Someone bought a Powerball ticket for Monday night’s drawing that is now worth $1 million. The winning ticket was bought at Safeway, located at 8646 Richmond Highway in [Mount Vernon’s Engleside Plaza].
The million-dollar question now is: Who has that ticket?
The winning numbers for the April 1 Powerball drawing were 19-24-40-42-56, and the Powerball number was 23. This ticket matched the first five numbers and missed only the Powerball number.
This ticket was one of only six in the nation to match the first five numbers. No ticket matched all six numbers to win the estimated $1 billion jackpot. That means the jackpot for Wednesday’s Powerball drawing grows to an estimated $1.09 billion.
Whoever has the ticket has 180 days from the drawing date to claim the prize. The Virginia Lottery advises that before doing anything else, the winner should immediately sign the back of the ticket to establish ownership. When the person is ready to claim the million-dollar prize, he or she should contact the Virginia Lottery.
Stores that sell a $1 million winning ticket receive a $10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery.
Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. The overall odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 25.
All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Lottery raised more than $867 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.
Image via Google Maps. This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission and small tweaks to specify Safeway’s location. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
U.S. Department of Labor investigations at four Northern Virginia Jersey Mike’s franchise locations have found the operator allowed more than a dozen employees under the age of 16 to perform dangerous tasks and work longer than permitted hours.
The department’s Wage and Hour Division determined that JM Burke LLC — the Charleston, South Carolina-based operator — violated the Fair Labor Standards Act at locations in Ashburn, South Riding, Springfield and Sterling, according to an agency news release.
The Springfield location under investigation was the Jersey Mike’s in Old Keene Mill Shopping Center (8432 Old Keene Mill Road), a Department of Labor spokesperson says. The chain can also be found at Brookfield Plaza and Ravensworth Shopping Center. (added by FFXnow)
The operator is accused of allowing 14 minor-aged children to operate power-driven meat slicers, a hazardous occupation under federal law, the release said.
The division also found JM Burke employed minors to either work more than eight hours on a non-school day, more than 18 hours during a school week, more than three hours on a school day after 7 p.m. between the day after Labor Day and May 31, or after 9 p.m. between June 1 and Labor Day, all child labor violations.
JM Burke paid $108,161 in civil money penalties to resolve its child labor infractions, the release said.
Investigators also identified overtime violations at the Ashburn location, where the employer failed to include bonuses in three employees’ regular rates of pay when calculating overtime wages owed, the Department of Labor said.
The employer also failed to maintain accurate records of workers’ regular pay rates. JM Burke paid $856 in overtime back wages to these affected workers.
“Employers who hire minors are legally and ethically obligated to comply with child labor standards that protect young people from harm,” Wage and Hour Division District Director Nicholas Fiorello said in the release. “In addition to keeping them safe, employers must schedule young workers for times that allow for their education to remain the priority.”
JM Burke LLC has agreed to future enhanced compliance that includes staff training, increased corporate site visits, the creation of a website for reporting violations and investments in technology to monitor internal store cameras to help ensure children are not working in hazardous occupations.
For more information about young workers’ rights and other employee rights enforced by the division, contact the toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).
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Detectives have charged a 17-year-old boy with DUI-related manslaughter and maiming in a Nov. 20 crash that killed one teen and seriously injured four others in Fairfax County’s Idylwood area.
In a news release, Fairfax County police said the boy was driving under the influence in a 2003 Lincoln Aviator when he crested a hill on Shreve Road “at a high rate of speed” around 5 a.m. that morning.
The boy struck a tree near Pioneer Lane and the vehicle spun, ejecting the five teenage passengers, the release said. None were wearing seatbelts.
One of the teens died Nov. 27 from his injuries. The four other passengers were seriously injured and have since been released from the hospital.
On Thursday (Feb. 29), detectives obtained warrants charging the driver with DUI-related manslaughter, four counts of DUI maiming and refusal to take a breath test, the release said.
Last night, patrol officers arrested the driver at his Pimmit Hills home. He was held without bond at the Fairfax County jail. His name has not been released because he is a juvenile.
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Friday night’s performance by comedian Nate Bargatze is expected to draw the largest crowd ever to EagleBank Arena on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University, according to Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which operates the arena.
Over 10,400 tickets have been sold for the event, which would break the arena’s record of 10,356 patrons for a concert by Phish on Oct. 8, 1994, Monumental said in a news release. The arena, originally known as the Patriot Center, opened in 1984.
Because of the expected large crowd, GMU and Monumental officials are advising ticketholders to allow extra travel time and to be aware of limited parking near the arena. Doors open at 7 p.m.; the show starts at 8 p.m.
Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, whose district includes the area around GMU’s Fairfax campus, warned community members on social media to expect “an increased volume of traffic” tonight.
The show begins @ 8pm, w/doors opening at 7pm Subscribe to Mason alerts (https://t.co/wi9pV74vW7) for up-to-date details on high-impact areas and alternative routes.
