When Andrea Brubaker entered the Fairfax County Courthouse on Feb. 27, she expected to see a trial with witnesses testifying and evidence presented against the driver who had crashed into her son, killing him, almost one-and-a-half years earlier.
Instead, she watched the driver leave the courtroom after a brief talk with a judge through his son, who translated, to pay a $50 fine for failing to yield on a left turn.
Recalling that morning a couple of days later, Brubaker told FFXnow that she was “saddened by the outcome” and “shocked” by what she saw as a “lack of attention” paid to the case by the prosecutor.
“Overall, I was disappointed that there was not a trial so that a courtroom, a judge, myself, and others could hear the facts of this case,” Brubaker said. “I had assumed at a minimum, that he would be found guilty of the two driving infractions he was charged with, but for some reason, the prosecutor decided against it. The defendant did not offer any remorse or explanation to the court, nor was it asked for by the court.”
Brubaker’s son, Andrew Dearing, died on Oct. 25, 2022 after the driver of a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee crashed into him while he was riding his 2018 Yamaha MT07 motorcycle on West Ox Road in Fair Oaks, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
In an initial news release, police said a preliminary investigation indicated that the motorcyclist had “proceeded straight through” the Ox Hill Road intersection and struck the Jeep, which then hit a pedestrian signal and collided with a 2013 Lexus GS350 sedan.
However, almost a month later, the FCPD announced that its detectives had charged the Jeep driver on Nov. 18 with two traffic violations: failing to yield on a left turn and failing to obey a traffic signal.
“Detectives determined [the driver], 79, of Fairfax was driving in the northbound turn lane on West Ox Road waiting to turn left onto Ox Hill Road,” the FCPD said. “[He] did not yield to the operator of a 2018 Yamaha MT07 motorcycle traveling southbound on West Ox Road resulting in the crash.”
Dearing was thrown from the motorcycle, which got totaled, according to a police crash report. He died that evening in a hospital at 27 years old.
The charges, explained
Brubaker says she was surprised to not see more serious charges, but according to the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the crash didn’t involve the kind of negligent or reckless behavior needed to meet Virginia’s standards for involuntary manslaughter or reckless driving.
In Virginia, involuntary manslaughter applies to fatal crashes where someone was driving under the influence, and reckless driving involves behavior careless enough “to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person.” Examples include speeding, driving in the wrong lane, driving with faulty brakes or passing another vehicle when the driver’s view is obstructed by a hill or curve.
According to the police crash report, the driver in this case didn’t have the right-of-way, and both his and Dearing’s vision may have been obscured by stopped cars. But the crash didn’t involve any health issues, distractions or intoxication. Read More
After years of enjoying the homey Italian cuisine served at Esposito’s Fairfax, Colleen Lester and her family decided the time had come to give back to the woman behind the restaurant.
So, when they learned that Esposito’s would close for good on March 10, ending a 42-year run in Fairfax City, Lester created an online fundraiser to support owner Maria Esposito. The campaign has now raised $4,100 out of a $20,000 goal, as of press time.
Esposito previously told FFXnow that she was given just two weeks to vacate the building at 9917 Fairfax Blvd where the business had operated since 1982. The property had been sold and is being considered for a Tommy’s Express Car Wash.
According to Lester, the abrupt notice left Esposito with a significant financial burden.
“Since she didn’t have much notice, she didn’t really have time to prepare financially for the cost of moving out of the space,” Lester said by email. “She also wanted to provide some sort of severance for her employees, who all lost their jobs without much warning.”
She will also still need to pay business taxes and any debts resulting from food and equipment orders that were placed weeks to months in advance but then had to be canceled, added Lester’s mother, Brenda Halbrook, who remains in close contact with Esposito.
The GoFundMe campaign is intended to help ease the burden of those expenses. Boosted by multiple triple-digit donations, it will remain open until early July, according to Halbrook.
A native of Fairfax County, Lester says her family was “heartbroken” when they heard that their long-standing favorite dining spot was going to shutter.
“My parents have lived here for the past 40+ years. We have been going to Esposito’s together for decades and are long time customers/friends of Maria’s,” she wrote. “…Our family has been eating at Esposito’s since I was a child and now my kids love going there with my parents (their grandparents) so we are 3 generations of loyal customers.”
Esposito’s was “packed” during its final week of business, and based on their conversations with Esposito, Lester and Halbrook say the restaurant owner appreciated the outpouring of support.
Since the closure, Esposito has been working at the Italian Oven, which is owned by her cousin. The McLean restaurant reopened at 6852 Old Dominion Drive in June 2022 after a 20-year hiatus.
The possibility of a comeback for Esposito’s Fairfax in a new location isn’t out of the question, according to Halbrook.
