Around Town

MidnighTreats is going to bring its monster-sized, vegan cookies to Reston Town Center.

The homegrown business will move from its original Reston storefront in Plaza America to a currently vacant space at 1826 Discovery Street next to Playa Bowls, possibly late next spring, according to MidnighTreats owner and founder Johnny Nguyen, who said late last week that the deal “was just finalized.”


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid outlined a timeline on Thursday (Dec. 19) for revising policies related to student athletics following a controversy over alleged football-recruiting irregularities at Hayfield Secondary School.

Engaged in ongoing damage control, the superintendent told the Fairfax County School Board at its last meeting of the year that “clear, bright-line rules and regulations” will be rolled out in coming months.


News

A pedestrian was killed this morning (Monday) in a crash on Route 28 in Chantilly that involved a commercial tanker truck.

Police officers, firefighters and medics were dispatched to northbound Route 28 (Sully Road) under Poplar Tree Road around 6:33 a.m. for a crash involving a pedestrian who was reportedly struck by a “large tanker-type vehicle that carries gas,” according to scanner traffic.


News

An Alexandria man has been charged with a felony hit-and-run for a crash in Springfield that killed a pedestrian.

Caleb Allison, 26, allegedly left the scene after striking Julio Cesar Pasassi, a 43-year-old Springfield resident, with his vehicle while driving east on Franconia Road near Elder Avenue around 6 a.m. on Sept. 13, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a press release on Friday (Dec. 20).


Event

The Malls of JRKO show is a first of its kind opportunity for all members of the TCG community. Whether you’re a veteran vendor, a brand new tcg vendor, a seasoned collector, or a parent who just wants to take their kids to their first card show, this show is made for you!

We strive to build an incredible family friendly environment with tons of giveaways, children’s activities, incredible collector opportunities and digital guides for all levels of experience. You can find all our community resources on our linktree including a road map of all the progress and effort going into the event.


Countywide
Ice skating at Reston Town Center with a Christmas tree in the background (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

One Seriously Injured in Mantua House Fire — Fairfax County firefighters were on scene shortly after midnight on Saturday (Dec. 21) for “a house fire in the 9100 block of Little River Turnpike in the Mantua area. Units arrived to fire showing. The fire is under control. One civilian was transported with life-threatening injuries. Fire investigators are on scene.” [FCFRD/Facebook]

Defense Seeks Dismissal of Wesley Shifflett Conviction — “About two months before his sentencing date, the defense for a former Fairfax County police officer convicted in a shooting that killed a suspected unarmed shoplifter argued the verdict should be thrown out.” A jury found Wesley Shifflett guilty of recklessly handling a firearm but acquitted him on the more serious charge of involuntary manslaughter. [WUSA9]

Route 7 Crash Caught on Video — “Watch: A driver travels across five lanes of opposing traffic before crashing into a vehicle in the far right lane. This was [Thursday] evening at Haycock & Route 7 at the Fairfax County – Falls Church border. Video from SafetyVid.com.” [Dave Statter/Twitter]

New Casino Bill May Come From Different Lawmaker — “While it has yet to be introduced in the upcoming session, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax County, tells WUSA he plans to continue the fight to have a referendum to build a casino in the Tysons Corner area.” A recent letter signed by over 100 people argued a casino could pose a national security risk. [WUSA9]

Power Tools Stolen From Local Businesses — “Detectives from our Criminal Investigations Division are seeking the community’s help in identifying suspects who burglarized and stole power tools from businesses in Annandale, Merrifield, Lincolnia, and Chantilly.” The burglaries occurred on Dec. 15 and 16 and believed to involve the same suspects, police say. [FCPD]

Customers Frustrated With Metro Shuttle Service — “MetroAccess, which offers Metro’s door-to-door service for people with disabilities, faces growing criticism for a lack of performance and poor customer satisfaction. Numan Aslam, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, said he’s been using MetroAccess for more than 15 years. Recently, he’s been losing patience” with the service. [NBC4]

Montgomery Leader Responds on American Legion Bridge — At a recent Dulles corridor transportation panel, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Jeff McKay suggested Maryland doesn’t want to replace the American Legion Bridge so workers will stay on its side of the Potomac River. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich says the assertion is “inaccurate” but he does “understand his frustration.” [MoCo Show]

DC United Visits Local Hospital — “Patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation services at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital (IMVH) got a special treat Dec. 20, courtesy of local professional soccer team, D.C. United. Every year, the hospital holds a winter market where patients recovering from a variety of traumatic conditions and injuries can ‘shop’ for gifts for loved ones, but this was the first year that an outside organization stepped in to donate gifts.” [On the MoVe]

It’s Monday — Expect a mostly sunny day with a high around 35 degrees with calm winds that will later shift to the south at 5 to 7 mph. As for Monday night, the skies will turn mostly cloudy with a low temperature of approximately 27 degrees and a south wind blowing at 3 to 6 mph. [NWS]


Sports

With an out-of-town holiday tournament next on the schedule, the Flint Hill Huskies warmed up by winning a key local boys basketball game.

In that Dec. 19 high-school contest, visiting Flint Hill (4-3, 2-0) defeated its top neighborhood and Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference rival Potomac School Panthers, 81-64.


Sports

Boys volleyball players from three different district-championship squads in Fairfax County recently were chosen to Virginia High School League Class 6 all-state teams.

From the Liberty District and region-champion McLean Highlanders team, senior Evan Li made the first team and senior Luke Cowan was selected to the second.


Around Town

Good Friday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Dec 20, 2024.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. Fairfax County to convert vacant hotel into emergency family shelter (30587 views)
  2. Fatal crash shuts down I-95 North near Lorton (12845 views)
  3. JUST IN: Herndon man accused of killing wife now charged with child abuse (8433 views)
  4. FCPD: Two men arrested at Reston Target, charged with forgery (5651 views)
  5. Driver killed in second fatal one-vehicle crash on Georgetown Pike of 2024 (5558 views)
  6. N. Va. leaders criticize possible return-to-work edict for federal employees (5202 views)
  7. Proposal to redevelop Commons of McLean apartments wins Planning Commission support (5143 views)
  8. Driver in fatal Fairfax County Parkway crash was drunk, police charge (5695 views)
  9. Comstock redevelopment deal collapse leaves former Herndon mayor ‘devastated’ (4290 views)
  10. Construction to begin next year on Virginia Tech’s West Falls Church campus redevelopment (3037 views)
  11. GMU basketball team defrauded out of Bahamas trip, prosecutors say (2260 views)
  12. Fairfax County tax reduces plastic bag circulation, raises $6 million (2220 views)

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Saturday throughout the county, from our event calendar.

☀️ Saturday’s forecast

Expect sunshine and a high of around 35 degrees during the day, with northwest winds at 11 to 16 mph and gusts reaching up to 30 mph. As for Saturday night, it will be mostly clear with temperatures dropping to around 20 degrees, and northwest winds calming down to 7 to 9 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.

We hope you have a great weekend! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋


Sports

The third Senior Salute girls field-hockey tournament was held recently at Meridian High School in Falls Church.

The all-star event consisted of three games and included 48 of the top 6D and 6C North Region senior public-school players in Northern Virginia. Each player participated in two matches.