Tysons | FFXnow - Part 432

Morning Notes

Published July 20, 2023 at 7:30AM

Vehicles use the I-66 Express Lanes by the Vienna Metro station tracks (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Memorial Created for Teen Killed in Crash — “The uncle of a teenage girl killed in a fiery crash in northern Virginia said she just left church service and was heading to eat with her brother and friends when the deadly collision occurred. Henry Zarco brought a stuffed teddy bear, flowers and a balloon” to the crash site on Burke Centre Parkway. [FOX5]

Telegraph Road Ramp Closes in Newington — “The ramp from Telegraph Road (Route 611) to southbound Fairfax County Parkway (Route 286) will be closed from 10 a.m. Thursday, July 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 31 for stormwater pipe repairs…Drivers are asked to follow posted detour signs.” [VDOT]

Countywide

FCPS leaders voice support for transgender students despite new Virginia policies

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 19, 2023 at 3:00PM

Fairfax High School students stage a walkout to protest Virginia's proposed policies restricting transgender and gender-nonconfirming students' rights (courtesy Pride Liberation Project)

After months of review, the Virginia Department of Education has released a final set of policies guiding public schools on how to treat transgender students — including many that contradict the policies currently used by Fairfax County Public Schools.

Released Tuesday (July 18), the “model policies” generally direct schools to require that students use names, pronouns and facilities, such as bathrooms, based on their legal sex as designated in their official school records. All local public school systems are obligated by state law to adopt a version of the policies.

Around Town

All-you-can-eat Korean BBQ coming to Merrifield from Centreville’s Meat Project

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 19, 2023 at 1:30PM

The Korean barbecue restaurant Meat Project is expanding from Centreville to Merrifield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Centreville’s Meat Project is preparing to fire up a grill at Halstead Square in Merrifield.

The all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue restaurant is expanding for the first time to The Lofts apartment building at 2727 Merrilee Drive, where it has leased a 3,456-square-foot, ground-floor space, per a site plan from retail broker Rosenthal Properties.

Around Town

Tysons auto dealerships to close permanently, maybe setting stage for redevelopment

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 19, 2023 at 11:00AM | Updated July 19, 2023 at 7:18PM

The Priority Mazda and Nissan and Sheehy Infiniti dealerships in Tysons (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 7:10 p.m.) Permanent closures are coming for three auto dealerships near the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons.

The Priority Nissan and Mazda shops, which share a building at 8525 Leesburg Pike, will close at the end of this month with either July 31 or Aug. 1 as their final day of business, a customer service representative told FFXnow.

Countywide

NEW: Fairfax County might end leaf collection service, starting next year

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 19, 2023 at 10:15AM

Fairfax County offers curbside fall leaf collection services (courtesy DPWES)

The coming winter’s leaf collection season might be Fairfax County’s last.

The Department of Public Works and Environmental Services has proposed terminating the leaf vacuum services it provides to thousands of residents after each fall, citing rising costs and “operational issues.”

Countywide

New online app launches to map out public art across Fairfax County

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 19, 2023 at 9:30AM

ArtsFairfax's Public Art Locator maps installations around Fairfax County, such as "Wooden Horse" at Lake Anne Plaza in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

ArtsFairfax wants you to help it keep track of all the public art popping up around Fairfax County.

The county’s designated, nonprofit local arts agency recently launched an online Public Arts Locator to identify and map out murals, sculptures and other installations placed in the community, either permanently or on a temporary basis.

Countywide

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com

Published July 19, 2023 at 7:30AM

People peer into the Mercury Fountain in Reston Town Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Virginia Releases New Policies on Transgender Students — “The final model policies…include many of the same guidelines with an emphasis on parents’ rights ‘to make decisions with respect to their children.’ The policies, a version of which each of Virginia’s schools systems would be required to adopt, outline that teachers and other school personnel may not refer to a student by a different name or pronoun unless parents request the switch in writing.” [The Washington Post]

Northern Virginia Center Expansion Gets Support — The Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended approval last week of Virginia Tech’s proposed campus redevelopment near the West Falls Church Metro station. Proponents said the promised affordable housing and more transit-oriented focus are necessary, while some critics feared the new buildings will overshadow existing condominiums. [Gazette Leader]

Countywide

Man wins decades-long battle to get FCPD to use community names, not postal addresses, in crime reports

By Vivian Hoang

Published July 18, 2023 at 3:00PM | Updated July 18, 2023 at 5:44PM

Fairfax County police car with lights flashing (file photo)

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) The long-fought activism of one local resident has culminated in the Fairfax County Police Department changing its approach to publicly identifying where crimes occur.

Arlington-based blogger Dave Statter announced on Wednesday, July 12 that Police Chief Kevin Davis has committed to having FCPD public information officers and social media channels use community names, rather than postal addresses, in public safety announcements, clearing up decades of confusion.

News

FCPD: Organized shoplifting attempt at Saks Fifth Avenue in Tysons foiled

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 18, 2023 at 1:30PM

Saks Fifth Avenue at Tysons Galleria (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Three people arrested for recently attempting to shoplift from Saks Fifth Avenue in Tysons Galleria were part of an “organized retail theft crew” based in Philadelphia, Fairfax County police say.

The three individuals — one man and two women — were seen picking up “multiple high-end handbags and other luxury merchandise” at the store on July 13, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

News

Madison HS sports program crowned this year’s best in Northern Virginia by WaPo

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 18, 2023 at 11:00AM

Bryce Eldridge pitching for James Madison High School (photo by Jackie Desimone)

The Madison Warhawks have a new award to add to their ever-growing collection of championship trophies.

James Madison High School’s athletic program ranked as the best among Northern Virginia public schools for the 2022-2023 academic year, The Washington Post has decreed based on a scoring system that the paper describes as “well-considered — if unscientific.”