Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Fairfax Circuit Court offers free marriage ceremonies to celebrate Valentine’s Day

Published February 7, 2025 at 3:30PM

The Fairfax County Circuit Court's Reston satellite office issued its first marriage license after opening in May 2024 (courtesy Fairfax County Circuit Court Clerk's Office)

Local couples looking to tie the knot before Valentine’s Day will have a chance to save a few bucks in the process next week.

The Fairfax County Circuit Court is offering free civil marriage ceremonies next Tuesday, Feb. 11 at its Reston satellite office, which will be open in the Cathy Hudgins Community Center at Southgate from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

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JUST IN: FCPS teacher charged with sexually assaulting students

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 7, 2025 at 2:20PM | Updated February 7, 2025 at 3:43PM

Fairview Elementary School teacher John Barger has been charged with sexual assault (via FCPD)

A local elementary school teacher is facing criminal charges for allegedly sexually assaulting two students.

Fairfax County’s Child Protective Services received a tip on Jan. 17 reporting that a student at Fairview Elementary School (5815 Ox Road) in Fairfax Station had been sexually assaulted by a teacher, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

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New plaque at Meadowlark park salutes women who challenged segregation

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 7, 2025 at 9:45AM

Officials from NOVA Parks, NAACP, Fairfax County and more unveil a sign at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens to honor Howard University students who challenged bus segregation (Courtesy NOVA Parks)

Before it became Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Caroline Ware’s farm in Wolf Trap served as the staging area for a noteworthy yet little-known battle in the civil rights movement’s long struggle against segregation.

A constitutional history and social sciences professor at Howard University, Ware hosted a picnic on May 14, 1944 for friends and students, four of whom got arrested after refusing to move to the back of the bus they boarded to return to D.C.

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Man convicted of assaulting deaf passenger on flight to Dulles Airport

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 7, 2025 at 9:00AM

United Airlines planes at Dulles International Airport (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A man was convicted yesterday (Thursday) of assaulting a fellow passenger during a flight from San Francisco to Dulles International Airport.

In an incident that made national headlines, Everett Chad Nelson, a 44-year-old man from Stafford, was arrested by the FBI on Oct. 28, 2024 after he repeatedly punched a deaf passenger who was sleeping on United Airlines Flight 2247 “without provocation,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

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FCPD charges man with armed carjacking on Columbia Pike

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 6, 2025 at 3:55PM

Fairfax County police say they found in a vehicle that was reportedly carjacked on Columbia Pike in Annandale (via FCPD)

A man has been charged with an alleged armed carjacking in Annandale yesterday (Wednesday) that led to an arrest in Tysons.

Fairfax County police officers were dispatched to the 7000 block of Columbia Pike around 7:32 p.m. after a caller reported being carjacked “at gunpoint,” according to scanner traffic.

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GMU launches campaign to fund Fairfax performing arts center renovation

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 6, 2025 at 1:15PM

George Mason University is planning a $70 million renovation of its Center for the Arts in Fairfax (rendering by Quinn Evans)

George Mason University has begun raising money in earnest to help fund a $70 million makeover of its performing arts center in Fairfax.

Publicly launched yesterday (Wednesday), the “Give Voice” initiative seeks to raise $35 million for a renovation of the Center for the Arts, the 1,935-seat concert hall at 4373 Mason Pond Drive. The university itself is expected to match the private donations with an additional $35 million.

Countywide

Figure skating tribute planned to raise money for DCA crash victims

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 6, 2025 at 11:15AM

Nearly two dozen crosses stand near Gravelly Point, honoring the 67 victims of the mid-air collision over the Potomac River (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Local superstar Ilia Malinin and other figure skaters will convene in D.C. next month to pay tribute to the victims of last week’s airplane and helicopter crash near Reagan National Airport.

Set for Sunday, March 2, at Capital One Arena, the “Legacy on Ice” benefit will raise funds to support the families and loved ones of the 67 people killed in the Jan. 29 crash, while serving as a showcase for the American figure skating community, which lost 28 members.

Countywide

Flu levels higher than usual in Fairfax, health department says

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 6, 2025 at 9:45AM

The Fairfax Health District is experiencing a high level of respiratory illness activity, as of Feb. 4, 2025 (via Fairfax County Health Department)

If it seems like you know or have encountered more sick people this winter, it might not be your imagination.

The Fairfax Health District, which includes Fairfax County, Fairfax City and Falls Church, is experiencing high levels of respiratory illnesses, driven particularly by influenza, according to the Fairfax County Health Department.

Countywide

JUST IN: FCPS to open on two-hour delay Thursday due to icy weather

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 5, 2025 at 3:55PM | Updated February 5, 2025 at 4:12PM

The surface of Wolftrap Creek turned to ice after snowstorms in January 2025 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County Public Schools will clear school grounds early tonight (Wednesday) and start classes late tomorrow (Thursday) in anticipation of some wintry weather.

FCPS announced that all activities on school grounds, including sports practices and extracurricular activities, must wrap up by 9 p.m. In addition, schools will start on a two-hour delay tomorrow with a mix of snow and sleet expected to freeze overnight.

News

Herndon police deny social media rumors of collaboration with ICE raids

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 5, 2025 at 9:00AM

A Town of Herndon Police Department vehicle (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Town of Herndon Police Department (HPD) hopes to quash rumors that it has been collaborating with federal immigration agents on raids.

Claims that local police have participated in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids began cropping up in phone calls to the police department a few weeks ago and have now emerged in social media posts, particularly on TikTok, according to HPD spokesperson Lisa Herndon.