Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Reston contractor to take over, expand on former Volkswagen office campus

Published February 10, 2025 at 9:45AM

Woodland Pointe property owner Union Investment Real Estate is proposing to replace a parking garage with a second office building (via Gensler/Fairfax County)

A contractor based at Reston Town Center is angling to take over an office building near Herndon whose former occupant is also now based in Reston Town Center.

Peraton, a national security and technology company started in 2017, plans to open a new campus at Woodland Pointe, a 6.77-acre office complex just south of Dulles Toll Road that previously served as Volkswagen’s North American headquarters.

Countywide

UPDATED: Winter Storm Warning issued with ‘heavy’ snow possible on Tuesday

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 10, 2025 at 9:00AM | Updated February 10, 2025 at 3:15PM

A man walks a dog along South Lakes Drive in Reston with snow on the ground (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The mere sprinkling of snow that visited Fairfax County on Saturday (Feb. 8) might’ve been a prelude to a legitimate storm expected tomorrow (Tuesday).

Anticipating potential “heavy snow,” the National Weather Service has upgraded a watch issued yesterday to a Winter Storm Warning for the D.C. region that’s currently set to be in place from 1 p.m. tomorrow until 7 a.m. Wednesday morning (Feb. 12).

News

Fairfax Circuit Court offers free marriage ceremonies to celebrate Valentine’s Day

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 7, 2025 at 3:30PM

The Fairfax County Circuit Court's Reston satellite office issued its first marriage license after opening in May 2024 (courtesy Fairfax County Circuit Court Clerk's Office)

Local couples looking to tie the knot before Valentine’s Day will have a chance to save a few bucks in the process next week.

The Fairfax County Circuit Court is offering free civil marriage ceremonies next Tuesday, Feb. 11 at its Reston satellite office, which will be open in the Cathy Hudgins Community Center at Southgate from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

News

JUST IN: FCPS teacher charged with sexually assaulting students

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 7, 2025 at 2:20PM | Updated February 7, 2025 at 3:43PM

Fairview Elementary School teacher John Barger has been charged with sexual assault (via FCPD)

A local elementary school teacher is facing criminal charges for allegedly sexually assaulting two students.

Fairfax County’s Child Protective Services received a tip on Jan. 17 reporting that a student at Fairview Elementary School (5815 Ox Road) in Fairfax Station had been sexually assaulted by a teacher, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

News

New plaque at Meadowlark park salutes women who challenged segregation

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 7, 2025 at 9:45AM

Officials from NOVA Parks, NAACP, Fairfax County and more unveil a sign at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens to honor Howard University students who challenged bus segregation (courtesy NOVA Parks)

Before it became Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Caroline Ware’s farm in Wolf Trap served as the staging area for a noteworthy yet little-known battle in the civil rights movement’s long struggle against segregation.

A constitutional history and social sciences professor at Howard University, Ware hosted a picnic on May 14, 1944 for friends and students, four of whom got arrested after refusing to move to the back of the bus they boarded to return to D.C.

News

Man convicted of assaulting deaf passenger on flight to Dulles Airport

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 7, 2025 at 9:00AM

United Airlines planes at Dulles International Airport (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A man was convicted yesterday (Thursday) of assaulting a fellow passenger during a flight from San Francisco to Dulles International Airport.

In an incident that made national headlines, Everett Chad Nelson, a 44-year-old man from Stafford, was arrested by the FBI on Oct. 28, 2024 after he repeatedly punched a deaf passenger who was sleeping on United Airlines Flight 2247 “without provocation,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

News

FCPD charges man with armed carjacking on Columbia Pike

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 6, 2025 at 3:55PM

Fairfax County police say they found in a vehicle that was reportedly carjacked on Columbia Pike in Annandale (via FCPD)

A man has been charged with an alleged armed carjacking in Annandale yesterday (Wednesday) that led to an arrest in Tysons.

Fairfax County police officers were dispatched to the 7000 block of Columbia Pike around 7:32 p.m. after a caller reported being carjacked “at gunpoint,” according to scanner traffic.

News

GMU launches campaign to fund Fairfax performing arts center renovation

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 6, 2025 at 1:15PM

George Mason University is planning a $70 million renovation of its Center for the Arts in Fairfax (rendering by Quinn Evans)

George Mason University has begun raising money in earnest to help fund a $70 million makeover of its performing arts center in Fairfax.

Publicly launched yesterday (Wednesday), the “Give Voice” initiative seeks to raise $35 million for a renovation of the Center for the Arts, the 1,935-seat concert hall at 4373 Mason Pond Drive. The university itself is expected to match the private donations with an additional $35 million.

Countywide

Figure skating tribute planned to raise money for DCA crash victims

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 6, 2025 at 11:15AM

Nearly two dozen crosses stand near Gravelly Point, honoring the 67 victims of the mid-air collision over the Potomac River (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Local superstar Ilia Malinin and other figure skaters will convene in D.C. next month to pay tribute to the victims of last week’s airplane and helicopter crash near Reagan National Airport.

Set for Sunday, March 2, at Capital One Arena, the “Legacy on Ice” benefit will raise funds to support the families and loved ones of the 67 people killed in the Jan. 29 crash, while serving as a showcase for the American figure skating community, which lost 28 members.

Countywide

Flu levels higher than usual in Fairfax, health department says

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 6, 2025 at 9:45AM

The Fairfax Health District is experiencing a high level of respiratory illness activity, as of Feb. 4, 2025 (via Fairfax County Health Department)

If it seems like you know or have encountered more sick people this winter, it might not be your imagination.

The Fairfax Health District, which includes Fairfax County, Fairfax City and Falls Church, is experiencing high levels of respiratory illnesses, driven particularly by influenza, according to the Fairfax County Health Department.