Around Town

The D.C. region’s annual Summer Restaurant Week is coming back next week, and around 30 restaurants around Fairfax County are joining in.

The restaurant week is run by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), which also organizes winter restaurant weeks. Restaurants offer three-course meals for brunch, lunch and dinner with some wine and cocktail pairings at some locations.


News

Construction is getting underway on a partial revamp of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Route 123 (Dolley Madison Blvd) interchange in McLean.

The ramps that connect southbound GW Parkway to westbound Route 123 and vice versa has closed starting today (Monday) so that work can begin on two new ramps, the National Park Service (NPS) announced last week.


Summer afternoon at the Mosaic District in Merrifield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Free Advice on Fighting Mosquitoes — “In Fairfax County, Virginia, the health department is working to ‘fight the bite’ of mosquitoes by visiting residents’ homes and providing advice on how to reduce the pests. Through Fairfax County’s free inspection program, Andy Lima visits homes and scours the property for mosquito havens.” [NBC4]

Man Dies After Jumping From High-Rise — “A man died Friday morning after jumping from a 15th-floor balcony while FBI agents were attempting to serve a criminal arrest warrant at the Alexander Apartments on King Street.” A neighbor told NBC4 that he “woke to the sound of banging” and shouts of “FBI” before hearing someone running and shouting “No! Don’t!” [ALXnow]

Clifton House Fire Extinguished — Fairfax County firefighters responded Saturday (Aug. 9) to “a house fire in the 13000 blk of Sturno Drive in the Clifton area of Fairfax County. Units arrived with fire showing from a rear deck attached to the home. Crews were able quickly extinguish the fire preventing any extension to the home. No firefighter or civilian injuries.” [FCFRD/Facebook]

Dollar Tree Opening New Fairfax Store — “The new Dollar Tree store coming to the Shops at Fairfax/Boulevard Center is hiring sales associates and has hung a ‘Grand Opening’ sign … Located at 10700 Fairfax Blvd., the new Dollar Tree will be located adjacent to Panera Bread in the storefront formerly occupied by Party City.” [Patch]

Potomac River Water Supply Doing Well — “Above average rainfall in the area in May, June and July is contributing to the positive outlook and resulted in the drought watch for our area being dropped in late June, after being in place for more than a year … The seasonal outlook calls for a continued likelihood of above-normal rainfall.” [WTOP]

Metrobus Riders Weigh in on Changes — “The 51st heard about how it’s going from more than 30 bus riders who shared their experiences with the new system. The verdict? Well, it’s mixed. While some commuters say they’ve benefited from new connections and more frequent service, others say the overhaul has involved more confusion than clarity.” [The 51st]

Annandale Bowling Alley to Rebrand — “The Bowlero bowling alley in Annandale will soon be renamed Lucky Strike. The change follows the move by the Bowlero Corp. last December to rebrand as Lucky Strike Entertainment, reflecting its expanded mission to offer more than traditional bowling.” [Annandale Today]

Police Academy Welcomes New Recruits — On Friday (Aug. 8), “Assistant Chief Eli Cory welcomed 51 recruits at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy, marking the start of their 25-week basic training and the initiation of their careers in law enforcement … Session 90 includes a diverse group of recruits and is comprised of individuals from all walks of life.” [FCPD]

It’s Monday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures peaking at around 88°F, accompanied by calm winds that will gradually shift to the southeast at around 6 mph in the afternoon. Towards Monday night, the sky will remain predominantly clear with lows settling at roughly 71°F and south winds blowing at a gentle 3 to 7 mph. [NWS]


Around Town

Hear ye, hear ye! If you’re one of those frustrated by the ticket kerfuffle tripping up the Maryland Renaissance Festival, perchance Tysons could interest you in a little Renn Fest of its own.

Shipgarten is hosting its Summer Renaissance Festival next Saturday, Aug. 16, from 1-6 p.m. The festival will include presumably biergarten-sized variants of arrow shooting, axe throwing and jousting.


Crab cakes, lobster rolls and fresh ceviche are just some of the options you’ll find at seafood restaurants across Fairfax County.

Here are the nominees for “Best Seafood Restaurant in Fairfax” as part of our FFXnow Readers’ Choice Awards. See your favorite place below? If not, write them in!

