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Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in Virginia jumped more than 350% compared with 2024, placing the state among those with the steepest increases nationwide. Nearly 3,000 people were arrested during the first five months of 2025—roughly matching the total in the much larger state of New York.
Fairfax County recorded about twice as many arrests as any other Virginia locality, a disparity linked to a combination of practical and political factors.
Schools emerge as a campaign battleground
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has renewed his focus on diversity and gender-identity policies in public schools as he campaigns for reelection. His actions have attracted the Trump administration’s attention and prompted two federal investigations.
The scrutiny has frustrated officials in Fairfax and Loudoun counties, which operate two of Virginia’s largest school districts.
Northern Virginia development updates
PJ’s Coffee opened its first Virginia location Tuesday, July 8, at the South Alex development in Penn Daw. The New Orleans-based company’s new shop is located at 6220 N. Kings Highway.
Northern Virginia’s office market, meanwhile, has at least 33 companies seeking spaces of 50,000 square feet or more. Their choices are limited, with no office project under construction in the region able to meet those requirements. Completed buildings still offering space include the recently renamed Boro Central in Tysons and Comstock’s Reston Row offices.
Falls Church is considering changes to several development rules. A work plan from City Manager Wyatt Shields calls for potentially revising how much parking new projects must provide, along with possible updates to the city’s tree-canopy and towing ordinances.
In Great Falls, Seneca Hill Animal Hospital, Resort, and Spa is seeking approval for three outdoor dog runs. The facility at 11415 Georgetown Pike can house as many as 120 dogs at a time. It previously operated an outdoor run until November 2022, when Fairfax County said the amenity was not permitted under the property’s zoning.
Murder suspect allegedly lived in storage unit
The man accused of fatally stabbing 32-year-old Marvin Waters at a Huntington Metro station bus stop on June 10 had been living in an Alexandria storage unit, according to police.
He faces charges of second-degree murder and drug possession. He is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 3.
New Metro escalators arrive 41 weeks early
New escalators at the Franconia-Springfield Metro station were completed 41 weeks ahead of schedule. The broader replacement project is expected to finish in spring 2026, two years earlier than initially planned.
Passengers will have to wait a few weeks to use them because track work has suspended train service at the station through July 26.
Heat index could hit 103 before storms arrive
Tuesday’s forecast calls for increasing clouds, a high near 93 degrees and a heat index as high as 103. Showers and thunderstorms are expected after 5 p.m., with a 60% chance of rain and possible totals between a quarter-inch and a half-inch.
Thunderstorms could continue mainly before 8 p.m. Tuesday night, followed by mostly cloudy conditions and a low near 73.