EEOC Finds Support for Sexism Claims Against Fire Department — “The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) wrote a letter [last] month supporting [Kathleen] Stanley’s 2018 claim that the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department retaliated against the battalion chief by changing the terms and conditions of her employment after she stepped down as the interim women’s program officer.” [The Washington Post]

Man Fatally Shot on New Year’s Eve in Lorton — Fairfax County police are investigating a homicide that occurred Saturday night (Dec. 31) in the 9500 block of Unity Lane in Lorton. Police say they found Nahom Beyene, 42, of Lorton, in the threshold of a doorway with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body. He died at the scene. [FCPD, WTOP]


New Year’s Eve is right around the corner, closing out an exciting first year for FFXnow.

Since officially launching on Feb. 22, the new home of Tysons Reporter and Reston Now has pushed to bring the local news reporting from those sites to other corners of Fairfax County, from Chantilly to Huntington, while maintaining their focus on the Tysons and Reston areas.


(Updated at 9 a.m.) Metro Rides Free for New Year’s Eve — “Take the train, bus or paratransit service starting at 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 31, and #YourMetro ride will be free of charge. As a bonus, service is being extended. Metrorail will run until 2 a.m. and late-night Metrobus service on selected routes will operate until 3 a.m. for customers connecting from train to bus.” [WMATA]

Pedestrian Hospitalized by Annandale Crash — “Officers are on scene of a crash involving a pedestrian at Little River Tpke & Medford Dr, Annandale. Pedestrian was taken to hospital w/injuries considered life-threatening. Driver remained on scene.” [FCPD/Twitter]


A new dashboard looking at transit around the region illustrates Fairfax Connector’s slow climb back to pre-pandemic ridership levels.

The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission recently released an interactive website that lets users break down ridership at various local transit services and compare and contrast those figures.


Tysons Corner Center Gets Post-Holiday Boost — “Thousands of shoppers visited Tysons Corner Center on Tuesday to make holiday returns and to take advantage of some post-holiday sales. Some people who spoke with WTOP at the mall say an annual post-Christmas trip to the shopping center is a tradition.” [WTOP]

ICYMI: Man Charged After Herndon Barricade Incident — “Police identified 66-year-old Paul Graves of Herndon as the man who barricaded himself inside a townhouse and held a person hostage on Tuesday night…[He] was cited on three felony charges, one for abduction, one for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and one for shooting in an occupied building.” [Patch]


The Fairfax County Police Department has revised how its officers respond to “swatting” after seeing a noticeable uptick in such incidents in recent years.

“Swatting” is a form of harassment involving false 911 calls that are intended to draw a heavy law enforcement response, such as a SWAT team, putting the target in a potentially life-threatening situation.


There are only a few days left before fee increases go into effect on the Dulles Toll Road.

Beginning Jan. 1, at the main line plaza, tolls will rise from $3.25 to $4 for two-axle vehicles, $6.50 to $8 for three-axle vehicles, $7.75 to $9.25 for four-axle vehicles, and $9 to $10.50 for five-axle vehicles.


Regional Airports Hit by Flight Cancellations — “Hundreds of Southwest Airlines flights have been canceled at Eastern airports Tuesday as the fallout from the pre-Christmas storm continues. At Reagan National Airport…89 flights were canceled in the past 24 hours as of Tuesday morning, according to the tracker site FlightAware. Dulles Airport said 30 flights were canceled in the past day.” [Patch]

Mount Vernon Post Office Sued — The U.S. Postal Service has defaulted on more than $71,000 in rent payments and must vacate its 21,392-square-foot space in Mount Vernon Plaza by Feb. 28, the property owner claims. Federal Realty filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday (Dec. 22), stating that the agency hasn’t responded to repeated notices, including a default letter sent by USPS in September. [Washington Business Journal]


Empower founder and CEO Joshua Sear is the kind of ride-share passenger who likes to talk to his drivers.

It was through those casual conversations that he came up with an idea in 2018 for an app that would offer a viable alternative to the country’s top ride-hailing services — Uber and Lyft — by letting drivers keep all the money they make in exchange for a subscription fee.


Don’t Dump Your Christmas Tree in a Park — “The Fairfax County Park Authority is asking the public to respect both common courtesy and the law, and not dump disused Christmas trees on county parkland…All licensed trash collectors in Fairfax County are required to collect and recycle live Christmas trees less than 8 feet tall that have been separately set out…during the first two weeks of January.” [Sun Gazette]

Springfield House Fire Displaces 11 — A gas water heater contributed to a fire at a house in the 6300 block of Abilene Street in the Springfield area on Dec. 8, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department says. The blaze displaced 11 people, injured one, and caused approximately $175,000 in damages. [FCFRD]


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