Around Town

A circus will bring its cast of aerialists, acrobats, jugglers, and dancers — and a custom-designed stage filled with 35,000 gallons of water — to Fair Oaks Mall for the first time later this week.

Cirque Italia’s tour “Water Circus Atlantis” will begin performing at the mall on Friday (July 17) at 7:30 p.m. and continuing throughout the weekend.


Countywide

The U.S. Department of Justice will be keeping a close eye on Fairfax County’s upcoming Aug. 4 Congressional primaries.

The county is one of two jurisdictions in Virginia, along with Prince William County, where the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division plans to send election monitors, VPM News and the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported today (Monday).


Countywide

Fairfax County home sales increased year-over-year during the first six months of 2026, with average, median and per-square-foot sales prices also up.

A total of 6,289 residential properties changed hands between Jan. 1 and June 30, according to figures reported Friday (July 10) by MarketStats by ShowingTime.


Countywide

Fairfax County will see significant growth in its 65-and-older population over the coming 20 years, according to newly released government estimates.

The county’s senior population is expected to grow from about 190,000 today to about 320,000 by 2045, significantly outpacing total county population growth.


Around Town

A new eatery paying homage to toum, a traditional Lebanese garlic sauce, will launch this fall inside NAJA Mediterranean at the Mosaic District.

The Merrifield restaurant announced last week that its founder, Tariq Alaeddin, has been developing the new concept “and toum” to introduce the D.C. region to the combination of broasted chicken and toum that was a staple of his childhood in Lebanon.


Stepping stones lead to a statue of a bear at Franconia District Park (photo by Amy Woolsey)

Update: Man Shot by Police Identified — Fairfax City police have publicly released the identity of a man who was shot by an officer outside the local Wawa early Saturday morning (July 11). The man, who was allegedly holding a knife at the time of the shooting, remains in the hospital in critical condition, as of noon yesterday (Sunday). [FFXnow]

Family Displaced by Lorton Fire — “A family is displaced after a fire broke out at a Lorton home Friday afternoon. Just after 1 p.m., firefighters with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department responded to a reported house fire in the 9200 block of Blu Steel Way.” The family of six had evacuated by the time firefighters arrived, and no injuries were reported. [DC News Now]

Child Seen Dangling From Six-Story Window — “A toddler was rescued after firefighters said he was found dangling from a sixth-floor window in Seven Corners. According to Fairfax County Fire, crews were called to the 3100 block of South Manchester Street around 3:15 p.m. The firefighters used a drone to find the apartment, before they broke down the door and pulled the child to safety.” [WUSA9]

Confusion Over Cannabis Retail Sales — “Virginia’s decision to revive legal cannabis sales through the state budget instead of standalone legislation has triggered several days of confusion over the commonwealth’s marijuana laws, with lawmakers, local prosecutors, Virginia State Police and legislative officials offering differing interpretations of when key provisions take effect.” [Virginia Mercury]

Va. Allows Crossing and Stop Sign Cameras — “As Virginia communities gain the authority to use automated cameras to enforce stop-sign and pedestrian-crossing violations, privacy advocates and law enforcement officials are offering sharply different views on what the technology means for public safety and civil liberties.” Fairfax County police says they have no plans to deploy Flock Safety-affiliated cameras at crossings or stop signs, noting that the existing speed camera and license plate reader programs are separate. [Fairfax County Times]

What El Nino Could Mean for Fairfax — “A major shift is taking shape in the Pacific Ocean, and it could shape the weather Fairfax County sees through the rest of 2026 and into next winter … El Niño does not affect every region the same way, and its effect on Virginia weather is real but not as strong as in other parts of the country. Still, there are some patterns worth watching.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]

AI Company Signs Reston Station Lease — “Virtualitics, headquartered in Pasadena since its founding in 2016, has signed a 3,000-square-foot office lease at Reston Station … according to a joint press release from the company and the development’s owner, Comstock Holding Companies. The new office places Virtualitics among the defense contractors and federal agencies concentrated in Northern Virginia — a region central to the company’s growing government business.” [Pasadena Now]

More Route 29 Lane Closures — Weather permitting, daytime and nighttime lane closures are planned on stretches of Route 29 between Union Mill Road and Fairfax County Parkway through Friday, July 24 to allow work on the years-long project to widen the road from Union Mill to Buckley’s Gate Drive. “Both daytime and nighttime drivers should expect delays and are advised to use alternate routes.” [VDOT]

It’s Monday — Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching a high of around 84°F. During the night, the weather will be mostly clear with temperatures dropping to about 65°F and a light southeast wind. [NWS]


Countywide

Virginia is creating a new office focused on studying the impacts of climate change, and it will be housed at George Mason University.

Mason was authorized to host the Virginia State Climate Office by a provision in the state budget that took effect on July 1 after last-minute negotiations between Gov. Abigail Spanberger and the General Assembly. The governor ultimately signed the two-year spending plan into law on June 29 — just before the end of the fiscal year.


Countywide

Fairfax County leaders have begun working to determine what local steps are needed to implement changes in state cannabis laws, and what regulatory powers they will have.

“We want to make sure we put in place what we need to put in place,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said at the July 7 meeting of the Board of Supervisors’ Land Use Policy Committee.


From charity 5Ks to half marathons, Fairfax County hosts a variety of races throughout each year that will get the legs and hearts pumping.

Here are the nominees for “Best Races for Runners in Fairfax” as part of our FFXnow Readers’ Choice Awards. Did we miss your favorite event below? Write them in!

Voting will close in two weeks. Be sure to cast your vote before 8:30 a.m. Friday, July 24.

A few weeks ago, we voted on the Best Golf Course in Fairfax County. The results are now official:

  1. Penderbrook Golf Club
  2. Laurel Hill Golf Club
  3. Hidden Creek Country Club

News

Vienna leaders are taking a breather, both on plans to build an aquatics and fitness center on the currently vacant Annex property and on the possibility of reversing a meals tax increase primarily intended to fund that facility.

After about 40 minutes of debate, the Vienna Town Council voted 5-2 on Monday (July 6) to schedule a public hearing for Feb. 22, 2027 on whether the town should reduce its meals tax rate from 4% to 3%.


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