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

Fairfax and Loudoun office cleaners vote to strike if needed over wages

By Angela Woolsey
Alejandria Paz, a member of 32BJ SEIU's bargaining team, addresses fellow cleaners ahead of a strike vote in Reston (courtesy 32BJ SEIU)

Another strike may be on the horizon for the D.C. area, this time led by office cleaners who say wages have stagnated even after they were expected to keep working through the pandemic.

About 9,100 janitors, more than 3,000 of them in Northern Virginia, are voting this week on whether to go on strike if they’re unable to agree on a new contract with the Washington Service Contractors Association (WSCA) before the existing one expires on Oct. 15.

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Countywide

FCPS dominates ranking of top high schools in Northern Virginia

By Angela Woolsey
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (courtesy Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology)

Six of the 10 best high schools in Northern Virginia belong to Fairfax County Public Schools, as newly declared by Northern Virginia Magazine.

For its recently published October issue, the magazine’s editorial staff ranked the top 25 top public high schools in the region based on graduation and chronic absenteeism rates, Standards of Learning test pass rates, and other data from the 2021-2022 school year.

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Around Town

Tysons Corner Center is getting its own fall festival this month

By Angela Woolsey
Maniac Pumpkin Carvers after Tysons Corner Center's Fall Festival on Saturday (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Tysons Corner Center is jumping into the abundant pile of local fall festivals.

The mall announced yesterday (Tuesday) that it will host a fall festival on its plaza from noon to 6 p.m. on Oct. 21, declaring that the event will be “one of our biggest” of the year.

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Countywide

FCPD says expanded oversight not needed, still working on foot pursuit policy

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis presents the police department's responses to reform recommendations (via Fairfax County)

(Updated at 3:30 p.m. on 10/6/2023) The Fairfax County Police Department has come out in opposition to the prospect of enhanced powers for the two entities charged with overseeing its handling of community complaints and conflicts.

The department has adopted or is in the process of adopting all but nine reforms proposed by the nonprofit Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and community members in a Police Reform Matrix Working Group (MWG), Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis told the Board of Supervisors at a safety and security committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday).

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Around Town

Family-friendly ‘beerstro’ coming to Dunn Loring Metro station this fall

By Angela Woolsey
The Casual Pint will open in The Shops at Avenir Place tomorrow (courtesy The Casual Pint)

An upcoming bar and restaurant hopes to turn the Dunn Loring Metro station into a hopping place.

On track to open in late October next to Quickway, The Casual Pint (2676 Avenir Place, Unit F) is envisioned as a family-friendly gathering spot, where community members of all ages can relax even as adults 21 and older savor a range of craft beers and wine — and yes, the brews will come in pints.

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News

Apartment building with retail proposed for former Fuddruckers site in Fairfax

By Angela Woolsey
A proposed mixed-use development concept for the northeast corner of Chain Bridge Road and Fairfax Blvd (via Fairfax City)

The vacant Fuddruckers building along Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) in Fairfax City may not be standing for much longer.

The site at 3575 Chain Bridge Road, which has been empty since the burger joint closed in 2017, is being eyed for a potential mixed-use development that would also encompass the adjacent Exxon gas station and Tobacco Hut lots, covering about 2.3 acres total at the corner of Chain Bridge and Fairfax Blvd (Route 50).

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Around Town

Thousands expected for bigger-than-ever Vienna Oktoberfest

By Angela Woolsey
Vienna Oktoberfest will return this Saturday, Oct. 7 (courtesy Vienna Business Association)

Coming on the heels of celebrations in Tysons, Oktoberfest is set for a raucous return to the Town of Vienna this weekend.

Vienna Oktoberfest will take over Church Street for a 14th year from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 7), bringing food, live music, family-friendly activities and, of course, plenty of brews at a beer and wine garden.

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News

Vienna to roll out community survey this October

By Angela Woolsey
Walkers and bicyclists on the W&OD Trail in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

For Town of Vienna residents who have thoughts about traffic on Maple Avenue or the state of local parks, a chance to share those opinions has arrived.

Starting this month, the town will conduct a National Community Survey to gauge how it’s doing on education, transportation, recreation, public services and other topics that affect the quality of life for its 16,544 denizens.

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Countywide

Fairfax Connector’s first electric buses hit the road, with more on the way

By Angela Woolsey
The Fairfax Connector bus fleet has a growing number of electric buses (courtesy FCDOT)

Electric buses have at last joined Northern Virginia’s largest local bus fleet.

Fairfax Connector launched the eight battery-powered vehicles out of its West Ox Operations and Maintenance Center (4970 Alliance Drive) at 10:30 a.m. last Thursday (Sept. 28), a critical first step forward in the transit system’s plan to phase out diesel or gas-fueled buses.

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Around Town

Hot Wheels will motor into Tysons Corner Center with brand-new ‘experience’

By Angela Woolsey
The Hot Wheels Champion Experience is coming to Tysons Corner Center this December (courtesy Mattel)

Prepare for competing “interactive experiences” at Tysons Corner Center this winter, when the year of Mattel will continue with the worldwide debut of its Hot Wheels Champion Experience.

After making its mark on the summer box office with Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” the toy company will venture into immersive entertainment with a 16,000-square-foot exhibit and play area based on its 55-year-old model cars and race tracks.

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