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.

Around Town

How to celebrate cherry blossoms this spring without leaving Fairfax County

By Angela Woolsey
A cherry blossom-themed LOVE sign at Tysons Corner Center Plaza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated at 1:55 p.m. on 4/6/2023) Spring is here, and despite a cold snap over the weekend, cherry trees around the D.C. area are rapidly approaching full bloom.

The Yoshino cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin remain on track with the National Park Service’s prediction that they will reach peak bloom — meaning that 70% of the flowers will be open — between Wednesday and Saturday (March 22-25).

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Countywide

Park Authority seeks funding, staff to clear 250 acres of running bamboo

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County parkland has an estimated 250 acres of running bamboo (courtesy Fairfax County Park Authority)

The Fairfax County Park Authority is going to need a bigger budget to handle its running bamboo.

The agency has requested an additional $500,000 and a new, full-time staff position for an ecologist to help manage bamboo removal projects now that the county requires property owners to contain the species.

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Around Town

Hello Kitty Cafe Truck gears up for pit stop in Tysons this weekend

By Angela Woolsey
The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck (courtesy Sanrio)

The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is rolling back into Tysons for its typically annual spring visit.

The pop-up from toy company Sanrio will park at Tysons Corner Center’s Events Plaza from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday (March 25), just over a year after its last appearance.

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News

Updated e-bikes are coming to some Fairfax County Bikeshare stations

By Angela Woolsey
A 12-dock Capital Bikeshare station will be installed tomorrow at Reston Town Square Park (Photo courtesy FCDOT).

Electric bicycles with a brand-new look will dock at select Capital Bikeshare stations in Fairfax County this spring.

The rental bicycle-sharing service is rolling out 850 new e-bikes across the D.C. area, more than doubling its current stock and bringing its total fleet close to 7,000 bicycles, according to the Washington Post.

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News

Plan to redevelop West Falls Church Metro wins planning commission’s support

By Angela Woolsey
A proposed multi-family residential building in the West Falls Church Metro station redevelopment (via Fairfax County)

The redevelopment of the West Falls Church Metro station secured the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s endorsement last week, a critical step forward for a project that could serve as a guide for other transit-oriented developments in the D.C. region.

The commission voted unanimously on Wednesday (March 15) to recommend that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approve a rezoning of the 24-acre property to allow over 1 million square feet of development, including 810 multifamily residential units, 85 townhouses, a 110,000-square-foot office building and up to 10,000 square feet of retail.

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News

McLean residents sue to stop I-495 widening over environmental impacts

By Angela Woolsey
Construction on the 495 NEXT project has cleared land by the GW Parkway for a stormwater pond, seen on March 15, 2023 (photo by Stephen Jasak)

(Updated at 11:55 a.m.) A group of McLean residents opposed to the extension of the I-495 toll lanes past their neighborhoods have turned to the courts in a bid to halt the project, now in its second year of construction.

The Northern Virginia (NOVA) Citizens Association filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court in Alexandria on Thursday (March 16) alleging that major revisions to the project design violated federal law, resulting in “significant on-going environmental harms” to residents.

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News

Police investigate gunshots fired from sedan on Beltway in Annandale

By Angela Woolsey
A Virginia State Police vehicle (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A person in a sedan reportedly fired multiple gunshots at other vehicles on the Capital Beltway (I-495) in the Annandale area yesterday afternoon (Sunday).

The Virginia State Police received a report at 5:10 p.m. of “an individual in a sedan firing several shots at vehicles while traveling north” on the Beltway near the exit to Little River Turnpike, according to a news release.

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News

Capital One set to open new baseball stadium in Tysons this month

By Angela Woolsey
Capital One Park, a new baseball stadium, will open in Tysons this March (courtesy Capital One Center)

Just one day after Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, Capital One will kick off the inaugural season of its newly built baseball stadium in Tysons.

Capital One Park, located at 1600 Scotts Crossing Road, will host its first-ever games on March 31, introducing itself to the neighborhood with a double-header between Arlington’s Marymount University and Centenary University from New Jersey.

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Countywide

Fairfax County workers seek better pay in light of proposed raises for leaders

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County Government Center (file photo)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors isn’t holding a public hearing on its proposed salary increases until Tuesday (March 21), but some county workers have already made their opposition known.

A union representing over 2,000 county government employees criticized the proposal as a blow to workers, whose projected pay raises aren’t expected to be fully funded in the county’s next budget.

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News

FCPS student lives out dream with Broadway debut in ‘Parade’ revival

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax Academy and Madison High School student Sophia Manicone made her Broadway debut in a "Parade" revival, which started at New York City Center (courtesy FCPS)

Sophia Manicone has come a long way from her “Vienna Idol” days.

The 18-year-old Vienna resident recently realized the dream of every theater kid with her Broadway debut in the revival of “Parade,” which officially opened yesterday (Thursday) at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York City.

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