Vehicles parked on Vienna's Annex property, formerly home to the Vienna Baptist Church, in September 2024 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Vienna leaders are warming up to the idea of a public swimming pool, a decade after throwing cold water on the idea when planning community center renovations.
Consultants hired to research possible long-term uses of the former Faith Baptist Church property at 301 Center Street South — now known as the Annex — shared their final recommendation of an indoor aquatics and fitness facility with the Vienna Town Council at a work session on Monday (Sept. 30).
Brown eyed susans with a heart sign from Rustic Love in Vienna (photo by Susan Woolsey)
County Mails Sample Voting Ballots — “The Office of Elections has mailed a sample ballot to each of the county’s 730,000+ registered voters…The sample ballot is customized for each voter to show the contest that will appear on their ballots.” [Fairfax County Office of Elections]
FCPD Welcomes First Female Bomb Technician — First Class Officer Melanie Todd has joined the Fairfax County Police Department’s Explosisve Ordinance Disposal Unit as its first female bomb technician after graduating from the FBI’s Hazardous Device School, a six-week program that teaches participants how to identify and disarm explosive devices. [FCPD]
One Reston Company Acquires Another — “Government contractor CACI International has made its second acquisition in the past month, acquiring Reston, Virginia-based cloud, data and cybersecurity company Applied Insight.” The all-cash acquisition of Applied Insight, which has 650 employees, is now complete. [WTOP]
FBI Raid Raises Contractor Concerns — “The FBI and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s search of Carahsoft Technology Corp.’s headquarters last week is sparking new questions and concerns about the long-term viability of vendors selling in the federal market and dependable access to specific technologies by agencies.” [Federal News Network]
Falls Church Candidates Debate Accessory Dwellings — “Candidates for the Falls Church City Council seat on the Nov. 5 ballot are playing it cautiously when it comes to bringing accessory-dwelling units (ADUs) to residential neighborhoods in the city.” [ARLnow]
Horticultural Group Lands Big Donation — The American Horticultural Society (AHS) recently received “a donation of $5 million to set up a permanent endowment.” The gift was separate from a $2 million state grant that’s funding accessibility improvements for the nonprofit’s headquarters at River Farm in Fort Hunt. [On the MoVe]
Park Basketball Courts GetRepairs — The Fairfax County Park Authority’s contractor has started work on repairs to the basketball courts at Luria Park in Annandale and Tyler Park in West Falls Church. The improvements, including new goals, crack repairs and asphalt overlay, are expected to finish by the first week of November. [FCPA]
Back to School Celebration inIdylwood — “Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik and Fairfax County School Board Chair Karl Frisch are hosting the inaugural Providence Day & Back to School Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. at George C. Marshall High School. The event will include interactive booths, resource fair, food trucks giveaways and a fit games challenge.” [Patch]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly cloudy skies with a high of around 76 accompanied by a gentle south wind at 3-6 mph. As the night sets in, the skies will continue to stay cloudy, with temperatures dipping to a low of about 62 and a mild south wind. [NWS]
Fairfax County Courthouse (staff photo by James Jarvis)
The trial for a former Fairfax County police sergeant who shot and killed a D.C. man outside Tysons Corner Center came to a close today (Thursday).
A 12-member jury will now decide if Wesley Shifflett is guilty of involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a weapon — nearly two years after the Feb. 22, 2023 killing of 37-year-old Timothy McCree Johnson.
Though it’s now 145 years old, the Town of Herndon’s identity continues to evolve.
A small-town feel and diversity were among the salient attributes highlighted by an emerging brand strategy, a consultant reported to the Herndon Town Council at a work session on Tuesday (Oct. 1). But questions remain on how the town will engage its minority-majority community.
Eric Carzon has been appointed as the new director of Fairfax County Public Library (courtesy Fairfax County)
Fairfax County has hired a new library director who brings a wealth of experience with him.
Eric Carzon will assume Fairfax County Public Library’s top position on Nov. 4, the county announced on Monday (Sept. 30). Recruited from Montgomery County, Maryland, where he was a regional manager, he succeeds Jessica Hudson, who left the position earlier this year.
