The weekend is almost here. Before you consider whether your neighborhood school should have a speed camera or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.
Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:
Fairfax County’s inventory of pickleball facilities has expanded with the arrival of 10 courts dedicated to the increasingly popular sport.
Newly renovated courts at Lewinsville Park in McLean and George Washington Park in Mount Vernon will officially open on Saturday, Oct. 15, the Fairfax County Park Authority announced yesterday (Thursday).
The ongoing widening of I-495 from Tysons to McLean will require the permanent taking of 1.15 acres from Scott’s Run Nature Preserve.
As compensation, the Virginia Department of Transportation has proposed building a new park for the Fairfax County Park Authority on a 1.83-acre site at the corner of Georgetown Pike and Balls Hill Road that it currently uses as a maintenance yard.
Retired Priest Found Not Guilty of Sexual Abuse — “Terry Wayne Specht, 69, of Pennsylvania was found not guilty by a jury in Fairfax County of one felony count of aggravated sexual battery of a child younger than 13, court records show. Investigators claimed the assault took place in 2000, according to an indictment, when Specht was chaplain and assistant principal at St. Paul VI Catholic High School.” [The Washington Post]
Vehicle Hits Pedestrian in Groveton — Fairfax County police officers were dispatched to the 7200 block of Fordson Road yesterday morning (Thursday) after a driver hit an adult, male pedestrian. The crash closed the street between Richmond Highway and Lockheed Blvd for more than an hour. Initially considered life-threatening, the man’s injury condition was later upgraded. [FCPD/Twitter]
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What if, during your life, you could only practice your chosen profession 45 times? Well, that’s winemaking! Think about it: 45 times, that’s it. And you have to get it right each time, no matter the circumstances. Mother Nature is rarely consistent, perhaps never. Every year a winemaker has to make an enormous amount of decisions based on what the vintage gives them to work with.
Fairfax County deserves more local authority, Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay says, calling Virginia’s Dillon Rule “increasingly more intrusive” in day-to-day operations.
The Dillon Rule dictates that localities only have the authority to create laws, set guidelines, and wield power if the state expressly grants it to them.
The high-end gowns of Dior will soon grace the halls of Tysons Galleria.
The Parisian fashion house will open a clothing boutique at the mall, its first in Virginia, Tysons Galleria recently announced on Instagram. The store is currently expected to open in June 2023.
The Fairfax County Police Department could begin using cameras to catch speeders in nine school crossing zones and one highway work zone as soon as early 2023.
The proposed photo speed enforcement pilot program was presented to the Board of Supervisors at a public safety committee meeting Tuesday (Oct. 4).
(Updated at 1:50 p.m. on 10/7/2022) Three more people were killed on Fairfax County roads Thursday morning (Oct. 6), police reported.
In Tysons, two people died in a single-vehicle crash on eastbound Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) remains partly shut down in Tysons after two people died in a single-vehicle crash at Chain Bridge Road, shutting down the road for nearly three-and-a-half hours, the Fairfax County Police Department said.
Downed Wires Close I-66 in Fairfax — Fallen power lines completely shut down I-66 at Route 50 in Fairfax City for about 45 minutes during rush hour this morning, prompting warnings of travel delays. The Virginia Department of Transportation said at 8:15 a.m. that all lanes had reopened. [FCFRD, VDOT]
Last Day to Apply for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals — “Apply for Free and Reduced-Price Meals by the deadline of Thursday, October 6. Any family interested in free or reduced-price meals MUST submit a new application, even if your child has received free meals in the past.” [FCPS/Twitter]