— Supervisor James Walkinshaw (@JRWalkinshaw) February 23, 2024
Over 14,300 fans attended Bargatze’s show at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington on Thursday night, Monumental said in a news release.
“We predicted a spike in ticket sales due to Nate Bargatze’s overwhelming popularity with fans in our region and he delivered,” said Eric Cuthbertson, general manager of EagleBank Arena. “The unique opportunity to have a show play both in D.C. and Fairfax on back-to-back nights is exciting.”
EagleBank Arena’s highest grossing event was on Sept. 2, 2023, when Mexican Latin pop group RBD generated over $1.9 million in gross ticket sales.
Bargatze is currently on his The Be Funny Tour.
This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. The headline was tweaked and Supervisor James Walkinshaw’s tweet added by FFXnow. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
Centreville-based nonprofit Tender Hearts has donated over 100 Nepali-language children’s books to Fairfax County Public Libraries with the aim of connecting local Nepalese families and children to their cultural roots.
Prabha Bhattarai Deuja, founder and president of Tender Hearts, recently delivered the books to the Chantilly branch of Fairfax County Public Libraries, according to a news release.
“The Fairfax County Public Libraries hold a special place in my heart for its dedication to accessibility and equity,” Deuja said in the release. “To be able to contribute to that same mission with our newly added Nepalese culture books brings a sense of pride and gratitude for our community I didn’t know was possible. I am a firm believer that books are just one door to promoting our country and culture.”
The books have been cataloged and are currently available to all Fairfax County residents. More information can be found at fairfaxcounty.gov/library/nepali-world-languages-bags.
Tender Hearts representatives said they hope to see the collection expanded over time. The nonprofit — formally known as PKP Tender Hearts Foundation — aims to preserve and spread awareness about Nepali culture within children in the U.S.
This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
Forensic evidence has led to arrest of a suspect in a shooting in Woodbridge last year that left one man dead and another injured.
Prince William police on Monday served warrants for murder, malicious wounding and use of a firearm in a felony on Zaire Lee Davis, 21, of no fixed address, at the Fairfax County jail, said county police Lt. Jonathan Perok.
Davis has been incarcerated since last summer in connection with a robbery in Annandale and a Father’s Day shooting in Reston.
Perok said recent forensic results linked Davis to the Jan. 16, 2023 shooting in Marumsco Plaza that left a 27-year-old man dead and another wounded.
Police were called to the 13900 block of Richmond Highway at 8:50 p.m. that night and found a 22-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the lower body. He was taken to the hospital where his injuries were determined to be non-life threatening, police said.
A short time later, security officers from a nearby shopping center notified officers of a second man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Officers provided first aid to the victim, identified as Akeem Rashaud Williams, until rescue crews took him to the hospital, where he died of his injuries.
The investigation revealed a group was in the area when gunshots were fired, striking the two men. While investigating, officers learned that an occupied car traveling on U.S. 1 was also hit by gunfire.
Perok said the shooting is believed to have stemmed from a previous altercation and ongoing dispute between the men involved.
Mugshot via FCPD. This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
A man who claimed he was stabbed by two masked strangers outside Dulles Town Center in November now faces charges of filing a false report and embezzlement from the mall’s Sports Nation store where he worked.
On Nov. 10, Fawad Fafa, 44, filed a report with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office claiming to have been a victim of a stabbing in the parking lot of the Dulles Town Center Mall in Sterling.
“Fafa reported that he left the mall and as he got into his vehicle, two males wearing masks approached his vehicle and stabbed him before fleeing in a dark-colored four-door sedan,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Detectives determined the report was fabricated and that Fafa had injured himself, the sheriff’s office said.
On Nov. 8, an employee of the Sports Nation store where Fafa worked reported that during the overnight hours the store had been entered and money was taken. Detectives soon determined that Fafa had taken the money, according to the release.
Fafa was arrested Dec. 15 and charged with two counts of filing a false police report and embezzlement, the release said.
He was released from the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center the next day on a $1,500 bond.
On Dec. 19, at approximately 9:15 p.m., detectives allege Fafa again entered the Sports Nation store and forcibly removed money from the cash register, the release said.
Additional charges were obtained for burglary and embezzlement, and Fafa was arrested by the Fairfax County Police Department. He is being held at the Fairfax County jail.
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Home sales in Northern Virginia declined 9.8% in November from the same month in 2022, but were up 12.5% from October, according to new data from the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors.
The year-over-year decline continued a trend that has been ongoing since the middle of 2022 although it was not as much as in some prior months. And prices rose 5.7% from November 2022, NVAR reported.
“November data show that the market continues to adjust in this post-COVID time, and we haven’t quite found a new normal. We do know that housing inventory remains limited which drives down home sales. That in turn drives up demand for those limited homes to choose from, which leads to higher home prices,” said Casey Menish of Pearson Smith Realty and an NVAR board member. “I am optimistic that as mortgage rates fall, we will see more people ready to sell their homes, and more buyers ready to pick up their home searches where they left them.”
