News

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]

Ex-Officer Testifies in Fatal Shooting Trial — “A former Fairfax County police sergeant who fatally shot an unarmed suspected shoplifter testified in his manslaughter trial Tuesday.” Wesley Shifflett told the jury that the moment before he shot Timothy Johnson outside Tysons Corner Center in 2023 was “the most scared I have ever been in my life.” [NBC4]

How to Help with Hurricane Helene Relief — “We are all aware of the tremendous destruction caused by Hurricane Helene for residents in Southwest Virginia, as well as our neighbors in North Carolina and Tennessee…The best way to help right now is through cash donations to the 2024 Southwest Virginia Disaster Relief Fund and volunteering with trusted organizations.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]

Crypto Scam on the Rise, FCPD Says — “If payment is not sent in Bitcoin, then the scammers say the most private contents of the victim’s phone or computer will be sent to all of the person’s contacts. Fairfax County police Maj. Veva Wallace-Spaulding told WTOP that 23 people contacted police in September alone to report that they received the threatening messages.” [WTOP]

New Centreville Restaurant Serves Instant Noodles — “The Ramyun Zip opened a couple weeks ago and is building up a collection that will include more than 120 ramen flavors filling an entire wall of the restaurant…Owner Chris Kim says instant ramen shops like this have taken off in South Korean, especially since the pandemic.” [Washingtonian]

Former Congressman Opposes Casino Proposal — Former Rep. Frank Wolf, a Republican who represented Virginia’s 10th District from 1981 to 2015, urged the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to oppose legislation that would pave the way for a casino along the Silver Line. State Sen. Dave Marsden is expected to revive his paused bill for the 2025 General Assembly session. [Patch]

Virginia Reports Slight Drop in Accredited Schools — With 85% of Virginia’s public schools fully accredited this year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin reiterated “concerns that the current metric doesn’t accurately reflect performance…Three schools were accredited with conditions in Fairfax, and two schools in Loudoun, both up from one school accredited with conditions the year before.” [Washington Post]

Springfield Lego Center Conjures Up Halloween Activities — “In the Halloween happenings front, the folks at the Lego Discovery Center in Springfield are putting on Brick-or-Treat through October. New this year will be the Potion Kitchen where kids can use the building blocks to build the ingredients to brew potions.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

It’s Wednesday — Expect cloudy skies, a light northeast wind and a high near 71 degrees. With a 20% chance of precipitation, isolated showers are possible in the afternoon. Wednesday night will have mostly cloudy conditions with a low around 61 degrees. [NWS]