Dar Mariam at sunset in Vienna (photo by Amy Woolsey)
After a couple months in business, Dar Mariam is starting to settle into its home in Vienna.
The restaurant celebrated its grand opening on Aug. 15 in the former Donutchew storefront at 107 Maple Avenue West, driven by a mission to bring authentic Arabian cuisine, particularly from Iraq and Kuwait, to a wider audience.
People walking on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail east of Hunter Mill Road (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Dominion Energy is planning to take down more trees near its power lines along the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail — this time, with the consent of NOVA Parks.
Starting next Monday (Oct. 20), the power company will begin “selective” pruning and removals of trees and other vegetation on a 2.6-mile section of the trail between its Clark substation in Vienna and the Hunter substation in Wolf Trap, just outside Reston.
A Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department engine and ambulance respond to a medical emergency at the Tysons Office Center at 8133 Leesburg Pike (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Tysons Offices Bought for Possible Data Center — Affiliates of Serverfarm, a California-based data center investor, acquired the office buildings at 7990 and 7980 Quantum Drive in mid-September for $37 million and $13 million, respectively. The 7990 Quantum building is already home to the 44,000-square-foot Equinix DC7 data center, but the 7980 building’s proximity to the Reserve at Tysons Corner apartments, which are 150 feet away, means the Fairfax County board’s approval is required for any data center development. [Washington Business Journal]
Government Shutdown Drags On — “Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted Monday the federal government shutdown may become the longest in history, saying he ‘won’t negotiate’ with Democrats until they hit pause on their health care demands and reopen.” [Associated Press]
Cause of Franconia House Fire Identified — “On Sunday, October 12, around 8:00am, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department responded to reports of a house fire in the 5800 block of Queens Gate Court.” No injuries were reported, but the fire resulted in an estimated $259,338 in property damages. Investigators found that the fire started from “improperly discarded ashes” in a plastic trash can next to the garage. [FCFRD]
Oldest Metro Railcars Retired — “The era of carpeted Metro trains ended with the official retirement of railcars dating to the 1980s … The 2000 series railcars began service in 1983. They had to be pulled out of storage to help carry riders a few years ago when there were wheel issues with the 7000 series.” [NBC4]
Maternal Mortality Data Funding at Risk — “Virginia’s Maternal Mortality Review Team will continue its operations until August of next year. The future of the team, however, will depend on future congressional action and Virginia’s willingness to continue it.” [Virginia Mercury]
Comet Could Be Visible Over D.C. Region — “It has been five years since the Northern Hemisphere had a really bright and beautiful comet to see, which was Comet NEOWISE. Sky watchers can now start looking for Lemmon about 90 minutes before dawn and starting Thursday, it may be visible in the predawn and post-sunset dark skies.” [WTOP]
World’s Largest Earthquake Drill Coming — “The Great Southeast ShakeOut is the world’s largest earthquake drill. People in homes, schools, offices and other places all practice the same thing at the same time. The drill happens every year on the third Thursday in October. That’s Oct. 16 this year, and it starts at exactly 10:16 a.m.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]
Vienna to Give Away Free Tree Seedlings — “Get a free tree at the Town’s fifth annual Native Tree Seedling Giveaway! The event takes place Saturday, Oct. 18, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (or until the last tree is given away) outside the Vienna Community Center … Volunteers will give away 150 bareroot seedlings in six species.” [Town of Vienna]
It’s Tuesday — The weather will be mostly cloudy and reach a high near 70, accompanied by a north wind at 11 to 14 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. Tuesday night will see mostly clear conditions, with temperatures dropping to around 54 and a north wind around 8 mph. [NWS]
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The proposed meadow trail concept for Salona Park in McLean (via Fairfax County Park Authority)
The Fairfax County Park Authority is looking for the community’s feedback again on a proposal for developing Salona Park in McLean.
The new concept, which will be presented at a community meeting at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Monday), centers on a half-mile-long walking trail that would loop around the approximately 10-acre site, which currently consists of undeveloped meadows and woods.
Sign for a home under contract (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Home sales and average sales prices across Fairfax County rose in September, as buyers cashed in on lower interest rates despite ongoing economic concerns.
