• Detectives described a "blood-soaked bedroom" on day five of Naresh Bhatt's murder trial. Six witnesses testified in Manassas Park, and police body-camera footage exposed gaps in Bhatt's early account of his wife's disappearance in July 2024. Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a nurse and mother, is presumed dead; no body has been found. WTOP via InsideNoVa

• Arlington police investigated a phoned-in threat against a Rosslyn preschool. An unknown male caller targeted The Gardner School on Clarendon Blvd just before 2:45 p.m. Officers assisted with dismissal and found no evidence of a crime. ARLnow

• Data centers moved to the center of the midterm economy debate. With Election Day three weeks out, analysts tie voter anxiety over electric bills and development directly to the facilities spread across Loudoun and NoVA. About 75% of voters nationwide said they wouldn't support a new data center near their home. WTOP

• Arlington finished pulling its Flock surveillance cameras off public property. The county removed all 41 county-leased devices last week, 26 license plate readers and 15 pan-tilt-zoom cameras, following a unanimous Board vote in September. Privately owned cameras remain in the community. ARLnow

• The Supreme Court will review a Nigerian asylum case from the Richmond-based 4th Circuit. The Trump administration asked the justices to weigh whether a man who cooked meals at a camp for a group deemed a terrorist organization provided "material support." He testified he didn't know the camp's purpose when he started. WTOP

• VDOT and Fairfax officials cut the ribbon on the Route 29 widening near Centreville. The $94.4 million project widened a 1.5-mile stretch from four lanes to six between Union Mill Road and Buckleys Gate Drive. Construction wraps by the end of fall. FFXnow

• Fairfax County's September housing market stayed soft despite a bump in single-family prices. Closings fell to 897, below last year and the five-year average. Single-family prices rose 2% to $1.22 million, but condos dropped 10.3%. FFXnow

• Reston Association floated a $900 assessment, its smallest hike since 2021. CEO Peter Lusk proposed a $10 increase to fund the 2027 budget. Staff mitigated a larger jump partly by eliminating the chief operating officer role and reducing pool hours. FFXnow

• A Falls Church pharma company registered at a Staples store raised $45 million going public. Retension Pharmaceuticals, a 12-person firm, cleared its $40 million goal in its debut and will fund operations for at least 21 months. Its listed address is an iPostal1 mailbox at the office supply store. ARLnow

• Fairfax County social workers are using an AI tool called Beam Notes to cut paperwork and keep more eye contact with families. WTOP
• The Chesapeake Bay earned a C+, its best grade in 20 years of report cards. WTOP
• Toys R Us opens a smaller store at the Leesburg Premium Outlets this Friday. The Burn
• Pitango Gelato opens its first Loudoun shop in South Riding on Oct. 28, with a 5 p.m. ribbon cutting. The Burn
• Four Fairfax eateries join the Bakes for Breast Cancer fundraiser starting Friday. FFXnow
• Site work is underway on Smokin Willy BBQ's new Leesburg home, which will also house Deli South. The Burn
• The 89th International Gold Cup steeplechase returns to Great Meadow in The Plains on Oct. 24. The Burn
• Historic Blenheim in Fairfax City closed Tuesday to remove a declining southern red oak. FFXnow
• Falls Church is getting The Dark, Unbound, a sci-fi, fantasy and occult bookstore. Arlington Magazine

Three weeks out, the thing voters keep circling back to isn't a candidate but a building: the windowless data center humming past the subdivision, and the power bill that follows. Everyone has an opinion and nobody has a number they trust.

That's the briefing. Look out for each other out there. See you tomorrow.

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