Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

UPDATED: Man killed in three-vehicle crash on Route 50 in Merrifield

Published August 11, 2023 at 12:55PM | Updated August 13, 2023 at 6:46PM

Police direct traffic at Route 50 and Pickett Road after a three-vehicle crash (via VDOT)

(Updated at 6:30 p.m. on 8/13/2023) An 85-year-old man died Friday (Aug. 11) after getting seriously injured in a three-vehicle crash on Arlington Blvd (Route 50) in Merrifield.

Paul Hession, a resident of the Churchill neighborhood in the McLean area, was a passenger in a 2015 Toyota Camry that was turning left from westbound Arlington Blvd to Stonehurst Drive around 11:44 a.m. on Friday, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release on Saturday (Aug. 12).

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UPDATED: Drivers critically injured in crash on Route 50 at I-66 near Fair Oaks

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 11, 2023 at 11:50AM | Updated August 13, 2023 at 6:40PM

Route 50 has been closed at I-66 after a two-vehicle crash near Fair Oaks (via Google Maps)

Updated at 6:40 p.m. on 8/13/2023 — Fairfax County police have determined that the crash on Route 50 started when the driver of a 2007 Jeep Laredo rear-ended a 2023 Lexus. The driver then hit a Land Rover and a guardrail, drove across the grass median and went airborne, striking a 2009 Ford U-Haul Truck.

The Jeep and U-Haul drivers were hospitalized with injuries initially considered life-threatening, but their condition has since been changed to non-life-threatening.

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Pedestrian killed in crash at Kirby Road crosswalk in McLean

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 11, 2023 at 9:05AM | Updated August 13, 2023 at 6:17PM

The crosswalk on Kirby Road at Old Dominion Drive in McLean (via Google Maps)

Updated at 6:15 p.m. on 8/13/2023 — The pedestrian in Friday morning’s crash was 86-year-old Brigitte Forster of McLean, Fairfax County police say.

The driver of the 2009 Toyota Sienna that hit her was turning left onto northbound Kirby Road from the Sylvestry at Vinson Hall parking lot when they “cut the turn short and entered the southbound lanes,” according to the police.

Around Town

West Falls development unveils restaurant, child care retailers, coming next year

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 10, 2023 at 11:45AM

A rendering of the West Falls development in Falls Church City, now under construction (courtesy Hoffman & Associates)

The development now under construction on Falls Church City’s former high school site has landed its first retail tenants.

Hoffman & Associates, the developer behind the nearly 10-acre West Falls neighborhood, announced yesterday (Thursday) that the restaurants SEOULSPICE, BurgerFi and Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls will all open in fall 2024, along with the Spanish immersion preschool Tierra Encantada.

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Expanded Hunter Mill Road bridge reopens after two years of construction

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 10, 2023 at 10:15AM

The new, two-lane Hunter Mill Road bridge over Colvin Run (courtesy VDOT)

A critical vehicular link between Reston and the Wolf Trap area has been restored.

The new, two-lane Hunter Mill Road bridge over Colvin Run is now fully open, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced yesterday (Wednesday).

Around Town

Lego Discovery Center opens in Springfield, ushering in new era for town center

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 10, 2023 at 9:30AM

Inside Lego Discovery Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The highly anticipated Lego Discovery Center has launched in Springfield, though it’ll be a few more days before the brick-building mecca officially welcomes the general public.

With a ribbon cut by scissors made out of Lego bricks and a burst of confetti, the 32,000-square-foot attraction opened its doors at Springfield Town Center (6563 Springfield Mall, Suite 12004) around 11 a.m. yesterday to dozens of kids, parents and other adults who snagged advance tickets.

Around Town

Rent the Runway fashion pop-up set for return to Tysons Corner Center

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 9, 2023 at 2:15PM

Rent the Runway will have a pop-up sample sale at the mall from Sept. 1-25 (courtesy Tysons Corner Center)

It’s time to start practicing your best modeling poses.

The online fashion retailer Rent the Runway will sashay into Tysons Corner Center with a pop-up store this September. The business previously visited the mall for 10 days in January 2020.

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Katie Cristol draws on Arlington experience as new face of Tysons Community Alliance

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 9, 2023 at 10:15AM

Katie Cristol, formerly the Arlington County Board chair, took over as the Tysons Community Alliance's CEO on July 5, 2023 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Katie Cristol wants to help Tysons become what the community imagines it could be.

Since taking over as the Tysons Community Alliance’s first permanent CEO on July 5, Cristol has been busy overseeing the creation of a Tysons strategic plan to identify priorities and needs for the 2,100-acre area envisioned by Fairfax County as an urban downtown where “people live, work and play.”

Around Town

The Police guitarist to kick off The Barns at Wolf Trap’s upcoming season

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 8, 2023 at 2:15PM

The Brooklyn fusion band Red Baraat will perform at The Barns on Oct. 28 (courtesy Wolf Trap Foundation)

The guitarist from The Police, a “Glee” crooner and even Emily Dickinson will pay a visit to The Barns at Wolf Trap over the next year.

The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts unveiled an initial lineup of performances today (Tuesday) for the 2023-2024 season at its 382-seat indoor venue, which primarily operates from October through May after the park’s Filene Center concludes its summer season.

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Pickleball advocates petition for Nottoway Park tennis courts to be converted

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 8, 2023 at 11:00AM

Two of the six tennis courts at Nottoway Park in Oakton (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A grassroots advocacy group of local pickleball players is taking its campaign urging Fairfax County to provide more facilities to a new, more public level.

The Fairfax County Advocates for Pickleball sent a petition last Thursday (Aug. 3) to the Board of Supervisors and Fairfax County Park Authority calling for two of the six existing tennis courts at Nottoway Park in Oakton to be converted into pickleball-only courts.