Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Police charge teen with murder after fatal stabbing in Annandale

Published January 19, 2024 at 9:30AM

Police leave the Fairfax County Courthouse (staff photo by David Taube)

The police investigation into Fairfax County’s first homicide of 2024 has resulted in a murder charge against a 14-year-old.

The teen allegedly stabbed a 17-year-old boy in Annandale at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday (Jan. 13), killing him, the Fairfax County Police Department reported last night (Thursday).

Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools to close again Friday with more snow expected

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 18, 2024 at 5:45PM

Snow on leaves (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The D.C. area is expected to be hit with another round of snow tomorrow (Friday), prompting Fairfax County Public Schools to call for its second snow day this week.

All schools and central offices will be closed tomorrow, FCPS announced at 5:25 p.m. today. The closure includes extracurricular activities, field trips and other events on school grounds.

Around Town

Romano’s Macaroni Grill closes Kingstowne restaurant, its last in Virginia

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 18, 2024 at 3:00PM

Romano's Macaroni Grill has officially closed in Kingstowne (courtesy LocalAuctions.com)

Romano’s Macaroni Grill is ending a two-decade stay in Kingstowne.

The chain Italian restaurant served its last customers at 5925 Kingstowne Towne Center on Monday (Jan. 15) and officially closed its doors the next day. Now, all of its decor, furniture, equipment and supplies is being auctioned off.

Around Town

Chinese noodle and Mexican restaurants to add locations in Merrifield Plaza

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 18, 2024 at 1:30PM | Updated January 18, 2024 at 5:03PM

The Chinese noodle shop Shi Miao Dao will soon open a franchise in Merrifield Plaza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated at 5 p.m.) A few new tenants are making their way to Merrifield Plaza, the H Mart and Lidl-anchored shopping center at Route 29 and Gallows Road.

The newcomers will include a franchise of Shi Miao Dao, a Chinese noodle shop that can also be found in Rockville, Maryland, among other locations. The Merrifield restaurant is part of the same brand, but the operator isn’t affiliated with the one in Rockville, says a broker for TSCG, which manages and leases Merrifield Plaza.

News

Inova opens pediatric sick clinic near Seven Corners to relieve emergency room demand

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 18, 2024 at 11:45AM

A pediatric sick clinic is now open at the Inova Cares Clinic for Children near Seven Corners (courtesy Inova)

Inova patients in the Falls Church area can now get medical attention for their sick kids without having to visit an emergency room or make an appointment.

The nonprofit health system launched a pediatric sick clinic this morning (Thursday) out of the Inova Cares Clinic for Children (6400 Arlington Blvd, Suite 50) near Seven Corners. Described as the first service of its kind in Northern Virginia, the sick clinic serves children with common but less severe symptoms of illness, such as fever or coughing.

News

NEW: Fairfax County casino push targets abandoned Tysons auto dealership

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 18, 2024 at 10:15AM

The former Aston Martin and Bentley dealership in Tysons has been proposed as a future casino site (via Google Maps)

The proposal to permit a casino in Fairfax County has honed in on one specific site: a former Aston Martin and Bentley dealership in Tysons.

Site criteria for the potential gaming establishment emerged yesterday (Wednesday), when state Sen. Dave Marsden’s long-awaited/dreaded bill was officially published online, just two days before the Virginia General Assembly’s filing deadline for the 2024 session.

News

Teen injured in shooting outside Tropical Smoothie in Lincolnia

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 17, 2024 at 3:30PM

Tropical Smoothie Cafe at Pinecrest Plaza in Lincolnia (via Google Maps)

A teen was hospitalized last night (Tuesday) after getting shot outside Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Lincolnia’s Pinecrest Plaza.

Police officers were called to the 6500 block of Little River Turnpike just before 8 p.m. in response to “multiple calls for a shooting,” the Fairfax County Police Department said today in a news release.

Around Town

Fairfax Symphony to recreate The Beatles’ first U.S. concert at Capital One Hall

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 17, 2024 at 2:30PM

The Beatles tribute band Classical Mystery Tour will join Fairfax Symphony Orchestra at Capital One Hall for a throwback concert on Feb. 10, 2024 (courtesy Matthew Baird)

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and Capital One Hall in Tysons will throw back to 1964 next month — specifically to the D.C. concert that helped introduce The Beatles to America.

The Merrifield-based classical orchestra has partnered with Classical Mystery Tour, a Beatles tribute band, for a Beatles 60th Anniversary Tribute concert that will take over Capital One Hall on Feb. 10, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Countywide

Report: New state legislation would allow casino in Tysons, but not Reston

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 17, 2024 at 1:30PM | Updated January 17, 2024 at 2:28PM

A proposed state bill would allow a casino to be built in Tysons, if approved by voters (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated at 2:30 p.m.) The new, much-debated state bill to allow a casino in Fairfax County has arrived with some limited but critical changes from its previous iteration.

Though the bill doesn’t appear to be available online yet, NBC4 reports that state Sen. Dave Marsden (D-35) has filed legislation that would add Fairfax County to the small list of Virginia localities eligible for a casino.

Countywide

To increase housing, Fairfax County pursues alternatives to ending single-family-only zoning

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 17, 2024 at 11:30AM | Updated January 17, 2024 at 11:47AM

Single-family detached houses in McLean (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

In their quest to boost the region’s limited housing supply, Northern Virginia leaders have explored a variety of potential solutions.

Arlington and Alexandria in particular garnered plenty of headlines — and legal scrutiny, in the county’s case — when officials voted separately last year to allow more dense housing in areas previously reserved for single-family detached homes, among other zoning reforms.