Author: Mary Stachyra Lopez

Mary Stachyra Lopez is a staff reporter covering business, public safety, education, and other community issues. She covered Northern Virginia news for years at several media outlets, and spent half a decade as an editor on The Atlantic's audience team before joining Local News Now. 

Around Town

New Chantilly dog day care to throw Halloween-themed grand opening party tomorrow

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Brick commercial building with CMP BowWow sign, a tree in front, and a white van in the lot under an overcast sky
Camp Bow Wow (13893 Willard Road) is hosting a grand opening celebration this weekend. (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

A new dog day care and boarding spot opened in Chantilly this summer, and to celebrate, its owners are inviting locals and their four-legged friends to have a paw-some time at a Halloween-themed grand opening party this weekend.

After opening its doors July 31, Camp Bow Wow Dulles South (13893 Willard Road) will throw a grand opening “Howl-O-Ween” party on Saturday (Oct. 17) from noon to 4 p.m.

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News

JUST IN: Off-duty FCPD officer charged with domestic assault in Tysons

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Side view of a Fairfax County Police Department SUV with large white 'POLICE' lettering and a police badge on the front door panel.
A Fairfax County police cruiser (staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

An officer assigned to the Fairfax County Police Department’s McLean District Station has been arrested and charged with three counts of domestic assault.

Brandon Moore, 35, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of criminal and administrative investigations, the FCPD said today (Friday).

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Countywide

Olympic medalists join FCPS to kick off new water safety program for kids

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Three children wearing life jackets and orange swim caps sit in an orange Explorer 300 inflatable boat in a pool, paddling with oars while a swimmer nearby watches from the water.
Three children participate in a boating safety station during a Water Safety Festival Oct. 13 at Skyview High School. (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

Fairfax County Public Schools this week celebrated the launch of a new program to help young learners make safe choices in the water with an immersive “water safety festival” featuring visits from Olympic swimmers.

Students from grades 3-5 gathered at the Skyview High School swimming pool on Tuesday (Oct. 13) to try out the basics of swimming, paddle from inside an inflatable boat, and hear from two-time Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones. Maritza Correia McClendon, an Olympic silver medalist, also visited earlier in the day.

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News

FCPD: Herndon man charged after trying to sell drugs for a gun

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Handgun with magazine and several bags of pills arranged on a table, including blue and white tablets and a loose round cartridge nearby, all on a gray surface.
The FCPD released this image of fentanyl and a firearm with an auto sear and extended magazine. (Courtesy FCPD)

A Herndon man was recently arrested on drug and weapons charges after allegedly attempting to sell fentanyl to an undercover police detective, the Fairfax County Police Department announced this morning (Thursday).

The 19-year-old has been charged with possession with intent to distribute schedule I/II narcotics, possession of a firearm while distributing schedule I/II narcotics, possession of an auto sear, and carrying a loaded firearm in certain localities.

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News

Skyview HS quantum computer could be ‘incubator’ for future FCPS programs

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Skyview High School in Herndon (file photo)

Fairfax County Public Schools has acquired a quantum computer, touted as the world’s first for kindergarten through 12th-grade students, for its new Skyview High School in the Floris area south of Herndon.

Roughly the size of a small refrigerator, the computer is expected to be installed in December and become available next spring to FCPS students, enabling them to explore quantum concepts, understand how the machine differs from a traditional computer, and test problems.

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News

VDOT celebrates as project to widen Route 29 outside Centreville nears finish

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
A group of five people stand behind a red ribbon on a path near a road, with thick trees in the background.
VDOT NOVA district engineer Bill Cuttler, Supervisor Pat Herrity (Springfield District), Chairman Jeff McKay, Supervisor Kathy Smith (Sully District) and Northern Virginia Transportation Authority CEO Monica Backmon gather for a ribbon-cutting near the newly completed Route 29 project (courtesy VDOT)

Officials from Fairfax County and the Virginia Department of Transportation recently gathered to celebrate the impending completion of a nearly 4-year-long, $94.4 million project aimed at alleviating a key bottleneck on Route 29, near the Centreville area.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith, Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, and VDOT officials cut a ceremonial ribbon on Oct. 8 to mark the end of the widening project, which extends for 1.5 miles between Union Mill Road and Buckleys Gate Drive.

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News

Developer submits plans to build fuel cell-powered data center in Chantilly

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Modern office building named Westfields behind a landscaped stone wall and trees. sunset lighting.
A rendering of a proposed data center on Stonecroft Blvd in Chantilly. (Courtesy T5)

A data center developer has officially requested a special exception from Fairfax County to build a 312,000-square-foot data center on the corner of Stonecroft Blvd and Lee Road in Chantilly.

The application from T5 Data Centers, submitted in mid-September, provides greater insight into plans for what it calls “Project Charlie” — which could become the first fuel cell-powered data center in the county.

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Around Town

NOVA Parks seeks ideas to transform Centreville’s Bull Run events center

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Nighttime carnival with a large multicolored Ferris wheel glowing against the dark sky, with rides and cars in the foreground
A ferris wheel is shown during a winter carnival at the Bull Run Festival of Lights (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

Over the years, the Bull Run Special Events Center in Centreville has hosted just about every type of large-scale event: a winter carnival, the circus, events for foodies and wine aficionados, and cultural festivals of every kind.

Now, NOVA Parks, which runs Bull Run Regional Park, wants to look to the future and find “transformative” ideas for what the venue could become.

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Around Town

Print fashion brand Lilly Pulitzer opens in Fairfax County’s Mosaic District

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Front exterior of a retail storefront with a pink Lilly Pulitzer sign above large glass windows, neighboring New Balance store.
The new Lilly Pulitzer store in the Mosaic District (Staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Lilly Pulitzer, the upscale clothing brand best known for its colorful resort-style prints, has opened a second Fairfax County store, this time in the Mosaic District.

The new store opened for a soft launch at 2905 District Avenue, Suite 145, in Merrifield on Sept. 25, becoming the brand’s eighth location in Virginia.

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News

Fairfax County hands Centreville library site to housing authority after residents weigh in

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
The Centreville Regional Library (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

Fairfax County is moving through the early stages of an ambitious plan to renovate the Centreville Regional Library and combine it with affordable housing.

During a public hearing before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 29, more than half a dozen residents offered a range of views on the plan to construct 180 multifamily residential units and community space alongside the to-be-redeveloped library, located on just over 4 acres at 14200 Saint Germain Drive.

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