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

Hershey to close pop-up store and experience in Tysons next month

By Angela Woolsey
Hershey Super Sweet Adventure at Tysons Corner Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Hershey Super Sweet Adventure will soon kiss Tysons Corner Center goodbye.

The sweets-celebrating attraction — which consists of both a ticketed experience and a retail store — is slated to close on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 7) after staying at the mall for more than four months.

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News

Man charged with multiple burglaries in Reston, including theft of a gun

By Angela Woolsey
Collection of firearms and weapons spread across a white table: a tan AR-style rifle with accessories, several magazines, knives and blades, a bottle, and assorted gear; a person kneels at the edge of the scene (cropped).
A rifle and other items allegedly found in the belongings of a man charged with stealing from and burglarizing vehicles in Reston (via FCPD)

A 31-year old man is facing a range of criminal charges in connection with multiple thefts and burglaries from vehicles in the Reston area.

According to the Fairfax County Police Department, detectives in its Criminal Investigations Division began investigating after receiving a tip from a community member who met one of them at a National Night Out event on Aug. 4.

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News

Construction ‘coming together’ on Virginia’s first hybrid emergency and urgent care center

By Angela Woolsey
Construction site for a health facility with steel framing, a green lifting machine, and an American flag on the building's exterior.
VHC Health hosted a beam-signing ceremony for its combined emergency and urgent care center now under construction in West Falls Church (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Though a distinctive clock tower added over a decade ago to hide a cell tower still looms in the background, the northwest corner of Arlington Blvd (Route 50) and Graham Road in West Falls Church otherwise looks very different now than it did at this time last year.

In place of the old Graham Center retail strip, demolished last fall, has emerged the skeleton of VHC Health’s upcoming combined emergency and urgent care center, which officials say will be the first facility of its kind in Virginia.

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News

Utility pole falls near first responders on scene of Baron Cameron Avenue crash

By Angela Woolsey
Emergency roadside scene with an ambulance and tow truck, flashing lights active, and a toppled wooden utility pole nearby.
A utility pole was pulled down onto a Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department ambulance responding to a crash at Baron Cameron Avenue and Bracknell Drive in Reston (via FCFRD/Facebook)

Two people have been hospitalized following a crash this morning (Tuesday) on Baron Cameron Avenue in Reston that resulted in an ambulance getting entangled in electrical wires.

Fairfax County police officers and firefighters responded at 11:31 a.m. to the intersection of Baron Cameron Avenue and Bracknell Drive near the Spectrum at Reston Town Center for a two-vehicle crash that sent one car into a utility pole.

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News

FCPD: Man charged with Hybla Valley shooting that hospitalized one

By Angela Woolsey
Mugshot of a young man with short curly hair and light facial hair on the left; a tan semi-automatic pistol and accessories in a case on the right.
Jihad Oliver White and guns allegedly found in his home (courtesy FCPD)

One man is in the hospital, and another has been arrested after an argument escalated to a shooting in Hybla Valley over the weekend.

Officers were dispatched to the 7900 block of Fordson Road in the Gum Springs area at 6:24 p.m. on Saturday (Aug. 22) for the reported shooting, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

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News

New brand of delivery robots takes over George Mason University’s Fairfax campus

By Angela Woolsey
White autonomous service robot with wheels moving along a sidewalk as adults and a child walk by, near outdoor dining tables and greenery in the background.
Avride delivery robot on a college campus (courtesy Avride)

Community members who visit George Mason University in Fairfax this fall might notice a change in the boxy robots that putter around the campus, bringing food to hungry students.

The Austin-based company Avride announced last week that its autonomous delivery robots will roll out to more than 25 college campuses across the U.S., including GMU, by the end of September.

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Around Town

D.C. Restaurant Week returns with almost 30 Fairfax County eateries participating

By Angela Woolsey
Assorted tapas on a table: onion rings on a blue plate, fried bites, stuffed tortillas, and dipping sauces with drinks in the background.
Velocity Bar and Kitchen dishes for RAMW Restaurant Week (courtesy Thompson Hospitality)

The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s Summer Restaurant Week is back for 2026, and over two dozen establishments in Fairfax County are in the mix.

Starting today (Monday) through Sunday, Aug. 30, more than 380 restaurants in D.C., Maryland and Virginia are offering multi-course brunch, lunch and dinner menus that range in price from $25 to $65 per person, depending on the location.

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News

Reston contractor leases expanded HQ ahead of merger with Tysons startup

By Angela Woolsey
Aerial view of a modern office campus with a tall glass-and-concrete SAIC building, surrounding parking, and trees.
The office building at 12010 Sunset Hills Road in Reston Town Center (courtesy BXP)

An information technology contractor based in Reston has secured a new, larger headquarters office, even as its parent company works to finalize a recently announced merger with an IT startup in Tysons.

MetroStar Systems signed a lease last week for 37,844-square-feet of office space in the nine-story building at 12010 Sunset Hills Road in Reston Town Center.

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Countywide

Fairfax County revives free tree giveaways for residents

By Angela Woolsey
Person planting a young conifer seedling in soil with gloved hands outdoors.
A person planting a tree seedling (courtesy Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services)

After an initial round this spring, Fairfax County is bringing back its initiative that offers free trees for residents to plant on their properties.

Partnering again with the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation, the county’s Urban and Community Forestry Division will limit giveaways for the first two weeks, starting today (Monday), to people living in neighborhoods that rank “high” or “very high” on the federal Social Vulnerability Index.

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Countywide

FCPS starts new school year with full cellphone ban, fewer crossing guards and other changes

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County Public Schools starts classes on Aug. 24, 2026, as shown on a sign for Cunningham Park Elementary School in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County Public Schools students are heading back to the classroom today (Monday), a familiar sight that might inspire nostalgia and stress among even non-parent residents.

However, in recent months, Fairfax County and the school system have adopted a number of changes to policies and services that are taking effect during the new school year, particularly around the use of technology in the classroom.

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