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.

Countywide

FCPS wins $16M federal grant to buy more electric school buses

By Angela Woolsey
An electric school bus on display at Flint Hill Elementary School in Vienna (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Fairfax County Public Schools will more than double the number of electric buses in its fleet, thanks to a new federal grant.

The local school system has been awarded $16.59 million as a winner of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s inaugural Clean School Bus program grants competition. The other winner announced yesterday (Monday) was also from Virginia: Newport News Public Schools will receive $525,000.

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Around Town

Reston Museum seeks book fair vendors for 20th annual Founder’s Day

By Angela Woolsey
A statue of Reston founder Robert E. Simon sits on a bench at Lake Anne Plaza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

This year will mark the 20th anniversary of Founder’s Day, Reston’s annual community celebration.

The festivities will be held this year on April 6 from noon to 4 p.m. at Lake Anne Plaza (1609 Washington Plaza North), organizer Reston Museum announced today.

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Countywide

Another storm may bring flooding, strong winds to Fairfax County tomorrow

By Angela Woolsey
A Fairfax Connector bus travels on Maple Avenue during a rain storm on Jan. 6, 2023 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

In case you didn’t get your fill of rain on Saturday (Jan. 6), another downpour could be in store for Fairfax County this week.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch and a Wind Advisory for the mid-Atlantic region, including Fairfax County and the rest of northern Virginia, ahead of a storm that’s expected to travel up the East Coast tomorrow (Tuesday).

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News

Man challenges UVA track star to race at McLean HS, loss goes viral

By Angela Woolsey
McLean High School sign (file photo)

An impromptu race at McLean High School has gained some serious online traction.

University of Virginia track star Alahna Sabbakhan was visiting the school at 1633 Davidson Road for a straightforward workout, but then, a friend of her boyfriend claimed that he could beat her in a 400-meter race, despite not being a runner.

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Countywide

Fairfax County NAACP president Michelle Leete has died

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County NAACP President Michelle Leete has died (courtesy Fairfax County NAACP)

The current president and a long-serving member of the Fairfax County NAACP has died, the civil rights advocacy organization announced today (Monday).

The exact circumstances of Michelle Leete’s death weren’t addressed, but the organization described her passing as “sudden.”

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News

Peter McCandless, killed in a crash at 87, helped introduce Reston to the world

By Angela Woolsey
Peter McCandless, 87, helped promote Reston when it was founded in 1964 (courtesy of the McCandless family)

Peter McCandless was living a full life of music, travel and work that he enjoyed when he was killed in a vehicle crash on Reston Parkway late last year.

Police reported that McCandless, 87, died on Dec. 26, 2023 after an SUV driver hit him while he was walking at the Market Street intersection. A preliminary investigation indicated that he was crossing from Reston Town Center to Stratford House, where he lived, according to his son, Kris McCandless.

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News

Two arrested in months-long investigation of postal box thefts in Vienna area

By Angela Woolsey
A Vienna police car parked on Cherry Street (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Police have identified two teens as suspects in a spree of postal box thefts that began half a year ago with a mail carrier getting robbed and pepper-sprayed in Vienna.

A 19-year-old man and a younger teen were arrested Friday (Jan. 5) in the 3000 block of Borge Street in Oakton, announced the Vienna Police Department, whose detectives coordinated the search with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Fairfax County SWAT officers.

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Countywide

NEW: Winter Weather Advisory issued for Fairfax County ahead of storm

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County could get up to an inch of snow and sleet during a winter storm on Saturday, Jan. 6 (via National Weather Service)

The season’s first winter storm is making its way toward the D.C. region, though the chances for serious snow in Fairfax County are iffy.

Instead, the county is expected to get a slushy mix of rain, snow and sleet, starting tomorrow (Saturday) morning. The precipitation could add up to an inch of snow and sleet accumulations, along with “a light glaze” of ice, according to a Winter Weather Advisory issued today by the National Weather Service.

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Around Town

TGI Fridays closes Springfield restaurant for good

By Angela Woolsey
TGI Fridays has permanently closed its location on Frontier Drive in Springfield (staff photo by James Jarvis)

TGI Fridays has shuttered another Fairfax County location.

The chain’s restaurant in Springfield Commons at 6751 Frontier Drive permanently closed on Tuesday, Jan. 2, part of a slew of closures that took effect nationwide that day.

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News

Reston Association urges members to fight expected casino bill

By Angela Woolsey
State Sen. Dave Marsden is expected to file legislation authorizing a voter referendum on a casino in Fairfax County for the 2024 General Assembly session (via Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash)

State Sen. Dave Marsden (D-35) has yet to unveil his planned bill to authorize a casino in Fairfax County, but Reston Association is going all in to prevent it from becoming law.

Following up on a formal statement of opposition approved in October by the board of directors, RA CEO Mac Cummins released a letter to the organization’s members yesterday pledging to take “decisive action” to block the possibility of a casino, which he characterized as a potential threat to “the residential character of our community.”

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