Fairfax County’s 9-1-1 team is lending a hand to the ongoing emergency response to Hurricane Helene, which devastated the southeastern U.S., including parts of Virginia, in late September.
Four dispatchers with the county’s Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC) deployed to North Carolina this morning (Monday) after getting a call for aid from their counterparts in that state, who have been working nonstop since the storm blew through the Carolinas on Sept. 27.
The Town of Herndon’s new indoor tennis facility is back in business.
The indoor tennis center at Bready Park (814 Ferndale Avenue), which officially opened today (Monday), features new structure, lights and a repaired ProBounce surface.
A woman who made international headlines for restoring a lighthouse in Ohio is seeking to undertake similar duties at Ash Grove in Tysons.
Later this month, the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) will begin reviewing and soliciting community feedback on Sheila Consaul’s proposal to move into and help maintain the historic house at 8881 Ashgrove House Lane as part of the agency’s Resident Curator Program.
McLean Bank Makes Public Debut — “Chain Bridge Bancorp (CBNA.N), was valued at $138 million after its shares fell 2% in their NYSE debut on Friday, marking a grim start to its stint as a public company…While some analysts had lauded timing the IPO just a month ahead of the presidential election, the lukewarm reception highlights the challenges of attracting investors to a less recognizable conservative-leaning brand.” [Reuters]
Vienna Student Reported for Assaults and Threat — Vienna Adventist Academy’s principal reported a Sept. 26 incident where “a student had a violent emotional breakdown in class that resulted in them striking multiple other students and faculty members before being separated from the class. During the incident, the student made an additional physical threat.” [Vienna Police]
Fairfax Dunkin’ Donuts Robbed — A 21-year-old Fairfax man was arrested last week and charged with petit larceny in connection to a reported robbery of Dunkin’ Donuts (10020 Main Street) on Oct. 3. Police say “a male subject approached the victim, punched the victim, stole the victim’s electric scooter and cell phone, and fled the area. The victim sustained minor injuries.” [City of Fairfax Police]
N. Va. Unemployment Rate Rises — Northern Virginia’s jobless rate of 3.1% in August was up from 2.8% a year before, according to new state data, with 1.68 million employed and 54,500 seeking jobs. Fairfax County’s unemployment rate for the month was 3.1% with 20,132 people without jobs, up from 2.9% in July and 2.7% in August 2023. [Virginia Employment Commission]
Franconia Metro Station Getting New Escalators — “On October 7, 2024, Metro will begin a major capital project replacing two entrance escalators and three platform escalators at Franconia-Springfield. The five escalators will be replaced with brand-new ones that are more durable and reliable.” Expected to finish in July 2025, the work is part of a system-wide effort to update the transit agency’s escalators. [WMATA]
WaPo Critic Impressed by Fairfax City Restaurant — Southeast Impressions, which opened in Fairfax City’s Scout on the Circle development last year, serves Singaporean and Malaysian favorites as well as “a hit parade of Thai choices.” Critic Tom Sietsema says it’s an exception to the adage that “plastic, pages-long menus with photographs are typically a sign of a restaurant to avoid.” [Washington Post]
Dulles Airport to Offer New Flights — “United Airlines Inc. plans to add two nonstop destinations to its lineup of flights out of Dulles International Airport (IAD) later this fall, further cementing its status as the airport’s largest carrier.” Daily nonstop flights will be available to South Bend International Airport in Indiana starting Dec. 3 and to Morgantown Municipal Airport in West Virginia on Dec. 13 [Washington Business Journal]
It’s Monday — Expect sunny weather with temperatures reaching up to 70°F. Northwest winds will be blowing at 8-13 mph, gusting up to 20 mph. As for Monday night, the sky will be mostly clear, and the temperature will drop to around 50°F, accompanied by a northwest wind of 6-8 mph. [NWS]
Herndon police are searching for a man who’s believed to be armed and dangerous after allegedly shooting another man at the Worldgate Shopping Center in Herndon.
Herndon Police responded to the shopping center’s parking lot around 7:40 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 6) after an officer heard what he thought was gunshots while on patrol, a spokesperson says.
The former Fairfax County police sergeant who fatally shot Timothy McCree Johnson outside Tysons Corner Center last year has been acquitted of manslaughter following a nearly two-week trial.
However, the Fairfax County Circuit Court jury found Wesley Shifflett, 36, guilty of recklessly discharging a firearm when he fired the shot that killed 37-year-old Johnson on Feb. 22, 2023.
An ex-Army soldier has pleaded guilty to killing a woman at her West Springfield home in 1994, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced today (Friday).
Stephan Smerk, 52, could face up to 70 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for stabbing and killing Robin Lawrence, a stranger, while he was stationed at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington.
Design work is underway on Reston’s massive $235 million Soapstone Connector, a half-mile road that will eventually link Sunrise Valley Drive to Sunset Hills Road through a bridge over the Dulles Toll Road.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is set to host a public information meeting on the project next Thursday, Oct. 10 at South Lakes High School (11400 South Lakes Drive). An open house will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by a presentation at 7 p.m.
A Reston soccer club will add fencing at Lake Fairfax Park with some financial help from Fairfax County.
During its meeting on Sept. 25, the Fairfax County Park Authority board approved $20,000 in matching funds to install fences around the rectangular fields 1 and 4 at the park (1400 Lake Fairfax Drive).
A nuanced effort to convert vacant office buildings into residential housing could be a net fiscal positive for the Fairfax County government.
That was the conclusion of an analysis presented to county leaders on Tuesday (Oct. 1). But it arrived with some caveats and some questions from members of the Board of Supervisors.
