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

Risk of wildfires elevated today in D.C. area, National Weather Service warns

By Angela Woolsey
Above-average temperatures for April are forecast for the D.C. today (via NWS/Twitter)

Fairfax County and the rest of the D.C. area should be on alert for potential outdoor fire hazards today (Wednesday), the National Weather Service says.

A combination of wind gusts and dry weather has created an “elevated threat” of wildfires throughout the region until the early evening, according to a special weather statement issued just after 9 a.m.

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News

Kent Gardens ES to get new trailers, as FCPS continues reviewing possible crowding fixes

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County Public Schools is planning to remove seven trailers at Kent Gardens Elementary School and replace them with two new facilities (via FCPS)

Kent Gardens Elementary School is still bursting at the seams, but at least the trailers accommodating the overflow of students will soon get an update.

Seven old, one-classroom trailers behind the McLean school (1717 Melbourne Drive) will be removed and replaced by a four-classroom trailer and one with two classrooms, principal Holly McGuigan and Fabio Zuluaga, an assistant superintendent for Fairfax County Public Schools, recently told families.

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Countywide

Poll: Northern Virginia has D.C. area’s best shopping, survey finds. Do you agree?

By Angela Woolsey
Tysons Corner Center remains the biggest and one of the busiest malls in the D.C. area (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Northern Virginia is the place to be if you’re shopping in the D.C. area, a recent poll of local residents found.

A handy 61% of respondents favored Northern Virginia when asked what’s the best place to shop in the region by the Washington Post and George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, which conducted the wide-ranging poll from Feb. 17-27.

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News

Vienna could require bicycle parking for multifamily housing with zoning code update

By Angela Woolsey
A bicycle rack near Waters Field in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Aware of a growing need for more variety in its housing options, the Town of Vienna is taking a harder look at its standards for multifamily residential development.

Changes currently under consideration include the introduction of minimum parking requirements for bicycles, according to draft regulations for apartments, townhouses, and other residences allowed in a new residential multi-unit (RMU) zone.

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News

Fire reported in vacant car dealership near Spring Hill Metro station

By Angela Woolsey
Firefighters respond to fire in an abandoned car dealership at 8546 Leesburg Pike (via FCFRD/Twitter)

A fire broke out this morning (Monday) in an abandoned automobile dealership near the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons.

Units with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to 8546 Leesburg Pike at 10:45 a.m. for a commercial building fire, according to scanner traffic on OpenMHz.

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News

NPS: Starting today, no vehicle access to Turkey Run Park until the fall

By Angela Woolsey
The entrance to the Turkey Run Loop Road from the northbound GW Parkway ramp exit (via Google Maps)

For the next six months, anyone who wants to visit Turkey Run Park in McLean will have to get there on foot.

All parking lots and the Turkey Run Loop Road that leads into the park from the George Washington Memorial Parkway will close today (Monday) for repair and repaving work, the National Park Service (NPS) announced this morning.

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Around Town

Tysons sushi restaurant, Kusshi Ko, closes temporarily

By Angela Woolsey
The sushi restaurant Kusshi Ko opened at Pike 7 Plaza in December 2022 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

If you stopped by Kusshi Ko in Tysons for lunch today and found the doors locked, don’t be alarmed.

The sushi restaurant announced this week that it has temporarily closed, but co-owner Tony Chow says a reopening can be expected shortly, attributing the closure to the need to obtain another permit.

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Countywide

As staffing challenges continue, FCPD partners with GMU to study officers

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis and GMU professor Dr. Cynthia Lum announce a long-term study of local police officers (via FCPD/Facebook)

(Updated at 3:55 p.m.) The Fairfax County Police Department and George Mason University have joined forces with an Arlington-based think tank to study how the attitudes and behavior of police officers evolve over the course of their careers.

Touted as the first of its kind in the U.S., the long-term or longitudinal study is intended to give the FCPD and other police departments a better understanding of how to address staffing challenges by following a select group of officers, potentially over decades.

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News

Discovery of hawks nest puts Oakton stormwater pond repairs on hold

By Angela Woolsey
Two hawks have a nest in a tree at the Circle Woods stormwater pond in Oakton (courtesy DPWES)

Maintenance work on the Circle Woods stormwater pond in Oakton will have to wait until this summer — or until the hawks nesting in a nearby tree take their leave.

The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) shared on Monday (April 3) that its contractor had encountered an “active hawks nest” in a tree that has been slated for removal.

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News

UPDATED: Construction on I-495 toll lanes can continue during lawsuit, judge says

By Angela Woolsey
I-495 North approaching the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Georgetown Pike exits (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated at 2:10 p.m.) Construction on the widening of the Capital Beltway (I-495) can continue while a lawsuit filed by McLean residents works its way through the court system, a federal judge ruled this morning (Friday).

The Northern Virginia Citizens Association had urged U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema to issue a preliminary injunction against the project that would halt all work until further environmental analysis is conducted.

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