Author: Vernon Miles

Vernon Miles is the ALXnow cofounder and editor. He's covered Alexandria since 2014 and has been with Local News Now since 2018. When he's not reporting, he can usually be found playing video games or Dungeons and Dragons with friends.

Around Town

Mobile Virginia history museum to set up near Lorton for Labor Day weekend

By Vernon Miles
The VA250 Mobile Museum stopped in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The VA250 Mobile Museum, a hands-on museum on wheels, is heading to southeastern Fairfax County for Labor Day weekend.

The museum is an interactive exhibit that highlights Virginia history as part of the country’s 250th anniversary. It will stop by Gunston Hall (10709 Gunston Road) in Lorton from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Sunday, Aug. 31 through Tuesday, Sept. 2, according to Visit Fairfax, a nonprofit organization that promotes Fairfax County as a tourism destination.

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Around Town

Big Planet Comics staff share how Vienna shop keeps building community after Covid

By Vernon Miles
Big Planet Comics in Vienna (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Nicole started out as a regular customer at Big Planet Comics. She’d wait around after school, pick up comics, and get into conversations with the staff about books.

Eight years ago, they asked if she had any interest in working there.

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Countywide

Thomas Jefferson High School ranked among top 5 in nation by U.S. News

By Vernon Miles
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) has been ranked the fifth best high school in the county and the first in Virginia in a new U.S. News & World Report ranking.

Released on Tuesday (Aug. 19), the ranking highlighted the magnet school’s unique, STEM-focused program offerings and amenities, including its 15 specialized research labs, courses like DNA science and advanced marine biology, and a student-led academic journal.

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News

Real estate firm plans upgrades for newly acquired Dulles apartments

By Vernon Miles
Ashton at Dulles Corner (photo courtesy Bozzuto)

An apartment community near Dulles International Airport has changed hands.

The developers Bozzuto and Invesco Real Estate recently acquired Ashton at Dulles Corner — a 454-unit garden apartment complex at 13958 Mansarde Avenue in the McNair area south of Herndon — as part of a $330 million investment.

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Around Town

Maggiano’s to close this fall at Tysons Galleria after nearly 30 years

By Vernon Miles
Maggiano's at Tysons Galleria (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Maggiano’s Little Italy is vacating Tysons Galleria (2001 International Drive) next month ahead of a planned move to Tysons Corner Center.

Staff at the location told FFXnow that the two-story restaurant, which has served Italian cuisine at the Galleria since the mid-1990s, will have its last day of business at its current location on Sept. 23.

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Countywide

New school year brings new speed cameras and a ‘zero-tolerance’ traffic violation campaign

By Vernon Miles
Crossing guard holds back traffic as school bus leaves Daniels Run Elementary School in Fairfax (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

With schools around Fairfax County starting up next week, this is your reminder to pay extra-special attention on the roads and look out for kids.

Fairfax County Public Schools are back in session starting Monday, Aug. 18, meaning roads around the region will once again feature over 1,600 school buses loading and unloading students.

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Countywide

NEW: Fairfax aims to open regional teen detox and crisis center next year

By Vernon Miles
Fairfax Detox campus (photo via Google Maps)

Two years after it started exploring the idea, the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) is starting to make progress on establishing a regional youth mental health facility.

The new treatment center for teens could become operational in Chantilly early next year, the CSB says.

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Around Town

Wolf Trap celebrates major milestone with upcoming season at The Barns

By Vernon Miles
Inside the Barns at Wolf Trap's German barn, built in 1725 (photo by Rich Kessler/courtesy of Wolf Trap)

Acclaimed musicians representing a range of genres, from rock and country to jazz and classical music, are coming to The Barns at Wolf Trap to celebrate the venue’s 300th anniversary.

The Barns are rebuilt and renovated iterations of a pair of barns at the site, built in the 18th century. The larger German barn was built in 1725 and features a “unique” swing beam design that enabled horses to maneuver in the building’s original hayloft, according to the venue’s website.

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News

Reston’s Barton Hill tennis courts bounce back with reopening party next month

By Vernon Miles
Barton Hill tennis courts (photo via Reston Association)

After a year-long closure, the Barton Hill tennis courts (1901 Barton Hill) are making a return.

The courts closed at the end of June 2024 for a $851,000 renovation project, which featured a new asphalt surface, nets, fencing and color.

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News

NASA remains tight-lipped about Discovery space shuttle transfer plans

By Vernon Miles
Space Shuttle Discovery on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

One month after Congress passed a federal budget bill with a provision directing NASA to transfer a space shuttle to Texas, the space agency remains tight-lipped on any impending relocation plans.

The bill, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, requires acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy to identify a space vehicle to transfer to a NASA field center. The requirements stipulate that the ship must have flown into space, carried astronauts, and is selected with the concurrence of a nonprofit entity designated by the administrator.

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