“The sudden notice to close shocked Maria to her core, but the outpouring of support from her many fairhful customers has been incredibly helpful to her,” Halbrook said. “Maria is a ‘people person,’ who genuinely loves her ‘family’ of customers. Maria would like to open her own restaurant again, if she can get the needed support.”
Great Falls volunteer firefighters are set to bartend at The Old Brogue this Thursday (March 14) to raise funds for the casualties of the Feb. 19 Sterling house explosion, including Sterling Volunteer Fire Company firefighter Trevor Brown.
Fundraising hours will take from place from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday.
The Old Brogue (760 Walker Road) first opened on Saint Patrick’s Day in 1981. The Malone family took over the pub’s operations and ownership in 2022.
“What makes The Old Brogue truly special is both its rich history in Irish hospitality dating back to the first steakhouse opened in Derry, Ireland, and the charming and warm environment of The Old Brogue that has earned its place as a pillar of the community today,” Patrick Malone, a spokesman for The Old Brogue, said.
Customers are encouraged to bring cash and “tip big” at the event.
The house explosion killed Brown, a 45-year-old firefighter and father of three who had been with the Loudoun County volunteer department since 2016. Fourteen others were also injured.
The fire was the result of a leak involving a 500-gallon underground propane tank and a un-contained propane tank that moved around the structure that was ignited by an unknown ignition source, according to Loudoun County fire officials.
Property damage extended to at least six additional homes, resulting in damages of roughly $2.5 million.
The Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department works with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department’s career staff out of Station 12 at 9916 Georgetown Pike.
A Tysons-based organization is bringing a polar dip to Lake Anne Plaza in Reston.
The Kiwanis Club of Tysons plans to host the event on Feb. 10 at Lake Anne Village Plaza (1609 Washington Plaza North) to raise funds for Reston-area organizations. The event is organized in partnership with the Lake Anne Washington Plaza Merchants Association.
Check-in opens at 12:30 p.m., and jumping begins at 2 p.m. The club hopes to raise $25,000 for Food for Neighbors, Friends of Reston and Kiwanis youth programs in the area. A portion will also go towards Camp Sunshine, which provides a retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses.
To supplement the event, the merchants association will host a winter market with opportunities to shop and take part in children’s crafts and other activities. Registration is open online.
Sponsors of the event include Reston Association, Reston Community Center, Fairfax County Cold Water Dive Team, Kalypso’s Sports Tavern, Quickspin Quick Planning and photographer by Scott Ripley.
The Kiwanis Club of Tysons was founded in 1998 and is part of Kiwanis International, a worldwide community service organization that includes adult clubs and youth service clubs.
Camp Sunshine had previously organized a polar dip at Lake Anne Plaza, a run that ended last January. Known then as the Virginia Polar Dip, the event raised over $1 million over 18 years.
A local family is seeking financial support after a late December pedestrian crash critically injured a mother and her son on Elden Street in Herndon.
“We were simply walked home after grocery shopping when a driver ran off the road and hit my five year old son, my wife and me,” Armando Verduo wrote in a message for a GoFundMe campaign.
As of today (Tuesday), the campaign has raised nearly $17,500 of a $50,000 goal. The funds will be used to pay for medical bills and other expenses, Verduo said.
A driver hit the family on Herndon Parkway near the Elden Street intersection on Dec. 28. The boy was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital, and the woman was taken to Reston Hospital. The driver remained at the scene.
Verduo, who suffered minor injuries, said public safety personnel extricated his wife from underneath a car that was pinned on top of her.
“Neither of us can work and the medical bills and expenses are adding to the catastrophe we are now living,” he wrote in the campaign.
The Herndon Police Department has not publicly released any additional information related to the crash.
“The case is still under investigation,” HPD spokesperson Lisa Herndon said.
(Updated at 12:45 a.m. on 12/22/2023) No holiday miracle was necessary for the McLean Central Playground Team to reach its goal of raising $400,000 to update the play equipment at their local park.
The group of moms announced on Tuesday (Dec. 19) that they have reached their fundraising target with days to spare before a year-end deadline set by the Fairfax County Park Authority, which is responsible for the planned renovation of the playground and tot lot at McLean Central Park (1468 Dolley Madison Blvd).
“We are amazed and humbled by the incredible generosity of our community and all of the partners who’ve supported us in achieving this milestone,” said Jessica Wu, one of seven mothers who collaborated on the fundraising campaign.
The park authority proposed a new playground for the 28-acre park as part of a development concept updated in 2022, but it only had enough funding — about $175,939 — to replace the school-aged equipment, leaving the slightly newer tot lot untouched.
