Cars pass the Gables Centrepointe apartments on West Ox Road in the rain (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Memorial Day Travel Projections Released — “Memorial Day travel is projected to beat a 20-year-old record high this year, according to AAA data released Monday … Americans’ deep pessimism about the economy isn’t deterring them from traveling to celebrate the unofficial start of the summer season.” [Axios]

Dem Candidates for Lt. Gov. Make Their Case — “With six candidates on the ballot, that means this year’s winner could emerge victorious with a fraction of the votes cast … We asked all six Democratic candidates for their take on key issues facing the commonwealth, including federal spending cuts, data centers, housing, education, and how they’d approach the job.” [WAMU]

Bailey’s Crossroads Restaurant Nears 50 Years — “When he opened Peking Gourmet Inn in a small Falls Church, Virginia, strip mall nearly five decades ago, Eddy Tsui had a simple vision. The key to any successful restaurant, he believed, is food and service.” The restaurant, now owned by son George Tsui, “has been drawing guests from around the region, and the globe,” to the Culmore neighborhood since 1978. [WTOP]

GMU to Honor Record Number of Graduates — “George Mason University will celebrate Spring Commencement on Thursday by honoring a record-setting number of students earning degrees, and nearly 11,800 students total will be recognized for earning degrees or certificates. Class of 2025 graduates represent 117 countries, 49 states, and the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and military installations.” [GMU]

Maintenance Planned for Woodrow Wilson Bridge — “Heads up, drivers — expect some overnight delays on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge this week. The Virginia Department of Transportation says the bridge will have maintenance openings from 10 p.m. on Thursday (May 15) to 5 a.m. on Friday (May 16), weather permitting.” [ALXnow]

Chantilly Student Prepares for Spelling Bee — “Let’s be real — A lot of us have a hard time with spelling, but not Nikita Ramakrishnan. The eighth grader at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, Virginia is headed to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.” [NBC4]

Local Teacher Awarded Free Year of Donuts — “Dunkin’ presented Rodney Lopez, a Spanish teacher at Fairfax High School, with a year’s worth of free coffee on Thursday, in recognition of his excellence in teaching and unwavering commitment to student success.” Lopez was nominated to be the chain’s Teacher of the Year by Fairfax High School principal Dr. Georgina Aye. [Patch]

It’s Wednesday — The high will be near 75 degrees with a southeast wind at 5-7 mph and an 80% chance of precipitation. At night, anticipate showers and potentially thunderstorms especially before 11pm, though there’s a chance of rain until 2am. The low will be around 64 degrees. [NWS]


News

A woman has been hospitalized following a crash outside Tysons West, police say.

Officers and medics were dispatched to Westwood Center Drive at Cornerside Blvd around 9:34 p.m. today (Wednesday) after a driver struck a pedestrian, according to the police scanner.


Around Town

An upcoming bakery in Tysons is inviting customers to get an early taste of its croissants and other pastries before it officially opens.

Sunday Morning Bakehouse will host a pop-up tomorrow (Wednesday) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Heming’s lobby at 1800 Chain Bridge Road. An assortment of croissants, brioche donuts and cookies will be available for purchase, along with hot coffee, iced matcha and iced oat milk latte.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools staff will receive most, but not all, of their planned salary increases under a revised fiscal year 2026 budget proposal shared last week by Superintendent Michelle Reid.

However, in order to preserve as much of the promised raises as possible, some positions and services will be cut after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors declined to approve Reid’s full funding request.


News

Fairfax County’s Department of Transportation will consider this week whether to implement a time-of-day turn restriction from one McLean road onto Georgetown Pike.

A proposal, which will be discussed at a virtual public meeting tomorrow (Wednesday), would prohibit outside drivers from turning left from Dead Run Drive during evening hours in hopes of limiting cut-through traffic in the neighborhood.


Bus bays on the south side of the Vienna Metro station (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fines for Passing School Buses Begin — “As of Monday morning, drivers who pass a school bus that’s picking-up or dropping-off students in Fairfax County, Virginia will receive a $250 citation … The county said in a statement to WTOP that last week’s violations were still being processed, but preliminary data shows the program is averaging 76 warnings per day.” [WTOP]

Driver Still Hospitalized After Lorton Crash — A woman remains hospitalized in life-threatening condition in the wake of a two-vehicle crash that occurred at Telegraph Road and Newington Road on Saturday (May 10). The other driver wasn’t injured. Detectives are continuing to investigate, the Fairfax County Police Department says. [FCPD]

Car Fire in Lorton Under Investigation — “A driver was hospitalized after a car fire in Fairfax County Monday morning, and firefighters are still working to learn how it happened.” Crews that responded to the 9800 block of Old Colchester Road around 10:45 a.m “found a car ablaze, and a person outside the car was also on fire.” [WUSA9]

Report Forecasts Va. Economic Downturn — “One in seven jobs in Virginia is directly or indirectly linked to the federal government. Cuts to the federal workforce and government spending will mean a significant hit to Virginia’s economy this year, according a new economic forecast.” [WTOP]

New Seven Corners Fire Station Celebrated — “On Saturday, #FCFRD hosted a Grand Opening for our newest station – Fire Station 28, Fort Buffalo. The ceremony recognized all those whose hard work made the station a reality, highlighted the history and Civil War connection of FS28, and honored the vital work our firefighter do everyday to serve the FS28 community.” [FCFRD/Facebook]

Springfield School Educates Female Refugees — “Hundreds of Afghan and Ukrainian women and girls across the world are getting an education and are on the path to a better life thanks to the Eagle Online Academy. The Springfield-based school offers English language classes and skills training in such areas as cybersecurity, software development” and more. [Annandale Today]

Leadership Change at Fort Belvoir — “Fort Belvoir’s Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Hopkins passed the torch Friday to Atlanta native Brandon Creel during a change of responsibility ceremony at the garrison. The occasion was marked by the passing of the garrison colors.” [Inside NoVA]

It’s Tuesday — Rain is guaranteed with showers followed by possible thunderstorms after 5pm. The high will near 69, with new rainfall of three quarters to one inch. Showers and potential thunderstorms continue at night with a low around 63 and an additional half to three-quarters of an inch of rainfall expected. [NWS]


News

By MATTHEW LEE, REBECCA SANTANA and MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press

DULLES, Virginia (AP) — The Trump administration on Monday welcomed a small group of white South Africans as refugees, saying they face discrimination and violence at home, which the country’s government strongly denies.


Countywide

Though the sun was shining over Fairfax County this morning, the weather is expected to take a rainy turn soon.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for the D.C. region, warning of “excessive rainfall” that may lead to “scattered instances of flooding.”


Countywide

In a rare moment of bipartisan agreement on education policy, Virginia leaders have enacted sweeping changes to the state’s K-12 testing system, aiming to raise student performance and make the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments more meaningful.

Despite ongoing political clashes over broader education policy, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and state lawmakers united earlier this month behind a plan they hope will strengthen student outcomes.


News

While some Fairfax County Public Schools grapple with overcrowding, a private school in the Wolf Trap area hopes to boost enrollment by welcoming younger students.

The Oakcrest School plans to start serving kindergarten and elementary students, expanding its current scope of sixth through 12th grade, according to a zoning application recently submitted to Fairfax County.


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