Author: FFXnow.com

Fairfax City Firefighter Killed in Crash — A motorcyclist who died after a car crash in Richmond on Sunday (Aug. 25) has been identified as Joseph Altorelli, a firefighter with the Fairfax City Fire Department. The 20-year-old Glen Allen resident “came to work as a temp with our department in May of 2023 and was hired full-time the following Christmas Day.” [City of Fairfax Fire Department/Facebook]

Trials Underway for Lung Cancer Vaccine — The German manufacturer BioNTech has launched a global clinical trial of a vaccine that aims to eliminate a common form of lung cancer. “Potential participants in the trial of BNT166 are being recruited in the D.C. region at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and NEXT Virginia in Fairfax.” [WTOP]

Virginia Drops Some Voters From Rolls — Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently announced that 6,303 people have been removed from Virginia’s voter rolls over the past 18 months for being “noncitizens” based on DMV and Department of Homeland Security records. However, voting and civil rights advocates say “user and data errors in the DHS system…have led to people being inaccurately flagged.” [NBC News]

Trader Joe’s Could Open Soon — “Trader Joe’s is expected to open in West Springfield next month in the spot where Whole Foods Market was…A call to the existing Trader Joe’s in Springfield Plaza indicated the new grocery store 3 miles away on Old Keene Mill Road could open around September 12, if everything at the store is completed.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Construction Continues on Hybla Valley Grocer — “Fresh World, the new international grocery store coming to Mount Vernon Square, is still under renovation and won’t open until between mid-October and early November, according to a representative from the company that owns the shopping center.” [On the MoVe]

WaPo Cuts More D.C. Area Coverage — “In another move toward shedding allegiance to local news coverage, the Washington Post has killed its only column that highlighted local artists and galleries. The Aug. 25 print edition of the ‘In the Galleries’ column by Mark Jenkins, which ran for 13 years, was the last.” [Washington City Paper]

Recycling Day Planned in Reston — “The WUSA9 team and its community partner, Reston Town Center, is co-hosting another Recycling Day and we are inviting viewers out to Reston, Virginia to join us.” People can discard electronics, eyeglasses and paper documents for shredding on Sept. 18 from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 11951 Freedom Drive. [WUSA9]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny and hot conditions with temperatures reaching near 100 and heat index values up to 104. Wednesday night, there’s a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms primarily between 8 pm and 2 am, accompanied by partly cloudy skies and a low around 76. [NWS]

Man Behind Connolly Staff Assault Enters Insanity Plea — “Xuan-Kha Tran Pham appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity after the attack in [Rep. Gerry] Connolly’s district office in Fairfax on May 15, 2023…The judge accepted Pham’s plea and said two doctors who evaluated him concluded he was insane at the time of the attacks.” [NBC4]

Murder Suspect Arrested at Dulles Airport — “A 15-year-old Silver Spring teen has been arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with a double homicide that occurred over Memorial Day weekend. Onyx Santana Austin was arrested on Monday, August 26, 2024, at Dulles International Airport.” [MoCo Show]

Air Quality Alert Issued — “Code Orange Air Quality day for the region today. Air pollution concentrations may become unhealthy for children, people suffering from asthma, heart disease or other lung diseases, and the elderly. Avoid strenuous activity and exercising outdoors.” [Ready Fairfax/Twitter]

Trump Campaign Stops by Eden Center — Yesterday, former president and current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump “made an appearance at Truong Tien Restaurant at the Eden Center, alongside Vietnamese-American U.S. Senate candidate Hung Cao (R).” Trump ordered about $60 worth of food, a consultant for the restaurant told the Washington Post. [ARLnow]

Inova LGBTQ Clinic Reports Growth — “A little more than two years after opening its doors, a Northern Virginia clinic for LGBTQ+ patients is seeing its client list and services expand, outpacing projected growth goals. So far, doctors at the Inova Pride Clinic have treated more than 1,100 patients, which is well beyond what they initially expected.” [WTOP]

