Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Hyatt Regency in Tysons completes ‘fashion-inspired’ room redesign

Published May 15, 2026 at 2:45PM

The entrance to the Hyatt Regency hotel at Tysons Corner Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Hyatt Regency hotel at Tysons Corner Center has put the finishing touches on a new look for its guest rooms.

The $13 million redesign, led by the Texas-based interior design firm FlickMars, transformed the hotel’s 300 rooms with furniture and decor inspired by the kinds of fashion brands that shoppers will find at the neighboring mall, according to a press release.

News

Lane removal, pedestrian refuges proposed to make Herndon High School road safer

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 15, 2026 at 1:45PM

Bennett Street outside Herndon High School (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Town of Herndon is considering a number of changes to Bennett Street intended to make walking and cycling around the local high school safer.

Mike Shindledecker, the town’s transportation engineer, unveiled a preferred concept at a community meeting in the Herndon High School cafeteria on Wednesday (May 13) that would narrow the four-lane road to one travel lane in each direction.

News

FCPD: Man charged with stealing, crashing delivery van on Richmond Highway

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 15, 2026 at 8:30AM | Updated May 15, 2026 at 1:12PM

A Fairfax County police cruiser (file photo)

A man from the Groveton area will face a slew of criminal charges once he leaves the hospital after allegedly stealing a delivery van and crashing it multiple times on Richmond Highway, injuring himself and another driver.

Officers responded around 3:31 p.m. on Wednesday (May 13) to Richmond Highway and Lorton Road in Lorton after receiving reports of “a multi-vehicle crash involving a stolen package delivery van that had been taken earlier in the day” in Fort Belvoir, the Fairfax County Police Department said.

Countywide

Chairman McKay lashes out at school board member over budget criticism

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 14, 2026 at 12:45PM | Updated May 14, 2026 at 6:48PM

Hunter Mill District School Board Representative Melanie Meren and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay (staff photos by Jared Serre)

The growing tension between Fairfax County’s government and schools leaders over funding spilled into public view yesterday (Wednesday) when Hunter Mill District School Board Representative Melanie Meren shared a hostile text exchange with Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.

In response to a May 7 newsletter where Meren criticized the Board of Supervisors for eliminating high school crossing guards in the county’s fiscal year 2027 budget, adopted on May 5, McKay texted that she “should apologize” for the “crazy words you have put out,” according to screenshots that Meren posted on Facebook and provided directly to FFXnow.

Around Town

Inclusion in WaPo new restaurant ranking caps strong start for Vienna’s Chef Tan

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 14, 2026 at 9:15AM

Inside Chef Tan in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A Chinese restaurant that generated buzz as soon as it opened in Vienna last year has garnered the attention of the Washington Post.

Elazar Sontag, who took over as the newspaper’s food critic in November following longtime scribe Tom Sietsema’s retirement, has ranked Chef Tan as one of the 10 best new restaurants in the D.C. area.

Around Town

Bike to Work Day returning Friday with dozens of Fairfax County pit stops

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 13, 2026 at 2:45PM | Updated May 13, 2026 at 4:09PM

Bicyclists on Colts Neck Road in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County will join a regionwide celebration of bicycling as an option for commuters this Friday (May 15).

More than two dozen pit stops are planned across the county for Bike to Work Day 2026, offering free T-shirts, snacks and other giveaways to cyclists who pass by on the way to their office or workplace.

Around Town

Drone light show to replace fireworks for Fairfax County’s Independence Day celebration

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 13, 2026 at 11:45AM | Updated May 13, 2026 at 12:38PM

A U.S. flag against blue sky in Fairfax (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Instead of the usual fireworks, a battalion of drones will light up Lake Fairfax Park this summer for the Fairfax County Park Authority’s annual Independence Day celebration.

The park authority is planning its first-ever drone light show to put a unique spin on this year’s festivities in conjunction with the county’s ongoing recognition of the U.S.’s 250th anniversary.

News

New plan for Scotts Run apartment building in Tysons proposes fewer but larger units

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 13, 2026 at 10:00AM

Renderings of the proposed Scotts Run Johnson Block Building D (courtesy Rushmark Properties)

Plans for an apartment building once slated to open near the McLean Metro station in Tysons in early 2024 are getting revised under a new owner.

Developer Rushmark Properties is seeking tweaks to the design of the residential building — designated as Building D in the Johnson Block of the Scotts Run neighborhood — that would allow fewer but larger units, according to a rezoning application submitted to Fairfax County on Monday (May 11).

News

Report: New plan to overhaul Dulles Airport would cost $22B, finish in 2034

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 12, 2026 at 12:15PM

Mobile lounges at Dulles International Airport with the main terminal building in the background (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Less than a year after adopting a new master plan for Dulles International Airport, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) is considering an update that would expand the facility’s main terminal, redesign its concourses and eliminate the polarizing mobile lounges.

Shared with airlines earlier in May, the proposed revitalization plan would cost an estimated $22 billion with an ambitious targeted completion date of 2034, according to the Substack-based newsletter Airport Architecture, which says it obtained an exclusive copy of MWAA’s presentation.

Around Town

N. Va. family to launch Iraqi-style shawarma restaurant in Vienna

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 12, 2026 at 9:15AM

The shawarma and Iraqi grill restaurant Mashahweez is coming soon to the former Maru Korean Cuisine and Sushi space in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A fast-casual restaurant that promises to serve authentic Iraqi grilled cuisine is taking shape in Vienna.

A temporary sign appeared last week announcing that Mashahweez, a new concept from a local father-son team, is “coming soon” to the Vienna Shopping Center at 128 Maple Avenue West.