Countywide | FFXnow

Fairfax County will map hundreds of historic cemeteries and graves

Published April 21, 2022 at 12:45PM | Updated February 21, 2023 at 5:39PM

A woman crouches near an old fence in a cemetery (via Fairfax County)

Cemeteries are essential guides to the past, documenting ancestries and settlement patterns, but in Fairfax County, hundreds of sites risk being lost to time themselves, with some even unmarked or abandoned.

To prevent that, the county has undertaken a massive archaeological initiative to create a map of their locations to preserve history, provide information for development and more. The county will also create a manual for how to care for cemeteries, according to an announcement on April 14 launching the survey.

Tell us how FFXnow can better serve you and the community

By FFXnow.com

Published April 21, 2022 at 12:00PM

View from Heming's "glass box," which will encase a lounge and other amenities for residents (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

FFXnow is still a work in progress.

When we merged our Reston Now and Tysons Reporter websites earlier this year, we had a goal of continuing to serve those communities with hyperlocal news while expanding our wider coverage of Fairfax County.

VIDEO: Student plays cello, urges Fairfax County not to turn Bach on arts funding

By David Taube

Published April 21, 2022 at 11:15AM | Updated December 9, 2022 at 1:51PM

A student plays the cello before Fairfax County supervisors during a budget hearing (via Fairfax County)

In a push to convince Fairfax County to fund the arts, one high school student put on a show.

The performance on April 13 provided a musical interlude after hours of in-person, phone, and video remarks across three days of budget hearings before the Board of Supervisors.

“Take a Break” summer concert series moves to Reston Station

By Fatimah Waseem

Published April 21, 2022 at 9:45AM

Reston Station seen from Google offices (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A popular concert series is shifting to a new location in Reston.

Reston Community Center’s “Take a Break” concert series will relocate from Lake Anne Plaza to Reston Station on Thursday evenings beginning this summer.

Police: Pedestrian dies after vehicle crash in Burke

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 21, 2022 at 9:00AM | Updated April 21, 2022 at 3:35PM

Guinea Road facing Olley Lane in Burke (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 3:30 p.m.) Lloyd Ingram, a 58-year-old Burke resident, died after being hit by a vehicle yesterday (Wednesday), Fairfax County police reported.

The crash happened in Burke around 6:30 p.m., and a preliminary investigation found he was walking in the crosswalk, police said.

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com

Published April 21, 2022 at 7:30AM

Construction at Reston Station (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

“Beltway Accord” Still a Mystery — More than two years after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and then-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced plans to rebuild the American Legion Bridge, an actual, documented agreement remains elusive. Conflict over Maryland’s Capital Beltway toll lanes project has been a source of anxiety in McLean, where officials broke ground on the I-495 widening last month. [Maryland Matters]

Advocacy Groups Meet Incoming FCPS Superintendent — “On Friday, April 15, representatives of several advocacy groups met with Dr. [Michelle] Reid, as well as Fairfax County School Board Chair Stella Pekarsky and Vice Chair Rachna Sizemore Heizer, to discuss their concerns about the superintendent selection process.” [FCPS]

FCPD announces arrest 35 years after alleged rape, abduction

By David Taube

Published April 20, 2022 at 3:45PM | Updated April 20, 2022 at 5:03PM

Fairfax County police Chief Kevin Davis announces an arrest in an alleged rape that took place over three decades ago (via Fairfax County Police Department, Facebook)

(Updated at 5 p.m.) A man who lured a 14-year-old girl to a radio station is being held in Fairfax County jail, accused of raping the teenager in 1987.

William Clark, 59, of Ashburn, was arrested Monday (April 18) in Fairfax County and also faces charges of abduction with the intent to defile and attempted forcible sodomy. Police said that he lured the teen into his vehicle in Fairfax City and then took her to a wooded area, where the sexual assault took place.

Fairfax County students compete for international robotics championship

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 20, 2022 at 1:35PM

James Madison High School students built a robot that will compete in the 2022 FIRST World Championship (via JMHS/Twitter)

Houston is the place to be this week for the robotics community, and several Fairfax County students scored exclusive invitations.

Fairfax County Public Schools has three teams in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) World Championships, which kicked off today (Wednesday) at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

New wellness center for older adults opens, providing free services

By David Taube

Published April 20, 2022 at 12:45PM

Wellness Center for Older Adults (courtesy ServiceSource)

A unique facility giving an array of services for older adults has opened at Braddock Glen.

The Wellness Center for Older Adults offers in-person and virtual services for people 50 and older as well as individuals with disabilities, similar to 14 other senior centers in Fairfax County. It offers exercise equipment; music, dance and art therapy; preventative health screenings; and other free resources, including access to computers.

Fairfax County agencies jockey for salary bumps amid vacancy issues

By David Taube

Published April 20, 2022 at 10:30AM | Updated May 1, 2022 at 6:23PM

Ron Kuley, president of the Fairfax County Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics union, talks during a budget hearing (via Fairfax County)

The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office has 71 vacancies. There are over 200 vacancies at the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board. And that’s not all.

Staff vacancies continue to be a challenge at county agencies across the board, administrators and employee leaders told the Board of Supervisors at budget hearings last week.