The months’ supply of inventory in November was 1.05, up just slightly (0.3%) from November 2022 but down from October’s 1.23 months. The average days on the market in November was 20, down significantly (23.1%) from the prior year but a little higher than October’s 17 days.
Homebuyers continued to have few options and that meant higher prices. The median sold price for a home in November was $656,500. That’s up almost 22% from the pre-pandemic November 2019 median sold price of $538,250.
NVAR’s newly released 2024 economic housing forecast, produced in conjunction with George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, indicated that the residential and commercial real estate markets have not yet reached a post-pandemic normal. The forecast reported a possible downturn despite the economy attracting regional workers and creating jobs. As such, overall sales activity is expected to decline in 2024.
Another COVID outcome cited in the forecast is an increase in intraregional migration patterns — especially to distant suburbs — spurred by more work-from-home options.
“We expect home values to continue to increase due to historic low housing inventories across the region,” said Ryan McLaughlin, CEO of NVAR. “But we remain hopeful that recent spikes in mortgage rates will moderate and stabilize and help create ownership opportunities.”
The Northern Virginia Association of Realtors data include home sales in Fairfax and Arlington counties, the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church and the towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton. Here are highlights from the November report:
- Closed sales: 1,054, down 9.8% from November 2022 and also down from November 2019’s 1,430 closed sales.
- Average sold price: $780,193, up 9.2% from November 2022.
- Active listings: 1,407, down 23.9% from November 2022.
- Pending sales: 996, down 19% from November 2022.
Photo via Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash. This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
And then there were five.
Del. Dan Helmer of Fairfax County announced Wednesday morning that he is joining the race for the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District next year.
Helmer, a U.S. Army veteran who was first elected in 2019, led the House Democratic Caucus’ campaign effort this fall, which resulted in Democrats picking up three seats and regaining control of the chamber.
The 10th District is currently represented by Rep. Jennifer Wexton, a Democrat, but Wexton announced earlier this year she will not seek reelection for health reasons.
Other Democrats who have announced campaigns for the seat are:
- Current state Sen. Jennifer Boysko of Fairfax County
- Former Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn
- Former Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni
- Current Del. David Reid of Loudoun County
Loudoun Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall had been mentioned as a candidate, but she ruled out a run Tuesday, saying she wanted to focus on her third term as board chair.
The 10th District includes all of Loudoun County — making up more than half its voters — along with all of Fauquier and Rappahannock counties and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. It also includes the western half of Prince William County and about 15,000 voters in the Clifton and Union Mill areas of southern Fairfax County.
After knocking off Republican Barbara Comstock in 2018, Wexton won reelection to the newly drawn 10th District last year with about 53% of the vote, defeating Republican Hung Cao.
Helmer was reelected Tuesday to House District 10, defeating Republican Jim Thomas with over 58% of the vote. His district covers southwestern Fairfax, including the town of Clifton and the Centreville area. Before redistricting after the 2020 Census, he also represented a small portion of Prince William.
Helmer is the son of an immigrant and the grandson of refugees and Holocaust survivors, according to a news release from his campaign. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and served tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and Korea. He currently owns a small business and continues to serve as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
“My grandparents came to America to escape the Nazis,” Helmer said. “It’s why I volunteered to serve our country and protect the democracy that took us in. While I was proud to serve, I lost friends in Iraq and Afghanistan because politicians lacked the courage to stand up to President Bush’s misguided wars. Our democracy failed us.”
He said democracy faces greater threats today: “MAGA extremists are seeking to undermine free and fair elections and strip away the right to an abortion, all while coddling a gun lobby that floods our streets with weapons of war.”
According to the release, in the General Assembly, Helmer supported gun safety bills, the repeal of Virginia’s “Right to Work” laws and women’s healthcare.
He lives in Fairfax with his wife, Karen, a public school educator, and their two sons.
Photo via Dan Helmer/Facebook. This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
The Junior League of Northern Virginia has committed to providing at least 8,000 period products to clients of the Lorton Community Action Center over the next year.
The mission of the Lorton center is to enhance the quality of life for clients by providing food, basic needs, and self-sufficiency programs.
“The Lorton Community Action Center has had a longstanding relationship with the Junior League of Northern Virginia,” said Rob Rutland-Brown, executive director of the center. “We are thrilled that JLNV is stepping into an even more generous role – these donations will ensure that women have access to necessary period products whenever they need them,”
The deepened partnership is part of the Junior League’s new focus: Women Helping Women, a commitment to providing essential services and professional development training opportunities for women and families in the community, according to a news release.
Michelle Freeman, president of the Junior League, noted that statistics show that 20% of women in the Washington area live in poverty.
“Lack of access to period products is often a hidden consequence,” she added. “Our partnership will provide much-needed period products in our local area and really embraces our new focus area.”
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