All three of Fairfax County’s Congressional representatives say they will not support a legislative deal advanced late yesterday (Sunday) by the U.S. Senate to reopen the federal government.
Without a guarantee that health care subsidies will be extended, the latest effort by lawmakers to break the record-long stalemate over funding is a non-starter, Rep. James Walkinshaw, who’s in his first term representing Virginia’s 11th District, said in a statement.
The Town of Vienna intends to seek state funding to support a planned Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail visitor center.
The request for $8 million is among more than two dozen priorities identified in the town’s legislative agenda for the Virginia General Assembly’s upcoming 2026 session.
Spanberger Discusses Initial Priorities — Following her election as Virginia’s next governor last Tuesday (Nov. 4), Abigail Spanberger says she intends to sign executive orders on her first day in office that deal “with high costs and overall issues of affordability, particularly in housing and health care and in energy.” She also says a top priority right now is advocating for an end to the federal government shutdown. [WTOP]
Suspect Arrested in Annandale Stabbing — A 42-year-old man from Maryland is expected to be charged with second degree murder after allegedly fatally stabbing a woman in Annandale on Friday night (Nov. 7). Police say the stabbing doesn’t “appear to be a random act as the suspect and victim are believed to be known to each other.” [FCPD]
Furloughed Fed Starts Food Pantry — “Inside the Landsdowne Community Pool House, shelves are stacked with sauce, soups, beans even diapers and period products. The mastermind behind it [is] Katrina Ksander a furloughed federal employee. When the government shutdown left her without a paycheck, she decided she wasn’t going to wait for help, she was going to create it.” [WUSA9]
Meetup Group Offers Solace During Shutdown — “Every Friday starting at 7 a.m., you can find Abraham Walker with a group of fathers at the Panera in Kingstowne. Even for a few hours, the weekly meetup group is an opportunity for community. Amid the government shutdown, it has also become a saving grace.” [WUSA9]
New 24-Hour Gym Open in Vienna — After some delays, Pump24 is now open for business in the Vienna Shopping Center (136A Maple Avenue). “Co-owner Nash Cook shared that the decision to open in Vienna was intentional. ‘Vienna residents really support local businesses — and we can’t wait to be part of that,’ he said.” [Town of Vienna Economic Development]
Vegetarian Eatery Coming to Chantilly — “Chay is coming to a large end-cap unit in the Westfields Restaurant & Retail Park off State Road 28 at Westfields Boulevard. The spot used to be a Moe’s Southwest Grill. This will be the second location for Chay” after the Vietnamese restaurant made its debut a couple of years ago in Falls Church. [The Burn]
County Pumpkin Composting Underway — “Used Halloween pumpkins can get a second, Earth-friendly life as compost in Fairfax County’s annual Pumpkin Palooza collection drive, now underway until the end of November. Again this year, the county’s Solid Waste Management Program will turn your post-Halloween pumpkins and other gourds into compost gold.” [DPWES]
Reston Association Seeks Board Candidates — “Reston Association is calling for candidates to run in the 2026 Board of Directors election. The RA Elections Committee is seeking candidates to fill a total of four seats on the RA Board of Directors,” including one at-large director, directors for the Hunters Woods/Dogwood and Lake Anne/Tall Oaks districts, and an apartment owners’ representative. [RA]
It’s Monday — Expect sunshine and a high of 49 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind at 11-16 mph, gusting up to 25 mph. Night will be mostly clear with a low of 29 degrees. On Veterans Day, it will be sunny and breezy, with a high near 45 degrees and a west wind at 15-20 mph, gusting as high as 33 mph. [NWS]
FFXnow Takes a Break on Veterans Day — Since it’s a federal holiday, FFXnow will take a day off tomorrow (Tuesday), with the exception of any urgent, breaking news. Our regular publishing schedule will resume on Wednesday (Nov. 12).
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is voting on the first steps to end the 40-day government shutdown Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who wanted to continue the fight.
The group of three former governors — New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine — said they would vote to reopen if the Senate passed three annual spending bills and extend the rest of government funding until late January. Senate Majority Leader John Thune endorsed the deal Sunday night and called an immediate vote to begin the process of approving it.
VHC Health patients will soon no longer have to trek to Arlington to receive mammograms or pregnancy support.
