Around Town

FFXnow Daily Debrief for Jun 21, 2024

By FFXnow.com

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 — Jun 21, 2024.

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

  1. NEW: Dine-in movie theater to replace ShowPlace Icon in Tysons (20945 views)
  2. At least two people injured in fiery crash on I-66 (7959 views)
  3. Monument Drive commuter garage to begin operations this Saturday (4832 views)
  4. BREAKING: Rep. Gerry Connolly wins Democratic primary (4316 views)
  5. NEW: Deputy county executive hired to help revitalize Fairfax County is retiring (4133 views)
  6. Work on modernization of Pan Am Shopping Center to begin soon (3994 views)
  7. Reduced speed limits, on-street parking proposed for downtown McLean (3707 views)
  8. Top data center construction firm opens new office in Herndon (3318 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

☀️ Saturday’s forecast

Expect a sunny and hot day with temperatures reaching nearly 100°F and heat index values up to 106°F, accompanied by 5-7 mph southwest winds. Saturday night will be partly cloudy, with lows around 79°F and 7 mph south winds. 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. 👋

News

McLean brothers make adjustments at next levels of baseball

By GazetteLeader

One chosen Player of the Month, another Rookie of the Year

As they entered their next levels of competition following standout high-school baseball careers, the Morabito brothers of McLean each quickly learned that making successful hitting adjustments would become a key to any future batting success.

Go to McLean brothers make adjustments at next levels of baseball Read more
News

FCPD: Person arrested for stealing police cruiser at Fair Oaks Mall

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County Police Sgt. Jacob Pearce briefs media at the scene of a stolen police cruiser crash in Fair Oaks (via FCPD/Facebook)

When an officer went to investigate an allegedly stolen vehicle at Fair Oaks Mall this morning (Friday), one of the vehicle’s passengers commandered the officer’s cruiser and crashed it near the Fairfax County Government Center, police say.

The Fairfax County Police Department says it arrested three people in the incident, which sent two officers and the person who allegedly stole the police cruiser to the hospital.

Go to FCPD: Person arrested for stealing police cruiser at Fair Oaks Mall Read more
Around Town

Reston’s Burgers Grilled Right closes amid challenging business ‘climate’

By James Jarvis
Workers remove the Burgers Grilled Right (BRG) sign from Reston location (courtesy of Ralph Alexander Brower)

Nearly six years after opening, Burgers Grilled Right (BGR) has closed its Reston storefront.

Franchise owner Ralph Alexander Brower told FFXnow that the last burger was served at the RTC West location (12120 Sunset Hills Road) on Saturday, June 15.

Go to Reston’s Burgers Grilled Right closes amid challenging business ‘climate’ Read more
Countywide

Fairfax supervisors redirect ‘green bank’ funds to home energy efficiency program

By James Jarvis
Worker installing solar panels on a roof (via Bill Mead/Unsplash)

Fairfax County has shelved plans to create a “green bank,” instead redirecting those funds to a new initiative that offers residents educational and technical support to make their homes more energy efficient.

The Board of Supervisors voted on June 11 to reallocate $638,955 initially designated for the green bank — a publicly financed institution that facilitates funding for residential and commercial clean energy projects — to a new pilot program called Electrify Fairfax.

Go to Fairfax supervisors redirect ‘green bank’ funds to home energy efficiency program Read more
News

County begins design work for new Embry Rucker shelter in Reston

By Angela Woolsey
The existing Embry Rucker Community Shelter on Bowman Towne Drive in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

An initial design concept is in the works for a new Embry Rucker Community Shelter in Reston.

The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) began preliminary concept design and programming evaluations in May to establish an updated cost estimate for the long-planned emergency homeless shelter, according to public information officer Sharon North.

Go to County begins design work for new Embry Rucker shelter in Reston Read more
Around Town

Photos: New shops, renovations in store for Tysons Corner Center

By Angela Woolsey
Tysons Corner Center has installed a digital LED sign on one of its parking garages (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

If you’ve visited Tysons Corner Center recently, you may have noticed some changes around the mall, from stores bouncing to different locations to a large LED screen looming over the Tysons One Place and Westpark Drive intersection.