U-Haul vehicles are available to rent from the BP gas station at 8217 Leesburg Pike in Tysons (via Google Maps)
The owner of a gas station in Tysons is seeking to formalize the property’s side hustle as a U-Haul vehicle rental site.
Petroleum Marketing Group submitted an application to Fairfax County on Sept. 25 requesting a special exception amendment to allow a truck rental establishment in conjunction with its BP gas station at 8217 Leesburg Pike.
Fairfax County officials participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Innovation Station North Neighborhood Access Project (courtesy FCDOT)
Work will start this month on improvements to pedestrian and bicyclist connectivity around the Innovation Center Metro Station.
Fairfax County public officials broke ground yesterday (Wednesday) on the Innovation Station North Neighborhood Access Project, which will directly link the Metro station’s kiss-and-ride parking lot to adjacent neighborhoods at Farougi Court and Apgar Place.
A bus shelter near the Kingsley Commons townhomes in West Falls Church (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Cell Service Disruptions Resolved — Fairfax County announced at 8:40 a.m. that a “fiber line issue” affecting cell phone service for multiple carriers in several areas has been resolved. The disruption temporarily may have impacted people’s ability to call 911. [Fairfax County Government/Twitter]
Error Jeopardizes Fatal Police Shooting Case — Defense attorneys for Wesley Shifflett will seek a mistrial after prosecutors played body camera footage during their closing arguments yesterday (Wednesday) that wasn’t admitted into evidence. The former Fairfax County police officer is on trial for involuntary manslaughter after fatally shooting Timothy Johnson in Tysons last year. [Washington Post]
Shelter Takes Animals Rescued From Hurricane — “Homeless animals rescued from flooding caused by Hurricane Helene arrived in Fairfax Tuesday night, thanks to Homeward Trails Animal Rescue. The shelter took in nearly 70 cats, over 20 puppies, and eight dogs from Yancey and Mitchell counties in North Carolina.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Details Emerge on Post Office Relocation — The U.S. Postal Service says its new facility at 2923 E. Lee Street in Groveton “is nearly ready” and could start operating “in the next month and a half.” With the Alexandria Community Post Office in Mount Vernon Plaza closing, the Engleside office will expand to accommodate some routes and carriers. [On the MoVe]
Engineering Company Opens Dunn Loring Office — “Congratulations to @ENSCO_Inc on your new office in Dunn Loring! I hope this space will help serve your needs as you continue to grow in the aerospace, national security, and transportation sectors. We look forward to another 50 years of success!” [Gerry Connolly/Twitter]
Korean American Bank Adds Fairfax County Branches — PromiseOne Bank, which is based in Duluth, Georgia, and focuses on Asian American communities, opened new branches in Annandale and Centreville this month. The locations were acquired from Bank of Hope, a Los Angeles-based company that now has no physical base in the D.C. area. [Washington Business Journal]
Frontier Airlines Plans Dulles Return — “Discount carrier Frontier Airlines announced it’s launching 22 new routes in December, including nonstop service from Dulles International Airport to Tampa International Airport…Frontier returns to Dulles after discontinuing its operations at the airport in the first quarter of 2022.” [WTOP]
Blind Reston Woman Finds Footing as Ballroom Dancer — “Davida Luehrs raises her arm to indicate to her dance partner her readiness to begin. Typically, in ballroom dancing, the dancer who leads gives this signal. But Luehrs is legally blind and cannot see her dance partner, so this is one of the many modifications devised to enable her to fulfill her dream of competing in ballroom dance.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
It’s Thursday — Expect partly sunny skies and a high around 74 degrees, accompanied by light and variable winds. As night falls on Thursday, the sky will transition to being partly cloudy with a low temperature of about 62 degrees, and a gentle breeze from the south. [NWS]
Reston Association is throwing its support behind federal legislation that would exempt community associations from having to report information about their owners under a law designed to root out fraud and other shady dealings.
The organization sent letters to Rep. Gerry Connolly and senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner yesterday (Tuesday) urging them to co-sponsor the Community Association Reporting Exemption Act, which would exempt some homeowners and community associations from requirements that RA calls “burdensome.”