Sun eeks through clouds behind the Pohick Regional Library clock tower (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Poisonous Spiders at Chantilly School — “Fairfax County Public Schools has confirmed its pest management team has been called out to Westfield High School in Chantilly to deal with spiders, with News4 confirming through a letter sent out to parents that they are poisonous black widow spiders.” [NBC4]

Lt. Gov. Financial Discrepancies Reported — “Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears built her political brand on transparency and accountability. But a closer look at her public filings reveals a pattern of omissions and inconsistencies in her financial disclosures — including a $12,000 ‘gift’ far above the state’s legal limit and multiple undisclosed trips funded by outside organizations.” [Virginia Mercury]

Jay Jones Cancels Fundraiser — “Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for attorney general in Virginia, has canceled a Thursday night fundraiser at the home of novelist David Baldacci, according to a person with the matter … The scrubbed fundraiser is another indication that Jones’ campaign is in crisis mode” after the discovery of texts from 2022 where he “mused about” violence against then-Virginia Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert. [Axios]

Falls Church HS Renovation to Affect Sports — While the renovation of Falls Church High School is mostly complete, “the athletic fields won’t be done until next summer or early fall. That means spring season sports will have to be conducted at other locations, said Scott Eschbach, director of design and construction for Fairfax County Public Schools, at a community meeting on Oct. 6.” [Annandale Today]

McLean Actor Appears in HBO Show — “Kelly Schwartz, a business consultant and actor based in McLean, has a role in the new HBO miniseries Task. The show, starring Mark Ruffalo, follows an FBI agent who works to stop a string of violent robberies in Philadelphia.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Publix Planning New N. Va. Store — “Publix Super Markets on Wednesday announced plans to open a new store in Ashland Square in mid-Prince William County. The new grocery store will be Northern Virginia’s first Publix, not counting the supermarket that opened in North Stafford in 2020.” [Inside NoVA]

Record Flip for McLean Mansion — “A McLean mansion that had been on the market for three years before it sold in August for $18.5 million just sold for the second time in six weeks, for $22 million.” The unknown buyer’s purchase of the 22,000-square-foot home at 6431 Georgetown Pike “appears to be the highest-recorded flip in Greater Washington history.” [Washington Business Journal]

Great Falls Fire Dept. Open House — With National Fire Prevention Week ending, the Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department (9916 Georgetown Pike) is hosting an open house this Saturday (Oct. 11) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “This will be an education-filled event, with activities for the children, games, give-always, hands-only CPR instruction, and the always popular fire truck and ambulance climb-aboard … NEW this year is a junior firefighter training course complete with uniforms for the kids to try on.” [Great Falls VFD]

It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 63 degrees, accompanied by a northeast wind between 9 and 11 mph, gusting up to 18 mph. Thursday night will be clear, with temperatures dropping to a low of around 43 degrees. [NWS]


News

Vienna police have identified the teens who allegedly set off fireworks during a fight at the local McDonald’s last month.

An 18-year-old girl from Falls Church and an unnamed 16-year-old have been arrested and charged with causing malicious injury to police officers, throwing a missile at an occupied building, and other offenses, the Town of Vienna Police Department (VPD) announced today (Wednesday).


Countywide

Like everyone else, Fairfax County leaders remain in wait-and-see mode to determine the short-term and potential long-term implications of the federal government’s ongoing shutdown.

“It really depends on the length,” said Jennifer Imo, managing partner of client services for Ferguson Group, a lobbying organization hired by Fairfax County to represent its interests on Capitol Hill.


Around Town

Fairfax County is losing Taste of NoVA to Prince William County, a consequence of the federal government shutdown stretching into a second week.

The food festival was set to unfold this weekend (Oct. 11-12) at the National Museum of the U.S. Army in Fort Belvoir, which has been closed since Oct. 1 with all events canceled as long as the shutdown continues.


Countywide

Fairfax County supervisors are not sold on a staff proposal to revamp the Middle School After-School (MSAS) program, which would impose a new fee on parents of participants to offset taxpayer costs.

Though expressing support for the effort’s intent, the elected officials raised questions about its relative effectiveness, and why it attracts many more students at some schools than at others.