Company Gives Tours of Annandale’s Korean Cuisine — “Soomin Kim’s Korean restaurant tours in Annandale have been selling out since she launched Virginialicious earlier this year. The tours bring people to four to six restaurants within walking distance of one another, where they can sample different kinds of Korean specialties while learning about Korean cuisine and culinary history.” [Annandale Today]

Oakton Volleyball Team to Defend State Title — “The Flint Hill Huskies begin the 2024 volleyball in a position the girls high-school team has been in for a long time now — defending state champions. The Huskies won last season’s Division I private-school state championship for the 12th time in program history and the sixth time overall.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Tuesday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 91 and light, variable winds during the day. In contrast, Tuesday night will be partly cloudy with a low temperature around 74 degrees and a gentle south wind at approximately 5 mph. [NWS]

Woman Grazed by Bullet in Franconia — “A suspect was taken into custody after what police are calling a ‘domestic-related shooting’ where a woman was grazed by a bullet in her head Friday night. According to the Fairfax County Police Department, the shooting happened in Franconia in the 5900 block of Saint Giles Way.” [WUSA9]

New Georgetown Pike Bridge Opens — “Great news! All lanes on Georgetown Pike are open and shifted to the new northern span of the Georgetown Pike bridge. Also, all Beltway ramps have reopened. The work was completed ahead of schedule. Thanks for helping us by ‘staying away’ this weekend!” [VDOT/Twitter]

Reston Apartment Building Sold — “Three years after delivering a 352-unit apartment building to its Halley Rise development in Reston, Brookfield has offloaded the property. The developer sold The Edmund at 2025 Fulton St. to Harbor Group International for $133M late last month, according to Fairfax property records.” [Bisnow]

Man Convicted in Sexual Assault Case Arrested by ICE — “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested a convicted sex offender in Annandale on Aug. 19…Fairfax County Police arrested Veizaga on May 3 for the sexual assault of a child aged 13 or 14.” He was later convicted of a misdemeanor in the case, and the court suspended his six-month jail sentence. [Annandale Today]

Local House-Hunting TV Show to Return — “The popular WETA local house-hunting series, If You Lived Here, returns for Season 4 to spotlight an all-new collection of 12 neighborhoods throughout the national capital area. The season premiere will air on Monday, October 28 at 9 p.m.” with new hosts taking over from Christine Louise and the late John Begeny. [Gazette Leader]

Herndon IT Firm Makes Acquisition — “Herndon’s ePlus Technology Inc. has acquired IT services company Bailiwick Services LLC from Minneapolis private equity firm Norwest Equity Partners.” EPlus says the purchase, announced Tuesday (Aug. 20), “will strengthen its client offerings in its business services and is part of the firm’s growth strategy.” [Washington Business Journal]

Fairfax City Solid Waste Specialist Awarded — “In three short years, Fairfax City’s environmental sustainability specialist, Melissa Pennett, has made a major impact on how the city manages its solid waste…For her efforts the Solid Waste Association of North America is honoring her with the 2024 Young Professional of the Year Award.” [City of Fairfax]

It’s Monday — The day will be mostly sunny and the temperature will reach a high near 90 degrees. During the night, partially cloudy conditions are predicted with a low temperature around 71 degrees. There’s a 30% chance of rain around 2 and 11 pm. [NWS]

New Covid Vaccines Approved — “The Food and Drug Administration approved new mRNA coronavirus vaccines Thursday, clearing the way for shots manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to start hitting pharmacy shelves and doctor’s offices within a week.” [Washington Post]

TikTok Star Boosts Fairfax Restaurant — “MMA fighter turned TikTok star Keith Lee has brought his food review tour to the D.C. area and is already showing how much of an impact his ‘effect’ has on local restaurants. On Tuesday, Lee, who has over 16 million followers on the app, visited Okonomi Asian Grill in Fairfax” and later donated $2,000. [WTOP]

Sandwich Shop Opens in Huntington — “JAWA Sandwich Shop opened for business in early August at Huntington Gateway. The store, owned by Seung Lee, features a variety of grilled and hot sandwiches like brisket pastrami on sourdough; specialty sandwiches like tropical shrimp salad; grilled panini and deli sandwiches, as well as soups and salads.” [On the MoVe]

