Author: FFXnow.com

County Police Step Up DWI Enforcement for Holidays — “Our DWI Enforcement Squad ramps up at the end of every year to focus on Safe December. During this campaign, running from December 4 to December 29, the squad will increase their staffing and focus on ensuring our roadways remain safe this holiday season.” [FCPD]

Two People Shot Near Annandale Bowlero — “Police are investigating a shooting by the Bowlero bowling alley at 4245 Markham St. in Annandale on Dec. 1.” Officers who responded around 5 p.m “found a juvenile suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body.” Detectives believe an adult man who appeared at Virginia Hospital Center with a gunshot wound was also involved. [Annandale Today]

FCPS Still Looking Into Hayfield Football Program — “A week after Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid withdrew Hayfield Secondary School’s football team from the playoffs, the Virginia school system is still investigating troubling text messages that led to the high school athletic director’s resignation.” [WTOP]

Capital Bikeshare Use Growing but Uneven — Capital Bikeshare “has hit new monthly ridership records for six months and counting, and year over year, ridership jumped up a whopping 47.7% between October 2023 and October 2024 … But CaBi’s growth is uneven outside of the District itself, despite significant pockets of density and transit usage in the area’s suburbs.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Route 1 Widening to Close Local Bank — “United Bank, a community bank located at the corner of Richmond Highway and Sherwood Hall Lane in Gum Springs, will be permanently closing in February 2025, a spokesperson from the bank confirmed … The bank falls within the proposed right of way for the future Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit system.” [On the MoVe]

Pupatella Marks Reston Anniversary With Discount — “Wednesday, December 4th our Reston location is celebrating their Anniversary with $10 pizzas all day! Join us for great food, great fun, great prizes, and so much more!” [Pupatella/Instagram]

GMU Student Art to Be Displayed at Metro Stations — “You may spot some new works of art on your daily commute, thanks to four George Mason University student artists. These students will have original animations displayed on screens in six Metro stations as part of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Art in Transit Program.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Reston Association Seeks Board Candidates — “Reston Association is seeking candidates to serve on its Board of Directors. A total of three seats will be open for the election in March 2025,” including one at-large seat and the seats for the Tall Oaks/Lake Anne and North Point district directors. [Reston Association]

It’s Wednesday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures reaching up to 42 and southwest winds increasing to 10-15 mph and gusts up to 24 mph. At night, there’s a 40% chance of rain and snow showers after 1 am, coupled with mostly cloudy skies and a low of 34°F. [NWS]

County Opens Hypothermia Prevention Shelters — Fairfax County has launched its annual Hypothermia Prevention Program, which offers overnight shelter, food and other resources to those in need during the cold winter months. Continuing until March 31, 2025, the program involves permanent shelters and temporary sites hosted by local nonprofits and faith communities. [Fairfax County Government]

Man Last Seen in McLean Still Missing — Virginia and Fairfax County police are looking for 80-year-old Robert Williams, who has now been missing for over a week. He was last seen around noon on Nov. 25 in the 2100 block of Westmoreland Street in McLean, driving a pickup truck that was found parked and empty on Fairfax Drive in Arlington on Sunday (Dec. 1). [WUSA9]

Dominion Energy Station to Power Data Center — “Bren Mar Park community representatives are urging residents to come out in force to a Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) hearing this Thursday on Dominion Energy’s application for the Edsall substation and transmission lines. The substation would power Starwood Capital’s planned data center at the Plaza 500 site.” [Annandale Today]

Stolen Vehicle Crashed on GMU Campus — “Around 7:38 p.m., a vehicle that had been stolen from Prince William County earlier in the day [on Saturday, Nov. 30] careened onto the school’s Fairfax campus and slammed into the pole.” GMU Assistant Chief of Police Emily Ross says police took two juveniles in the vehicle into custody, but two others are still at large. [Patch]

Woman Arrested at Dulles Airport for Marijuana — “A Texas woman is facing felony drug charges after authorities said she tried to bring 71 pounds of marijuana onto a flight at Dulles Airport that was destined for London.” Customs officers discovered 60 vacuum-sealed bags filled with the drug in the woman’s two suitcases on Nov. 23. [WTOP]

Local TV News Anchor on Hiatus — “NBC Washington announced Monday that anchor Leon Harris is ‘stepping away from the anchor desk to focus on health issues’ … The announcement comes after Harris appeared unwell during a 6 p.m. newscast Thanksgiving Day,” prompting viewers to raise “concerns that the anchor could be suffering a medical emergency after he stumbled over his words several times.” [WTOP]