Fairfax County Parkway work zone speed limit sign (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Shutdown Affects Air Travel — “Travelers across the U.S. are beginning to feel the impacts of the government shutdown, as air traffic control staffing shortages disrupt flights across the country … According to the FAA, Monday’s delays affected air space across the country, including Phoenix, Denver, Chicago, Indianapolis and Washington, D.C.” [NPR]

WaPo Food Critic Leaving — “Tom Sietsema’s 25 year reign as food critic of the Washington Post is coming to an end. He announced today that this will be his last week on the job — while also publicly revealing his face for the first time. Sources tell Washingtonian that Sietsema was among the journalists who took a buyout in July, though he stayed on to finish his fall dining guide.” [Washingtonian]

ICE Fears Slow D.C. Construction — “Many construction workers are terrified of President Trump’s immigration crackdown and have stopped showing up to D.C. job sites, contractors tell Axios … A Virginia-based contractor tells Axios that two of their workers have been detained while driving — one was deported, and they’re unsure where the other is.” [Axios DC]

Va. Prosecutor Not Charging NY AG — “A top prosecutor in Virginia has informed colleagues she plans to decline to seek charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, resisting intense pressure from President Donald Trump, according to two people familiar with her discussions.” [MSNBC]

Soda Spraying Leads to Arrest — “A Vienna man who sprayed carbonated beverages around the inside of a Fairfax City convenience store on Thursday night is facing multiple charges, according to authorities. Officers from the City of Fairfax Police Department responded around 7:05 p.m. to a disorderly subject report from the 7-Eleven at 3910 University Drive.” [Patch]

Pickleball ‘Vandalism’ Temporarily Closes Courts — The tennis courts at Kendale Woods Park were temporarily closed in recent weeks due to “ongoing vandalism involving unauthorized painting and taping of pickleball lines,” a Fairfax County Park Authority spokesperson said. Scheduled to reopen by 3 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday), the courts were reverted to tennis only last year after a neighbor complained about pickleball noise. [Annandale Today]

SAIC Breaks Acquisition Cold Streak — “The Reston government technology giant announced Monday that it is acquiring SilverEdge Government Solutions, a Columbia, Maryland-based provider of software and cybersecurity services to defense and national security agencies, for $205 million … The deal, expected to close later this month, would be the first for SAIC (NASDAQ: SAIC) since 2021 and the first on CEO Toni Townes-Whitley’s watch.” [Washington Business Journal]

Falls Church Newspaper Hopes to Resume Deliveries — “We are announcing the imminent launch of a crowdfunding effort to restore the home delivery of the Falls Church News-Press to every household address in the City of Falls Church. The difficult decision to cease carrier home deliveries of the paper, something we’d done since our inception in March 1991 until this past year, was due to financial constraints.” [Falls Church News-Press]

It’s Wednesday — Expect showers primarily before 2pm with a high temperature near 70°F. There is an 80% chance of precipitation, with new rainfall amounts ranging from a quarter to half an inch. At night, the sky will be mostly clear, accompanied by a low temperature around 47°F. [NWS]


Countywide

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at a special meeting today (Tuesday) to retroactively extend the deadline for car tax payments from yesterday (Monday) to Wednesday, Nov. 5.

The temporary relief was granted in response to the current federal government shutdown, which is adding to economic challenges already facing county residents and the D.C. region as a whole.


Countywide

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is warning Tuesday of no guaranteed back pay for federal workers during a government shutdown, reversing what has been longstanding policy for some 750,000 furloughed employees, according to a memo being circulated by the White House.


News

A new condominium development is taking shape in Tysons.

Site work began earlier this fall on the Flats at Tysons, which will replace an office building parking lot at 1953 Gallows Road with 86 one- and two-bedroom residences.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools is asking an appeals court to accelerate proceedings in its lawsuit over the U.S. Education Department cutting it off from federal funds.

The request filed last Thursday (Oct. 2) came a day after a three-judge panel with the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously denied the school system’s bid to stop the federal government from freezing or canceling any more funds while the case is in court.


View More Stories