Elisa Matos

The 2025 statewide Democratic primary features a diverse group of candidates competing for various key offices, including lieutenant governor, attorney general, and seats in the state legislatures. Fairfax City residents will be voting for Lt. Governor and Attorney General candidates in the Democratic primary.

While economic activity has remained relatively stable across the country, several Federal Reserve districts are beginning to show signs of a slowdown. Uncertainty surrounding future trade policies and tariffs is contributing to a more cautious business climate. Car sales have ticked upward, but tourism has slowed, and many companies are holding off on hiring decisions due to ongoing tariff concerns.

The Young Marines, a national youth organization, has announced the 2025 National Young Marine of the Year, Chingiz Bahadur, 17, of Fairfax, Virginia, a member of the Potomac River Young Marines in Washington, D.C. Bahadur is a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. 

Reston Pride's 8th annual Pride festival starts on May 31st 6-9pm with its first ever Rising Voices concert featuring young local queer bands. Following that, we have our main festival on Sunday June 1st from 11am-6pm. This year our theme is RISE UP!

As National Volunteer Month draws to a close, Food For Neighbors celebrated reaching a milestone in the fight against student hunger by opening their tenth food sorting site.  The Katherine Johnson Middle School in Fairfax is the latest public school to serve as a distribution and sorting site for donated food and toiletries that will reach 8,700 students in 53 local middle and high schools in Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun Counties.

Five months after the removal of Laszlo Palko from the City Manager position, Fairfax is still searching for a permanent candidate to hold the position. A spokesperson from the City Manager’s Office said there has been no updates on the search for a permanent City Manager.

I disagree that there is an effort to stop the construction of the GST. I have been attending and speaking out at city council meetings regularly since 2023, and have met no one who is against implementing some bike trail connectivity between Route 123 and Fair Woods Pkwy, and east to connect with Draper Dr. at Fairfax Blvd. The choice is not a bike trail or not; it’s a question of the footprint of the GST.

The rationale for building an over $21.M, 1.7-mile through-the-woods George Snyder Trail (GST) is falling apart. Initially, the purpose of the GST was to get people from Point A to Point B and support local businesses along Fairfax Boulevard. How does a through-the-woods trail away from businesses do that? How does the less expensive alternative design concept, which creates a shared-use path along Eaton Place and Fairfax Boulevard, not do that?

In late November, I sat in Arlington County Courthouse's courtroom 10A and witnessed a scene that left me deeply unsettled as a veteran defense attorney. A young prosecutor, Abhimanyu Mehta—whose name fittingly translates to "warrior" in the mythological Mahābhārata story about war—stood before Judge Daniel S.  Fiore advocating for the dismissal of charges against a young black man, 31, whom I’ll refer to pseudonymously as Ross Lamas. Charged in late 2022 with one count of felony intent to distribute drugs and four counts of illegal possession of a firearm, Mr. Lamas’ case had been delayed multiple times over two years. Lamas sat quietly with his public defender, Brad Haywood, waiting for what should have been a routine resolution.

WorldPride 2025 comes to Washington, D.C., in celebration of its 50th anniversary between May 17 and June 8. Locals seeking exciting weekend activities can attend vibrant marquee events including electrifying music festivals, empowering marches, lively street parties, and cultural showcases.

U.S. Representative and Northern Virginia’s beloved, Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, a stalwart of Northern Virginia politics and a dedicated public servant, passed away on May 21, 2025, at the age of 75. He died peacefully at his home in Fairfax, surrounded by family, after a battle with esophageal cancer. 

11,415 students graduated from George Mason University at the end of the Spring 2025 semester, a record for the school. An additional 531 certificates were awarded, bringing the number of students honored by Mason during its university-wide commencement ceremony on May 15 to 12,106.