Countywide

NEW: Fairfax County considers privatizing crossing guard program to ease police staffing strain

By James Jarvis
A crossing on Ridge Heights Road outside Langston Hughes Middle School in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County officials are exploring privatizing the police department’s school crossing guard program as a potential solution to address staffing challenges and reduce the burden on officers.

The Fairfax County Police Department has struggled to meet the demand for crossing guards in recent years, leading sworn police officers to step in and provide additional support, Assistant Police Chief Bob Blakley told the Board of Supervisors at a Safety and Security Committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday).

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News

Vienna to get temporary library during renovation of permanent facility

By Angela Woolsey
Cedar Park Shopping Center in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Some library services will still be available in Vienna while the town’s recently renamed Patrick Henry Community Library undergoes an extensive renovation starting early next year.

Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) is planning to open a temporary branch at the Cedar Park Shopping Center in spring 2025 that will support a limited selection of materials and programming, such as storytimes.

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Around Town

Shake Shack confirms plans for Reston Town Center restaurant

By Angela Woolsey
Shack Shack is now open at the Mosaic District, but with limited hours (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Shake Shack is expanding north of the Dulles Toll Road for the first time in Northern Virginia.

The burger-and-shake chain signed a lease yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon for space in Reston Town Center, a Shake Shack spokesperson confirmed to FFXnow. The new restaurant is slated to open in 2025.

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News

Fairfax County adds five HOAs to EV charging station grant program

By James Jarvis
A Fairfax County-owned electric vehicle charger at the Bulova Center for Community Health in Merrifield (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Five more homeowners’ associations have been selected to receive grants for electric vehicle charging stations through Fairfax County’s Charge Up Fairfax program.

Spearheaded by the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination (OEEC), the initiative originally launched in 2023 as a pilot program to encourage residential neighborhoods to invest in electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure by reimbursing HOAs for up to a third of the costs to install charging stations.

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Event

Botanical Estate: Flower, Fashion, & Fine Arts Show

Poster advertising Botanical Estate: Flowers, Fine Art & Fashion Show on August 22, 2026 at Hawa Center, Fairfax VA (People of the Garden).

Hawa Center Fairfax

4401 Fair Lakes Court

Fairfax, Virginia 22033

Website Contact Social

Flowers, Fine Art & Fashion is an immersive cultural experience presented by People of The Garden LLC, where nature, creativity, and modest couture converge in a breathtaking indoor garden setting.

Guests will journey through a living landscape featuring dramatic floral installations, botanical art, and a one-of-a-kind rectangular runway designed around lush greenery and sculptural plantings. Throughout the evening, attendees will experience a curated runway presentation showcasing modest fashion designers, alongside original fine art, artisan vendors, and interactive floral experiences.

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Countywide

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com
The Apex fitness park at Reston’s Halley Rise, which continues construction (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Pedestrian Injured in Herndon Crash — A pedestrian was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries after being hit by the driver of a car on Sterling Road near Herndon Parkway last night (Tuesday). Sterling Road reopened around 3 a.m. [Herndon Police/Twitter]

Idylwood Man Battles Damaging Golf Balls — “For more than half his life, Forrest Hatcher has dealt with near-daily damage from errant golf balls flying from Jefferson Park Golf Course. The balls have shattered his windshield, dented his van, and damaged his home’s siding, trim and windows…Netting was put up to stop the golf balls, but Hatcher said it’s not high enough.” [NBC4]

Va. Democrats Back VP for Nomination — “Nearly all of Virginia’s 119 delegates to next month’s Democratic National Convention have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the party’s presidential ticket in November, after President Joe Biden abandoned his reelection bid.” [Virginia Mercury]

Capital One Reports Drop in Profits — Tysons-based Capital One Financial Corp. reported a profit of $597 million for the second quarter of 2024, down 54% from the first quarter and 57% from Q2 2023. The decline reflects an increase in “credit card chargeoffs” and “the termination of its credit card partnership with Walmart Inc.” [Washington Business Journal]

Annandale Commercial Building Up for Sale — “A small commercial building at 7229 Little River Turnpike in Annandale is up for sale. The current tenant, HanmiPost, has a three-year lease. HanmiPost moved to that space in April 2023 after its previous building on Columbia Pike burned down.” [Annandale Today]

Reston Realtor Collects Backpacks for Students — “Nicki Moravitz, a Realtor with Century 21 New Millennium in Reston, will be celebrating her birthday on Saturday by collecting new backpacks for local children in support of Cornerstones’ Annual Back-to-School Backpack Drive…Cornerstones will be accepting in-person donations of new backpacks from Monday, July 29-Friday, Aug. 2.” [Patch]

Vienna Planning Commissioner Wins Award — “Stephen Kenney, a member of the Vienna Planning Commission, has been presented with the 2024 Chandler Award for Citizen Planner of the Year by the Virginia chapter of the American Planning Association (APA Virginia).” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Wednesday — The day will be mostly cloudy, reaching a high near 85 and a 70% chance of precipitation. Showers and possible thunderstorms are expected before 8pm, continuing with a chance afterward. The night will remain mostly cloudy with a low around 74. [NWS]

Around Town

FFXnow Daily Debrief for Jul 23, 2024

By FFXnow.com

Good Tuesday 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 — Jul 23, 2024.

📅 Upcoming events

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

  • No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.

⛈️ Wednesday’s forecast

Scattered showers are expected before 11am, transitioning to a chance of showers and thunderstorms from 11am to 2pm, and then a higher likelihood of showers and possible thunderstorms after 2pm. The sky will be mostly cloudy with a high temperature near 85°F and a southwest wind around 5 mph. The chance of precipitation is 60%, with new rainfall amounts generally below a tenth of an inch but potentially higher in thunderstorms. For Wednesday night, showers and possible thunderstorms are likely before 8pm, with chances of precipitation continuing after 8pm. The temperature will drop to around 73°F with a south wind at 3 to 5 mph. The chance of precipitation remains 60%, and the same rainfall amounts are expected. 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.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

News

UPDATED: Three men arrested for Oakton homicide, police say

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County police car with lights flashing (file photo)

Updated at 9:30 a.m. on 7/26/2024 — The man found dead in Oakton last Saturday (July 20) has been identified as Nicacio Hernandez Gonzalez, 47, of Fairfax, police say.

The Fairfax County Police Department announced today (Friday) that a third man, 20-year-old Wilmer Adli Guzman, was arrested in D.C. on Wednesday (July 24) and charged with malicious wounding by mob in connection to Gonzalez’s killing.

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News

JUST IN: Temporary homeless shelter to open in Reston next week

By Angela Woolsey
The North County Human Services Building in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County is moving ahead with plans to open a temporary overflow shelter for people experiencing homelessness in Reston.

After weeks of planning, the shelter is officially scheduled to open at 5 p.m. on Monday, July 29 in the North County Human Services Center (1850 Cameron Glen Drive), the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) announced today (Tuesday).

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Around Town

Vienna shows off landscaping with new floral downtown tour

By Angela Woolsey
Flowers planted along Maple Avenue in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

If you’ve driven or taken a stroll down Vienna’s Maple Avenue this summer, you might’ve noticed more pops of color than in previous years.

The Town of Vienna wants to draw more attention to the vivid flowers lining its main downtown streets with a new, self-guided “Vienna in Bloom” streetscape tour. The town’s economic development and parks and recreation departments unveiled a map last Friday (July 19) showing the locations of dozens of different flowers and nearby local businesses.

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