A goose walks out of Royal Lake in Kings Park West as another floats by (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

DHS Shutdown Over Except for ICE — “President Donald Trump swiftly signed a bipartisan legislation Thursday to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security, but not its immigration enforcement operations, shortly after the package won final approval in the House, ending the longest agency shutdown in history.” [Associated Press]

Charges for Attempted CIA HQ Entries — A 28-year-old man from the Fort Worth area of Texas was arrested on Monday (April 27) “after allegedly attempting to breach the CIA’s Virginia headquarters three times since Friday, according to court filings … He was charged with trespassing for the attempted CIA breaches and released on bond with the condition he not return to either government facility.” [Washington Post]

Fairfax and Arlington Diverge on Real Estate Taxes — “Higher assessed property values mean most homeowners in both jurisdictions will pay more in property taxes, under the new budgets. But how did Fairfax County manage to reduce its rate while Arlington increased it?” [ARLnow]

Faith in Housing Bill to Become Law — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has signed into law a pair of bills that “will eliminate the rezoning step for faith-based organizations and other tax-exempt nonprofits to develop affordable housing on their properties. The law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027 and will sunset on Jan. 1, 2031 unless reenacted by a future General Assembly.” [ARLnow]

Satellite Company Sets IPO Target — “Herndon defense technology contractor HawkEye 360 Inc. intends to raise up to $416 million from its initial public offering, according to [an April 27] filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.” Planning to offer 16 million shares priced between $24 and $26 each, the $2.4 billion company is expected to debut on the New York Stock Exchange “within the next few days or weeks, though no official date has been set yet.” [Washington Business Journal]

Sneak Peek of Reston Restaurant in D.C. — The annual New Kitchens on the Block offered visitors at Mess Hall in D.C. “an early taste of the city’s next big cafes, restaurants and bars to find out if the hype is real.” Among the participants was Ebbitt House, a new concept from Clyde’s Restaurant Group that’s expected to open at Reston Station this August. [WTOP]

Spring Farm Day Returns to Frying Pan — “See life on the farm in full swing — including the spring baby boom — at Spring Farm Day on Saturday, May 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Frying Pan Farm Park. Experience hands-on activities, live demonstrations and family-friendly fun throughout the day.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]

Sully District Celebrates Birthday — “Please join Supervisor Kathy Smith to celebrate the Sully District’s 35th birthday on Saturday, May 2, 2026, from 11 am to 2 pm. Gather with friends and family to celebrate this milestone, enjoy cake, a flashback of Sully District history, and take advantage of onsite County services.” [Sully District Office]

It’s Friday — This afternoon will be mostly sunny with a high of 67°F and a slight 20% chance of showers after 2 PM. Overnight, expect mostly cloudy skies with a 40% chance of showers between 8 PM and 2 AM, and a low around 48°F. [NWS]


News

Travelers at Dulles International Airport have a new option for reaching South Korea.

The airport is now offering nonstop service to and from Seoul Incheon International Airport, courtesy of the Korean airline Air Premia.


News

A developer that has been hoping to build on Tysons’ former Best Western Hotel site for more than a decade might have finally identified a way to turn its aspirations into a reality.

Dittmar Company is seeking to revise its plans for Westpark Plaza, a mixed-use development that would occupy an approximately 5.2-acre property at the corner of Westpark Drive and Route 7 (Leesburg Pike), just south of The Boro.


Countywide

From curbside pickups to ridesharing services and Amazon Prime deliveries, drivers making quick trips through neighborhoods or to local businesses have become increasingly commonplace in Fairfax County.

However, the county still doesn’t have any regulations around short-term parking, even after it adopted new parking rules in 2023, its first comprehensive update in 35 years.


