News

With development continuing to emerge around Reston Town Center, Fairfax County is making a new push to obtain funding for a long-planned extension of the Town Center Parkway.

The proposed Dulles Toll Road underpass, which will connect Sunrise Valley Drive and Sunset Hills Road, is one of four major projects that the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) plans to submit for state funding from Virginia’s FY 2026- FY2031 Smart Scale Program.


Countywide

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is gearing up to vote on landmark zoning regulations for data centers, potentially making this a pivotal week for the industry’s future in the area.

The board will hold a public hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) on zoning ordinance amendments that, if approved, would bar data centers from being built by-right in commercial and medium industrial districts and remove over a dozen heavy industrial districts from potentially allowing data centers.


News

Fairfax County will receive millions of dollars in state funding for major transportation improvements, but it didn’t get everything it asked for from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA).

Members of the regional organization, including Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, adopted a new six-year program for fiscal years 2024-2029 on Thursday (July 11) that allocated $696.6 million to 23 projects designed to reduce congestion and add travel options, including five projects in Fairfax County and two in Fairfax City.


News

Virginia State Police are searching for a dump truck that reportedly crashed into an overhead sign on I-95 in Springfield and bolted.

Troopers were dispatched to northbound I-95 at 12:18 p.m. today (Thursday) after getting a report of debris near the 168-mile marker, which is just south of the Franconia-Springfield Parkway interchange, according to the VSP.


Around Town

South Block will continue its steady march to bring smoothies, acai bowls and cold-pressed juice to health foodies throughout Northern Virginia in 2025.

The Arlington-based chain anticipates opening its newest juice shops at Fair City Mall in Fairfax City and at Old Keene Mill Shopping Center in West Springfield early next year, founder and CEO Amir Mostafavi told FFXnow.


News

A Springfield 7-year-old is a budding LEGO superstar.

After winning a regional LEGO competition in D.C. in May, youngster Lawrence Ross Jr. came up just short in the recent LEGO Mini Master Model Builder of North America competition.


News

A Springfield man has been sentenced to five years in prison for receiving child pornography and assaulting a federal immigration officer.

Jhoan Esau Lemus Ramos, 23, was sentenced by a federal judge yesterday (Thursday) after he pleaded guilty to both charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced.


News

Across the U.S., malls are trying to make a comeback in a post-pandemic world, pulling consumers back to spaces once considered to be on the decline amid the rise of e-commerce.

Yet, representatives for Springfield Town Center argue that the actual risk to malls comes not from e-commerce, but from a failure to evolve with shifting consumer preferences.


Around Town

The Container Store is set to open its new Springfield location this weekend at Springfield Plaza and plans to give out free prizes to the first 100 customers.

The Texas-based company, known for its home and office organization products, announced earlier this week that the new store will open on Saturday, June 15, at 6412 Springfield Plaza. The release also noted plans to open another location in Ashburn on July 27.


Three people were killed last night (Wednesday) after being hit by a cargo train near Lake Accotink, police say.

Two adults and a child appear to have been walking on the train tracks above Accotink Creek near the Accotink Park Road crossing, according to the police and the Norfolk Southern Railroad Company, which operates the tracks.

“All were declared deceased on scene,” the Fairfax County Police Department said.

A Norfolk Southern spokesperson confirmed that a crash involving a northbound train occurred around 8:20 p.m. yesterday on the bridge over Accotink Creek. There were no reported injuries to the train crew, they told FFXnow.

Per scanner traffic on Open MHz, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department units were dispatched for a “medical emergency” on the train tracks at 8:25 p.m. By 8:38 p.m., responders reported that they had located all three victims on the creek banks under the railroad bridge.

The train tracks were shut down by Norfolk Southern, a dispatcher said at 8:38 p.m.

The FCPD initially described the victims as one adult and two children, but after further investigation, officers and detectives have identified the victims as 28-year-old Annandale resident Diego Arriaza, 28-year-old Lincolnia resident Yeraldin Pardo, and Pardo’s 8-year-old child.

Police believe the three people were walking on the northbound elevated train tracks when they “encountered a travelling freight train.”

“Detectives believe Arriaza was struck by the train, and Pardo and the child fell from the bridge,” the FCPD said.

Based on a preliminary investigation, police don’t believe speed or alcohol factored into the crash for the train engineer, but detectives are still determining whether alcohol may have been “a factor” for the pedestrians.

Norfolk Southern operates about 19,500 miles of cargo railroads in the eastern U.S. that transport fuel, agriculture, construction equipment, and other goods. In April, the company reached a $600 million settlement with residents affected by a toxic chemical spill that resulted from a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2023.

Screenshot via Google Maps


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