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.

News

UPDATED: SUV crashes into gas line on Ox Road, prompting evacuations

By Angela Woolsey and Mary Stachyra Lopez
SUV perched on a street curb/green post with a group of rescue workers around it
Workers try to extract the vehicle that hit a gas line on Ox Road Wednesday (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

An SUV driving the wrong way crashed this morning (Wednesday) into a Washington Gas regulation station on Ox Road (Route 123) near Burke Centre Parkway in Fairfax Station, resulting in a gas leak that forced evacuations of a nearby school, day care and church.

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD) responded at around 10:57 a.m. to the intersection, where it was immediately clear that there was a leak, said Deputy Chief Dave Barlow.

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News

Reston Association considers limiting Autumnwood courts to pickleball

By Angela Woolsey
Aerial view of Autumnwood Tennis and Pickleball Courts surrounded by autumn-colored trees, with paths and nearby facilities labeled on the map.
The Autumnwood tennis and pickleball courts in Reston (via Google Maps)

Reston Association is weighing whether to let pickleball players officially take over its Autumnwood athletic courts.

The homeowners’ association is inviting community members to provide feedback on a proposal to convert two existing tennis courts at 11950 Walnut Branch Road into pickleball courts.

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News

FCPD: Pedestrian killed in Metrobus crash had walk signal

By Angela Woolsey
Nighttime street scene with police cars flashing blue lights at a rain-soaked intersection, viewed from a glass-fronted building, CivicView logo top-left.
Police respond to a fatal pedestrian crash involving a Metrobus at Columbia Pike and Carlin Springs Road in Bailey's Crossroads (courtesy Dave Statter/X)

The pedestrian who died in a Metrobus crash in Bailey’s Crossroads on Sunday (Aug. 16) appears to have been properly following the rules of the road, police say.

An initial investigation found that Adam Ali, a 59-year-old Idylwood resident, had a “walk” signal and was using the crosswalk on Carlin Springs Road when a bus driver turning right from Columbia Pike struck him, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

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Around Town

Shawarma restaurant set for soft opening tomorrow in Vienna

By Angela Woolsey
Shawarma & Grill restaurant sign in a shopping plaza with a neighboring Korean fried chicken restaurant next door.
Mashahweez Shawarma and Grill on Maple Avenue in Vienna (photo by Amy Woolsey)

A new restaurant specializing in shawarma and other Iraqi cuisine is ready to make its debut in Vienna.

Mashahweez Shawarma and Grill will welcome its first customers in the Vienna Shopping Center at 128 Maple Avenue West with a soft launch tomorrow (Wednesday).

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News

Makers Point offices in Reston eyed for residential redevelopment

By Angela Woolsey
Sign reads "MAKERS POINT" at a landscaped entrance with a tree-lined street and modern office building in the background.
A sign for the Makers Point offices on Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Another older office complex in south Reston is being considered for redevelopment as a future residential neighborhood.

An affiliate of the Maryland-based developer Berman Enterprises has proposed replacing the three-building Makers Point campus at 11130, 11180 and 11190 Sunrise Valley Drive with more than 200 homes, including townhouses and, potentially, a multifamily residential building.

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News

National Symphony Orchestra to play at GMU in Fairfax amid Kennedy Center uncertainty

By Associated Press and Angela Woolsey
Male conductor in a black shirt directing with a baton on stage.
FILE - Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Gianandrea Noseda conducts the orchestra during a rehearsal at Milan's La Scala theatre, Italy, on Feb. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

George Mason University’s Center for the Arts is one of six D.C.-area venues that will host the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) during its upcoming season.

Faced with an uncertain future due to a potential two-year closure of the Kennedy Center, its long-established home, the NSO made its delayed 2026-27 season announcement today (Tuesday), 5 1/2 weeks before its opening concert on Sept. 26 and five months later than the release of its 2025-26 schedule.

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Around Town

Makers Union to replace now-closed Matchbox pizzeria at Mosaic District

By Angela Woolsey
Neon-lit 'matchbox' cafe facade with outdoor seating and red umbrellas along a modern glass-front building.
Matchbox at the Mosaic District in Merrifield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

One of the very first restaurants to open at Merrifield’s nascent Mosaic District development has permanently closed its doors.

Matchbox shuttered on Sunday (Aug. 16) after more than 13 years in business at 2911 District Avenue, Suite 120, community members shared on the popular Facebook group Vienna VA Foodies.

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News

Pedestrian improvements added near Silverbrook Elementary in time for new school year

By Angela Woolsey
Raised median with yellow bollards and crosswalk guiding pedestrians across a road.
The new pedestrian refuge island on Silverbrook Road at the Crosspointe Drive intersection (courtesy FCDOT)

Pedestrians can breathe a little easier after some new protections were installed at a key South County intersection earlier this month.

Work wrapped up on Aug. 4 on a pedestrian refuge island, additional crosswalks and curb ramp upgrades around Silverbrook Road and Crosspointe Drive, according to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation.

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News

FCPD: Man who fired gun in Reston’s Shadowood neighborhood in custody

By Angela Woolsey
Entrance to the Shadowood residential community: a brick planter with a sign, and a tree-lined curved road ahead with cars parked in the distance.
Entrance to the Shadowood Condominiums in Reston (via Google Maps)

A man who allegedly fired a gun in the area of Reston’s Shadowood Condominiums this morning (Monday) is now in police custody.

Police officers and medical responders with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to an address on Stoneview Square for a shooting at around 8:49 a.m., according to scanner traffic.

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News

UPDATED: Reston woman fatally stabbed near trails in Great Falls area

By Angela Woolsey
Two police officers stand on a tree‑lined road, one speaking at a microphone on a stand while the other watches nearby.
Fairfax County Police Department Capt. Jason Chandler briefs media on a fatal stabbing in the 8800 block of Georgetown Pike in Great Falls (via FCPD/Facebook)

A Reston woman was found fatally stabbed in a parking lot near trails in the Great Falls area Monday morning (Aug. 17), Fairfax County police say.

Officers responded at around 7 a.m. to the 8800 block of Georgetown Pike after a community member in the area for a morning run reported seeing a woman “lying unconscious outside her vehicle,” according to Fairfax County Police Department Capt. Jason Chandler, commander of the public affairs bureau.

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