A moped rider crosses the Idylwood Road bridge over I-495 in Dunn Loring (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Three-Story Home Addition Blocked — “A controversial three-story home addition that sparked backlash in a Fairfax County neighborhood will not move forward as planned after a zoning board denied the homeowner’s appeal.” Complaints about the project prompted county leaders to revisit their height restrictions for single-family houses. [DC News Now]

New Laws Regulate Rideshare Safety — “A change to how Virginia screens rideshare drivers will take effect this summer after Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed two bills tightening background check and identity requirements for companies such as Uber and Lyft. The new rules take effect July 1.” [The Center Square/Inside NoVA]

Redistricting Vote Certification Still on Hold — “Virginia’s top court on Tuesday left in place a county judge’s order temporarily blocking the state from certifying the results of last week’s ​referendum, when voters approved a new Democratic-drawn congressional map aimed at flipping ‌four Republican U.S. House seats.” [Reuters]

Dominion Energy Bill Awaits Signature — “A bill backed by Virginia’s largest and most powerful electric utility is on Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk for final action after the legislature rejected some of her cost-saving suggestions. The legislation … would assign certain electric grid upgrade costs to data centers and allow Dominion Energy to spend $900,000 a mile burying local distribution lines.” [Inside Climate News]

House Seeks New Rules for Data Center Tax Break — While state Senate leaders are advocating for an elimination of Virginia’s sales and use tax exemption for data centers, a spending plan proposed by the House of Delegates would condition the exemption on new environmental standards, including a commitment to energy efficiency and a prohibition on co-locations with carbon-emitting power facilities. [Virginia Mercury]

Furniture Store Opens in Bailey’s Crossroads — “Regency Furniture opened April 25 in the space formerly occupied by Value City Furniture in Bailey’s Crossroads … Regency Furniture has a wide selection of sofas, loveseats, chairs, bedroom sets, coffee tables, dining sets, office furnishings, and décor accessories.” [Annandale Today]

Over 22K Pounds of Food Collected for Students — “A Food For Neighbors Red Bag collection in Fairfax County brought in about 22,300 pounds of food Saturday during the nonprofit’s final event of the school year, according to the organization … The group said the food from Saturday’s event was especially important because it was the last Red Bag collection of the school year.” [Patch]

Anti-Distracted Driving Demo in McLean — “McLean HS in Fairfax partnered with Virginia State Police for a distracted driving awareness event. Students saw firsthand the dangers of distracted driving and the importance of safe choices behind the wheel.” [Virginia State Police/X]

It’s Thursday — It will be mostly sunny with a high near 67°F and a northwest wind blowing at about 15 mph, with gusts reaching up to 25 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 44°F and a lighter northwest wind at 7 to 10 mph. [NWS]

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Around Town

The McLean Project for the Arts will celebrate the realization of its anticipated downtown expansion with a tribute to the power of the abstract.

The late abstract painter Yasmine C. Iskander will headline the inaugural exhibition at the MPA Berlage Arts and Education Center, which is set to open at 6910 Fleetwood Road with an 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony tomorrow (Thursday).


Countywide

Apartment rents dipped year over year across most of Fairfax County in April, according to new data.

Seven of eight different geographic corridors of the county posted declines of between 0.8% and 2.9%, according to figures reported yesterday (Tuesday) by Apartment List.


Countywide

The end is within sight for Fairfax County’s nearly decade-long push to convert all streetlights to more energy efficient LED fixtures.

Dominion Energy, which owns, operates and maintains about 96% of the county’s 60,000 streetlights, has upgraded approximately 93% or 52,100 of them to LED, as of March, the county announced earlier this week.


Around Town

Summer is fast approaching, with it will come a full season of musical entertainment.

Fairfax County is home to a number of venues that will host concerts and festivals in the coming months, in many cases for free. Here are some options community members can look forward to, from Wolf Trap to Herndon:


Countywide

Editor’s note: This story references domestic violence and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with this issue, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be called or texted at 988. You can also visit the website

Two years before Dr. Cerina Fairfax was shot and killed by her husband, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, she had tried to leave him.


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