Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

County board urges VDOT to address I-495 NEXT concerns after being left on ‘read’

Published February 14, 2024 at 10:15AM | Updated February 14, 2024 at 10:33AM

Construction crews build the footing for a bridge abutment for the future Georgetown Pike bridge over I-495 (via VDOT)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors wants answers now to its lingering questions about the Virginia Department of Transportation’s northern extension of the Capital Beltway (I-495) toll lanes.

County staff got the green light yesterday (Tuesday) to send a letter seeking clarity on VDOT’s coordination efforts with Maryland and plans to mitigate the environmental and traffic impacts of a construction project that has now been in progress for nearly two full years.

News

UPDATED: Driver dies after rear-ending dump truck on Richmond Highway in Lorton

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 14, 2024 at 9:45AM | Updated February 15, 2024 at 2:23PM

Northbound Richmond Highway is closed at Gunston Road in Lorton after a fatal crash at the Giles Run intersection (via VDOT)

(Updated at 2:25 p.m. on 2/15/2024) A 19-year-old driver was killed Wednesday (Feb. 14) when he crashed into a dump truck on Richmond Highway, police say.

Police and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units were called to the intersection of Richmond Highway (Route 1) and Giles Run Road around 6:25 a.m. for the crash, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.

Around Town

Family-owned jewelry store to close after 38 years in Vienna

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 13, 2024 at 2:30PM

Princess Jewelers owners Lee and Lim Nguonly join their staff for a final photo before the Vienna store closes permanently on March 16 (courtesy Princess Jewelers)

The family that has run Vienna’s Princess Jewelers for nearly four decades is stepping down.

The retail jewelry store at 529 Maple Avenue West will permanently close on March 16, as owners Lee and Lim Nguonly retire after 38 years in the business. A liquidation sale is underway and will continue through that final day.

News

New treatment center for eating disorders opens in Tysons

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 13, 2024 at 11:00AM

Monte Nido, an eating disorder treatment provider, is now open in Tysons (courtesy Monte Nido & Affiliates)

A health provider that specializes in treating eating disorders has expanded into Tysons.

Monte Nido announced yesterday that it has launched a day treatment program for adolescents in Tysons. Located near The Boro at 8180 Greensboro Drive, the center is initially serving youth aged 11 to 17, but it plans to add services for adults “soon,” according to a press release.

Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools seeks sizable funding increase for proposed budget

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 13, 2024 at 9:30AM

The Fairfax County Public Schools administrative center in Merrifield (file photo)

Fairfax County Public Schools is stepping up its requests for funding this year from both local and state leaders.

The school system is seeking an additional $254 million from Fairfax County for fiscal year 2025 — about 10.5% more than last year — to help fund a projected $301.8 million, or 8.6%, budget increase, FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid reported in a presentation to the school board on Thursday (Feb. 8).

Countywide

JUST IN: Fairfax County Public Schools delays classes for possible snow

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 12, 2024 at 9:45PM

A rainy night lies ahead, as seen on a traffic camera at Gallows Road near Yorktowne Center in Merrifield (via VDOT)

Fairfax County Public Schools will start classes two hours late tomorrow (Tuesday) in case there’s snow.

No weather alerts have been issued for the county yet, but the National Weather Service’s current forecast indicates that rain is expected to continue through tonight, potentially turning into snow early in the morning.

News

Man arrested after outburst involving bomb threat, Vienna church says

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 12, 2024 at 2:30PM

Vienna Presbyterian Church (file photo)

Vienna police are investigating a conflict between a guest and workers at the town’s hypothermia shelter that involved a bomb threat.

Officers responded to the Vienna Presbyterian Church (124 Park Street NE), which is hosting the shelter, at 3:04 a.m. on Feb. 2 after a man fought with a staff member and “threatened to bomb the church,” according to the Vienna Police Department’s Feb. 1-8 crime recap.

Around Town

Maggiano’s and Cheesecake Factory cook up moves to Tysons Corner Center

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 12, 2024 at 11:00AM

The Cheesecake Factory and Maggiano's at Tysons Galleria (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Maggiano’s Little Italy and the Cheesecake Factory are swapping one Tysons mall for another.

The chain restaurants will both move their long-standing locations at Tysons Galleria (2001 International Drive) just down the road to Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road) later this year.

News

Columbia Pike still closed after vehicle crash into house, utility pole in Bailey’s Crossroads

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 12, 2024 at 10:30AM

Downed utility pole on Columbia Pike in Bailey's Crossroads (via FCPD/Twitter)

Columbia Pike has been closed for more than 12 hours near Bailey’s Crossroads after a vehicle crashed into a house and utility pole last night (Sunday), taking out the pole and, with it, the area’s electricity.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue investigators were dispatched to Columbia Pike at Powell Lane around 7:16 p.m. for the single-vehicle crash, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.

News

New name proposed for Vienna’s soon-to-be-renovated library

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 9, 2024 at 1:30PM

Patrick Henry Library (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A new look could come with a new name for Patrick Henry Library.

With a major renovation on the horizon, the Fairfax County Public Library’s board of trustees is set to vote next Wednesday (Feb. 14) on whether to rename the Vienna facility after William and Lillian Carter, who co-founded the nonprofit friends’ group that has supported the library for over half a century.