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

Report: FCPS affirms commitment to diversity in response to federal funding threat

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County Public Schools (file photo)

Fairfax County Public Schools is one of two Virginia school divisions that reportedly declined to sign a form committing it to complying with federal anti-discrimination laws and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that barred race from being considered in college admissions.

Superintendent Michelle Reid instead sent a “modified certification and assurance document” to Virginia education leaders last week affirming FCPS’ compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Virginia Mercury reported yesterday morning (Tuesday).

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News

Police: Man shot outside Bailey’s Crossroads nightclub

By Angela Woolsey
Black Rose Lounge in Bailey's Crossroads (staff photo by Jared Serre)

Fairfax County police are investigating a shooting outside a nightclub in Bailey’s Crossroads that sent a man to the hospital early this morning (Wednesday).

Officers responded to the Black Rose Lounge at 5815 Seminary Road at 1:02 a.m. for a report of shots fired. According to the police scanner, officers in the neighborhood heard “what we believe is a lot of gunfire” and sent someone to “check it out” before the official dispatch came in.

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News

JUST IN: Former FCPS teacher charged with assaulting student

By Angela Woolsey
Parklawn Elementary School (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A now-retired Fairfax County Public Schools teacher is facing criminal charges for allegedly assaulting a student and a colleague.

Detectives began investigating Mary Simons, 63, of Arlington after Child Protective Services received a tip on March 28 alleging that she had assaulted a student while teaching at Parklawn Elementary School in Lincolnia, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

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News

Police: Teen shot during struggle with state trooper in Kings Park West

By Angela Woolsey
A Virginia State Police vehicle (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A teen was shot after being tackled by a Virginia State Police trooper during a pursuit in the Kings Park West neighborhood early this morning (Tuesday).

The trooper encountered the 16-year-old boy while investigating a vehicle that had reportedly fled from a Fairfax City police traffic stop near Burke Station Road and Main Street at around 12:43 a.m., according to VSP spokesperson Matthew Demlein.

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Countywide

Reston golf course redevelopment pitch not recommended by county staff

By Angela Woolsey
NVR's proposed concept for redeveloping Reston National Golf Course (via Fairfax County)

Fairfax County planning staff appear to agree with many neighboring residents that Reston National Golf Course should remain a golf course.

Property owner War Horse Cities and developer NVR’s proposal to replace the 168-acre golf course at 11875 Sunrise Valley Drive with housing and parkland or other public uses is among eight potential Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan amendments not recommended for advancement in a staff report.

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News

FCPD: Man shot in Mount Vernon neighborhood after storage unit dispute

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County police car with lights on (file photo)

Fairfax County police have arrested and charged a man for a shooting over the weekend that was allegedly sparked by a dispute over a storage container unit.

Officers were dispatched to the 3100 block of Woodland Lane in Mount Vernon’s Woodland Park neighborhood for a reported shooting at 8:10 a.m. on Saturday (April 26).

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News

Motorcyclist killed in fiery crash on I-66 after police pursuit

By Angela Woolsey
Virginia State Police vehicle (photo by John Calhoun/JC Photography)

A motorcycle rider died in a fiery crash yesterday (Sunday) after allegedly speeding on I-66, police say.

According to the Virginia State Police (VSP), a trooper spotted a motorcyclist traveling over 100 mph on eastbound I-66 near Nutley Street in Merrifield at around 12:09 a.m.

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News

Nonprofit that offers free piano lessons seeks to extend range in Fairfax County

By Angela Woolsey
A student in Piano and More's Play It Forward program performs a recital at Jordan Kitt's Music in Merrifield (courtesy Piano and More)

A nonprofit music studio in Arlington is hoping to get more donors and supporters to tune in, so it can expand a program that offers free piano lessons to low-income students into Fairfax County.

Piano and More currently has two participants from Fairfax and three from Arlington in its Play It Forward program, which provides free lessons, keyboards and other resources to students at Title I schools.

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Countywide

NOVA Parks leader to retire after overseeing regional park system’s expansion over 20 years

By Angela Woolsey
NOVA Parks Executive Director Paul Gilbert at a Juneteenth 2024 event (courtesy NOVA Parks)

When Paul Gilbert finishes leading NOVA Parks, the regional park system will be nearly 2,000 acres larger than it was when he started.

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority announced last Friday (April 11) that Gilbert will retire as its executive director by the end of 2025. His 20-year tenure included the addition of 15 new parks and several signature attractions, from the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial at Occoquan Regional Park to the winter light festivals in Bull Run and Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

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Countywide

NEW: Visas revoked for multiple international students at GMU

By Angela Woolsey
George Mason University (file photo)

More than a dozen international students at George Mason University have recently had their visas terminated or revoked by the federal government, the university says.

The U.S. departments of state and homeland security apparently changed the statuses of 15 students without any involvement by or prior notice to university officials, GMU President Gregory Washington and Vice President for University Life Rose Pascarell told the community yesterday (Tuesday).

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