Fairfax County Public Schools officials are willing to at least explore the idea of selling naming rights to high school athletic facilities.
At its Sept. 8 work session, the Fairfax County School Board directed county staff to gather more information from the business community, while the elected officials try to hammer out policy guardrails.
Some potential upgrades are on the horizon for Alabama Drive Park in Herndon, including an overhaul of its soccer field and playground.
The Fairfax County Park Authority is currently seeking community feedback on a proposed renovation of the approximately 11-acre park, which is located within the Town of Herndon but owned and managed by the county.
Catoctin Walk is now selling in Downtown Leesburg, offering upscale 2-level townhome-style condominiums from the $600s and sophisticated 4-level rooftop terrace townhomes from the $800s. Designed for modern comfort and style, these distinctive homes feel right at home among the character and charm of Downtown Leesburg.
Catoctin Walk is part of Harrison Post, an up-and-coming mixed-use and residential neighborhood taking shape in Downtown Leesburg. Here, there’s always something to explore just moments from home. Grab coffee at Goosecup, browse local shops, meet friends for dinner, or catch a show at the Tally Ho Theater. Then, wind down the day back at home, relaxing on your rooftop terrace and taking in the evening.
Discover a place where modern living and the energy of Downtown Leesburg come together!
Like the county government, Fairfax County Public Schools is preparing for a challenging financial year ahead — one that could require further reductions to staffing and other cuts.
With spending commitments for fiscal year 2028 outweighing anticipated revenue, the school board and superintendent will need to identify cost savings and potential reductions, according to FCPS Chief Financial Officer Leigh Burden.
For homeschooling families, finding activities that fit a non-traditional school day can be a challenge. EvolveAll, the martial arts and fitness studio that’s served the local community for more than 15 years, is addressing that gap with a new Homeschool Youth Martial Arts (YMA) program.
The program runs Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:15 to 2:00 PM and follows EvolveAll’s established YMA curriculum, which focuses on discipline, focus, coordination, and self-defense fundamentals for kids ages 5 to 10. Classes are led by EvolveAll’s head YMA Instructor Mr. Christian, who has over a decade of instructing experience. The class size is capped to keep the student-to-instructor ratio low.
Fairfax County officials are poised to walk back their elimination of high school crossing guards, while pushing for additional measures to improve safety around schools.
At the Board of Supervisors meeting tomorrow (Tuesday), county staff will recommend providing $707,908 to restore 11 crossing guard positions affected by the fiscal year 2027 budget adopted in May, according to a memo that Deputy County Executive Tom Arnold sent to board members last Friday (Sept. 11).
Music. Art. Food. Community. The Takoma Park Folk Festival brings it all together for one free, unforgettable day. Discover six stages of live music from around the world, shop an acclaimed juried craft show, enjoy international cuisine, connect with local community organizations, and let the kids explore crafts and activities in the Children's Nook. It's one of the region's most beloved traditions, and a celebration of the creativity, diversity, and welcoming spirit that has long defined Takoma Park.
New this year! Jam at the Crossroads is a place for musicians of all levels to come together and be part of the music.
A motorcyclist has died after colliding with a sedan on Braddock Road in the Kings Park area near Burke last Friday (Sept. 11).
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, its officers were dispatched to the intersection of Braddock and Southampton Drive at 9:11 p.m. that night for a crash involving a 2025 KTM SMCR 390 motorcycle and a 2015 Toyota Corolla.
