(Updated at 2:25 p.m. on 2/21/2023) Great Falls will soon have its own Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) store.

The wine and liquor business plans to open at Great Falls Center (9843 Georgetown Pike).

Patrick Kane, a spokesperson for the ABC, told FFXnow now that a firm opening date has not yet been determined.

The store is a little over 2,000 square feet in size, Kane said.

Virginia ABC determines new locations of stores based on the location’s demographics, traffic patterns, rental rate and population density.

“It also considers the distance of a location to existing stores, sales at those stores, tenant mix at the shopping center, and the accessibility and deliverability to the location,” the authority says on its website.

The center includes tenants like Bollywood Bistro, Starbucks, Subway, Great Falls Barbershop and Long & Foster Realtors. An animal hospital and pho bar are also slated to open soon at the center.

Virginia ABC has more than 390 stores throughout the state, according to the website. This will be the only location in Great Falls, whose residents currently have to travel to Reston or the Tysons area to find a store.

Tempers ran hot at a hypothermia prevention shelter in Vienna on Friday, Feb. 3.

Police were called to the Church of the Holy Comforter (543 Beulah Road) — which was hosting the seasonal shelter — three separate times that evening to handle fights between residents, according to the Vienna Police Department’s highlights for Feb. 3-9.

By the end of the night, two people were arrested and taken to jail.

Suspicious Event 23-001081
Church of the Holy Comforter
FACETS Hypothermia Prevention Shelter
543 Beulah Road, NE
February 3 between 7:00 p.m. and 7:17 p.m.

Officers responded to the report of a fight between two individuals staying at the shelter. Neither party wished to pursue charges.

Arrest – Drunk In Public 23-001082
Church of the Holy Comforter
FACETS Hypothermia Prevention Shelter
543 Beulah Road, NE
February 3 10:25 p.m.

Officers responded to the report of a fight at the shelter. The staff advised an individual was acting disorderly and antagonizing the others in the shelter. Upon the officer’s interaction with the man, they detected signs of impairment.

Ofc. Reed arrested the 55-year-old man with no fixed address. He was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he was charged with Drunk In Public.

Arrest – Assault 23-001083
Church of the Holy Comforter
FACETS Hypothermia Prevention Shelter
543 Beulah Road, NE
February 3 11:11 p.m.

Officers responded to the report of a fight at the shelter. The staff reported one of the residents was provoking another resident, began throwing chairs, and yelling profanities, resulting in a fight when the other resident tried to defend himself.

Ofc. Rodriguez arrested the 28-year-old man with no fixed address. He was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he was charged with Simple Assault.

The fights mostly involved different people, though one individual was mentioned in two of the three incidents, according to VPD spokesperson Juan Vasquez.

The hypothermia shelter is operated by the nonprofit FACETS, which partners with faith communities to give people experiencing homelessness a place to spend the night each winter. It runs from the Sunday after Thanksgiving to April 1, changing locations weekly. Read More

The possession and consumption of alcoholic drinks could be allowed in some public areas in the Town of Herndon.

The Herndon Town Council is considering legislation that would allow the town to create Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas (DORAs) in the Downtown Herndon Arts District. Businesses will need licenses for outdoor refreshment areas from the ABC.

Town staff met with Downtown Herndon restaurants in July to explore the idea, according to Dennis Holste, the town’s economic development manager.

So far, the fiscal impact of the project is unclear, Holste wrote.

“These resource commitments will include such budget categories as labor, most likely overtime or contractor support, vehicles and equipment used for road closures, and increases to insurance premiums. A non-profit taking over as the DORA sponsor would help to reduce the town’s fiscal commitment,” he wrote.

Any alcohol within the area must be purchased from an ABC-licensed vendor within the designated DORA.

Each licensee is limited to certain conditions. For example, businesses cannot have more than 16 events where alcohol beverages are sold in the DORA area. Each event also cannot exceed three consequence days.

If the proposal is approved, the town would install signage along public sidewalks near the DORAs. Each sign will delineate where alcohol consumption is not allowed or restricted between midnight and 10 a.m.

Any private property owner within the DORA could prohibit the consumption of alcohol on their property. People also won’t be allowed to consume alcohol within town-owned buildings or facilities — unless otherwise approved — or on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail.

The Herndon Police Department plans to patrol the DORAs to monitor compliance and ensure enough security is present for special events within those areas.

If passed, the legislation won’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2023. The state recently enacted legislation allowing localities to establish DORAs.

The council plans to discuss the matter a meeting tonight (Tuesday).

A Fairfax County police officer is on administrative leave after he was arrested in Stafford County for driving under the influence. 

Police officer Stephen Copp, who has worked with the police department for 15 years, was arrested while he was off-duty. He was driving a county vehicle at the time of the arrest, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. 

“The county vehicle was found with front-end damage,” according to FCPD. 

An international affairs bureau investigation is underway. Copp was assigned to FCPD’s criminal investigation division. 

Photo via FCPD/Facebook