Zombies, pirates and other virtual characters are about to be unleashed on Tysons, just in time for Christmas.
Sandbox VR will launch its new virtual reality gaming experience at 1656 Silver Hill Drive in The Boro with a grand opening on Dec. 22. This is the first Virginia location for the San Francisco-based startup, which has expanded to over 40 sites across North America, Asia and Europe since introducing itself to the world in 2019.
Live Fairfax is a bi-weekly column exploring Fairfax County. This recurring column is sponsored and written by Sharmane Medaris of McEnearney Associates. Questions? Reach Sharmane at 813-504-4479.
Embarking on the holiday season demands more than just festive cheer — it calls for a dash of magic in our style survival. Join me as we meet up with sometimes referred to the “Style Therapist” by her clients, Katie with Style by Valentine at the amazing Tyson’s Corner Nordstrom.
With the last pandemic-era expansions of federal child care aid to states set to end next year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin is proposing to put $448 million into the commonwealth’s early learning and child care system in each of the next two years.
“The reality is that in March 2024, without significant reforms to improve this long-term viability of our child care programs, we would otherwise see children simply being kicked out of these most important collaborations that enable families to realize their dreams and so we can’t leave families, parents and their children without options,” said Youngkin at a press conference for his “Building Blocks for Virginia Families” initiative Thursday.
Rice Culture is now serving taiyakis and ice cream just outside the Dunn Loring Metro station.
The pop-up bakery, a regular at several D.C. area farmers’ markets, kicked off the soft opening phase of its first brick-and-mortar shop last week on Nov. 30. Its location in the Shops at Avenir Place (2672D Avenir Place) had been vacant since Bruster’s Real Ice Cream closed in 2020.
Fairfax County Resident Wins “Squid Game” Reality Show — “Mai Whelan — also known as Player 287 on Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge — is one of the DMV’s newest multimillionaires. [On Wednesday] night, she took home the top $4.56 million prize in the game show’s finale, beating out 455 other contestants, including Falls Church native Shelby Hoefling.” [Washingtonian]
New Funding Goes to N. Va. Rail Projects — “Elected officials announced Thursday the state has received $729 million in federal funding. The money will go toward the construction of a new Long Bridge over the Potomac River. Currently a major chokepoint on East Coast, the project will double the bridge’s capacity.” [WTOP]
(Updated at 3:05 p.m.) The anticipated cost of renovating Patrick Henry Library has escalated in recent years, leading Fairfax County to seek a bigger contribution from the Town of Vienna.
The Vienna Town Council agreed on Monday (Dec. 4) to raise the town’s cap on funding for the new library’s construction to approximately $4.7 million — a $590,000 increase from the previous maximum set in 2020.
Kent Gardens Elementary School should finally get some substantial capacity relief, starting next school year.
The Fairfax County School Board approved tweaks to the boundaries of five elementary schools in McLean on Monday (Dec. 4) with the goal of alleviating crowded conditions at Kent Gardens (1717 Melbourne Drive), which was at 121% of its programming capacity, as of the 2022-2023 school year.
Washington Post Workers Walk Out in Bid for Union Contract — “Unionized journalists and other staff at The Washington Post in D.C. and around the world are set to strike for 24 hours starting Thursday…In a letter to readers, the Guild asked subscribers to not ‘engage with any Washington Post content’ during the span of the strike.” [WTOP]
Virginia Requires Teamwork for Local Water Supply Plans — “Virginia’s State Water Control Board amended regulations last week that will require local governments in the same river basin to work together in crafting plans for water supply and use. Previously, the state allowed local governments to choose whether they wanted to submit such plans independently or work with other localities in a regional approach.” [Virginia Mercury]
A Falls Church man has been arrested in connection to a sexual assault at the Quarry Inn Motel (7179 Lee Highway) in September.
Erick Vladamir Chacon Martinez, 23, was taken into custody yesterday (Tuesday) after detectives obtained warrants charging him with raping a woman at the West Falls Church motel on Sept. 16, the Fairfax County Police Department announced today.
The best path forward for saving Lake Accotink might to let it shrink, a Fairfax County task force has proposed.
Created by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in May, the 30-person group was charged with exploring alternatives to fully dredging the sediment that has accumulated in the man-made body of water or converting it to a wetland, as recommended earlier this year by county staff.
