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

Fairfax County’s Covid transmission level drops to ‘substantial’

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County's COVID-19 community transmission level is considered substantial, as of Feb. 22, 2022 (via CDC)

The omicron surge continues to subside in Fairfax County.

The Fairfax Health District, including the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, reported 95 new COVID-19 cases today (Tuesday), making it the first day with fewer than 100 new cases since Dec. 11, when there were 69 cases.

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Ghanaian eatery Hedzole to open pop-up in Tysons Galleria’s revived Urbanspace

By Angela Woolsey
The Ghanaian eatery Hedzole is expanding from local farmers markets to a pop-up in Tysons Galleria (courtesy Candice Mensah)

Life is starting to return to Urbanspace.

Hastily created in the wake of Isabella Eatery’s collapse, the food hall opened on the third floor of Tysons Galleria in December 2018 with promising reviews and a handful of local restaurants that built up loyal followings — just in time for COVID-19 to grind business to a halt in the spring of 2020.

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FCPS keeps universal masking for now, but acknowledges state law allowing opt-outs

By Angela Woolsey
Irving Middle School students wear face masks in class (via FCPS)

Face masks will still be required in Fairfax County Public Schools when students return on Tuesday (Feb. 22).

However, the school system acknowledged in a message to the community today (Friday) that universal masking may come to an end soon. Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed Senate Bill 739 into law on Wednesday (Feb. 16), allowing parents to opt their children out of school mask mandates starting March 1.

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Man sentenced to 17 years for armed robberies, including three in Fairfax County

By Angela Woolsey
The Domino's Pizza on Watson Street in Tysons was one of three Fairfax County businesses hit in a string of armed robberies in early 2021 (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 9 a.m. on 4/19/2023) A 62-year-old Maryland resident faces almost two decades in prison for a string of armed robberies that spanned the D.C. area last year, including three incidents in Fairfax County.

Jon Karl Mcree Fleet was sentenced to 17 years today (Tuesday) after pleading guilty to using a firearm in five robberies committed between Jan. 24 and March 13, 2021, Department of Justice prosecutors announced.

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As COVID-19 cases decline, death toll from omicron surge becomes clearer

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax Health District COVID-19 cases over the past 180 days (via VDH)

Fairfax County’s COVID-19 case levels have almost dropped to where they were before the omicron variant took over.

The Fairfax Health District, which also encompasses the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, added 172 cases today (Monday), bringing its total for the pandemic up to 174,578 cases. With 189 cases, yesterday was the first day since Dec. 14 with fewer than 200 new cases.

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News

Fairfax County’s mass Covid testing site closes, as state pivots to mobile van

By Angela Woolsey

The COVID-19 testing site at the Fairfax County Government Center has closed less than a month after its launch.

The Virginia Department of Health shut down the Community Testing Center yesterday (Wednesday) as part of a statewide shift away from mass test sites in favor of a mobile “CTC+” initiative focused on communities with accessibility barriers.

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FCPS maintains support for mask mandate as tide turns in Virginia Senate

By Angela Woolsey
A sign indicating that a face mask should be worn (via Waldemar Brandt/Unsplash)

Updated at 2:20 p.m. — Senate Bill 739 passed 21-17, with Fairfax County Sens. Janet Howell, Dick Saslaw, and Scott Surovell joining the opponents after supporting the amendment to allow parents to opt out of school mask requirements yesterday.

Earlier: Fairfax County Public Schools’ universal masking policy has encountered pushback from an unexpected source: its own state legislators.

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Fairfax County School Board moves to expand ban on firearms, citing rise in threats of violence

By Angela Woolsey
Sign for Fairfax County Public Schools outside the Gatehouse Administration Center (file photo)

Fairfax County Public Schools intends to prohibit guns from all properties that it owns or leases amid heightened concerns about the safety of students, staff, and elected officials.

The Fairfax County School Board agreed unanimously at a work session yesterday (Tuesday) to direct Superintendent Scott Brabrand and his staff to develop a draft policy for its governance committee to consider at its March 1 meeting.

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Family files lawsuit challenging FCPS Covid quarantine requirements

By Angela Woolsey
Kids looking outside while in COVID-19 quarantine (via Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash)

While the fight over masks has dominated headlines, Fairfax County Public Schools faces another potential courtroom battle over its quarantine policy for students exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID-19.

The parents of two Sunrise Valley Elementary School students have filed a lawsuit against FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand, School Board chair Stella Pekarsky, and Fairfax County Health Department Director Gloria Addo-Ayensu, calling the 10-day quarantine requirement unconstitutional.

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Fairfax County sees COVID-19 cases drop to pre-Christmas levels

By Angela Woolsey
The Tysons Community Vaccination Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County has now seen close to a month of plummeting COVID-19 case rates.

With 267 new cases reported today (Monday), the Fairfax Health District, which includes the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, is averaging 448 cases per day for the past week, a steep decline from the seven-day average of 2,590 cases recorded when the omicron variant-fueled surge peaked on Jan. 13.

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