Voting will close in two weeks. Be sure to cast your vote before 8:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 22.

Voting for the Best Thai Restaurant in Fairfax is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 9 a.m.

Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Korean Restaurant in Fairfax. The results are now official:

  1. Meokja Meokja
  2. Honey Pig BBQ
  3. Kogiya Korean BBQ

Around Town

The credits will soon start rolling on Sundance Living, though its fate won’t be as flashy as the one that awaited the heroes of its namesake movie.

Apparently shutting down for good, the apparel and home decor chain founded by actor and director Robert Redford is holding closing sales online and at all its physical stores, including the lone Virginia location at the Mosaic District (2910 District Avenue, Suite 140) in Merrifield.


A cardinal on a Town of Vienna sign banning unauthorized vegetation cutting (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

FCPS Says Bodyguard Needed After Threats — “Brian Lambert, the school division’s chief of security, said in an interview that he had been pushing for more security for Reid for months. She initially resisted efforts to institute a security detail, Lambert said, but the threats made against her, political tensions and recent targeted violence across the country helped make the case.” [Washington Post]

Secretive Investor Group Looks for Va. Venue — “Dialog — a secretive, invite-only network founded two decades ago by Peter Thiel and Auren Hoffman, the star investors and entrepreneurs — is preparing a major expansion, including a real estate purchase to build a campus in the D.C. suburbs, a tipster familiar with the group’s plans tells Axios.” The tipster says Dialog is “in active discussions to buy a physical venue in Virginia … as a permanent hub for its off-the-record meetings.” [Axios]

Report Predicts More N. Va. Power Outages — “The Northern Virginia area could face more than 430 hours of power outages per year by 2030 as the power grid struggles to keep up with the growth of AI and data centers, a report from the Department of Energy says. That’s a significant increase from the current rate of 2.4 hours per year.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Parkour Gym Open in Reston — “When Urban Evolution announced it was closing down and Wotowie was about to retire from the federal government, he decided to take the leap and open his own parkour facility in Reston. MindShift Gym, located at 11501 Sunset Hills Road in Reston, specializes in teaching parkour, acrobatics, and aerial silks.” [Patch]

Mars Invests in Gene-Editing Tech — “McLean, Virginia-based Mars Inc., the world’s largest candy maker, is investing in gene-editing technology to make cacao plants less vulnerable to disease and changes in climate patterns that have pushed prices to near record highs. Mars has licensed gene editing tools for cacao research and development with biotech company Pairwise.” [WTOP]

WaPo Exodus Continues — “The exodus of staff began as a trickle early this year and grew to a steady flow last week as the paper’s beleaguered staff approached their July 31 deadline for making final decisions on the buyout offer. Current and former Post journalists feel conflicted about what this moment represents — a bittersweet group retirement party that gives younger reporters an opportunity for growth, or an exodus that hollows out the heart of the paper and leaves it directionless.” [Washingtonian]

Why Annandale HS Has a Bomb Shelter — “Annandale High School has a secret underground chamber that stems from its establishment in 1954, the height of the Cold War. That history lives on in the school’s nuclear age iconography, like its mascot, the Atoms, red and white colors, and newspaper, the A-Blast. Annandale also has a lesser-known feature from that era – a bomb shelter, offering a safe space during a nuclear attack.” [Annandale Today]

It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching about 83°F, accompanied by a gentle northeast breeze at 6 to 8 mph. As night falls, the skies will remain mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 64°F and an east wind blowing at 3 to 7 mph. [NWS]


News

West Falls Church siblings Noelle and Lucca Thompson have more in common than just their last name and love for music.

Both children – 4-year-old Noelle and 1-year-old Lucca – inherited an extremely rare, immune-related condition called Chediak-Higashi Syndrome, or CHS, a disorder that puts them at high risk for infections.


Countywide

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano took a swing at the federal government yesterday (Wednesday), claiming that the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is making it harder for prosecutors to effectively do their jobs.

“The first thing that I hear in our community over and over again is, not only does the federal government focus on fearmongering around crime, but they’re taking it a step further now by actually creating a culture of fear around law enforcement,” Descano said.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is expanding its weapons screening system to every middle and high school this fall.

A new pilot for weapons detectors kicked off this spring but was thrust into the spotlight after a student was stabbed at West Potomac High School the same week it started.


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