Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

FCPD: Marshall HS special education teacher arrested for alleged assaults on student

Published December 5, 2022 at 9:30AM

George C. Marshall High School in Idylwood (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A special education teacher at Marshall High School in Idylwood has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a student more than once, Fairfax County police announced Friday night (Dec. 2).

Two different employees reported seeing Amy Bonzano, a 50-year-old Falls Church resident, assaulting a student with disabilities, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

Around Town

Winter Lantern Festival will light up Tysons this month in D.C. area debut

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 2, 2022 at 1:30PM

The D.C. area's first-ever Winter Lantern Festival is coming to Lerner Town Square at Tysons II (courtesy Kaleido Arts & Entertainment Group)

Thousands of lanterns will take over Lerner Town Square at Tysons II this winter.

Based in New York City, the Winter Lantern Festival will bring over 10,000 Chinese-style lanterns to Tysons for a nearly two-month stay from Dec. 16 through Feb. 12. This will be its first-ever stop in the D.C. area, the festival announced Wednesday (Nov. 30).

Countywide

FCPS to consider policy on identifying ‘sexually explicit’ materials

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 2, 2022 at 11:45AM | Updated December 9, 2022 at 2:54PM

Fairfax County Public Schools

Fairfax County Public Schools could require parental notifications for class materials deemed sexually explicit, but in a deviation from the state, the proposed policy directly addresses concerns about censorship, specifically for LGBTQ-related content.

Introduced at the Fairfax County School Board meeting last night, the policy requires teachers to maintain lists of books, videos, and other instructional materials with “sexually explicit content.” Schools must notify parents at least 30 days before the materials are used and provide alternatives if sought by a parent or student.

News

Comstock angles to redevelop Koons auto dealerships in Tysons

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 2, 2022 at 10:15AM

The Koons Chevy auto dealership at 2000 Chain Bridge Road (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The developer behind Reston Station and Herndon’s stalled downtown redevelopment has turned its sights to Tysons.

Comstock is seeking to replace the massive Koons Chevy and Chrysler dealerships at 2000 and 2050 Chain Bridge Road near the Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) interchange with a “vibrant, mixed-use, multi-block neighborhood,” according to a new application.

Countywide

NEW: Abrupt Haulin’ Trash closure sends county residents scrambling for new collector

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 2, 2022 at 9:30AM | Updated December 2, 2022 at 1:25PM

A man walks by trash bins next to the curb (via Trinity Nguyen on Unsplash)

(Updated at 1:25 p.m.) The service and staffing challenges plaguing trash collectors throughout Fairfax County have prompted one company to call it quits, leaving thousands of residents in limbo with little notice.

Haulin’ Trash LLC has permanently shuttered, informing customers by email Wednesday (Nov. 30) that it will cease operations effective yesterday.

News

FCPD: Two arrested for forcing man picked up on I-495 to empty bank accounts

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 1, 2022 at 1:30PM | Updated December 9, 2022 at 2:11PM

Fairfax County police say three individuals used fake gold jewelry to force a driver to get money from an ATM for them (via FCPD)

The Fairfax County Police Department is investigating a “cash for gold robbery scheme” involving three Maryland residents who forced a driver on the Capital Beltway (I-495) to give them money for jewelry that was likely fake.

The driver encountered the three individuals while driving home on Oct. 29 near the exit to Bethesda, where he saw them standing on the side of I-495, police said in a news release published today.

Countywide

FCPS failed to support students with disabilities during remote learning, federal investigation finds

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 1, 2022 at 10:00AM

Fairfax County Public Schools (file photo)

Fairfax County Public Schools failed to give needed educational services to “thousands” of students with disabilities when it pivoted to virtual learning due to COVID-19 in 2020, federal officials say.

FCPS must compensate all affected students for the lost services as part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, which was investigating reports that the school system had violated students’ right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE).

News

UPDATED: One dead after multiple vehicle crash in Tysons shuts down Beltway

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 1, 2022 at 8:15AM | Updated December 1, 2022 at 3:39PM

Several northbound lanes on I-495 are closed near the Dulles Access Road following a multi-vehicle crash (via VDOT)

(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) One person was killed this morning in a multi-vehicle crash on the Capital Beltway (I-495) in Tysons.

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department had reported that one person had sustained injuries considered life-threatening, but the fatality wasn’t confirmed until just after 10 a.m. by the Virginia State Police.

News

BREAKING: Man killed by SUV after collision on I-495, closing toll lanes

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 30, 2022 at 10:30PM | Updated December 5, 2022 at 11:36AM

The northbound I-495 Express Lanes are closed near the Braddock Road exit after a fatal crash (via VDOT)

(Updated at 11:35 a.m. on 12/5/2022) A tractor-trailer driver died tonight after being hit by an SUV on the Capital Beltway (I-495) near Braddock Road.

According to Virginia State Police, the tractor-trailer driver had exited his vehicle after he collided with a sedan on northbound I-495 approaching the Braddock Road exit in North Springfield, sending the sedan into the left shoulder of the toll lanes.

Around Town

Redevelopment of Vienna’s former Wolf Trap Hotel lands pizza eatery with cocktails

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 30, 2022 at 2:15PM

The Georgia-based pizza restaurant Mellow Mushroom will open a location in Vienna (courtesy Shannon Curl/Mellow Mushroom)

Mellow Mushroom is officially coming to the Town of Vienna.

The Atlanta, Georgia-based pizza restaurant has signed a franchise agreement to open a new location at 444 Maple Avenue, the four-story, mixed-use development replacing the now-demolished Vienna Wolf Trap Hotel and Tequila Grande at the corner of Nutley Street.