Morning Notes

Tysons Corner Center Gets Post-Holiday Boost — “Thousands of shoppers visited Tysons Corner Center on Tuesday to make holiday returns and to take advantage of some post-holiday sales. Some people who spoke with WTOP at the mall say an annual post-Christmas trip to the shopping center is a tradition.” [WTOP]

ICYMI: Man Charged After Herndon Barricade Incident — “Police identified 66-year-old Paul Graves of Herndon as the man who barricaded himself inside a townhouse and held a person hostage on Tuesday night…[He] was cited on three felony charges, one for abduction, one for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and one for shooting in an occupied building.” [Patch]

Local Congressman Goes Back to School — “It seemed study time would have to wait. That’s been the story of the year for [Rep. Don] Beyer (D-Va.), who has been moonlighting as a student at George Mason University in pursuit of a master’s degree in machine learning while balancing his duties as a congressman.” [The Washington Post]

Two Charged With Brandishing Gun in Fairfax — “City of Fairfax Police were summoned around 2:09 p.m., on Dec. 20, for the report of a man and woman pointing and waving a firearm in the 10800 block of Fairchester Drive. After locating the two subjects of the report, officers determined that the woman had a firearm and the man was intoxicated, according to the report.” [Patch]

County Pension Investments in Cryptocurrency Questioned — The CIO of Fairfax County’s Uniformed Retirement System says “the County Employees pension had over 10% of its assets invested in crypto at its peak and an even greater amount committed, yet-to-be invested. The County Police pension had over 13% invested at its peak” [Forbes]

Traffic Gardens Grow in Northern Virginia — “How can parents and teachers safely introduce kids to the rules of the road? In Northern Virginia and across the country, one solution has been gaining popularity: traffic gardens. Traffic gardens are small-scale models of streets, that allow kids to practice following traffic patterns in a safe, fun environment.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Vienna Payment Portal Goes Offline — “The Town’s online payment portal is down until Jan. 2 for a system upgrade. When the system is back online, utility customers must create a new online account to access the system. Payments can also be made in person at the Town Hall, 127 Center St. S, Vienna.” [Town of Vienna/Twitter]

Workshop for Aspiring Business Owners Coming — “If starting a business is on top of your list for 2023, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) is ready to assist you! Ashley Chen, founder and CEO of Fairfax County-based ActioNet will be the featured guest speaker during FCEDA’s next Entrepreneurship 101 (E-101) workshop scheduled for January 10, 2023, in Tysons.” [FCEDA]

It’s Thursday — Clear throughout the day. High of 46 and low of 30. Sunrise at 7:28 am and sunset at 4:56 pm. [Weather.gov]