When the park authority started soliciting public input on its concept in 2021, however, a group of moms led by McLean resident Cara Schantz began advocating for a more ambitious design. They wanted both facilities to be renovated, relocated the same place in the park and enhanced with accessible features.
The FCPA ultimately incorporated their design into its McLean Central Park development concept but tasked the moms with raising the additional funds needed to implement it.
Launched in early March, the fundraising campaign required “countless volunteer hours” spent on outreach to the community, meetings and organizing events that often involved partnerships with local businesses, according to a press release.
After hitting a lull around October, the effort got a boost from the McLean Community Center, which contributed $50,000, and the park authority, whose board approved a $20,000 grant. Organizers say the many smaller donations made by community members “helped significantly.”
“Every contribution, big and small, helped get us across the finish line,” Sarah Farzayee said, adding that she hopes the new playground “will stand as a symbol of community spirit and civic duty in Fairfax County.”
Expected to begin in spring 2024, the renovation will include updated equipment, more seating, poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing, fencing around the tot lot, sensory play options, an inclusive merry-go-round and more swings, including an adaptive tandem swing designed so that children and caregivers can stand face-to-face.
“Every playground should be accessible to children of all abilities,” mom Angie Golder said. “We hope that the new McLean Central Playground underscores the importance of inclusion in all public spaces.”
The playground team, which also includes Jenny Gregory, Lacey Obry and Rebecca Antzoulatos, says the Fairfax County Park Foundation, the park authority’s nonprofit supporter, can continue accepting donations until the second week of January at the latest. Any additional contributions “will be used to enhance the playground further.”
“We can’t wait to see the joy and excitement on the faces of children of all abilities and family and community members as they enjoy the renovated playground,” Gregory said.
A new music venue and pub is holding a fundraiser, starting tomorrow (Friday), to support its upcoming launch in Fairfax City.
Earp’s Ordinary, located at 10420 Main Street, has been under construction since 2020, but encountered delays caused by the pandemic.
Now, owner Michael DeMarco says construction has been completed, but the venue still needs “funds for working capital to help with operating expenses like inventory.”
Previously, DeMarco told FFXnow he envisions the pub drawing national and regional talent. He also said the venue won’t focus on a specific music genre.
“There will be 25 musicians playing throughout the weekend — Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, and Sunday afternoon,” Demarco said. “The goal is $50,000.”
Demolition for the venue began in 2020. To get through the pandemic, DeMarco and managing partner Josh Alexander hosted outdoor shows in front of the space. The site has previously been home to restaurants, a judicial center space and a duckpin bowling alley.
General admission tickets for the “Save Our Stage” fundraiser are available online for $25, though the Friday show has sold out. There are also $65 all-access weekend passes and exclusive VIP memberships available for purchase.
The event will feature a buffet and live music by a diverse set of artists, including Holly Montgomery, Rick Landers, Jillian Matundan, Paul Wolfe, Heather Lloyd, Susan Rowe, Michelle Swan, Brent Funkhouser, Kirk Hurd, Sunny at Midnight and Know1Else.
The bar operates on a credit/cash basis.
Earp’s Ordinary is also accepting online donations through the ticket page and via Venmo at @earpsordinary for those who can’t attend in-person.
Showtimes:
- Friday, Dec. 8 — Doors: 4 pm | Start Time: 5 pm
- Saturday, Dec. 9 — Doors: 12 pm | Start Time: 1 pm – 5 pm
- Saturday, Dec. 9 — Start Time: 5 pm – 11 pm
- Sunday, Dec. 10 — Doors: 12 pm | Start Time: 1 pm
A rock band that once represented Turkey in the popular Eurovision competition will take the stage at Capital One Hall in Tysons on Black Friday for a humanitarian cause.
The Capital One Center performing arts venue (7750 Capital One Tower Road) will host Manga in its main theater on Friday, Nov. 24 for a benefit concert to help children whose injuries from the earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria in February required amputations.
The fundraiser was organized by the American Turkish Association of Washington DC (ATADC), a nonprofit that promotes Turkish culture locally through cultural, educational and social events and programs.
“When you purchase your tickets, you are not only in for an unforgettable musical experience, but also contributing to a noble cause,” ATADC President Sevtap Schreffler said in a statement. “…We invite our community and American friends to support our fundraiser concert this giving season where Manga band will perform to give these children a new beginning in their lives.”
The proceeds will specifically go to the Bridge to Türkiye Fund’s Project CATE and Child Wellness Center, which are providing prosthetics and long-term medical, psychological and educational support to over 1,000 child amputees, according to Schreffler.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit southern Turkey on Feb. 6 left over 50,000 people dead and displaced many more. Months later, decimated cities are still recovering, as are the injured victims, who were “disproportionately” children, according to the ATADC.
