Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Jury convicts Bailey’s Crossroads man of hate crimes for threatened church shooting

Published March 7, 2025 at 11:15AM

A sign for Park Valley Church in Haymarket (via Google Maps)

A man from Bailey’s Crossroads has been convicted of hate crimes for plotting a potential mass shooting at a church in Prince William County.

Following a four-day trial, a federal jury in Alexandria found Rui Jiang guilty yesterday (Thursday) of attempting to obstruct congregants of Park Valley Church in Haymarket from exercising their religious beliefs, using a firearm in connection to a violent crime, and sending online threats.

News

Herndon police chief put on leave for undisclosed reasons

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 6, 2025 at 1:15PM

Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard discusses the arrest of a man suspected of raping a woman on the W&OD Trail (via Herndon Police Department/Facebook)

Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard was quietly placed on administrative leave last month, and it’s unclear when — or if — she’s expected to return.

DeBoard, who became the town’s first female police chief when she was appointed in 2012, was put on administrative leave on Feb. 12, a town spokesperson says, confirming a Feb. 28 report by WUSA9.

News

Fairfax senior living community to expand with additional housing

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 6, 2025 at 9:00AM

A rendering of Pierson Grove, a new residential building under construction at the Woodleigh Chase senior living community in Fairfax (courtesy Erickson Senior Living)

A recently established senior living community in the Fairfax area is expanding its capacity with the addition of a new residential building.

A Woodleigh Chase Senior Living spokesperson says construction is “well underway” on Pierson Grove. Slated to open later this year, the building will bring another 122 apartment units to the 42-acre independent living campus (9805 Woodleigh Lane) off of Braddock Road near George Mason University.

Around Town

Call Your Mother now open at Reston’s North Point Village Center

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 6, 2025 at 8:15AM

Call Your Mother at North Point Village Center in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Call Your Mother is now serving up bagels and babka to Reston customers.

After a soft opening limited to friends, family and other invited guests yesterday (Wednesday), the rapidly growing regional chain officially launched its newest location at North Point Village Center this morning (Thursday).

News

Onelife Fitness building in Tysons could be redeveloped with high-rise housing

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 5, 2025 at 3:45PM

Developer Paradigm Companies has proposed replacing the Onelife Fitness building at 8250 Greensboro Drive in Tysons with two residential high-rises (via Fairfax County)

Onelife Fitness might morph into the next residential development in Tysons.

The Arlington-based developer Paradigm Companies recently submitted a rezoning application to Fairfax County proposing to replace the gym’s low-lying building at 8250 Greensboro Drive with a pair of residential high-rises.

News

Herndon turns up pressure on Comstock to give back downtown redevelopment site

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 5, 2025 at 8:15AM

The site for Comstock's downtown Herndon redevelopment project (via Town of Herndon)

A potential legal battle is brewing over the stalled project to revitalize Herndon’s downtown.

The Town of Herndon filed a declaration in Fairfax County Circuit Court last Friday (Feb. 28) terminating Comstock Companies’ rights to the nearly 5-acre block at the northeast corner of Center and Elden streets that the developer had planned to turn into an arts center, apartments, retail space and a parking garage.

Around Town

Our Mom Eugenia unveils expanded space at the Mosaic District

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 4, 2025 at 3:45PM

Our Mom Eugenia has added a new dining room at the Mosaic District (courtesy Our Mom Eugenia)

Our Mom Eugenia’s Merrifield expansion is complete.

The family-owned Greek restaurant announced last week that its new, private dining room and outdoor patio at the Mosaic District (2985 District Avenue, Suite 185) are now available for reservations.

News

Cocaine delivery service leads to federal prison sentence for Reston man

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 4, 2025 at 9:00AM

The George Gordon Meade Memorial Statue outside the federal courthouse for the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Court House in D.C. (via Google Maps)

A Reston man’s days of delivering cocaine in D.C. appear to be at an end.

Dusan Dimic, 41, was sentenced last week to 41 months — or three years and five months — in federal prison for driving rental and rideshare vehicles as part of a drug trafficking operation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.

Countywide

Fired FAA worker from Fairfax to attend Trump address to Congress with Sen. Kaine

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 4, 2025 at 8:15AM | Updated March 4, 2025 at 9:26AM

Sen. Tim Kaine speaks with Higher Horizons staff about federal funding for Head Start programs (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A Fairfax resident who served in the U.S. Army and was recently let go by the Federal Aviation Administration job as part of the current White House’s push to drastically downsize the federal government will attend President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress.

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine announced yesterday that he has invited Jason King as his guest for Trump’s first speech to Congress since the president returned to office for a second term on Jan. 20.

Countywide

Immigrant advocates decry order for Virginia State Police, local jails to assist ICE

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 3, 2025 at 11:15AM

Inside the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

After seeking to pressure localities to work with federal immigration authorities by proposing to withhold funding, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is now directly ordering state police and local jails to cooperate.

Youngkin signed an executive order last Thursday (Feb. 27) directing the Virginia State Police to sign an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that would create a task force with deputized troopers who can help identify and arrest undocumented individuals “who pose a risk to public safety.”