Alexandria | FFXnow

Defense contractor’s plan for major expansion in Fairfax unites Youngkin and McKay

Published September 11, 2025 at 4:30PM | Updated September 11, 2025 at 4:55PM

Gov. Glenn Youngkin with regional leaders and Systems Planning & Analysis staff (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Just a couple of weeks after accusing state officials of undermining Fairfax County’s economic development work, Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay found himself cutting a ribbon with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to celebrate an economic development win for the county.

Local and state officials gathered at the Alexandria headquarters of defense contractor Systems Planning & Analysis this afternoon (Thursday) to announce its plans to invest $46.9 million in both the city and Fairfax County.

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Alexandria man arrested, charged in Groveton carjacking

By Jared Serre

Published August 28, 2025 at 11:15AM | Updated August 28, 2025 at 11:43AM

A Virginia State Police vehicle (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

An Alexandria man was arrested earlier this week in connection to a carjacking in the Groveton neighborhood of Fairfax County.

David Rodney Lewis II, 34, is accused of assaulting a delivery driver in the 3300 block of Lockheed Blvd before jumping into the victim’s vehicle and driving off, the Fairfax County Police Department says.

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JUST IN: Man dies in Fairfax County jail hours after arrest

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 1, 2025 at 11:40AM

Fairfax County Adult Detention Center (staff photo by James Jarvis)

An Alexandria man died yesterday (Thursday) at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, the second death to occur in the jail this year.

Omar Maknassi, 32, was arrested and transported to the jail on Wednesday evening (July 30), but early the following morning, a Fairfax County sheriff’s deputy found him unresponsive in the cell where he was being held, according to statements from the sheriff’s office and Fairfax County Police Department.

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Fairfax City announces new police chief and HR director

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 24, 2025 at 1:45PM

Alexandria Assistant Police Chief Raul Pedroso will serve as the new Fairfax City police chief, starting Aug. 11, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The City of Fairfax is starting to fill some key vacant positions, announcing the hiring of a new police chief and a human resources director this week.

As first reported yesterday (Wednesday) by ALXnow, Alexandria Assistant Police Chief Raul Pedroso has been selected to lead the City of Fairfax Police Department after a national search that drew “many qualified candidates,” according to the city.

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Fairfax County leaders still uneasy with VDOT’s I-495 Southside Express Lanes plan

By Scott McCaffrey

Published June 26, 2025 at 9:15AM

Proposed route of I-495 Southside Express Lanes project (via VDOT)

Fairfax County leaders remain uneasy about the Virginia Department of Transportation’s proposed I-495 Southside Express Lanes project and the possible impact of widening the highway on residents of neighboring communities.

The Board of Supervisors agreed to send a five-page letter to Virginia Secretary of Transportation W. Sheppard Miller III on Tuesday (June 24) detailing its concerns.

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VDOT leans toward two toll lanes on I-495 across Woodrow Wilson Bridge

By Vernon Miles

Published June 2, 2025 at 1:45PM

Eastbound traffic on the Capital Beltway (I-495) near Rose Hill (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Controversial plans to add new express lanes onto I-495 are heading to public review starting today (Monday).

The plan is to extend the I-495 Express Lanes from Springfield into Prince George’s County, Maryland. The study area spans approximately 11 miles along the southern edge of I-495 — the last section of the Capital Beltway in Virginia without toll lanes, with construction underway on a northern extension in McLean.

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NEW: GW Parkway still partly closed due to storm-damaged trees

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 19, 2025 at 3:30PM | Updated May 19, 2025 at 3:52PM

GW Parkway is closed at Belle View Blvd in Belle Haven for tree removals (staff photo by James Cullum)

A 2.5-mile segment of the George Washington Memorial Parkway remains inaccessible to traffic three days after a storm brought down over a dozen trees and left others severely damaged.

The closure from Belle View Blvd in Belle Haven to Alexandria Avenue in Fort Hunt is expected to continue at least through the morning rush hour tomorrow (Tuesday), as crews work to remove fallen and hazardous trees, the National Park Service announced this afternoon.

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Man sentenced to almost two decades in prison for Fairfax County kidnapping

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 12, 2025 at 3:45PM

Tyree Eugene McCombs (center) and others carry shoes and handbag stolen from couple in Alexandria apartment building (courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office)

A D.C. man will serve almost two decades in prison for allegedly participating in the stalking, robbery and kidnapping of two Fairfax County residents as well as a woman in Maryland.

A U.S. District Court judge in D.C. sentenced Tyree Eugene McCombs, 29, to 228 months, or 19 years, in prison yesterday (Tuesday) after he pleaded guilty last year to robbery and kidnapping charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. announced.

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Route 7 bus rapid transit study shifts focus to Seven Corners segment

By Scott McCaffrey

Published December 10, 2024 at 8:15AM

Metrobus 28A on Route 7 in Falls Church (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Preliminary work for future bus rapid transit service from Tysons to Alexandria along the Route 7 corridor is taking another step forward.

The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) voted on Thursday (Dec. 5) to send out a request for proposals to firms interested in studying the easternmost leg of the corridor from Seven Corners to Alexandria.

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Driver of allegedly stolen vehicle arrested after Richmond Highway chase

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 9, 2024 at 11:15AM | Updated December 9, 2024 at 2:15PM

Virginia State Police vehicle (photo by John Calhoun/JC Photography)

The driver of a vehicle reported as stolen was arrested this morning (Monday) following a brief police pursuit on Richmond Highway in the Huntington area.

According to the Virginia State Police, troopers tried to stop the driver of a vehicle that turned out to be stolen at the intersection of Richmond Highway (Route 1) and Quander Road around 3 a.m. Instead of stopping, the driver fled north in Route 1’s southbound lanes.