Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Published May 25, 2022 at 11:15AM | Updated May 25, 2022 at 3:16PM

Members of the advocacy group Moms Demand Action join the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to designate June 3 as Gun Violence Awareness Day (via Fairfax County/Flickr)

(Updated at 3:15 p.m.) A Fairfax County School Board member plans to advocate for adding security vestibules at schools in the wake of the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. in nearly a decade.

Melanie Meren, who represents Hunter Mill District on the board, will introduce a motion at a meeting tomorrow (Thursday) requesting that Fairfax County Public Schools develop a plan to fund and install vestibules at all facilities, she said in social media posts last night (Tuesday).

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Tysons emergency room nears launch, giving area new health services

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 25, 2022 at 9:45AM | Updated June 8, 2022 at 8:07PM

Reston Hospital Center is opening a standalone emergency room in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Updated on 6/8/2022 — Tysons Emergency is now in service after a grand opening on Friday, June 3.

Earlier: There’s nothing like a two-year-long pandemic to drive home the importance of access to quality health care services.

News

McLean Community Center reports strong turnout for 2022 board election

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 24, 2022 at 3:00PM | Updated December 9, 2022 at 1:46PM

Voters cast ballots in the McLean Community Center's 2018 governing board election (courtesy MCC)

(Updated at 12:15 a.m. on 5/25/2022) The McLean Community Center saw a noticeable uptick in participation for its latest governing board election.

A total of 2,504 ballots were cast to determine three new adult board members and two teen members, MCC reported in its preliminary results. That is roughly four times the 606 voters who turned out for last year’s election.

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ArtsFairfax to award Capital One Hall, GMU book festival, and more

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 24, 2022 at 2:15PM

A visitor walks into Capital One Hall in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

For a second year in a row, ArtsFairfax will hold its annual celebration of the local arts community on Oct. 28 at Capital One Hall, which also happens to be one of this year’s award recipients.

The Tysons performing arts venue will receive the Jinx Hazel Arts Award, the top honor from ArtsFairfax, the nonprofit Fairfax County arts agency announced last Tuesday (May 17).

Around Town

NEW: Tysons Biergarten returns, opening at Scotts Run this week

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 24, 2022 at 10:30AM | Updated May 25, 2022 at 9:19AM

Shipgarten is coming to Scotts Run in Tysons (courtesy Shipgarten/Instagram)

(Updated at 9:15 a.m. on 5/25/2022) Land ho! After over two years of anticipated arrivals dashed against the rocky shores of the COVID-19 pandemic and various construction-related challenges, Shipgarten will dock at last in Scotts Run near the McLean Metro station on Thursday (May 26).

The team behind Alexandria’s Hops N Shine will introduce their new concept to the Tysons development with a soft opening for Tysons Biergarten, which will serve beer and German food out of a converted shipping container from 3-9 p.m. through Sunday (May 29).

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Car crash in Bailey’s Crossroads kills one, hospitalizes two people

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 24, 2022 at 9:10AM

Skyline Plaza in Bailey's Crossroads (via Google Maps)

One person is dead, and two others have been taken to a hospital in the wake of a two-vehicle crash this morning (Tuesday) in Bailey’s Crossroads.

The crash involved Honda Accord going northbound on South George Mason Drive that hit a Volkswagen Jetta turning into Skyline Plaza, the Fairfax County Police Department said at 6:28 a.m.

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Most Fairfax County vaccinated kids now eligible for Covid booster shots

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 23, 2022 at 3:00PM

Fairfax Health District COVID-19 cases over the past 26 weeks, as of May 23, 2022 (via VDH)

More than half of the school-aged kids in Fairfax County — 53.6%, to be precise — are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

That means more than 57,000 Fairfax Health District residents aged 5 to 11 have gotten both shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine since they became eligible for it in early November, according to the Fairfax County Health Department.

News

Old Courthouse Road to get sidewalk upgrades, closing segment in Vienna

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 23, 2022 at 1:30PM

The current asphalt path on Old Courthouse Road west of Tysons (via Town of Vienna/Twitter)

Construction begins today (Monday) on a long-gestating project to upgrade the pedestrian facilities along Courthouse Road NE in Vienna.

The asphalt path that currently runs along the east side of the road will be closed for several months between Pine Valley Drive and Battery Park Street, as crews replace it with a concrete, ADA-compliant sidewalk, the Town of Vienna announced yesterday (Sunday).

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JUST IN: FCPS bus workers charged with abuse after kid suffers head injury

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 23, 2022 at 11:15AM

A school bus in Vienna (file photo)

(Updated at 11:20 a.m.) A former Fairfax County Public Schools bus driver and an attendant have been charged with abuse and neglect after a 3-year-old kid was injured on a ride home from school, police reported today (Monday).

According to the Town of Vienna Police Department, its officers were called to a school bus stop on March 18 in response to a verbal argument between the bus driver and a parent, who requested that their kid be taken to a hospital by Fairfax County firefighters.

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