Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Police: FCPS instructional assistant charged with assault after dragging student

Published February 17, 2023 at 10:15AM

Saratoga Elementary School (via Google Maps)

An instructional assistant at an elementary school in Newington faces an assault charge after allegedly dragging a student by the arm.

Fouzia Masood Khan, a 59-year-old Springfield resident, was charged with simple assault yesterday (Thursday) for a Jan. 11 incident at Saragtoga Elementary School, the Fairfax County Police Department announced.

News

Dozens of white supremacist flyers found in McLean neighborhoods

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 17, 2023 at 9:30AM

A Fairfax County police car (file photo)

Fairfax County police found as many as 50 flyers advertising a white supremacist hate group around McLean yesterday morning (Thursday).

Officers from the McLean Police District responded to “numerous reports of suspicious flyers” in multiple residential neighborhoods in western McLean, the Fairfax County Police Department said.

News

Nats owner Ted Lerner remembered as ‘visionary’ for developing Tysons malls

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 16, 2023 at 1:30PM

Ted Lerner (courtesy of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club)

Before he helped oversee the Washington Nationals’ rise from cellar dwellers to World Series champions, Ted Lerner was busy building Tysons.

The real estate developer who transformed rural farmland into Fairfax County’s urban center died Sunday (Feb. 12) at the age of 91 in his Chevy Chase, Maryland, home. The cause was complications from pneumonia, as first reported by the Washington Post.

News

Fundraiser launches to help family of man killed at Dunn Loring Metro station

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 16, 2023 at 9:30AM | Updated February 16, 2023 at 3:48PM

Dunn Loring Metro station entrance (staff photo by Matt Blitz)

(Updated at 3:50 p.m.) The family of the man who died after being dragged by a Metro train at the Dunn Loring station yesterday (Wednesday) has launched a Gofundme to cover their memorial service expenses.

The man has been identified as 50-year-old Harold Riley by one of his daughters, according to reports by FOX5 and NBC4, which say that he had two daughters and four grandchildren.

Around Town

Jiwa Singapura will open tonight at Tysons Galleria, mixing fine dining with street food

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 15, 2023 at 3:30PM

Jiwa Singapura serves traditional and street fare-inspired Singaporean cuisine, such as chili crab (photo by Scott Suchman)

A new Singaporean restaurant at Tysons Galleria is ready to serve its first patrons tonight (Wednesday).

After offering a preview in December, the mall will officially welcome Jiwa Singapura at 5 p.m. on the third floor of its redeveloped Macy’s wing, across from the recently launched CMX CinéBistro movie theater.

News

UPDATED: Person dies after being dragged by Metro train in Dunn Loring

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 15, 2023 at 2:00PM | Updated February 15, 2023 at 4:57PM

A Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station platform shelter (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) A man has died after being pulled by a Metro train at the Dunn Loring station this afternoon, prompting a suspension of service between Vienna and West Falls Church.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Rail Operations Control Center and Transit Police Department received a report shortly before 1:30 p.m. that a person was being dragged by a train.

News

Person caught in Clifton house fire is critically injured

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 15, 2023 at 1:40PM

Fairfax County and other firefighters respond to Clifton house fire (via FCFRD/Twitter)

A person was taken to the hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries this morning (Wednesday) after a house fire at the edge of Clifton.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units reported fire showing when they arrived at the house in the 6800 block of Compton Heights around 9:45 a.m.

News

FCPS will evaluate Kent Gardens ES to address overcrowding this year

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 15, 2023 at 11:45AM

Kent Gardens Elementary School in McLean (via Google Maps)

The Fairfax County School Board amended its new capital projects plan last week to prioritize finding solutions to overcrowding at McLean’s Kent Gardens Elementary School,

The Fairfax County Public Schools Fiscal Years 2024-2028 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) was approved unanimously last Thursday (Feb. 9) late in a five-and-a-half-hour meeting mostly spent debating new calendars for the next three school years.

News

Mike’s American Grill in Springfield closes temporarily after Valentine’s Day fire

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 15, 2023 at 9:30AM | Updated February 15, 2023 at 3:09PM

Mike's American Grill was hit by a three-alarm fire on Tuesday (via FCFRD/Twitter)

(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) Mike’s American Grill faced a three-alarm fire last night (Tuesday) that forced staff and Valentine’s Day diners to evacuate.

Smoke could be seen issuing from the popular Springfield restaurant when Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units arrived at 6210 Backlick Road, the department said at 8:52 p.m, indicating that the fire appeared to have started in the kitchen.

News

Residents mostly embrace West Falls Church Metro redevelopment, but some fear traffic dysfunction

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 14, 2023 at 1:30PM | Updated June 28, 2023 at 5:48PM

West Falls Church Metro redevelopment rendering (via EYA)

Depending on who had the microphone, last week’s public hearing on the proposed redevelopment of Metro’s West Falls Church station suggested it will either overwhelm local roads or avert “climate arson,” to use one speaker’s phrase.

As they did earlier in the planning process, supporters of the project seemed to have an edge over skeptics at the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s meeting on Wednesday (Feb. 8), arguing that the over 1-million-square-foot development would deliver needed housing and amenities, while making the transit station area more accessible and vibrant than the parking lots that it would replace.