Johnny Depp Lawsuit In NoVA, Increased I-95 Patrols | Top News

Patch has 32 sites in communities in northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Here are some of the top posts from the past week.

VA State Police To Increase Patrols On I-95 To Catch Bad Drivers

Virginia State Police will be out in force on the Interstate 95 corridor starting Friday as part of the annual "I-95 Drive to Save Lives" enforcement initiative.

DEA Warns Of 'Mass Overdose Events' From Fentanyl In Virginia

Virginia saw a nearly 20-percent increase in drug overdose deaths in 2021 as people increasingly turned to easily accessible but dangerous drugs.

I-95 Snowstorm Shutdown Investigation Notes VA's Response Problems

A combination of heavy traffic, high snowfall rates, and downed trees and electric power lines, along with a lack of tow trucks and wreckers, led to hundreds of drivers getting trapped on Interstate 95 in Virginia for more than 24 hours on Jan. 3-4, according to a new report requested by state agencies.

Johnny Depp's Defamation Lawsuit Coming To Fairfax County Courthouse

The long-awaited Johnny Depp defamation trial is scheduled to start next Monday in a Fairfax County courtroom, where both Depp and his former wife Amber Heard are planning to take the stand in-person.

Price Gouging Leads To Fines For Loudoun Gas Station: Attorney General

A Loudoun gas station will have to pay $6,570 in restitution and $2,500 in fees and penalties for price gouging, the Office of the Attorney General said. The price gouging occurred in May 2021, when gasoline supplies dwindled in Virginia while the Colonial Pipeline was shut down.

Reston Strong Finds Shelter Beds For Some; Others Remain Unhoused

Late on Monday night, members of Reston Strong, a local advocacy group, set up tents outside of the North County Governmental Center, which houses Reston District Station of the Fairfax County Police and office of Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn.

Cherry Blossom Uniforms Get Love And Hate From Readers In Exclusive Patch Survey

A majority of the readers responding to a Patch survey, possibly experiencing spring fever or intoxicated by the beauty of the cherry blossoms encircling the tidal basin in D.C., loved the blossom-themed uniforms rolled out last Tuesday by two of the city's major league sports franchises.

School Books, Animal Cruelty: 100 New VA Laws That Could Affect You

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed more than 100 bills into law this week, including a bill that gives parents the authority to prevent their children from learning material deemed "sexually explicit content."

AccuWeather Has Bad News For Virginia Spring Allergy Sufferers

You may find yourself saying "bless you!" more often as you walk around town, according to AccuWeather's 2022 spring allergy forecast, giving Virginia residents a heads-up on what to expect as spring comes into full bloom.

Tornado In Centreville Confirmed With 85 MPH Winds: NWS

The National Weather Service confirmed a second tornado touched down in Northern Virginia last Thursday when severe storms moved through the region.

Baby Squirrels Make For Nutty Discovery In Franconia Car Repair Shop

Normally, when a check engine light goes on, it points to a problem with a car's performance. But on Tuesday, one car shop in Franconia found a more squirrelly reason for the check engine light in one customer's car.

'Cocktails To Go’ Policy Gets Extended In Virginia Until 2024

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed two bills Monday that will extend the state's "cocktails to go" policy until July 1, 2024. The policy allows customers to take out alcoholic beverages from restaurants and bars, or have them delivered to their homes.

GMU Dedicates Memorial For People Enslaved By University's Namesake

George Mason University held a ceremony Monday to dedicate a memorial built on its Fairfax campus to remember the people who were enslaved by the person after whom the university is named.

• George Mason Breaks Ground On $243M Centerpiece Of Arlington Campus

Sizzling Summer For Virginia And DC? See Farmers' Almanac Forecast

Here's the summer 2022 forecast for Northern Virginia and D.C. in a word —actually three words: hot, humid and thundery, according to the Farmers' Almanac summer forecast.

Bird Flu In VA: Deadly Outbreak Hits Poultry Flock

Some 23 million birds have been destroyed nationwide to control a highly pathogenic bird flu virus causing disease in commercial and backyard poultry flocks in about half of the states. A small backyard flock in Virginia was destroyed after birds there were infected.

MD Rapper's Corpse Propped Up At DC Nightclub To Celebrate His Life

The family of a Maryland rapper who was shot to death a couple of weeks earlier held a celebration of the musician's life on Sunday inside a Washington, D.C., nightclub, where his corpse was propped up, according to reports.