Mount Vernon Farmers Market Adds Vendors — “Prep your palate for some mouth-watering treats as ‘pop-up’ vendors new to this year’s McCutcheon/Mount Vernon Farmers Market will offer their wares starting Dec. 4.” The Fairfax County Park Authority’s Reston and Burke markets will also remain open until this Saturday, Dec. 7 and Dec. 21, respectively. [On the MoVe]

Falls Church May Discuss Allowing Deer Hunting — “On Monday, new City Council member Laura Downs asked City Manager Wyatt Shields if coming months would include a discussion of whether Falls Church should join the growing number of Northern Virginia localities that permit deer levels to be controlled on public property.” [ARLnow]

It’s Tuesday — The weather will be sunny, reaching a high of approximately 41 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 9 to 11 mph and gusts up to 21 mph. Night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 24 degrees, and a west wind at a speed of 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]

Tysons Corner Center Draws Crowds for Black Friday — “Shoppers flooded Tysons Corner Center Friday, causing typical traffic slowdowns and lines outside of several stores. In some cases, the lines began forming prior to 6 a.m.” For many local families, Black Friday at the mall has become a tradition. [DC News Now]

Burke Townhouse Fire Contained — Firefighters with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department managed to contain a townhouse fire in the 10200 block of Fern Pool Court on Saturday (Nov. 30) “to the end unit, preventing significant damage to neighboring properties. All occupants evacuated safely. No civilian or firefighter injuries.” [FCFRD/Facebook]

County Progresses Toward Affordable Housing Goal — “Fairfax County is making progress toward its goal of creating at least 10,000 affordable homes by 2034 … Tom Fleetwood, director of the county’s Department of Housing and Community Development, said the county’s approaching 35% of that goal with about 10 years to go.” [WTOP]

Police Search GMU Campus for Suspect — George Mason Police sent out an alert just before 9 p.m. on Saturday announcing that they were assisting in a search “for a wanted person” in the 4400 block of University Drive. A subsequent alert around 10:50 p.m. reported that the investigation had ended, but “no information was available about the nature of the investigation.” [Patch]

Virginia Could Elect First Female Governor — “Two women seem to have cleared the field for next year’s Republican and Democratic gubernatorial primaries. Rep. Abigail Spanberger has had the Democratic contest to herself since her lone competitor dropped out in April, while Winsome Earle-Sears’s long-anticipated rival for the GOP nod let it be known this month that he was taking a pass.” [Washington Post]

Church Street Stroll Returns to Vienna — Vienna’s annual Church Street Holiday Stroll will return tonight (Monday) with a tree lighting ceremony, visits with Santa, free marshmallow-roasting and, for the first time, a gingerbread decorating contest. “The merriment begins in front of the Freeman Store and Museum at the corner of Church and Mill streets on Monday, Dec. 2, from 6-8 p.m.” [Town of Vienna]

Ways to Help Kids in Annandale During Holiday Season — “For those of you who want to help the needy this holiday season, there are plenty of opportunities.” The Mason Police District Station is collecting toy and clothing donations, while the nonprofit New Hope Housing is seeking gift cards to Target, Walmart and grocery stores so residents can make needed purchases. [Annandale Today]

It’s Monday — Today will be sunny with a high near 38 and a northwest wind blowing 7 to 10 mph. Monday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 25 and a northwest wind at 6 to 9 mph. [NWS]

Rideshare Startup Ordered to Halt D.C. Operations — The McLean-based startup Empower, which “markets itself as a cheaper, fairer alternative to Lyft and Uber,” was ordered to stop operating in D.C. by a D.C. Superior Court judge. The company could face contempt charges if it doesn’t comply and keeps providing rides to and from the District without registering with the city’s Department of For-Hire Vehicles. [Washington Post]

Reston Holiday Parade Returns Today — “The annual Reston Holiday Parade returns on Friday, November 29, 11:00 AM. Celebrating its 32nd year, the one-of-a-kind, one-hour, half-mile parade along Market Street also welcomes the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus in a horse-drawn carriage. Since 1992, rain or shine, the parade has been an annual tradition on the day after Thanksgiving.” [Reston Town Center]

Hot Chicken Restaurant Opens in Annandale — “Crimson Coward, a fast-casual restaurant featuring Nashville hot chicken, is expected to have a soft opening in Annandale on Black Friday, Nov. 29. The restaurant, located at 7004 Columbia Pike, features ‘the Crimson,’ a boneless chicken breast with Crimson sauce, slaw, and pickles in a brioche bun.” [Annandale Today]

