by Café Oggi’s closure in early 2022.
Republican candidates Winsome Earle-Sears and John Reid speak at a Moms for Liberty town hall Oct. 3, 2025, in Fairfax City (AP Photo/Olivia Diaz)
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
SALEM, Va. (AP) — René Harvey and her wife arrived at a Roanoke Valley pride celebration in October carrying deep-seated worries about all that could go wrong.
A for lease sign for the office building at 11487 Sunset Hills Road in Reston in June 2025 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
The Reston and Herndon business corridor was the standout for office leasing across Northern Virginia in the third quarter, according to new data.
While total leasing volume regionwide dipped 25.8% year-over-year, the Reston and Herndon area posted its best performance in three years and totaling about one-third of leasing activity in Northern Virginia as government contractors shrugged off economic challenges and looked toward higher defense spending, according to Savills Research & Data Services.