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

Kevin Bacon coming to Fairfax County for Washington West Film Festival

By Angela Woolsey
The Washington West Film Festival will return to Tysons and Reston in October 2024 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Washington West Film Festival will be cooking with Kevin Bacon when it returns to Fairfax County next month for its 13th year.

The “Footloose” star is set to visit the county both virtually and in-person as part of the philanthropic festival, which announced a varied lineup of movies this week that will screen from Oct. 10-13 at Look Dine-In Cinemas in Reston (11940 Market Street) and Tysons (1667 Silver Hill Drive).

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News

Local Catholic churches collect winter coat donations for those in need

By Angela Woolsey
Students help Holy Spirit Catholic Church pastor Rev. John O'Donohue sort winter coat donations (photo by Patty Tang/Holy Spirit Catholic Church)

As the heat of summer starts to fade, some Fairfax County churches are refocusing their charitable efforts on the community’s needs for the coming winter.

With support from the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, four churches in the county launched a winter coat drive earlier this month with the goal of collecting 10,000 coats for refugees, people experiencing homelessness and other community members in need.

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News

VHC Health promises new medical option, pedestrian upgrades with Graham Center overhaul

By Angela Woolsey
VHC Health and Intuitive Health are looking to redevelop Graham Center in West Falls Church with a combined emergency room and urgent care facility (via Fairfax County)

A joint emergency room and urgent care center that Virginia Hospital Center (VHC) says will be the first facility of its kind in Virginia took a step closer to becoming a reality last week.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval on Wednesday, Sept. 18 of VHC Health’s proposal to redevelop Graham Center (7234 Arlington Blvd) in West Falls Church with a new medical facility — a project that county staff agreed will “significantly improve pedestrian safety” compared to the existing, aging shopping center.

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News

UPDATED: Dominion worker injured in transformer explosion at Mars HQ in McLean

By Angela Woolsey
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department at the Mars headquarters in McLean after a transformer explosion (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A Dominion Energy worker was injured by an electrical transformer explosion that occurred this morning (Monday) outside the Mars headquarters building in McLean.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department units were first dispatched to 6885 Elm Street around 10 a.m. Additional responders were sent to the scene minutes later after a firefighter reported concern about the building catching fire, according to scanner traffic.

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News

Three fatal pedestrian crashes under investigation by FCPD

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County police vehicle with lights (file photo)

Fairfax County police are investigating three different fatal pedestrian crashes that occurred over the past week.

Last Thursday (Sept. 19) around 9:38 p.m., Oscar Daniel Martinez Granados, 24, of Woodbridge was hit by a driver in the 8100 block of Old Keene Mill Road near Irving Middle School in Springfield, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

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News

UPDATED: Pedestrian killed in crash near Oakton Shopping Center

By Angela Woolsey
Northbound Hunter Mill Road at Lynnhaven Place in Oakton (via Google Maps)

A woman was killed in a crash that occurred outside Oakton Shopping Center Saturday morning (Sept. 21).

Choon Kook, 80, from Vienna was hit by the driver of a Ford F-150 while walking at the intersection of Hunter Mill Road and Lynnhaven Place. She was transported to a hospital with injuries considered life-threatening, the Fairfax County Police Department reported in a tweet at 10:32 a.m.

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News

New amenities proposed for park near Hybla Valley Elementary

By Angela Woolsey
The proposed Hybla Valley Park renovation concept plan (courtesy Fairfax County Park Authority)

The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) is seeking community feedback on some potential improvements at Hybla Valley Park.

The agency is considering replacing the two existing tennis courts at the park near Hybla Valley Elementary School (3431 Lockheed Blvd) with a combination basketball and futsal court. A new playground has also been proposed.

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News

Free movie, Winterfest Parade revival to enliven downtown McLean

By Angela Woolsey
A welcome sign for the McLean Community Business Center (file photo by Catherine Douglas Moran)

McLean’s Winterfest Parade is reawakening after an extended hibernation.

The McLean Revitalization Corporation (MRC) announced earlier this month that the once-annual celebration will return on Dec. 8 for the first time since 2018. Coupled with a free movie screening tonight (Friday), the parade’s revival reflects a shift in the nonprofit’s efforts to boost activity in downtown McLean.

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Around Town

Where to celebrate Oktoberfest in Fairfax County in 2024

By Angela Woolsey
A beer gauntlet at The Boro's Oktoberfest (courtesy The Boro)

October is still a couple of weeks away, but this coming weekend is a popular one for Oktoberfest celebrations in Fairfax County.

Several local breweries will host events, while other festivities will encompass an entire neighborhood. Whether you’re looking for the carnival atmosphere of the original Oktoberfest in Munich, a multi-week affair that kicks off this Saturday (Sept. 21), or a more low-key environment for feasting and socializing, options abound.

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Countywide

FCPS superintendent named one of N. Va.’s most influential people

By Angela Woolsey
Superintendent Michelle Reid (staff file photo by James Jarvis)

The superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools is the second-most influential person in Northern Virginia — just behind occasional-FCPS-critic Gov. Glenn Youngkin, according to a new ranking.

Northern Virginia Magazine awarded Dr. Michelle Reid the no. 2 spot in its newly released list of the 50 Most Influential People in Northern Virginia, highlighting her efforts to guide the state’s largest public school system through the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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