Some of the alterations are the result of $110 million in combined investments in the property made over the past year by mall owner and developer Macerich and by its retailers, according to a recent press release highlighting some of the enhancements.

Go to Photos: New shops, renovations in store for Tysons Corner Center Read more
Countywide

UPDATED: Heat Advisory issued for D.C. area this weekend

By Angela Woolsey
The sun on a hot and humid summer evening (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The heat and humidity that have plagued the D.C. area this week are expected to intensify in the next day or two, the National Weather Service says.

The NWS has issued a Heat Advisory for the entire region, including Fairfax County, that will take effect at 11 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday) and continue until 8 p.m. A high of 99 degrees is currently forecast, which could combine with humidity to make the day feel as hot as 105 to 107 degrees.

Go to UPDATED: Heat Advisory issued for D.C. area this weekend Read more
Countywide

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com
The Moon is visible above the Vienna Community Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Park Authority Offers Advice for Staying Safe in Heat — “Summer is heating up, but fun in the parks doesn’t stop! Still, the Fairfax County Park Authority is encouraging residents to play it safe when it comes to enjoying the outdoors in the summer heat. Here are five ways to help beat the heat and have some fun at the same time.” [FCPA]

Vienna House Fire Extinguished — “Around 6:30am [Thursday], #FairfaxsBravest and @CityofFairfaxFD responded to a house fire 2400 blk of Carey Lane in Vienna. Smoke was showing on arrival and fire was found in the basement. The fire was extinguished with minimal overhaul. No injuries reported.” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter]

Monument Drive Parking Garage Now Open — Fairfax County marked the grand opening of its new Monument Drive Commuter Parking Garage and Transit Center yesterday (Thursday) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The $43 million facility “is part of a broader initiative to expand and enhance the Fairfax Connector bus service, ensuring reliable and efficient public transportation options for all.” [FCDOT]

Starbucks Workers in Annandale Rescue Kittens — “When cat rescuer Juli Verrier set out to save a feral cat at the Bradlick Shopping Center parking lot, she had no idea it would lead to a heroic rescue of five newborn kittens by Starbucks employees…The kittens now have Starbucks-inspired names: Bean, Brew, Matcha, Latte, and Cookie Crumble.” [Annandale Today]

Realtor Seeks $7.95M for McLean Home — “There may be no one more familiar with McLean’s luxury single-family market than [Mark Lowham], the CEO of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty. The listing agent for some of the region’s most expensive residential sales ever is going it alone to sell his home of 14 years at 6450 Kedleston Court, a 9,000-square-foot, six-bedroom, seven-bath Georgian colonial in McLean’s Langley neighborhood.” [Washington Business Journal]

Funding Needed for Fairfax City School Renovations — Fairfax City will seek voter approval of a $220 million bond referendum in November to fund renovations of its elementary schools, Providence and Daniels Run, and a new roof for Fairfax High School. [The Connection]

Unproductive Special Session for Virginia Senate — “Things didn’t go according to plan Tuesday as the Senate spent a whole day in Richmond without taking up a single bill. Supporters of bills to legalize skill games and reverse recent cost-cutting measures imposed on a program that allows some military families to get tuition-free college filled a meeting room…to see the Senate act on the two hot-button issues that were expected to be on the agenda.” [Virginia Mercury]

County to Expand Public Safety Retirement Program — “Fairfax County supervisors in mid-July plan to extend retirement-buyback options to more of the county’s public-safety personnel.” Sheriff’s office employees, police helicopter pilots and public safety communications workers would become eligible to buy up to four years’ credit toward retirement if they have “prior active-duty military service or full-time work with another U.S. federal, state or local law-enforcement agency.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Friday — The weather will be sunny with a high temperature near 95 degrees, accompanied by a mild south wind at 3 to 6 mph. For Friday night, expect mostly clear skies and a low temperature around 75 degrees, with the south wind continuing at around 6 mph. [NWS]

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