Man Shot in Groveton — “A man was taken to a hospital with severe injuries after a shooting in Groveton, Virginia, late Saturday morning. It happened on Sept. 12 in the 3500 block of Robert E. Lee Place.” Police were searching for a suspect but said the shooting appears to have been “an isolated incident.” [WJLA]
Kennedy Center Officials Recommend Closure — “Leaders of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, installed by President Donald Trump, say the center is on the brink of bankruptcy and argue that putting the president’s name on its facade — and thus ensuring his fundraising efforts — may be the only way to avoid imminent and ‘certain fiscal collapse.” The board could approve a recommended closure as soon as tomorrow (Tuesday). [Washington Post]
Plea Deal in Ex-CIA Official Theft Case — “A former CIA official found with $40 million of gold bars in his home has reached a tentative plea agreement after being charged with theft for fraudulently inflating his salary, according to court records.” The man’s attorney said “the charge against him isn’t related to the gold bars, which she described as ‘a sensational tidbit.'” [Associated Press]
Family Mourns Murder Victim — “Family members are mourning the loss of 31-year-old Lavinia Brown, who was shot and killed in her Fairfax home on Sept. 9. Brown’s mother, Denise Batten-Williams, says she knew something was wrong when she tried calling her daughter and then her son-in-law, Brandon, and neither of them picked up.” [DC News Now]
Survey Open on Homelessness Plan — Fairfax County is accepting input through Friday (Sept. 18) on a new five-year plan to address homelessness. The Way Home Fairfax focuses on “helping people who are homeless now find stable housing faster, preventing homelessness before it happens, improving support for people who have experienced homelessness the longest, and building public understanding and support for solutions that work.” [Sull-E Newsletter]
Va. Rolls Out New Food Benefits Cards — “Virginia is replacing traditional food-assistance benefit cards with chip-enabled versions designed to make it harder for thieves to steal SNAP benefits from families. About 749,000 state residents receive assistance through the program.” [Virginia Mercury]
In-Person Hearings Planned on Dominion Merger — The State Corporation Commission will hold three in-person hearings on the proposed $67 billion merger of Dominion Energy and NextEra. Planned in addition to three days of phone testimony, “the first of the three in-person meetings will be held on the evening of Nov. 5 inside the SCC’s courtroom in Richmond.” [Virginia Mercury]
Metro Revises Bus Fare-Quoting Policy — “Metro’s largest union says it has reached an agreement with WMATA so that only drivers protected by glass shields have to quote the fare to riders … The updated guidance comes more than a month after a man repeatedly punched a Metrobus driver who told him the bus fare and that he couldn’t bring an open alcoholic beverage on board.” [NBC4]
Fort Belvoir Commemorates 9/11 — “Soldiers, first responders and community leaders gathered at Fort Belvoir Thursday to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed and reflecting on the generations of service personnel shaped by the events that followed.” [Inside NoVA]
New Legal Notice — Restaurant applies for ABC permit: beer and wine on/off-premises. [Public Notices]
It’s Monday — It will be sunny with a high of around 80°F, and a north wind blowing at 13 mph, occasionally gusting up to 24 mph. Monday night will be clear, with temperatures dropping to about 57°F and a gentle north wind at 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]
No time to read? Now you can listen to your local news. Subscribe to the FFXnow Daily Update on Apple, Spotify or Amazon.
Fairfax County is a lot of county to keep up with.
More than a million people live across Tysons, Reston, Herndon, Vienna, McLean, Annandale, Springfield, Centreville and everywhere in between. On a typical day we publish seven or more stories: a Board of Supervisors vote, an FCPS decision, a development plan in Tysons, a restaurant opening in Reston, a public safety incident somewhere else entirely.
Reading all of it is a commitment, and the commutes around here are long enough already.
That’s why we’ve launched the FFXnow Daily Update podcast, now available via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and other podcast apps.
Each episode runs about 4-5 minutes and catches you up on FFXnow’s original reporting from the past day — including the parts of the county you don’t live in. Roughly the length of the Toll Road stretch between Reston and Tysons, if traffic cooperates.
The Daily Update podcast publishes shortly after 4 p.m. each weekday, around the same time our free afternoon newsletter goes out.
The podcast is free and open to everyone — no Press Club membership required. It’s read by virtual hosts, which is a deliberate choice: it means producing a daily episode doesn’t pull our small editorial staff away from reporting. The stories are ours. The narration is automated so that covering the largest county in Virginia always comes first.
The Daily Update follows the launch of a similar podcast on our sister site ARLnow last month.
We’re still making improvements, so feel free to send feedback after listening. Subscribe via the links above, or get a preview with the player below.
Good Friday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Sep 11, 2026.
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
Here is what’s going on Saturday throughout the county, from our event calendar.
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
Expect showers and thunderstorms after 2 PM, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 84°F. Southeast winds will blow at 5 to 8 mph, with a 40% chance of rain. Showers and thunderstorms are likely Saturday night, with additional showers and possible thunderstorms after midnight. Patchy fog is expected from 10 PM to 5 AM, with lows around 70°F and south winds at 3 to 8 mph. There’s an 80% chance of precipitation, with rainfall between half and three-quarters of an inch possible. See more from Weather.gov.
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
We hope you have a great weekend! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋
Both the past and the future were on the minds of elected officials and public safety leaders, as they gathered at the Fairfax County Public Safety Headquarters this morning (Friday) to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
During the approximately 40-minute ceremony, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Deputy Fire Chief Bill Betz led two moments of silence for those lost as a result of the attacks.
