West Falls Church | FFXnow

FCPD: Merrifield man charged with sexual battery of 6-year-old

Published June 28, 2024 at 3:15PM

Fairfax County police logo (file photo)

Fairfax County police arrested a man yesterday (Thursday) for allegedly touching a 6-year-old child inappropriately at a playground in West Falls Church.

Officers were called to the Kingsley Commons Townhouses in the 7300 block of Arlington Blvd shortly after 7 p.m. in response to a report that a man “unlawfully touched” a child.

“Patrol officers were able to quickly locate the man and take him into custody,” the Fairfax County Police Department said today (Friday) in a press release.

Police say Victor Villalobos, a 47-year-old man from Merrifield, has been charged with aggravated sexual battery of a juvenile under the age of 13. He was taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he’s being held without bond.

“Detectives are urging anyone who may have had unlawful contact with Villalobos or has information about this case to contact our Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 4, and share any information they may have,” the FCPD said.

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West Falls Church music venue up for poll on D.C. area’s best dive bar

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 21, 2024 at 11:30AM

JV's Restaurant at the Jefferson Village Shopping Center in West Falls Church (via Google Maps)

The Washington Post is surveying its readers to find the best dive bar in the D.C. area, and the only Virginia establishment to make the final vote can be found in Fairfax County.

JV’s Restaurant in West Falls Church (6666 Arlington Blvd) is one of 12 finalists competing in the informal poll. Mostly located in D.C., the finalists rose to the top out of “dozens” of contenders submitted by “hundreds” of readers after the Post asked for favorite dive bars in March.

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Compass Coffee opens doors of drive-thru cafe in West Falls Church

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 2, 2024 at 9:30AM

Compass Coffee is now open in West Falls Church (courtesy Compass Coffee)

Compass Coffee has opened in West Falls Church.

The regional coffee shop chain began now serving customers yesterday (Monday) at its newest location in the Shops at West Falls Church (7393 Lee Highway/Route 29). Visitors on that first day included Falls Church City Mayor Letti Hardy and Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik.

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Police charge West Falls Church man with assault, abduction after 7-hour barricade

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 12, 2024 at 9:30AM

Fairfax County police vehicle with lights (file photo)

A man who barricaded himself in his West Falls Church home on Sunday (March 10) is facing multiple criminal charges, including assault and abduction.

According to the Fairfax County Police Department, a woman told officers that afternoon that she had been abducted and assaulted by a “known suspect” in the Mosby neighborhood.

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Hybrid emergency and urgent care center could replace West Falls Church strip mall

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 22, 2024 at 2:30PM

Graham Center in West Falls Church (via Google Maps)

Graham Center’s days may be numbered.

The 61-year-old retail strip in West Falls Church has been targeted by the not-for-profit health system VHC Health for a future emergency department and urgent care center, according to a special exception application recently submitted to Fairfax County.

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Compass Coffee advances in quest for West Falls Church drive-thru cafe

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 9, 2024 at 10:15AM

Compass Coffee will limit the travel aisle near Route 29 to one direction of traffic to accommodate its planned drive-thru cafe in West Falls Church (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Compass Coffee is still weeks, if not months, away from opening its first Fairfax County cafe, but it’s already being warmly welcomed — at least by local planning commissioners.

After a public hearing on Wednesday (Feb. 7), the Fairfax County Planning Commission voted in support of the D.C.-based coffee company’s application to convert a vacated BB&T bank at 7393 Lee Highway (Route 29) in West Falls Church into its second drive-thru restaurant.

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Infared sauna studio eyes West Falls Church for first Virginia location

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 2, 2024 at 9:30AM

Perspire Sauna Studio is expanding to Virginia with three franchises planned in Fairfax County (courtesy Perspire Sauna Studio)

An expanding chain of sauna studios is targeting West Falls Church for its introduction to Virginia.

Local entrepreneurs Michael Sobhi and Michael Baffa will open three Perspire Sauna Studio franchises in Fairfax County under a recently signed agreement with the California-based company, which offers infrared sauna and red-light therapy services.

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West Falls Church, Tysons restaurants make semifinals of James Beard Awards

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 25, 2024 at 10:15AM

Fairview Park's 2941 Restaurant is a semifinalist for the 2024 James Beard award for Outstanding Restaurant (file photo)

A longstanding fine dining establishment in West Falls Church near Merrifield and a rising star in the Tysons culinary scene are both representing Fairfax County this year in the semifinals of the prestigious James Beard Awards.

The only Virginia eatery recognized in a nationwide category, 2941 Restaurant (2941 Fairview Park Drive) was named a semifinalist for “Outstanding Restaurant” by the James Beard Foundation, which announced competitors for its 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards yesterday (Wednesday).

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FCPD: Man arrested almost 33 years after wife’s murder in West Falls Church

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 23, 2024 at 9:30AM

Jose Lazaro Cruz has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife, Ana Jurado, in West Falls Church on April 30, 1991 (courtesy FCPD)

The man believed to have killed 24-year-old Ana Jurado in West Falls Church over three decades ago had started an entirely new family by the time he got arrested, Fairfax County police say.

Jose Lazaro Cruz arrived and was taken into custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center last Thursday, Jan. 18 — 32 years after detectives got a warrant charging him with murdering Jurado on April 30, 1991, officials announced yesterday.

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Full update of Arlington Blvd apartments planned to preserve affordable status

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 9, 2024 at 11:45AM

Coralain Gardens Apartments in West Falls Church (courtesy Enterprise Community Development)

The affordable housing developer behind the new Lake Anne House in Reston is targeting an apartment complex near Falls Church High School for a similar rebuild.

Enterprise Community Development, a Maryland-based national nonprofit, announced last week that it has acquired the Coralain Gardens Apartments in West Falls Church for $21.7 million, setting the stage for a rehabilitation that will enable the property to remain fully affordable.