The historic Bowman distillery building, also known as Wiehle Town Hall, in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey
A historic Reston building that was created as the center of a utopian community, and later used as a distillery, has been added to a statewide preservation group’s “Most Endangered Places” list, lending momentum to local efforts to try to save it.
Preservation Virginia added the Wiehle Town Hall, also known as the A. Smith Bowman Distillery, to its list of endangered historic places earlier this month, citing “significant development pressures in this region of Virginia” as well as the fact that last year, the land was listed for sale.
The CIA seal next to a U.S. flag at the agency's Langley headquarters (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
A former senior CIA official with top secret-level clearance is accused of stealing hundreds of gold bars worth more than $40 million from the federal government and stashing them in his home.
David Rush was arrested and charged with criminal theft of public money last week, according to federal court filings in Virginia, where he lives.
Power lines connected to Reston substation (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Plans to grow Northern Virginia’s economy are showing progress, but rising housing costs and infrastructure demands could threaten the region’s long-term competitiveness, a new report says.
Douglas Mejia (courtesy Doug Mejia for Herndon Town Council)
Though headlined by the Congressional midterms, this year’s election cycle will also feature critical local races in the Town of Herndon.
Douglas Isaac Mejia, a Herndon native and registered nurse, appears to be the first candidate to officially launch a bid for the Herndon Town Council, which will have all six seats on the ballot in November.
Townhouses along Route 28 in Chantilly (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Fairfax Speller Reaches Bee Semifinals — “Students from Prince William and Fairfax counties reached the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee before being eliminated in the seventh round Wednesday. Siya Sampath, a seventh-grader at Haymarket’s Ronald Reagan Middle School, and Laasya Mohan, a fourth-grader at Floris Elementary School in Herndon, wound up tied for 31st among the 247 spellers.” [Inside NoVA]
Dominion Merger Raises Affordability Questions — “A proposed merger between Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy raises new possibilities and further questions in the race to match Virginia’s booming energy demand.” Northern Virginia lawmakers say they will be watching the merger closely “to ensure that creating such a large utility actually has the promised effect of driving down energy costs.” [ARLnow]
Metro Cameras Used to Assist Police — “In the past six weeks, three men with guns have been arrested at a Metro station, on a Metro train or on a Metrobus thanks in large part to WMATA’s extensive, high-definition camera system … In March, Metro General Manager Randy Clarke credited Metro’s safety in part to the cameras throughout the system.” [NBC4]
Annandale Street Receives Honorary Name — “A section of John Marr Drive in Annandale has been given the honorary name ‘Seoul Boulevard.’ Three signs were installed earlier this month – at the intersection of John Marr Drive and Columbia Pike, at the Tom Davis Drive intersection in front of the Annandale Post Office, and at the Little River Turnpike intersection in front of the Eastgate shopping center.” [Annandale Today]
Tysons Chef Makes Cooking Show Finals — “Chef Chris Morgan had never entered a cooking competition before diving into the inaugural season of ‘America’s Culinary Cup’ on CBS.” Though he was voted by other contestants as the least likely to win at one point during the season, the executive chef behind Joon in Tysons ultimately finished as the runner-up. [WTOP]
Company Envisions Air Travel Without an Airport — “A new market study from Electra shows there’s an existing market for their in-development EL9 Ultra Short, a nine passenger hybrid-electric airplane capable of taking off and landing in just 150 feet.” Based at Manassas Regional Airport, the company hopes to usher in a future of “direct aviation” where someone could park at Tysons Corner Center, for example, and then fly directly to a heliport in Manhattan without going through an airport. [WTOP]
Sweetgreen to Add McLean Pick-Up Lane — “Sweetgreen Inc., the D.C.-born purveyor of all things salad, will roll out its first Greater Washington quasi-drive-thru lane in McLean. Permits were filed this week to add a ‘sweetlane'” at the Chesterbrook Shopping Center eatery where customers can pick up online orders. [Washington Business Journal]
Former Boy Scouts Lead Lion Dance Team — “Co-founded by friends who grew up watching kung fu movies, a Northern Virginia lion dance team is keeping Chinese and Vietnamese cultural traditions alive — one loud, energetic performance at a time … Now, the Hung Vuong Lion Dance Team is an extracurricular activity of a joint Boy and Girl Scout troop, Troop 612, based in Fairfax.” [WTOP]
It’s Thursday — Expect a sunny day with temperatures reaching up to 79°F. Winds will come from the north at 7 to 11 mph, with gusts up to 21 mph. The night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 56°F and a north wind blowing at 6 to 8 mph. [NWS]
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NOVA Parks and Dominion Energy have been replanting cleared areas along the W&OD Trail with native trees and shrubs (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Over the next year, visitors can expect to see fewer invasive plant species and more native plantings along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail and other regional parks.
The NOVA Parks Board of Directors adopted a fiscal year 2027 budget at its meeting last Thursday (May 21) that includes increased funding for invasive species management throughout the system, and for tree and shrubbery plantings along the 45-mile W&OD Trail, among other priorities.
Suli Wang could lose her home if a cut-through between Chain Bridge and Hunter Mill roads is approved (screenshot via Fairfax County)
Residents of an Oakton neighborhood are mobilizing against Fairfax County’s consideration of using one of their community’s streets as a cut-through between two major roadways.
“There are many concerns,” said Suli Wong, a resident of the English Oaks neighborhood, in May 19 remarks to the Board of Supervisors.
Audrey Ortiz-Peterson, a Mount Vernon High School senior, will head to West Point this fall (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)
When Audrey Ortiz-Peterson was in middle school, she wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps by joining the military someday. His suggestion to start running for fun, though, was a lot less appealing.
“I was not a fan,” Ortiz-Peterson, a senior at Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria, recalled. “It was not very fun to me.”
Construction workers on the Popes Head Road bridge deck over Fairfax County Parkway (via VDOT)
Update — The Virginia Department of Transportation released more details about the partial interchange opening and how it will affect traffic patterns in the coming months on Friday, May 29.
Earlier: Fairfax County Parkway will be inaccessible from Popes Head Road for the next week, as the Virginia Department of Transportation prepares to start opening the reconfigured interchange in Fairfax Station.
Reston Station Blvd passing the office building at 1861 Wiehle Avenue in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Once expected to be demolished in 2025, the vacant office buildings at 1831 and 1861 Wiehle Avenue in Reston are still standing almost half a year later, with not even a construction fence to signal their future demise.
Plans to redevelop the two parcels with a senior living facility and apartment buildings, including one anchored by The Fresh Market, have ground to a halt after developer Comstock Companies reportedly relinquished control of the properties.
