Author: Jared Serre

Jared Serre covers local business, public safety and breaking news across Local News Now's websites. Originally from Northeast Ohio, he is a graduate of West Virginia University. He previously worked with Law360 before joining LNN in May 2024.

Around Town

Reston tea shop braces for impact of high-risk tariffs

By Jared Serre
Elden Street Tea Shop in Reston (photo courtesy Rachel Eisenfeld)

These days, any storage space at Reston’s Elden Street Tea Shop is full.

That’s not solely due to the success of the business, which first opened its doors in 2017, but rather the result of precautions taken as the tariffs cloud the shop’s future.

Go to Reston tea shop braces for impact of high-risk tariffs Read more
Around Town

Panera Bread returns to Reston tomorrow

By Jared Serre
Panera Bread in Reston (staff photo by Jared Serre)

One of the world’s most popular fast-casual brands will open a new Reston restaurant tomorrow, six years after closing its last neighborhood eatery.

Panera Bread is coming to 2401 Fulton Place, placing a grab-and-go option in the mixed-use development Halley Rise — located at the intersection of Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive near the Reston Town Center Metro station.

Go to Panera Bread returns to Reston tomorrow Read more
News

Supervisor Pat Herrity drops out of lieutenant governor’s race, citing health reasons

By Jared Serre
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Supervisor Pat Herrity, long seen as the frontrunner for the Republican Party’s lieutenant governor nomination, is bowing out of the race due to health reasons, he said Monday.

Herrity’s decision comes five weeks after undergoing heart surgery, which required the 65-year-old to take a step back from the campaign trail. Subsequent complications, he says, made the race much harder to run.

Go to Supervisor Pat Herrity drops out of lieutenant governor’s race, citing health reasons Read more
Around Town

Vienna crepe shop to close after 13 years in the neighborhood

By Jared Serre
Crepe Amour in Vienna (staff photo by Jared Serre)

A long-standing tenant of Vienna’s Maple Avenue corridor is soon closing its doors for good.

Crepe Amour, which has served up the sweet and savory dishes for nearly 13 years at 407 Maple Avenue E, will stop serving customers at the end of April.

Go to Vienna crepe shop to close after 13 years in the neighborhood Read more
News

Travel agent pleads guilty over failed GMU basketball trip, faces 20-year sentence

By Jared Serre
George Mason's basketball court at EagleBank Arena (photo via George Mason Athletics)

A Georgia-based travel agent faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for his role in defrauding the George Mason men’s basketball team out of a trip to The Bahamas in August.

Maurice Eugene Smith, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in federal court earlier this month, stemming from a scheme he orchestrated that left George Mason’s plans for the trip unbooked and unpaid for, according to federal court documents.

Go to Travel agent pleads guilty over failed GMU basketball trip, faces 20-year sentence Read more
Around Town

Ford Motor-inspired restaurant coming to Fairfax

By Jared Serre
The exterior of a current Ford's Garage restaurant (photo courtesy of Ford's Garage)

A restaurant brand inspired by the history of the Ford Motor Company has set its sights on Fairfax County.

Formulators of Ford’s Garage, a burger and craft beer eatery chain, have joined with an area franchisee to add three of the brand’s restaurants to Northern Virginia, the company announced Tuesday.

Go to Ford Motor-inspired restaurant coming to Fairfax Read more
News

Lorton man gets prison time after Dulles Airport officials found child sex abuse material on phone

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

A Lorton man will spend most of the next two decades in federal prison after coercing young girls to create and send him sexually explicit content on social media.

Jose Alejandro Belmonte Cardozo, who pleaded guilty in November to one count of transporting child pornography, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison yesterday (Tuesday) by a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Go to Lorton man gets prison time after Dulles Airport officials found child sex abuse material on phone Read more
Countywide

Weapons detectors to be tested at Fairfax County high schools next week

By Jared Serre
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid discusses the upcoming weapons detection pilot program with students (via FCPS/YouTube)

Starting next week, Fairfax County Public Schools will begin rolling out a pilot program intended to prevent guns and other weapons from being brought into school buildings.

Randomly selected high schools in the district will see the installation of OpenGate detectors at the building’s main doors, allowing students, faculty and visitors to be screened when entering the school.

Go to Weapons detectors to be tested at Fairfax County high schools next week Read more
News

Maryland man who punched Dulles Airport gate agent to appear in court

By Jared Serre
The tarmac at Dulles International Airport (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A Maryland man who reportedly punched a gate agent at Dulles International Airport is scheduled to make his first federal court appearance later this week.

Accused of striking an employee of United Airlines “in the face with a closed fist,” Christopher Stuart Crittenden will appear in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday (April 17), according to court records.

Go to Maryland man who punched Dulles Airport gate agent to appear in court Read more
View More Stories