Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

NOW: Fallen tree takes out power line in Reston, closing Hunter Mill Road

Published March 23, 2026 at 5:15PM

Hunter Mill Road closed at Lawyers Road on March 23, 2026 after a tree fell on a power line (via Google Maps)

Hunter Mill Road is temporarily closed, and hundreds of Reston residents have lost power after a fallen tree took out a power line.

“Officers are on scene at the intersection of Hunter Mill Road and Sunrise Valley Drive for a tree that fell onto a power line, causing sparking in the roadway,” the Fairfax County Police Department said.

News

Free Little Art Gallery coming to Richmond Highway this spring

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 23, 2026 at 2:45PM | Updated March 25, 2026 at 5:52PM

A Free Little Art Gallery under construction will be installed at Mount Vernon Plaza (courtesy Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation)

A Free Little Art Gallery (FLAG) is coming to a shopping center on Richmond Highway this spring, kicking off what organizers hope will be a proliferation of the boxes along the corridor.

The FLAG will be installed by the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation (SFDC) at 12:30 p.m. on April 8 in the Mount Vernon Plaza Parklette (7698 Richmond Highway) in Hybla Valley.

Around Town

Easter egg hunt, seasonal cocktails usher in spring at Capital One Center

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 23, 2026 at 1:45PM

Cherry blossom-themed sign for The Perch during Easter egg hunt (courtesy Capital One Center)

Capital One Center in Tysons will be hopping with activity this spring, highlighted by the return of its “ultimate” Easter Egg Hunt early next month.

Approximately 3,000 eggs will be strewn across the Great Lawn at The Perch for kids to collect during the popular event, which is set to take place on Saturday, April 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

News

FCPD: Man unleashes bear spray on officers after Route 1 chase

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 23, 2026 at 8:30AM

A car stopped by police on I-495 near Richmond Highway on March 20, 2026 (via FCPD)

An Arlington man who allegedly deployed bear spray against police officers who were trying to arrest him in Hybla Valley last week is now facing dozens of criminal charges.

An alert issued by an automated license plate reader around 1:39 p.m. last Friday (March 20) notified officers to the presence of a vehicle associated with a man who was wanted on multiple felony charges, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

News

FCC approves $6.2B takeover of Tysons-based Tegna as Virginia AG sues to block it

By Angela Woolsey and Associated Press

Published March 20, 2026 at 8:30AM

Jay Jones is sworn in as Virginia Attorney General by Lyn M. Simmons, chief judge of the Norfolk Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, on Jan. 17, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Federal Communications Commission announced yesterday (Thursday) that it has approved local television giant Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion takeover of Tysons-based rival Tegna.

Earlier that same day, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and his counterparts in seven other states filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento, California, arguing that the merger will illegally reduce competition in journalism and the broadcasting industry while resulting in increased prices and worker layoffs.

News

FCPD: Hayfield coach to be fired after arrest for alleged child porn possession

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 19, 2026 at 7:20PM

Hayfield Secondary School (staff photo)

An assistant track coach at Hayfield Secondary School will be dismissed after he was arrested today (Thursday) on child pornography charges, police say.

Richard Huerta, 28, of Kingstowne came to the attention of the Fairfax County Police Department when its Child Exploitation Unit detectives received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating he “may be in possession” of child sexual abuse material, according to a press release.

News

Retiring Cornerstones CEO sees rewards, challenges ahead for Reston nonprofit

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 19, 2026 at 10:00AM

Kerrie Wilson is retiring from Cornerstones after 25 years as its CEO (courtesy Cornerstones)

When she officially retires next month after 25 years, Cornerstones CEO Kerrie Wilson is confident that she will be leaving the Reston-based social services nonprofit in more-than-capable hands.

With both major projects and a turbulent economic and political climate to manage, the Cornerstones Board of Directors couldn’t have chosen a better successor for her than Shannon Steene, Wilson told FFXnow in an interview earlier this month.

News

Report: Capital One could expand Tysons campus south of Route 123

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 18, 2026 at 10:00AM | Updated March 18, 2026 at 10:17AM

View of Capital One Center from Anderson Road in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fresh off its $50 billion merger with rival Discover, Capital One has turned to the Scotts Run neighborhood in Tysons as its next acquisition target, setting the stage for a possible expansion of its headquarters campus south of Route 123 (Dolley Madison Blvd).

Through an affiliate named Dolley Madison West LLC, the financial corporation spent $125 million between Feb. 24 and 26 to buy approximately 14.7 acres of land along a roughly half-mile stretch of Old Meadow Road and Chain Bridge Road, the Washington Business Journal reported.

Countywide

Fairfax board members denounce local General Assembly legislators who supported casino bill

By Scott McCaffrey and Angela Woolsey

Published March 18, 2026 at 9:15AM

Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik and Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay chat during a March 2026 board meeting (staff photo by Jared Serre)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors doubled down yesterday morning (Tuesday) on their opposition to a Tysons casino — and ramped up criticism of state legislators pushing the measure.

“This was absolutely a direct attack on local government,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said at the March 17 meeting, which came three days after state legislators passed legislation that would add Fairfax County to the list of Virginia localities eligible to host a casino.

News

Independent living community proposed to replace single-family house in Reston

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 18, 2026 at 8:30AM

The existing single-family house at 11000 Baron Cameron Avenue in Reston (via Google Maps)

A modest single-family house on a sprawling 8.3-acre lot in Reston could be parlayed into dozens of new homes for seniors if a recently submitted development proposal is approved.

Under the name SMT Land Holdings, the Reston-based home builder Gulick Group is seeking a special exception from Fairfax County for an independent living community to replace a one-story house that has stood at 11000 Baron Cameron Avenue since 1966, per local property records.