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

Sunrise Senior Living proposes McLean expansion in place of approved condos

By Angela Woolsey
A modern brick apartment complex surrounding a green central courtyard with trees, benches, and walking paths.
Sunrise's proposed independent living expansion in McLean from Chain Bridge Road (via HCM/Fairfax County)

A McLean office complex slated for redevelopment with residential condominiums could host housing specifically for the area’s growing older population instead.

Sunrise Senior Living has a contract to acquire part of the McLean Professional Park site at 1477 Chain Bridge Road. While the sale hasn’t closed yet, the operator is already mapping out plans to use the additional 2.8 acres of land to expand on its adjacent Sunrise at McLean Village community.

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News

JUST IN: Man charged with bomb threat against Dulles-area mosque

By Angela Woolsey
Parking lot with orange construction cones in foreground and a beige building with glass doors behind fall-colored trees.
The ADAMS Center main campus in Sterling (via Google Maps)

A man from Spotsylvania was arrested last week for allegedly threatening to bomb one of Northern Virginia’s biggest mosques.

The threat was posted as a comment on the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center’s Instagram page, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO).

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Countywide

Report: Close calls with drivers on Fairfax roads are recurring issues, not isolated

By Angela Woolsey
Two-lane street with dense trees on the left and power lines on the right, approaching a school zone with 'SCHOOL ZONE' painted on the road and a few cars ahead.
Gallows Road approaching the pedestrian crosswalk at Aston Road near Woodburn Elementary School (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Since it began collecting near-miss data for local roads in 2021, Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets has accumulated more evidence that such close calls between drivers and other travelers reflect patterns of behavior, rather than random or one-time slip-ups.

More than 70% or 94 of the 129 near-misses reported by community members in Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church between January 2025 and June of this year were marked as recurring incidents, according to an analysis released by the volunteer-led safety advocacy organization on Sept. 10.

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Around Town

Big Greek Cafe to open location in Reston’s North Point Village Center

By Angela Woolsey
Front of a retail plaza featuring a 'Big Greek Cafe' sign with a green awning and a large 'NOW OPEN' banner outside the entrance.
Big Greek Cafe in Oakton (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A Greek restaurant chain from Maryland will continue its recent expansion into Northern Virginia with a new location in Reston.

The Big Greek Cafe is coming to the North Point Village Center, where it will take over a space vacated in spring 2025 by California Tortilla, according to Nikos Kontos, the restaurant’s director of operations.

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News

UPDATED: Chantilly woman using wheelchair killed in Route 50 crash

By Angela Woolsey
Color-coded road map showing traffic along a highway and nearby streets around a shopping plaza; red=heavy, green=clear traffic
Lanes on westbound Route 50 were temporarily closed at Plaza Lane near Greenbriar Town Center following a fatal pedestrian crash on Sept. 18, 2026 (via Google Maps)

A woman was killed earlier Friday (Sept. 18) after she was struck by a driver while traveling on Route 50 in a wheelchair.

Officers were dispatched at 7:27 p.m. to the Plaza Lane intersection just in front of Greenbriar Town Center near Chantilly after receiving a report of a pedestrian getting hit by a vehicle, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

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News

Renovation of Mars HQ in McLean on track to finish this year

By Angela Woolsey
Construction barriers and orange cones block a street in front of a modern glass-and-wood building under a cloudy sky, with 'Do Not Enter' signs warning of a restricted area.
The Mars headquarters building in McLean is under renovation (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

More than two years of construction at Mars Inc.’s longtime headquarters in McLean could wrap up in the coming months.

The candy and pet care company anticipates completing an extensive renovation of its central office at 6885 Elm Street by the end of this year, allowing employees to return to the building in the first quarter of 2027.

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News

Reston tech contractor announces expansion, adding 75 jobs

By Angela Woolsey
Modern brick office building with blue-tinted windows and ground-floor shops, including Kook Dog Cafe and a Z Burger restaurant.
The office building at 12100 Sunset Hills Road in RTC West (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County’s sluggish job market is expected to get a small boost in the coming months, thanks to a Reston-based contractor.

The technology company Data Machines has committed to investing $849,000 in an expansion of its headquarters in RTC West (12100 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 605), a move that will create 75 new jobs, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority announced yesterday (Thursday).

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News

Construction begins to turn former Lorton landfill into new public park

By Angela Woolsey
Two large landscape photos on wooden easels outdoors, showing garden beds, a path, and distant hills.
Posterboards show renderings of the future Overlook Ridge Park (courtesy Mount Vernon District supervisor's office)

Nearly 250 acres of land in Lorton that once served as a dumping ground for construction debris could soon become a haven for families and birding enthusiasts.

Waste Management, the owner of the former Lorton Landfill site at 10001 Furnace Road, broke ground on Sept. 2 on a new public park that will feature trails, a playground, an amphitheater, restrooms, and scenic views for taking in birds or the Potomac River to the east.

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News

Pro-Trump group to rally against data centers in Bren Mar this afternoon

By Angela Woolsey and Associated Press
Bus wrapped with patriotic artwork reading 'AI DATA CENTER REVOLT' by Humans First, featuring an American flag and farm scenery.
Data Center Revolt bus (courtesy Humans First)

As opposition to data centers continues to mount nationwide, some unexpected alliances have emerged.

Just two days after democratic socialist Bernie Sanders shared a stage with right-wing strategist Steve Bannon, a grassroots conservative organization led by the self-proclaimed “founder of the modern day Tea Party” will stop in solidly blue Fairfax County as part of a national “Data Center Revolt” bus tour.

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Around Town

Playfully named Vietnamese eatery coming to Fairfax City

By Angela Woolsey
Modern strip mall storefronts with glass windows and a turquoise neon sign reading 'ROL PNY' above the entrance.
Roll Play's storefront in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A regional restaurant group known as much for its saucy wordplay as its cuisine is heading to Fairfax City for the first time.

Roll Play, a fast-casual Vietnamese concept, anticipates opening in the Fairfax Pointe shopping center at 10955 Fairfax Blvd, Suite 100, this November, the restaurant announced on its social media pages in August.

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