Labor Day weekend is almost here. Before you soak in the last summer rays before leaf-gathering season arrives or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.
Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:
Labor Day weekend is upon us, heralding the imminent return of pumpkin spice lattes and everything fall.
Fairfax County government offices will be closed in honor of the holiday, but some facilities will remain open.
Trash collection has become a hot mess in Fairfax County of late.
After FFXnow reported earlier this week on local officials’ efforts to address an avalanche of complaints, many community members added their tales of woe to the ongoing saga of late or entirely neglected pickups, ineffectual communication, and reductions in service without accompanying decreases in fees.
New Vienna Police Station Cuts Ribbon — “After nearly three years of design and construction, the new, $14 million Vienna Police Department will…open its doors to the public. The celebration is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. at the headquarters building located at 215 Center St. S.” [Town of Vienna]
Man Faces Life in Prison for Killing Springfield Woman — “Yohannes Nessibu was convicted by a jury in the slaying of 22-year-old Kedest Simeneh, who was found fatally shot in the backyard of a Burke residence in December 2016. He is charged — but has yet to face trial — in the shooting of 22-year-old Henok Yohannes.” [The Washington Post]
(Updated at 10:15 a.m. on 9/2/2022) Fairfax County police have arrested four people after chasing a vehicle on Route 1 that was allegedly stolen.
The north left shoulder, left lane, and center lane of Route 1 (also known as Richmond Highway) were closed today (Thursday) at the Fort Hunt Road intersection in Belle Haven, just south of the Capital Beltway, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation’s traffic information site.
With fall just around the corner, Fairfax County has begun to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers in favor of battery-powered blowers.
Last week, the county announced that its Park Authority and Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) are “in the process of phasing out gas-powered blowers” in favor of “exclusively purchasing” battery-powered blowers.
The popular Water Mine at Lake Fairfax in Reston is officially closed for the season after its pool filtration system failed.
The closure at the Water Mine Family Swimming’ Hole was announced yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon by the Fairfax County Park Authority, which cited “mechanical failures beyond our control.”
New FCPS Superintendent Seeks to Restore Trust — “Schools are back in session in Fairfax County — and they’re under the direction of a new superintendent, Michelle Reid…Reid says that as superintendent she is trying to listen deeply to community members, and she sees part of her charge in Fairfax as restoring public trust in public education.” [WAMU]
Victim and Suspect in Hybla Valley Shooting Identified — The man who died on Tuesday (Aug. 30) after a shooting at the Mount Vernon Square apartments was D’Mari Norris, 21, of Alexandria. Fairfax County police say Francisco Juares, 22, of Alexandria, shot Norris “multiple times in the upper body” before being held down by “a nearby witness” until officers arrived at the scene. [FCPD]
The Fairfax County Police Department is seeking the public’s help to identify a man in a photo who may be involved in multiple grabbings, assaults, and an attempted abduction over the last few weeks on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail.
In the latest incident last night (Tuesday), a man attempted to grab a teenage girl as she was walking on the 1800 block of Old Reston Avenue at around 8:10 p.m. The attempted abduction comes just a week after a naked man grabbed a woman last week and where other indecent exposures took place.
The public engagement process regarding a possible name change for the Sully District is kicking off next month.
A virtual meeting to discuss changing renaming the district is set for tomorrow (Thursday) at 7 p.m. A brief presentation by county staff will be followed by an online forum. Interested participants can email sully@fairfaxcounty.gov to receive a meeting link.