The nonprofit community health system recently expanded its Tysons Pavilion at 1760 Old Meadow Road with an imaging center, and it will launch a center focused on women’s health early next year.
With cold weather setting in, a quality plumber could come in handy. Fortunately, there are plenty of local experts who can help fix broken, leaky or clogged pipes in Fairfax County.
Here are the nominees for “Best Plumber that Serves Fairfax” as part of our FFXnow Readers’ Choice Awards. See your favorite plumber below? If not, write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks. Be sure to cast your vote before 8:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 21.
Voting for the Best HVAC Company in Fairfax is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday (Nov. 14) at 8:30 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Exterior Painter in Fairfax. The results are now official:
Though fall leaves are still clinging to many trees, wintry events have already started to take over the calendar in Fairfax County.
In addition to Tysons Corner Center’s previously reported holiday lineup, the coming weeks will bring the return of ice skating to Reston Town Center, an expanded McLean Winterfest Parade, multiple Santa photo opportunities and other festive attractions for both Christmas devotees and agnostics.
A new community collaboration is set to kick off a week of action aiming to remove invasive species from trees in Fairfax County.
Fairfax Tree Rescuers will officially launch the Fairfax Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) with invasive species removal events throughout the county from Saturday (Nov. 8) to Nov. 16.
House GOP Accuses GMU President of Lying — “A Republican-led House committee is accusing George Mason University’s president of lying to the panel when he testified in September about diversity policies the Trump administration say amount to racial discrimination.” A lawyer representing Washington disputes the claim, saying “his client did not say ‘one syllable of untruth during his testimony.'” [Washington Post]
I-495 Lane Closures Coming Up — “A single lane will be closed in both directions on I-495 … between the Dulles Corridor Interchange and American Legion Memorial Bridge this Saturday, Nov. 8, and next Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16, between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. These extended daytime closures are needed for crews to complete paving work associated with the I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project.” [VDOT]
Farmers Markets Offer Extra Food Benefits — “Virginia Fresh Match (VFM) is offering enhanced produce benefits at participating Fairfax County farmers markets and select grocery stores during November. At farmers markets, SNAP shoppers will receive an extra $20 in free tokens to use on fruits and vegetables — no minimum purchase required.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]
Outgoing and Incoming Governors Meet — “Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger and Gov. Glenn Youngkin stepped out of the Executive Mansion on Thursday with their spouses, smiling as they paused to talk with reporters. The couples had just shared a lunch of crab cakes and ‘Virginia wine,’ Youngkin said, as he and Spanberger discussed their transition of power in the months ahead.” [Virginia Mercury]
Burger Truck Launching in Reston — “S&P Burger announced it will be launching its new food truck this weekend in Reston. The food truck will be holding a soft launch on Saturday, November 8, at The Spectrum at Reston Town Center. S&P will be serving up its press’d patties and sweets from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Signature Apartments Reportedly Sold — “A partnership between New York-based Sterling Investors and Denver-based Simpson Housing has agreed to purchase the 508-unit Signature apartment towers, Green Street’s Real Estate Alert reported, citing anonymous sources.” The reported price range of around $240 million “would set a record for a Reston apartment sale, according to Real Estate Alert.” [Bisnow]
Braddock Candidates Participate in Forum — “The three candidates running for Braddock District supervisor participated in a candidate forum Wednesday night, where they discussed funding for public schools, the impact federal layoffs and furloughs have had on the local economy, and the preservation of Lake Accotink.” [Patch]
Sentence in Capital One Data Breach Reimposed — “A federal judge has reimposed a sentence on Paige Thompson, the former Amazon Web Services engineer convicted in the 2019 Capital One data breach that compromised the personal information of more than 100 million people.” [Cyberscoop]
It’s Friday — Clouds will increase, reaching a high of around 61°F, accompanied by south winds of 8-15 mph and gusts up to 29 mph. There’s a 60% chance of rain Friday night, primarily before 1am, as it becomes mostly cloudy with lows around 53°F. [NWS]
A state legislative panel set up to identify potential new funding for Northern Virginia transit completed its work this week by delivering a firm starting number: $400 million annually.
But the panel opted against prioritizing which funding streams would work best as it readied its report for consideration during the 2026 General Assembly session.
