Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Potential Reston developers face mostly distrustful community at packed meeting

Published April 14, 2025 at 11:15AM

A full house at Langston Hughes Middle School for Fairfax County's community meeting on Site-Specific Plan Amendment proposals in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Three proposals for future development in Reston were mostly greeted with varying degrees of skepticism by community members who crowded into the cafeteria at Langston Hughes Middle School (11401 Ridge Heights Road) last Monday (April 7).

Drawing an estimated 350 to 400 attendees, the meeting was one of three held by Fairfax County planning staff over the past two weeks to gather feedback on 11 different pitches for changes to land use guidance in the Reston Comprehensive Plan.

News

NEW: Closing date set for Vienna’s Patrick Henry Library

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 11, 2025 at 1:15PM

Patrick Henry Library checkout desk (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Vienna residents officially have less than a month to check out books and other materials from Patrick Henry Library before it closes for a long-anticipated renovation.

The branch’s last day of service at 101 Maple Avenue East will be Friday, May 9, though any materials on hold will need to be picked up by May 6. Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) finalized the date after providing an update to its Board of Trustees on Wednesday (April 9).

News

Celebration planned for Idylwood’s recently finished Ruckstuhl Park

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 11, 2025 at 8:15AM | Updated April 15, 2025 at 9:32AM

Ruckstuhl Park, now open in Idylwood, was funded by a 2020 Fairfax County Park Authority bond referendum (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) plans to throw a party next month celebrating the latest addition to its system.

After more than a year of construction, the trails, play area and fitness zone at Idylwood’s new Ruckstuhl Park are now open to community members.

News

Padel tennis courts proposed on Tysons parking lot awaiting development

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 10, 2025 at 3:45PM

Rendering of Epic Padel's proposed courts at Greensboro Park in Tysons (via Epic Padel/Fairfax County)

A Tysons parking lot that has been slated for development for over a decade now could finally see some activity of the recreational variety instead.

The Arlington-based sports company Epic Padel is proposing to build six temporary padel tennis courts on surface parking for the Greensboro Park offices at 8200 Greensboro Drive, according to a rezoning application submitted to Fairfax County last Friday (April 4).

Around Town

Wendy’s celebrates reopening in Herndon with free food offer

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 10, 2025 at 1:15PM

The newly remodeled Wendy's in Herndon (courtesy Flynn Group)

Wendy’s is back up and running in Herndon.

The fast-food chain temporarily shuttered its restaurant at 2160 Centreville Road, just outside town limits, late last year for a remodeling. After welcoming customers back on March 23, Wendy’s will celebrate its return with a grand reopening celebration this Saturday (April 12).

Countywide

Union battle to represent Fairfax County government workers heads to court

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 10, 2025 at 9:45AM

SEIU Virginia 512 and other unions rally in support of collective bargaining for Fairfax County government workers on Oct. 5, 2021 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

More than three years after Fairfax County leaders authorized collective bargaining, a majority of the county government’s workers have yet to choose a representative for future contract negotiations.

That could soon change, as one established union gears up for a potential election this month, while a challenger turns to the courts in an effort to halt the vote.

News

Reston resident sentenced to prison for downloading child porn

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 10, 2025 at 9:00AM

The Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse in Alexandria (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A man stationed at the German military’s outpost in Reston will serve more than six years in prison after pleading guilty to downloading thousands of images and videos of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia says.

Peter Markus Kuttke, a 49-year-old German national who lives in Reston, was indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 7, 2024 on one count of receiving child pornography, according to court records.

News

Pedestrian struck by SUV driver in February has died, FCPD says

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 9, 2025 at 3:45PM | Updated April 9, 2025 at 8:43PM

Fairfax County police logo (file photo)

Fairfax County police are investigating an SUV crash that killed a pedestrian in February but was previously not publicly reported.

Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Centreville Road and Parcher Avenue in the Hutchinson area just outside the Town of Herndon at 2:55 p.m. on Feb. 14 for a crash involving a pedestrian, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release today (Wednesday).

Around Town

Jewelry stores, cookie shop and more coming to Tysons Corner Center

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 9, 2025 at 12:15PM

The common area of Tysons Corner Center's east end has been renovated (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

In the coming months, Tysons Corner Center will shake up its retail lineup with a mix of brand-new stores and existing brands undergoing renovations.

The first newcomer is Mejuri, which will open its 42nd shop on the mall’s second floor near Nordstrom this Friday (April 11). This will be the Canada-based jeweler’s second location in the D.C. region, following a 2023 opening at Bethesda Row in Maryland.

Countywide

Fairfax County worker unions fear budget cuts could strain services as demand increases

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 9, 2025 at 9:45AM

Fairfax County Government Center seal (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Public benefits assistance, child care and senior center support services are just a few of the areas where Fairfax County might pull back on funding, as it seeks to close a $292.7 million budget gap.

If approved, the $59.8 million in potential reductions would be the county’s largest funding cut since it slashed over $90 million in 2009 following the Great Recession, County Executive Bryan Hill told the Board of Supervisors when presenting his proposed fiscal year 2026 budget plan on Feb. 18.