Author: Angela Woolsey

Angela Woolsey is the site editor for FFXnow. A graduate of George Mason University, she worked as a general assignment reporter for the Fairfax County Times before joining Local News Now as the Tysons Reporter editor in 2020.

Around Town

Career-spanning exhibit for Maryland artist now on display in Reston

By Angela Woolsey
Betsy Packard's ".1359 Record of Works," made in 2024, is now on display at Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art's Signature gallery in Reston (courtesy Tephra ICA)

A Maryland artist who has worked for nearly half a century is the subject of the latest exhibit unveiled by the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art in Reston.

Betsy Packard’s solo exhibition “Ways of Thinking About Your Life” opened on Nov. 1 at the institute’s gallery in the Signature apartment building at 11850 Freedom Drive, where it will remain on display through Feb. 1, 2025.

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Around Town

Report: Arab restaurant to open in Vienna’s former Donutchew space

By Angela Woolsey
The Arabian restaurant Dar Mariam will open in the former Donutchew on Maple Avenue in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A new restaurant specializing in cuisine from the Arabian Penninsula, particularly Iraq and Kuwait, is moving into the Town of Vienna.

Dar Mariam anticipates opening in late December at 107 Maple Avenue West, the storefront that was vacated this summer by Donutchew, according to its Instagram profile.

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News

Trees along Dulles Toll Road in Reston removed by accident, MWAA says

By Angela Woolsey
A contractor team begins removing trees along the westbound Wiehle Avenue ramp to the Dulles Toll Road in Reston (photo by Kevin Lerner)

Multiple trees have been erroneously cut down along a ramp from Wiehle Avenue to the Dulles Toll Road in Reston, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority says.

Kevin Lerner, who works in a Reston Station office building, says he noticed a team of contractors starting to remove trees along the entrance ramp to the westbound toll road lanes around 10 a.m. on Oct. 31. By 1 p.m., over half of the tree stand had been cut down.

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News

Burke school overhauls leadership after assaults of students

By Angela Woolsey
White Oaks Elementary School in Burke (via Google Maps)

White Oaks Elementary School’s principal and assistant principal have both been permanently removed from their posts after a special education teacher was charged in June with multiple assaults of students.

In a message sent to the school’s staff and families on Oct. 30, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid confirmed that principal Ryan Richardson and assistant principal Dana Chen won’t return after they were put on administrative leave this summer during a police investigation into the assaults.

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Around Town

Winter holiday festivities begin with Santa coming to Tysons and Fair Oaks

By Angela Woolsey
Santa's Flight Academy, which will host photo sessions throughout the winter holiday shopping season, is set up at Fair Oaks Mall (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Tysons Corner Center and Fair Oaks Mall are getting into the winter holiday spirit with Santa Claus gliding into both shopping centers tomorrow (Thursday).

At Fair Oaks, the man in red will set up shop for photo sessions at Santa’s Flight Academy in Center Court, starting around 2 p.m. Tysons Corner Center will greet Santa with a VIP arrival event from 10 a.m. to noon on the mall’s lower level near Wasabi.

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News

NEW: Councilmember LeBlanc wins Herndon mayoral election

By Angela Woolsey
Voters queue outside Herndon Fortnightly Library for early voting in the 2024 general election (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The Town of Herndon has elected a new mayor and town council.

Councilmember Keven LeBlanc will be Herndon’s first openly gay mayor after defeating fellow Councilmember Pradip Dhakal with 55.3% of the vote to his opponent’s 43.5%, according to unofficial returns from the Virginia Department of Elections.

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Countywide

Poll: How do you feel about the future after Election Day?

By Angela Woolsey
"I Voted" stickers at the Fairfax County Government Center (staff photo by Jared Serre)

The polls have closed, and the results of the 2024 general election are in.

While the results in Fairfax County and elsewhere won’t be certified for days, unofficial returns indicate that Republican nominee Donald Trump will once again be president of the United States, defeating Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris in a high-stakes race that will shape the country’s direction on issues from abortion and immigration to climate change, health care and, according to many voters, the very future of democracy.

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Countywide

UPDATED: Incumbent Dems poised to win in Congress, Harris has edge in Fairfax County

By James Jarvis and Angela Woolsey
Election signs outside the Fairfax County Government Center (staff photo by Jared Serre)

Results from today’s general election are starting to trickle in, and Fairfax County’s initial batch of tallied votes strongly favor Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race.

As of 9:24 p.m., Harris has about two-thirds or 66% of the votes that the county has counted so far, which include some early votes and Election Day results from 127 of the county’s 264 precincts, according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections.

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News

Vienna considers new rules for outdoor lighting, accessory living units

By Angela Woolsey
The lights stands at Waters and Caffi Fields in Vienna have turned on (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Town of Vienna is looking to further illuminate its regulations for outdoor lighting after adopting new standards last year with a comprehensive zoning code overhaul.

The town’s Department of Planning and Zoning will hold two information sessions tomorrow (Wednesday) — one geared toward local businesses and the other for residents — to share its plans for updating the rules and gather feedback.

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Countywide

Voter turnout for 2024 general election tops 60% so far in Fairfax County

By Angela Woolsey
Voting at the Fairfax County Government Center (staff photo by Jared Serre)

More than 60% of registered voters in Fairfax County have cast a ballot so far in this year’s general election.

As of 12:30 p.m., 18.7% of voters have cast a ballot on Election Day since polls opened at 6 a.m. today. Combined with the 43% of voters who participated in early voting or sent in an absentee ballot by mail, the county has seen a total turnout of 61.7%, the Fairfax County Office of Elections reported.

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