FILE - The state and U.S. flags fly over the Virginia State Capitol as the 2024 session of the Virginia General Assembly gets underway, Jan. 10, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
A Virginia judge ruled Tuesday that a proposed constitutional amendment letting Democrats redraw the state’s Congressional maps was illegal, potentially foiling their efforts to pick up seats in the U.S. House in November.
Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. struck down the legislature’s actions on three grounds, ruling that lawmakers failed to follow their own rules for adding the redistricting amendment to a special session; failed to approve the amendment before the public began voting in last year’s general election; and failed to publish the amendment three months before the election, as required by law.
A Fairfax County school bus in the snow outside Vienna Elementary School during Winter Storm Fern (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Fairfax County Public Schools has once again canceled classes in the aftermath of Winter Storm Fern.
With an abundance of ice and frigid temperatures slowing road and sidewalk cleanups, FCPS announced that schools will be closed tomorrow (Wednesday), though this time, central administrative offices will open on a two-hour delay.
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid presents her proposed fiscal year 2027 budget to the school board on Jan. 22, 2026 (via FCPS/YouTube)
Fairfax County Public Schools leaders say the proposed $4.1 billion fiscal year 2027 budget presented Jan. 22 by Superintendent Michelle Reid is fiscally responsible and worthy of full support by the Board of Supervisors.
School Board Chair Sandy Anderson termed it a “nothing-fancy” package that fits the economic times.
Amazon Fresh store in Lorton Marketplace Shopping Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Amazon is throwing in the towel on Amazon Fresh, announcing today (Tuesday) that it will close all locations in favor of a renewed focus on Whole Foods Market and other concepts.
The last day of operation for Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores is Feb. 1, with the exception of its California locations, which will remain open longer to comply with state requirements, Amazon said.
Ribbon-cutting at first Boliviana flight at Washington Dulles International Airport (via MWAA)
Ongoing growth in international travel helped propel Dulles International Airport to a record-setting year in 2025.
Officials with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) will not have confirmed final passenger counts until late February or March, but the authority’s president and CEO, Jack Potter, said the expectation is for a 6% increase from the record year in 2024.
Virginia Senate Courts of Justice Committee hears testimony on State Sen. Jennifer Boysko's firearms storage bill (via Virginia Senate/YouTube)
Democratic lawmakers on Monday advanced a sweeping slate of gun safety proposals — many of them previously vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin — as they test whether Virginia’s new Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger, will take a more favorable view of firearm restrictions.
Over nearly four hours, the Democratic-led Senate Courts of Justice Committee approved more than half a dozen bills tightening rules on assault-style firearms, gun storage, concealed carry reciprocity, ghost guns and weapons in public spaces, while rejecting the lone Republican proposal that would have increased mandatory minimum sentences for repeat firearm offenses.
A bulldozer helps clear snow near the Reston Town Center pavilion after Winter Storm Fern (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
County Extends Trash Collection Pause — “Due to inclement weather, trash, recycling, and special pickup services have now been suspended for Monday, January 26, and Tuesday, January 27.” Fairfax County customers typically scheduled for collections on Monday and Tuesday must now wait until next week (Feb. 2-3) for service. [DPWES]
Jack-Knifing Truck Crashes on I-495 — A tractor-trailer crash on I-495 in the Huntington area caused backups during the afternoon rush hour yesterday (Monday). “The crash occurred when the driver of a tractor-trailer in the right lane ‘lost control, jack-knifed, and struck an SUV’ on westbound I-495 around 4:08 p.m., according to Virginia State Police.” [ALXnow]
Dulles Passengers Adapt to Snow Delays — “Passengers at the D.C. region’s three major airports [were] optimistic their flights will take off Monday, after the weekend’s snow, sleet and ongoing brutal cold temperatures … One business traveler heading to Los Angeles had to travel back and forth to Dulles several times since Saturday.” [WTOP]
Investigators to Detail Causes of Potomac Plane Crash — “So many things went wrong last Jan. 29 to contribute to the deadliest plane crash on American soil since 2001 that the National Transportation Safety Board isn’t likely to identify a single cause of the collision between an airliner and an Army helicopter over the Potomac River at its hearing Tuesday.” [Associated Press/ARLnow]
FCPS Introducing New Emergency Management System — “FCPS is implementing a new emergency management system, created by Raptor, in all school buildings. The new system is designed to support faster, more coordinated responses during emergencies by improving communication among schools, security staff, local first responders, and law enforcement.” [Annandale Today]
Driver Sentenced for Fatal GW Parkway Crash — “A drunk driver who struck and killed a woman in a head-on collision on GW Parkway has been sentenced to 8 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.” The driver reportedly had cocaine and alcohol in his system at the time of the Jan. 1, 2025 crash, and he was driving in the wrong direction near Roosevelt Island at 80 mph. [ARLnow]
Spanberger Faces Test on ICE — “Gov. Abigail Spanberger, sworn in earlier this month as Virginia’s 75th governor, has moved quickly to draw a line between state law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement, while acknowledging that much of the authority still rests outside her control.” After taking office on Jan. 17, she rescinded an executive order directing local and state agencies to assist ICE, but the move didn’t affect existing agreements. [Virginia Mercury]
Va. Democrats Push for Housing Reform — “Virginia Democrats campaigned on affordability last fall. Now that they’re in control of both houses of the General Assembly and the governor’s mansion, they face a tougher challenge: passing policies that will actually make housing more affordable.” [WAMU]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunshine and a high of 26 degrees, though wind chill values can dip to -6. The west wind at 5 to 8 mph will shift to the south in the afternoon. Night will be partly cloudy and cool with a low of 8 degrees; wind chill values may reach -1 as the northwest wind moves at 3 to 7 mph. [NWS]
Firefighters rescue child trapped in McLean culvert (via FCFRD/Facebook)
A child in McLean is safe and sound after getting caught in a culvert while playing in the snow this afternoon (Monday), the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD) says.
Firefighters responded to the 1900 block of MacArthur Drive around 4:45 p.m. after receiving reports of a trapped child.
Preliminary snowfall totals for D.C. region from Winter Storm Fern on Jan. 25, 2026 (via National Weather Service)
Though it ground most activity in the D.C. region to a halt yesterday (Sunday), Winter Storm Fern ultimately came up short of last year’s biggest winter event in terms of total snowfall.
The storm dumped between 5.5 inches and 8.5 inches of snow and sleet on different parts of Fairfax County, according to unofficial measurements taken by National Weather Service staff and trained spotters.
A warning sign at the site of a massive pipe rupture, as sewage flows into the Potomac River, right, in Glen Echo, Md., Friday, Jan. 23, 2026 (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
A sewage spill in the Potomac River northwest of D.C. last week has not affected drinking water in Fairfax County, the local water utility says.
The spill occurred in Montgomery County, Maryland, along Clara Barton Parkway, which hugs the northern edge of the Potomac River near Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park. The spill was caused by a DC Water sewer pipe that collapsed late Monday, Jan. 19, shooting sewage out of the ground and into the river.
