News

Owners of McLean restaurant plead guilty to tax evasion, Covid relief theft

By Angela Woolsey
Gholam and Karen Kowkabi own Divan, a Persian restaurant in McLean (staff photo by David Taube)

A Vienna couple who own multiple restaurants in the D.C. area, including Divan in McLean, pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this week to evading over $1 million in taxes and stealing COVID-19 relief funds.

As part of the plea agreement, Gholam Kowkabi, 63, and Karen Kowkabi, 64, will give the IRS the $1.35 million that they failed to pay in taxes related to their D.C. restaurants Ristorante Piccolo, Catch 15 and Tuscana West, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. announced on Monday (Aug. 14).

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Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com
A giraffe made of Legos outside Springfield Town Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Annandale Church’s “Black Lives Matter” Banner Vandalized — “Someone tore down banners at Little River United Church of Christ in Annandale during the night of Sunday, Aug. 13. One banner said ‘Black Lives Matter.’ The other said ‘Be the church'” and phrases like “fight for the powerless,” “reject racism” and “embrace diversity.” [Annandale Today]

Tysons Concourse Office Buildings Acquired — “A Rockville developer has acquired a 1980s-era office complex near Metro’s Silver Line in Tysons with an eye toward eventually redeveloping it as a mixed-use property with a focus on residential.” The new owner, Berman Enterprises LP, says its short-term plan is to lease the twin seven-story buildings at 1593 Spring Hill Road, but it will later evaluate “what a redevelopment could look like.” [Washington Business Journal]

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Invasive spotted lanternfly is spreading its wings more often around Fairfax County

By Fatimah Waseem
Spotted lanterfly (Photo via Magi Kern/Unsplash)

More reports of the spotted lanternfly are popping up throughout Fairfax County, according to local officials.

The invasive insect — which is native to China, India and Vietman — has been seen in more areas of the county, the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services says.

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Construction underway on new condos near Innovation Center Metro station

By Fatimah Waseem
The condominium community is slated to deliver in 2025 (Staff photo by Fatimah Waseem)

Construction on two-level garage condominiums near the Innovation Center Metro Station is well underway.

The site at 13570 Dulles Technology Drive — named Overlook at Dulles Tech — will be home to the neighborhood. It includes several pocket parks, a meditation area, a tot lot and an open lawn exercise area.

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Study: Office and retail trends tell different stories about Tysons pandemic recovery

By Angela Woolsey
Shoppers walk around Tysons Corner Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Tysons is increasingly becoming a place where people live, but a recent market study from the Tysons Community Alliance raised some questions about its future as a place where people work.

Released on Aug. 4, the study paints divergent pictures of the two commercial sectors that have defined Tysons since the 1960s — office and retail — as they navigate a post-pandemic world of remote work and online shopping.

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Fairfax County seeks millions in grant funds for pedestrian improvement projects

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County is seeking funds for a project to add crosswalks and a signal on Burke Lake Road at the Lake Braddock Secondary School entrance (via Google Maps)

Fairfax County is making another push to fund pedestrian safety improvements at Shrevewood Elementary School in Idylwood.

The long-gestating crosswalks project is one of five that the Fairfax County Department of Transportation intends to submit to the state for funding consideration under the federal Transportation Alternatives grant program.

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Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com
A house in Great Falls as evening arrives (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Meeting Tonight on Burke Centre Parkway Safety — Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw is hosting a virtual community meeting at 7-8 p.m. tonight (Tuesday) to address the roadway’s safety after last month’s fatal crash. Police will touch on recent traffic enforcement, and VDOT will share the process for “potential design changes.” [The Walkinshaw Advisory]

People Found Sleeping in Reportedly Stolen Car Arrested — “Two people were arrested in a Lorton shopping center parking lot after they were found sleeping inside a vehicle that had been reported stolen, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.” [Patch]

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Thunderstorm knocks out power for many in southeastern Fairfax County

By Angela Woolsey
Power outages in Belle Haven on Aug. 14, 2023 (via Dominion Energy)

Nearly 9,000 people in Fairfax County are without power after this afternoon’s storms, the most intense of which have moved on into Maryland.

As of 5:30 p.m., 8,971 Dominion Energy customers in the county had lost power, according to the real-time tracking database PowerOutage.US.

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NOW: Flash Flood Warning issued for Fairfax County

By Angela Woolsey
A storm has reached Fairfax County, as seen on radar around 4 p.m. on Aug. 14, 2023

Updated at 4:45 p.m. — The Tornado Warning was terminated early at 4:33 p.m., but Severe Thunderstorm and Flash Flood warnings remain in effect until around 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m., respectively.

Updated at 4:25 p.m. — A Tornado Warning has also been issued until 4:45 p.m.

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