Local TV Station May Have Pulled on Natural Gas Hazards — “It looks as if Washington Gas would very much prefer that people don’t read this new report from environmental advocates describing the health dangers of gas appliances they tested in the D.C. area. So much so that the company appears to have pressured local CBS affiliate WUSA9 into burying a story about the report that ran last week.” [Washington City Paper]

How McLean Got Its Name — “According to Chris Barbuschak, the Virginia Room archivist and librarian at the City of Fairfax Regional Library, the village that eventually became the suburban community of 50,000 was named after John Roll McLean, owner of The Washington Post, who acquired it in 1905. McLean was also president of Washington Gas Light Company and a director of two banks.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Falls Church Moving to Ease ADU Rules — “A majority of the 2,400 owners of single-family homes in Falls Church soon could be allowed to build standalone accessory-dwelling units (ADUs) with far less government oversight.” The city council agreed on Monday (Nov. 25) to start considering a policy change that would allow ADUs “by right” in low-density and medium-density residential neighborhoods. [ARLnow]

County EDA Donates to Food Drive — “Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) staff members proudly donated canned and other non-perishable food items through an annual food drive to Food for Others. This year, the FCEDA donated 2,335 pounds of food, and from 2021, staff members have donated 4,930 pounds to Food for Others.” [FCEDA]

Girls’ Wrestling Arrives as Varsity Sport in FCPS — With girls’ wrestling rolling out as a varsity sport this winter, students hope female participation in the sport will be more encouraged after some faced obstacles when the only option was coed teams dominated by boys. Justice High School girls’ wrestling coach Benjamin Alvarado expects to see eight to 10 wrestlers on the team. [WTOP]

It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures reaching around 47 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 5 to 11 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. The night will be mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 28 degrees, and a west wind persisting at 8 to 10 mph. [NWS]

County Shares Holiday Giving Guide — “There are many ways to support your neighbors and community this holiday season. We’ve rounded up a list of giving opportunities right here in Fairfax County.” Options include the Toys for Tots campaign, a Winter Gear Donation Drive hosted by the Providence District office, and gift card and food donations. [Fairfax County Government]

Help Wanted for Annandale Fire Victim — “Deveri White has launched a fundraising drive to support her friend and coworker, Catherine ‘Kitty’ Dragonera, who was injured in a fire at her apartment in Annandale in the early morning of Nov. 23. The fire totally destroyed Kitty and her husband Matthew’s apartment at 4925 Americana Drive, and they lost everything.” [Annandale Today]

Undeveloped Tysons Site Sold — “A piece of the 40-acre Scotts Run development that was approved for a high-rise apartment project has traded hands for the second time in five years. Northmarq announced Friday it brokered the $18.5M sale of the 1.3-acre site, and a spokesperson for the brokerage told Bisnow the buyer was Falls Church-based Rushmark Properties.” [Bisnow]

Fairfax City Ice Cream Shop Reopens With New Owners — “Earlier this year, Sugar Mama’s Ice Cream closed [its] doors, but new owners Neel Vaidya and Palak Pael decided to reopen the long-time Fairfax City favorite. The couple also owns and runs Troy’s Italian Kitchen in Arlington … On Friday, the couple celebrated Sugar Mama’s grand reopening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.” [Patch]

Groveton School Hopes to Phase in Montessori Program — “Administrative leaders from Bucknell Elementary School (ES) in Groveton recently informed FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid that based on feedback from the school community, they would recommend phasing in a Montessori program for Pre-Kindergarten through third grade students from the 2025-2026 through the 2028-2029 school years.” [On the MoVe]

Police Make Arrest in Woodlawn Robbery — A 36-year-old man was charged with robbery, drug possession and obstruction of justice after allegedly robbing a woman at knifepoint on Nov. 22. The victim told police who responded to the 8200 block of Richmond Highway around 3:58 p.m. that the man “approached her with a knife, pushed her to the ground, and took her handbag.” [FCPD]

Springfield Record Factory Keeps Vinyl Alive — WTOP recently got a backstage tour of Furnace Record Pressing, one of the world’s largest independent vinyl record pressing companies. “Metallica bought a majority stake in Furnace’s operation about a year ago, and the Northern Virginia team said they’re grateful that the heavy metal giants have allowed them to continue to make records their way.” [WTOP]

It’s Wednesday — Expect increasing clouds and a high of 54 with calm winds in the afternoon. Rain will begin late tonight, accompanied by patchy fog and a low of 45; precipitation chances are 90%, with up to a quarter-inch expected. On Thanksgiving Day, rain will continue until early afternoon, followed by dissipating fog by 10am. The high will be around 54. [NWS]