Author: Mary Stachyra Lopez

Mary Stachyra Lopez is a staff reporter covering business, public safety, education, and other community issues for Local News Now. She has previously worked at Patch.com, the Arlington Catholic Herald, and The Atlantic.

Around Town

New cat ‘hotel’ in Fairfax City promises visitors a purr-fect stay

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Narrow blue playroom with white shelves on both walls, a window with a large cat-face decal, a red toy car, and a pizza-shaped rug.
A room inside Happy Cat Hotel and Spa (Courtesy Happy Cat Hotel and Spa)

Feline friends in Fairfax have a new place they can stay while their humans are away.

Brittni Loutzenheiser and Nicolas Martinez, a married couple from Alexandria, will host a grand opening celebration of their new business, Happy Cat Hotel & Pet Spa Fairfax, tomorrow (Saturday) from noon to 4 p.m. The event will include tours, vendors, raffles and giveaways, and an opportunity to meet the owners.

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News

Reston daycare teacher charged with assault of 3-year-old boy

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Two large outdoor banners in front of a brick office building, with bare trees and snowy ground; left banner promotes a dog-friendly theme, right banner advertises Bright Horizons Daycare and In-Person events/activities.
An ad for Bright Horizons Daycare at Commerce Metro Center on Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston, seen in January 2025 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A daycare teacher is facing charges of misdemeanor assault and battery following an alleged assault on a child at the Reston school, Fairfax County police said yesterday (Aug. 13).

Detectives responded to Bright Horizons Daycare at 11400 Commerce Park Drive on Aug. 7 for a report of an assault on the 3-year-old.

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News

Va. woman fears she might’ve been shot if ICE encounter wasn’t recorded

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Woman in a lime-green tank top speaks into a microphone at a protest, with signs behind her, including 'USA was founded by immigrants.'
Virginia resident and licensed professional counselor Carolina Molina points to the area where an ICE agent pulled his gun on her in Bailey's Crossroads (staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

A Northern Virginia woman believes her dashcam and cell phone recordings of an encounter with masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Bailey’s Crossroads on Monday (Aug. 10) saved her life.

Carolina Molina returned yesterday (Wednesday) near the site along Columbia Pike where an ICE agent drew his gun and pointed it at her to provide further details of the encounter, which made waves after she posted footage of it on Instagram.

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Witnesses testify to ‘odd’ behavior of suspect in fatal stabbing at Hybla Valley bus stop

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Abdul Jalloh seen on a bus shortly before the killing of Stephanie Minter (photo via FCPD/X)

The man accused of killing Stephanie Minter earlier this year boarded and left a bus at the same time as her, then doubled back and stood behind her as she appeared to sit unaware at a Hybla Valley bus stop during the last minutes of her life, according to witness testimony and video footage.

Following hours of testimony and surveillance footage shown during a preliminary hearing in Fairfax County General District Court yesterday (Wednesday), the second-degree murder case against 33-year-old Abdul Jalloh was certified to a grand jury in Fairfax County Circuit Court.

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News

Herndon Town Council authorizes collective bargaining for police officers

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Police officer in dark polo with badge speaking at a wooden podium in an empty auditorium.
Herndon Police Department Detective John Wallace speaks in support of an ordinance authorizing collective bargaining for his department (Screenshot via Town of Herndon)

The Herndon Town Council voted this week to authorize collective bargaining with officers in the town’s police department.

Unanimously passed on Tuesday (Aug. 11) with the exception of one absent member, the ordinance permits police employees to negotiate hourly wages and annual base salaries, and an advance pay program through a union.

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Man accused of attempted rape in Groveton indicted on bribery charge

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Brick courthouse with arched windows and a grassy verge along the street under a blue sky, daytime.
The Fairfax County Courthouse (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

A man accused of attempting to rape a woman at a Groveton hotel last year is facing a new charge of attempting to bribe a witness, according to Fairfax County Circuit Court records.

A grand jury indicted Oscar Junior Barrios of Alexandria on the bribery charge on July 20, adding it to a list of felony charges that already included abduction with intent to defile, attempted rape, grand larceny of a person, and misdemeanor simple assault.

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News

Man pleads guilty to raping woman on W&OD Trail in Herndon

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Paved park trail with a tall power line tower on the left, bare trees on the right, and a large blue-yellow trail guidelines sign at the foreground-right.
A sign with trail guidelines along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in downtown Herndon (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman on the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail in Herndon in 2024 has pleaded guilty to the charge of rape.

Denis Humberto Roman Navarette, 33, pleaded guilty yesterday (Tuesday) in Fairfax County Circuit Court, according to court records. Per a plea agreement, he could serve up to 18 years in prison, which the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney says exceeds the midpoint of Virginia’s Criminal Sentencing Guidelines for the crime.

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Around Town

Fairfax City Restaurant Week kicks off summer edition this month

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Table setting with two glasses of red wine and plates of seafood pasta, broccoli and mussels on a wooden table.
Seafood paella at Hamrock's restaurant (Courtesy Fairfax City Economic Development)

A longtime favorite with local foodies will return this month.

Fairfax City Restaurant Week is running Aug. 20-30, with 21 local restaurants putting a spotlight on the signature dishes that best represent their establishment.

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News

Prosecutors link fatal Woodlawn shooting to vehicle break-in gone wrong

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Brick courthouse with arched windows and a grassy verge along the street under a blue sky, daytime.
The Fairfax County Courthouse (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

The trial of a man accused of killing an Alexandria man last year during an attempted vehicle break-in is underway in Fairfax County Circuit Court.

Tavon Tykee Ferguson is accused of second-degree murder and use of a firearm while committing a felony in the death of 21-year-old Jaylin Hartless. Prosecutors say that Ferguson and a second man, Tavon Lang of Alexandria, were trying car doors in the Woodlawn area when they came upon Hartless sitting in his car.

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News

Trial set for man accused of killing 3-month-old daughter in Bailey’s Crossroads

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
The front of the Fairfax County Courthouse (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A Bailey’s Crossroads man is scheduled to face a 15-day jury trial this spring on charges of aggravated murder and felony child abuse.

During a hearing in Fairfax County Circuit Court Friday (Aug. 7),  a trial date was set for Misael Lopez Gomez, 28, who is accused of killing his three-month-old daughter. Barring continuances or a plea agreement, the trial will begin April 5, 2027.

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