Doors for Friday’s concert will open at 6 p.m. A Eurovision runner-up in 2010, Manga blends hip hop, electronic music and Anatolian melodies, per a press release.
Tickets are being sold through Ticketmaster and start at $45.
Other upcoming events at Capital One Hall include a concert by blues musician Joanne Shaw Taylor on Saturday (Nov. 25) and shows from comedian Jim Jefferies on Dec. 1-2.
More changes may be on the horizon for Reston’s Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art, following a brand and name change in recent years.
The institute — which was founded in 1974 as the Greater Reston Arts Center by local artists and residents — is actively fundraising for a new home in Reston as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
“Armed with a clear vision of the type of space we will need to house Tephra ICA for the next 50 years, the funds we raise today will help us begin the design and procurement process when the site for that new home is identified,” Sofia Blom, Tephra’s senior manager of gallery and communications, told FFXnow by email.
The institute has launched a “Tephra ICA at 50” capital campaign to raise $300,000.
According to Blom, Tephra hasn’t determined what it will do with the current space in Reston Town Center once it moves to a new location. The existing facility at 12001 Market Street, Suite 103, is owned by the gallery and was secured 20 years ago through a condition, or proffer, from town center developer Boston Properties.
The current facility requires improvements like exterior signage to prominently identify the space, along with enhanced visibility, accessibility accommodations, and information technology and audio visual upgrades to accommodate digital, film and media artwork, according to Tephra.
“We have been creative in pushing our current facility beyond its limits to present the ambitious exhibitions and programs we have hosted the past several years,” Blom wrote. “But to reach remaining unfulfilled goals, we eventually will need a new and expanded facility that offers capacity/capability we cannot secure in our current space.”
In the long term, Tephra hopes to secure accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, a national organization that provides resources and serves as an advocacy group for museums and their workers.
To achieve that milestone, Tephra ICA will need to get a centralized, 24-hour temperature and humidity control system, UV-filtered window systems and an automated light level system that Blom says are not possible in the current space.
The timeline of the project depends on the outcome of the fundraising campaign. Discussions are underway with developers on securing a possible new space.
“We are currently planting seeds and preparing for the future but we are several years away from moving into a new facility,” Blom said.
A restaurant in Seven Corners will raise funds tonight (Monday) for Palestinian refugees after its owner’s family members were recently killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Bawadi Mediterranean Grill announced last week that it will donate 50% of sales made between 6 and 9:30 p.m. to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which is tasked with distributing food and other aid in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
As a Palestinian born in Gaza, Bawadi owner Khalid Mekki says he “felt compelled…to try to do something” to help the civilians whose lives have been upended since Israel declared war on Hamas in retaliation for the militant group’s deadly surprise attack on Israeli military sites and towns on Oct. 7.
“When I was reached by the UNRWA, [I felt] it was a great idea for me to be able to participate in,” Mekki told FFXnow.
Bawadi also donated 50% of its sales to UNRWA on Oct. 31.
Located at 6304 Leesburg Pike, Bawadi has been serving kabobs, pita wraps and other Middle Eastern food in the Falls Church area for about eight years now. The restaurant moved to its current site after the lease for its original location in Bailey’s Crossroads ended in 2018.
“We serve all communities. We have no political agenda,” Mekki said. “All we’re trying to do is help those unfortunate people back in Gaza through the only channel that’s available for them.”
Late last week, Israel revised its death toll from the Oct. 7 attack to 1,200 people, down from previous estimates of over 1,400 people, most of them civilians. Another 239 people were taken hostage by Hamas.
Since Israel began its siege on Gaza, more than 11,000 people have been killed in the territory, including more than 4,100 children, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. Israel has blocked food, water, fuel and other supplies, allowing just a trickle of aid, according to UNRWA, which operates 14 food distribution centers and 150 refugee shelters in Gaza.
Among the dead are Mekki’s niece, her husband and their three kids. He says the family was killed by an Israeli bomb that hit their house earlier this month.
“It is very sad to lose them,” Mekki told FFXnow. “…We are big believers [in God], and this actually gives us comfort. They are in a better place. We just don’t wish it to anybody else.”
With other family members still in Gaza, Mekki has also been advocating for the U.S. to pressure Israel for a ceasefire, urging anyone who wants to support the fundraiser to also contact Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and their Congressional representatives.
“Killing civilians is not the right option to resolve this conflict,” Mekki said. “We hate to see anybody from both sides getting hurt as civilians, and we want this to end. These people are suffering, and it’s our responsibility, especially in the United States. We enjoy the freedom of speech, we enjoy the freedom of living good that other people in the world deserve the same way.” Read More
