Sports

A contest-within-the-contest played out Monday (Jan. 13) when the Wakefield Warriors hosted the Marshall Statesmen in Liberty District boys basketball action.

The game feature a battle-of-the-big men showdown between 6-foot-6 senior centers Kooper Odar of Wakefield and Anderson Krisko of Marshall.


Sports

The initial girls and boys Division I private-school state basketball rankings of the 2024-25 high-school season includes a number of teams from Northern Virginia.

In the girls poll, the Potomac School Panthers of McLean are ranked fifth. The Panthers finished second in the Division I state tournament last season, losing to St. Paul VI Catholic in the title game.


News

Fairfax County Public Schools won the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s support yesterday (Wednesday) for construction of a new Dunn Loring Elementary School.

The zoning recommendation, which now goes to the Board of Supervisors, will help support “decades of [student] growth to come,” Providence District Commissioner Jeremy Hancock said.


News

A gift from The Madeira School’s past will enable it to plan for the future, the head of the private, all-girls’ school in McLean says.

The Madeira School, a college preparatory and boarding school that serves students in grades 9 through 12, announced this week that an anonymous former graduate has donated $60 million — a record amount not only for this 118-year-old school, but for any independent girls’ school in the U.S.


Lawn chairs in the snow at the Mosaic District in Merrifield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Conviction of FCPD Officer in Tysons Shooting Upheld — “A Fairfax County judge has denied a motion to dismiss the guilty verdict for former police officer Wesley Shifflett, who was convicted in October for reckless handling of a firearm” after fatally shooting Timothy Johnson outside Tysons Corner Center on Feb. 22, 2023. [WUSA9]

How Inauguration Will Affect Travel — “Anyone driving, riding the Metro or taking the bus in Washington, D.C., on Inauguration Day can expect changes and plenty of closures. Here’s everything to know about getting around in D.C. on Monday — including what travelers can expect at D.C.-area airports.” [NBC4]

Former Falls Church Youth Minister Accused of Sexual Abuse — “The alumnus was one of three Falls Church Episcopal youth group members who an independent investigation revealed in April were allegedly sexually abused by [Jeff] Taylor in the 1990s or the early 2000s when they attended the church.” Taylor, now the subject of an FBI investigation, left Falls Church Episcopal in 2001 to work at churches in Atlanta, where he faced more allegations. [Washington Post]

Tysons Casino Opponents Speak Out — Members of the No Fairfax Casino Coalition voiced their concerns about the proposed legislation at a press conference in Richmond yesterday. “Virginia state Sens. Jennifer Boysko and Saddam Salim joined the group, along with Fairfax County Supervisors Walter Alcorn and Jimmy Bierman.” [WTOP]

Capital One Hit With Federal Lawsuit — “The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has sued Capital One and its McLean holding company, Capital One Financial, alleging the companies cheated millions of consumers out of more than $2 billion in interest payments, the federal agency announced Tuesday.” [Virginia Business]

Herndon Roofing Company Eyed for Acquisition — “A Connecticut building products company is attempting a hostile takeover of Herndon’s Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. (NASDAQ: BECN), offering to acquire the fast-growing Fortune 500 company for $11 billion in cash.” Beacon said it reviewed the offer, which was proposed in November and publicly confirmed yesterday (Wednesday), but “found it lacking.” [Washington Business Journal]

Data Dashboard Shows County Energy Use — “By making its buildings energy efficient, installing solar panels for clean energy, and electrifying its vehicle fleet, Fairfax County has also cut its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 28% since fiscal year 2018, according to new data from the county’s energy dashboard.” [Fairfax County Government]

Franconia Supervisor to Chair Key Regional Group — “The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors today elected Fairfax County Supervisor Rodney Lusk as its Chair for 2025.” Lusk will lead the regional planning body as it prepares for potential changes to the federal government and finalizes transit funding recommendations. [COG]

It’s Thursday — There’s a 30% chance of snow showers after 1pm, with increasing clouds and a high near 34 degrees. Expect a south wind of 3 to 8 mph. In the evening, it’ll be cloudy before gradually clearing, and the temperature will drop to around 25 degrees. A calm wind will become northwest at 5 to 8 mph later in the night. [NWS]


Sports

A standout high-school lacrosse player, Catherine Letendre also has proved her athletic talents on the basketball court.

The Potomac School Panthers senior scored her 1,000th career point in a recent game for the girls private high-school team. She is the fourth player in program history to reach that milestone.


Sports

As occurs frequently when they meet, the Marshall Statesmen and Wakefield Warriors played another of those low-scoring, physical boys basketball games that more closely resembled a hard-checking NHL playoff match.

Host Wakefield won the Jan. 13 Liberty District seesaw high-school contest, 35-34, when Marshall’s Osteen Fraser missed a baseline jump shot at the buzzer.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools is rolling out a new plan to tackle traffic and pedestrian safety concerns at its 200 schools, but not everyone on the school board is sold on the idea.

The School Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Assessment Program, discussed during a school board work session on Tuesday (Jan. 14), aims to streamline how schools identify and address issues like clogged “Kiss and Ride” loops, bus congestion and pedestrian safety.


News

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved an updated conceptual development plan yesterday (Tuesday) that will replace the Commons of McLean apartments (1640 Anderson Road) with a new McLean Crossing mixed-use complex.

The unanimous vote allows property owner LCOR to start moving toward final development plans for an 11-building compound that could add up to 2.72 million square feet of residential, commercial and retail space near the McLean Metro station.


Countywide

Virginia students would be allowed to take the state’s annual learning assessments in a language other than English under a bill that advanced out of a House Education subcommittee on Tuesday.

Del. Laura Jane Cohen, D-Fairfax, introduced the legislation, after the Virginia Board of Education recently made changes to include more testing results from English learners, who have typically been excluded because of the language barrier, into a school’s accountability calculations.


View More Stories