Springfield Town Center has been deemed safe after shoppers and workers were evacuated due to a bomb threat.

Officers were dispatched to the mall (6500 Springfield Mall) at around 4:28 p.m. today (Tuesday) after an unknown person called in a threat, the Fairfax County Police Department said.


A man arrested last year after allegedly speeding, fleeing from police and subsequently attempting to carjack another driver on I-95 in Lorton will serve time in federal prison for gun possession.

Jamarion Dawon Jackson, 23, was sentenced today (Tuesday) to four years in prison after pleading guilty in April to possessing a machine gun during the police chase and carjacking incident, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced.


Fairfax County leaders are about to take steps to address the likelihood of an increasing penny shortage in the nation’s future.

At its meeting today, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors authorized a public hearing on Tuesday, July 14 to consider revisions to how change is provided to those paying by cash for local government services.


Virginia lawmakers want to examine consolidating Northern Virginia’s transit agencies to assess potential cost savings and service improvements.

The proposal, which is included in the two-year budget lawmakers passed Monday, directs the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to include in its report not only the cost savings and long-term financial impacts of merging multiple systems, but also how potential changes would affect riders through fare structures, service reliability and accessibility.


Thousands of residents in Fairfax County, particularly the Burke area, are grappling with the aftermath of yesterday’s thunderstorm.

As of 11 a.m., more than 1,400 homes and businesses in the county were still without electricity, including about 700 customers in the Burke, Springfield and Fairfax area south of George Mason University’s campus, according to Dominion Energy.


Community engagement sessions are on the horizon to gather public input on the future of the David R. Pinn and Huntington community centers.

Both centers are slated to close as county-run facilities after the summer. Fairfax County officials say a combination of a challenging budget environment and declining attendance trends led to the decisions.


A network of about two dozen bus rapid transit (BRT) systems could be running through the local region in coming decades.

But the effort won’t succeed without buy-in from local governments, a top transit leader told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on June 16.


After issuing more than 10,000 traffic citations in early June, police are preparing to resume a traffic safety campaign targeting reckless drivers, speeding, and distracted driving later this summer.

The third phase of the “Road Shark” initiative, led by the Fairfax County Police Department in partnership with Virginia State Police, will begin Aug. 10.


A red-wing blackbird calling in a tree at Royal Lake Park in Kings Park West (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Va. Lawmakers Approve Budget — “Virginia lawmakers approved a two-year spending plan Monday, ending months of negotiations as the deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown approached. The Senate approved the plan with a 23-16 vote, and the House of Delegates passed it 71-22. Now it heads to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk.” [WTOP]

Family Mourns Killed Pedestrians — “Family and a big group of friends are mourning the sudden death of a Falls Church area man. Sean King was walking home from work on the sidewalk along a Leesburg Pike service road
when a car jumped the curb and struck him. He died a short time later at the hospital.” [NBC4]

How Drought Affects Data Centers — If drought conditions persist and trigger mandatory water restrictions, data centers would be “treated the same as all other commercial, industrial and residential customers, state and local officials revealed.” [Virginia Mercury]

Measles Case Passed Through Dulles — “A confirmed measles case has been found in a Maryland resident who traveled through Dulles Airport and went to an urgent care office in the District, area health officials said … On June 17, the person traveled through Concourse C, the International Arrivals Building and baggage claim areas of Dulles International Airport between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m.” [WTOP]

Metro Contract for Fare Station Upgrades — “The region’s largest transit agency on Monday awarded a $38.9 million base contract to Indra Group, a Spanish technology firm, to design, manufacture, install and maintain 450 new ‘state-of-the-art’ customer terminal machines across 98 stations as well as at WMATA’s testing and training facilities.” The new machines will feature touch screens and accept mobile wallets, along with credit and debit cards. [Washington Business Journal]

Developers Discuss Office Space Demand — “The availability of trophy office space in Northern Virginia is dwindling as construction remains scarce. Real estate experts say it will take the right type of tenant to change that.” Comstock Chief Marketing Officer Timothy Steffan estimates that it would take leases of $85 per square foot per year for a developer “to cover skilled labor, materials and other costs” of a new trophy office building. [Bisnow]

Town Hall on Crescent Apartments Development — “Reston residents will have a chance Thursday to weigh in on a proposed Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan amendment that could allow a larger Reston Community Center presence to be included in the future redevelopment of the Crescent Apartments property near Lake Anne.” [Patch]

Local Students Perform on Broadway — Recent Oakton High School graduate John Poncy and rising Madison High School senior Allie Blanchet performed in character medleys on Broadway last night as part of a ceremony for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also called the Jimmy Awards. The pair earned spots after winning best leading actor and actress at the Brandon Victor Dixon Awards for D.C. regional high school theater. [Washingtonian]

New Book Imagines Time-Traveling Metro — “A new novel is out this week that’s partly based in D.C. and reimagines the Metro as a time-traveling portal … Retro, written by D.C. journalist Jessica M. Goldstein, is out June 23. It follows Ash, an out-of-work actress who takes a job at a time travel start-up that lets wealthy clients party in the past.” [Axios DC]

It’s Tuesday — Expect a 40% chance of showers before 3 p.m., with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 80°F. Night will be mostly clear with a low around 62°F and a gentle north wind at about 6 mph. [NWS]

Want more local news? Check out our newest sister site, WSHnow, with the latest from across the region.


The Fairfax County Circuit Court is now offering an online education hub for students and other Fairfax County residents interested in the local court system and its history to explore.

Officially launched last Wednesday (June 17), the Judicial Learning Center of Fairfax County is the first resource of its kind provided by any state trial court in the U.S., according to Fairfax Clerk of Court Chris Falcon.


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