Countywide

Eighth-grader Nikita Ramakrishnan bested 86 spellers to win the Fairfax County Spelling Bee March 23.

Ramakrishnan, a student at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, claimed the title after spelling “xanthic,” an adjective of Greek origin meaning “colored with some tint of yellow – used of a flower.”


Around Town

A national beauty salon chain has expanded its local presence in Fairfax County just in time for prom and wedding season.

Sola Salon Studios recently welcomed locations in Reston and Chantilly to its roster with grand openings on March 17 and 24, respectively. Both salons are corporate-owned but offer suites for lease to independent barbers, hair stylists and other beauty professionals.


Around Town

Little Leaves Behavioral Services, a center that offers specialized therapy programs for young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, is opening four new centers around the region including two in Fairfax.

According to a press release, the new centers will open sometime this summer. They will each be able to serve 24 children.


News

Fairfax County has cultivated an economic win by landing a role as host of the American Wine Society’s annual conference.

The gathering of winemakers, restaurants and connoisseurs, which typically draws more than 650 attendees, will be held this fall at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles Hotel in Chantilly, according to Visit Fairfax, which anticipates that the event will generate at least $1 million in economic impacts.


News

A Dumfries man will serve nearly 20 years in federal prison, primarily for his involvement in four different armed robberies in Fairfax County.

Dwayne Selman-Neville, 38, was sentenced yesterday (Thursday) to 19 years and two months of incarceration after pleading guilty on Oct. 11 to charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances.


News

As a designated national historic place, Sully Historic Site’s backstory likely doesn’t qualify as obscure, but it may be incomplete, the Fairfax County Park Authority says.

The agency hopes to fill in some of those gaps with a new “Reimagining Sully” project expected to kick off this spring. The initiative will aim to tell “more complete and accurate and authentic stories” about the former plantation, according to FCPA Resource Management and Interpretation Division Director Laura Grape.


Sports

An already standout season for the Chantilly Chargers became the best ever when the boys swimming and diving team won its first state championship last week.

The Chargers won the Virginia High School League Class 6 title in Stafford with 284 points, 50 ahead of the runner-up and defending champion Langley Saxons.


Sports

With a district tournament title and runner-up finishes in region and state tournaments under their belt, the Chantilly Chargers enjoyed one of the school’s best wrestling seasons ever.

On Saturday (March 1), Chantilly placed second in the Virginia High School League Class 6 state competition in Virginia Beach with three individual champions and 165 points. The Grassfield Grizzlies of Chesapeake won with 192.5 points.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is cooking up changes for next year’s school menus, and students got a first taste at the second annual FCPS Student Food Show last Thursday (Feb. 27).

Held at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles in Chantilly, the event invited hundreds of students — from elementary through high school — to sample and rate more than two dozen potential meal options, helping determine what could land on breakfast and lunch menus across the district’s 199 schools next year.


News

Fairfax County police are investigating a fatal shooting in Chantilly that’s being described as domestic in nature.

Officers responded to a home in the 13000 block of Pennypacker Lane around 6:09 a.m. today (Friday) after getting a 911 call reporting that multiple gunshots had been fired inside the house.


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