VDOT to Lift Lane Closures for Labor Day — “VDOT will be suspending many highway work zones and lifting most lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon on Friday, Aug. 30, until noon on Tuesday, Sept. 3…Additionally, VDOT offers several resources to help plan travel ahead of time.” [VDOT]

Repairs Needed at Park Basketball Courts — “The Fairfax County Park Authority will soon begin repairing the basketball courts at Groveton Heights Park and Centre Ridge North Park. Construction is expected to begin this week, and weather permitting, take approximately three weeks to complete.” [FCPA]

Fairfax City to Promote Solo Driving Alternatives — “The City of Fairfax is celebrating ‘Get There Differently’ during the whole month of September — which includes Car Free Day on Sept. 23 — by encouraging residents to try an alternative to drive-alone commuting.” Incentives include free day passes for Capital Bikeshare rentals, a raffle and surprise prize giveaways to CUE bus riders. [City of Fairfax]

Spirit Halloween Stores Already Popping Up — “In Fairfax, Spirit Halloween will open in the former Charming Charlies store at, 11794 Fair Oaks Mall, 104A. The store is listed as ‘coming soon’ without a specified date.” The seasonal retailer is already open at Tysons Corner Center and Seven Corners, with stores in Bailey’s Crossroads and Rose Hill coming soon. [Patch]

It’s Friday — Expect a sunny day with temperatures reaching up to 84 degrees and light, variable winds. As night falls on Friday, the skies will be mostly clear with temperatures dropping to around 61 degrees, accompanied by a south wind blowing at 3 to 5 mph. [NWS]

Police Search for Kingstowne Robbery Suspects — A worker was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a commercial robbery in the 5700 block of Kingstowne Blvd on Aug. 7. Police say the employee “attempted to stop” a man and woman from leaving the store after they took merchadise without paying. The woman then “discharged pepper spray at the employee.” [FCPD]

Circus Coming to GMU — “Tickets for the upcoming performances of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus in Fairfax are now on sale. Billed as The Greatest Show on Earth, Ringling Bros. will be bringing more than 75 performers from 18 countries and presenting 50 circus acts from March 23 to April 6, 2025 at EagleBank Arena” on George Mason University’s Fairfax campus. [Patch]

Metro Workers Secure New Contract — “Metro workers will have to take at least 10 hours off between shifts and see some caps to their raises, under the terms of a new union contract signed Wednesday…The changes address long-standing concerns over worker exhaustion as well as high labor costs.” [Washington Post]

State Police Release Annual Crime Data — “Virginia had fewer homicides, but more vehicle thefts and drug arrests, during 2023, according to the annual statewide report released Aug. 20 by Virginia State Police…There were 20,824 violent-crime offenses reported last year versus 20,549 in 2022, a 1.3 percent increase.” [Gazette Leader]

Events Venue Opens in Hybla Valley — “Tucked away toward the rear of an unassuming Richmond Highway strip mall, a former mattress and furniture store has been transformed into a high-end event and meeting space. Known as Vista Banquet Hall, the new facility has been a labor of love for its owner, Lydia Kassa, who first started searching for a space to open it four years ago.” [On the MoVe]

Learn About Fairfax City School Bond Projects — “There will be a school bond referendum on the city ballot for the Nov. 5, 2024, General Election — and you can learn more about it at community engagement sessions on Aug. 22, Sept. 30, and Oct. 15.” The requested $220 million in bonds will be used to renovate the Providence and Daniels Run elementary schools and replace Fairfax High School’s roof. [City of Fairfax]

Kristin Chenoweth Teases Wolf Trap Show — “You’ve seen her on Broadway and on TV. Ahead of her September 13 show at Wolf Trap, this Emmy- and Tony Award–winning actress talks about what she’s been up to and the magic you’ll see on stage,” where she’ll perform with fellow movie, TV and theater actor Alan Cumming. [Northern Virginia Magazine]

It’s Thursday — Expect sunshine and a high around 79°F with a northwest wind at 5 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, reaching a low of approximately 58°F with calm winds. [NWS]