As if the universe sensed a need for balance, a bank in Vienna is set to turn into a restaurant.
The Vienna Board of Architectural Review gave its approval last month to a team that plans to rework the former SunTrust Bank at 501 Maple Avenue West into the Yellow Diner, which has been described as a modernization of a classic American diner.
Vienna police are on the lookout for men who reportedly damaged the Westwood Country Club’s golf course last week.
Surveillance video footage showed “a group of unidentified males” destroying the grounds and equipment of the country club at 800 Maple Avenue East between 2 and 3 a.m. last Saturday (July 23), the Vienna Police Department said in a flier included in its crime recap for the week of July 22-28.
Metro Promises Relief for Train Riders Next Month — Starting Monday (Aug. 1), the addition of more rail cars will speed up service on the Orange, Blue and Silver lines to every 15 minutes on weekdays instead of the current wait times, which can reach up to 20 minutes. Metro says it anticipates expanding those service adjustments to weekends in September. [WMATA]
Man to Plead Guilty to Herndon Murder — A Virginia man told a Fairfax County judge he wants to plead guilty to the 1987 killing of 37-year-old Eige Sober-Adler in Herndon after being indicted in the case in January. Charles Helem is already serving life in prison for strangling and killing his ex-girlfriend, Patricia Bentley, in Chantilly in 2002. [WTOP]
The Town of Vienna will usher in spring next year with color and creativity, thanks to a partnership between the Vienna Arts Society and local businesses.
The nonprofit organization revealed last week that it is bringing back the “Take a Seat, Vienna” project first introduced to mark its 50th anniversary in 2019.
Judge Orders Records Release in Reston Homicide Case — Fairfax County Circuit Judge Brett A. Kassabian denied a motion to seal records related to a double homicide that occurred in Reston in 2017. In a case that may not see trial until mid-2023, Nicholas Giampa has been indicted on murder charges in the shooting and killing of his girlfriend’s mother and stepfather. [The Washington Post]
Driver Charged in Route 1 Hit-and-Run — “Detectives from our Crash Reconstruction Unit have charged the driver of the 2007 Toyota Camry from the July 6 fatal pedestrian crash. The driver, Diego Juarez Gomez, 19, of Maryland was traveling south on Richmond Highway, struck McPhail in the roadway and did not stop at the scene.” [FCPD]
More Money Requested for Silver Line Phase Two — “Officials with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority are seeking an additional $250 million in funding to pay for construction…citing the project’s complexity, coronavirus-related restrictions, an increase in the cost of building materials, and supply chain slowdowns as key factors for the cost increase.” [The Washington Post]
Mochi Doughnut Eatery Opens in Vienna — The regional chain Donutchew has opened a franchise in the former Starbucks at 107 Maple Avenue West, offering about 20 flavors of doughnuts made with glutinous rice flour. The shop gives Vienna a second option for mochi doughnuts and bubble tea after Bubble Mochi opened nearby in January. [Patch]
D.C. Area Sees Rise in Teacher Resignations –“Resignations spiked enormously at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year in D.C. Public Schools and in several Northern Virginia districts, including Fairfax County…Educators say the reasons for resigning vary. But some cite the difficulty teachers faced readjusting students, many of whom had grown accustomed to pandemic-era remote education, to in-classroom learning this past year.” [The Washington Post]
Police Chief Addresses Gun-Pointing Incident — The Fairfax County Police Department released body camera footage on Friday (July 15) of officers pointing their guns at a person who was filming them outside a West Falls Church IHOP. Chief Kevin Davis said he understands “the anxiety that folks in the community have after seeing this video go viral” but defended the officers’ actions. [WTOP]
At the urging of some residents and even a Fairfax County School Board member, Vienna is revisiting its noise rules, especially for businesses and other commercial sites.
The town last rewrote its noise ordinance came in 2011, but with sound issues becoming a growing source of tension between residents and businesses, the Vienna Town Council agreed on Monday (July 11) to initiate a new review — with no guarantee that anything will change.
A mixed-use development that will bring apartments, retail, and additional parking to Church Street in Vienna is moving forward.
During its meeting on Monday (July 11), the Vienna Town Council unanimously approved the project from developer Bognet Construction to replace two commercial buildings at 139 and 145 Church Street with a three-story building and two-level parking garage.
Haley Vananh is ready to lay down her scissors.
The owner of Charles’ Barber Shop will permanently shut down the small hair-cutting outlet tucked in the back of Vienna’s Cedar Park Shopping Center at the end of August, she confirmed to FFXnow.
