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

Route 1 crashes in Huntington and Lorton add to county’s pedestrian death toll

By Angela Woolsey
Richmond Highway facing south at Huntington Avenue (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) A pedestrian was killed in a crash on Route 1 in Lorton early this morning (Friday), just hours after Fairfax County police announced that a woman had died following a hit-and-run in the corridor.

With those two deaths, Fairfax County has now reported 12 pedestrian fatalities from vehicle crashes this year — nearly doubling the seven deaths recorded at this point in 2021.

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Countywide

BREAKING: Fairfax County police officer fatally shoots man at McLean house

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis addresses the media after a fatal shooting by a police officer in McLean (via FCPD/Facebook)

(Updated at 11 a.m. on 7/8/2022) A man in McLean was shot and killed by a Fairfax County police officer last night (Thursday), the county’s second fatal police shooting in the past week.

Officers were called to a residence in the 6900 block of Arbor Lane for a report of a man “throwing objects outside,” the Fairfax County Police Department reported in a tweet at 9:38 p.m.

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Countywide

Local nonprofit launches ‘Back to School’ donation drive to support FCPS students

By Angela Woolsey
Twins Ace Hardware in Fairfax is one of several donation sites for the nonprofit Britepaths' July Back ot School drive (courtesy Twins Ace Hardware/Britepaths)

Fairfax County Public Schools won’t be back in session for the fall until Aug. 22, but Britepaths is getting a head start on helping students prepare for that day.

The Fairfax-based nonprofit is asking community members to donate money or backpacks for its annual Collect for Kids Back to School program, a month-long campaign that launched on July 1.

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News

UPDATED: Man charged with robbing Herndon bank and Safeway

By Angela Woolsey
Town of Herndon police (courtesy Herndon Police Department)

(Updated at 3 p.m. on 7/8/2022) A man with no fixed address is facing charges for allegedly robbing a bank and a Safeway in Herndon this month.

Fairfax County police arrested the man near Reston around 2:20 p.m. yesterday (Thursday) after a roughly two-hour search that involved a helicopter, K9 unit, and the Herndon Police Department.

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News

Vienna’s Louise Archer Elementary takes step closer to renovation

By Angela Woolsey
Louise Archer Elementary School (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated on 7/11/2022) Fairfax County Public Schools has officially committed $36 million to renovating Louise Archer Elementary School in Vienna.

The Fairfax County School Board awarded a contract to Henley Construction Company, Inc. during its June 16 meeting. The contractor beat out two other bidders for the project, which will roughly double the size of the school building.

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Around Town

Korean BBQ and ramen eatery joins Merrifield’s Pan Am Shopping Center

By Angela Woolsey
The Korean and Japanese restaurant Rateba Grill and Ramen had its grand opening in the Pan Am Shopping Center on July 5 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Rateba Grill and Ramen has opened at the Pan Am Shopping Center in Merrifield.

Offering a combination of Korean food and Japanese noodle soups, the new restaurant celebrated its grand opening on Tuesday (July 5). It replaced Lo’s Restaurant at 3075 Nutley Street, next to Bangkok St. Thai.

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Countywide

FCPD: Detectives identify ‘Christmas Tree Lady,’ solving 26-year cold case

By Angela Woolsey
Known as the "Christmas Tree Lady," a woman now identified as Joyce Meyer died by suicide in Annandale in 1996 (via FCPD)

(Updated at 10:55 a.m.) A woman who died by suicide at a cemetery in Annandale 26 years ago has been identified.

The Fairfax County Police Department announced this morning (Thursday) that the woman known colloquially as the “Christmas Tree Lady” was 69-year-old Joyce Meyer. Detectives made the link using DNA tests and genomic sequencing by the Houston-based forensic laboratory Othram Inc.

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Countywide

JUST IN: Tractor-trailer fire shuts down Capital Beltway at Route 50

By Angela Woolsey
Fire and Rescue vehicles block off southbound I-495 at Route 50 after a tractor-trailer fire (via VDOT Northern Virginia/Twitter)

(Updated at 5 p.m.) A tractor-trailer caught fire on I-495 this afternoon (Wednesday), shutting down all southbound lanes at the Route 50 interchange in Merrifield.

The fire appears to have sparked right as the afternoon rush hour was getting underway. The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reported at 4:16 p.m. that it has units on the scene working to extinguish the fire.

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News

McLean Community Center issues apology for Fourth of July fireworks cancellation

By Angela Woolsey
A sign for the McLean Community Center (file photo)

This weekend, McLean got its first Fourth of July fireworks since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020 — only no one was around to see them.

The McLean Community Center held its annual Independence Day Celebration at Langley High School on Saturday (July 2) to accommodate a staffing shortage at its fireworks vendor, an issue that affected several other Fourth of July events in the area as well.

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Countywide

Flooding possible for Fairfax County this afternoon and evening

By Angela Woolsey
A Flood Watch has been issued for the D.C. area on July 6 (via National Weather Service/Twitter)

Updated at 2:25 p.m. — The Flood Watch has been extended to 5 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday), per Fairfax County.

Earlier: A Flood Watch is on the horizon for much of the D.C. area, including Fairfax County.

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