A total of 953 properties went to closing for the month, up from 920 in September 2024, according to figures reported Friday (Oct. 10) by Bright MLS, using data from MarketStats by ShowingTime.
The pad thai from Sorn Thai in McLean (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Longtime food critic Tom Sietsema wrapped up his 25-year run at the Washington Post last week with the release of his final fall dining guide.
Sietsema’s survey of the “40 Best Restaurants in and Around D.C.” is dominated by the District, which is home to all of the top-five ranked entries. But five Fairfax eateries still made the cut, along with one that will soon set up shop in the area.
Tables with sun shades at Reston Town Square Park (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Transit Changes for Indigenous People’s Day — “On Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, Fairfax Connector will operate on a Holiday Weekday schedule. This is due to the Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day holidays.” Metrorail is “operating on Saturday frequencies at all stations not experiencing track work. Metrobus will operate on a Saturday supplemental schedule.” [WMATA]
Motorcyclist Injured in Hit-and-Run — “An adult male on a motorcycle was struck in a hit-and-run crash at Leesburg Pike and Patrick Henry Drive in Seven Corners last night, the Fairfax County Police Department reports. The victim is in the hospital with a life-threatening condition. The driver fled the scene in a dark-colored SUV.” [Annandale Today]
Arrest for Exposure at Chantilly Bus Stop — “On October 8, at 1:15p.m., officers responded to 4700 block of Stonecroft Boulevard in Chantilly for a sex offense. An adult victim reported seeing a man masturbating by a public bus stop.” A Fair Oaks man was taken into custody and charged with indecent liberties, indecent exposure and obscene sexual display. [FCPD]
Reston Office Buildings Sold — “Brookfield has offloaded a pair of 2000s-era office buildings that it owned for nearly two decades at its Halley Rise development site in Reston. The Canadian investment giant sold One and Two Halley Rise, a pair of six-story office buildings each weighing in at 190K SF, for $53M.” [Bisnow]
FCPD Helicopter Denied Air Space Access — “Air traffic control at DCA denied a request by the Fairfax County Police helicopter to fly in an area not far from where planes were descending over the Potomac River,” suggesting new safety rules might need to be tweaked. In this case, the denial doesn’t seem to have affected the FCPD’s ability to respond to a suspicious person call that turned out to be “a man who had cut his thumb.” [WJLA]
Man Reports $40KScam — “Detectives from our Financial Crimes Unit have charged a New York man after he traveled to Fairfax County to scam a victim out of $40,000 in Kings Park West. On September 13, officers took a walk-in report for a fraud case” involving a man who claimed to be a representative of the victim’s bank “and convinced him to withdraw money on two separate occasions and hand it over in person.” [FCPD]
GMU Study Analyzes Va. Energy Needs — “A George Mason University report released Friday looks at how Virginia can meet its mandatory goal of decarbonizing the state’s utility providers while also getting more localities on board for certain energy projects.” [Virginia Mercury]
Metro Previews Rail Closures for Next Year — “Metro has shared information on upcoming rail station closures for planned work through September 2026, with work impacting all lines of the transit system. The closures are part of improvement and maintenance efforts to improve the reliability and safety of the nearly 50 year old system, Metro said.” [WTOP]
It’s Monday — Patchy drizzle with a chance of showers before 11am, then showers likely after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 62. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Tonight, expect patchy drizzle with a chance of showers before and after midnight Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Chance of precipitation is 40%. [NWS]
The entrance to Oakcrest School in Wolf Trap (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
A private school in the Wolf Trap area is one step closer to expanding its services to younger students.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval Wednesday (Oct. 8) of a special exception permit for Oakcrest School to expand its campus to add kindergarten through fifth-grade students.
One University affordable housing development in Fairfax (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Fairfax County leaders appear ready to battle any efforts in the 2026 General Assembly session to strip powers of local government to regulate creation of new housing.
“We want affordable housing,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said, but the county’s lobbying efforts in Richmond would be focused on “making sure the General Assembly doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all” approach that erases local decision-making powers.