Vienna, Dunn Loring Metro Stations Reopen After Labor Day –“The DC Metrorail system’s Vienna and Dunn Loring stations reopened Tuesday following a summer platform rehabilitation project.” [Patch]

Vienna Plan to Limit Council Meetings Has Some Exceptions Attached — “In practice, exceptions built into the new rules leave open the possibility that some meetings still will last late into the night.” [INSIDE NoVA]

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue To Host Virtual Open House — “Activities And Events For Fire Prevention Week.” [Twitter]

(Updated 9/9) The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Tuesday (Sept. 8)

• 2020 Tuesday Night 5k –6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Caboose Tavern (520 NE Mill Street)– Runners and walkers can take part in this multi-part series held on the W&OD Trai. Registration is $10 and people should arrive 45 minutes early for registration, the page said.

Wednesday (Sept. 9)

• Kanopy Film Discussion Group –8 to 9 p.m. online– The Mary Riley Styles Public Library is hosting a discussion on Frontline: Left Behind America. People can email Pete Sullivan ([email protected]) for a Zoom invitation or more info. The film is a documentary from PBS that explores the struggles of the post-economic recession in Dayton, Ohio, the page said.

Thursday (Sept. 10)

• Pets for Vets –4 to 8 p.m. at Settle Down Brewing (2822 Fallfax Drive)– This event invites people to take place in a fundraiser for Pets for Vets, which provides service animals that used to be shelter animals to military veterans. People can enjoy drink specials and free bingo, the Facebook event page said. 
• The Boro Farmers Market –3 to 7 p.m. at the Boro Tysons(8301 Greensboro Drive)– This local market will feature fruits and vegetables, grass-fed meats and pastured eggs and baked goods, the event page said.

Sunday (Sept. 13)

• Adoption Event –12 to 3 p.m. at Chico’s Natural Pet Market (6349 A Columbia Pike)– Anyone looking for their next furry friend can check out this dog adoption event. This event will allow attendees to meet pups up for adoption and learn about foster opportunities, the event listing said.
• Intro to Traditional Climbing –9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Seneca Rocks Mountain Guides East (9200 Old Dominion Drive)– For $125 people can try out this all-day experience which will teach them safe practices for outdoor climbing. Top rope climbing and belay experience is required, the page said. 
• Music In the Gardens –3 to 4 p.m. at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct)– This series will feature live music from the Virginia Chamber Orchestra. Guests are welcome to bring a blanket or fold-up chairs to sit on. The concert is free with admission to the gardens.

Photo via Meadowlark Botanical Gardens/Facebook

Falls Church-based Rare Bird Coffee Roasters is expanding, despite its temporary closure.

The cafe is set to take over the next-door location that sits on the corner of North Maple Ave and West Broad Street, according to the Falls Church City Council.

It is unclear when the construction will be complete.

When asked about the updates, “We are making an official announcement soon,” a spokesperson said, adding that more details will be released soon.

Rare Bird Coffee Roasters decided to temporarily close its doors around March because of the COVID-19 pandemic but still offers free local shipping on various products, the website said.

Photo via Rare Bird Coffee/Facebook

Clinics and medical facilities are beginning to offer yearly vaccines as flu season approaches.

People who received their annual flu shot in a 2018 study were 82% less likely to be admitted to the ICU for potentially life-threatening symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

Most people six months and older can receive a dose of the flu shot, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said, adding that people can either choose the shot or the nasal spray.

The CDC suggests that those eligible should receive their yearly flu vaccine before the end of October.

Tysons Reporter previously did a round-up of clinics and medical facilities locally offering the vaccine on a walk-up basis.

 Photo via Hyttalo Souza on Unsplash

This afternoon, the Vienna Town Council unanimously approved the use of outdoor gathering space for churches, schools and other non-commercial entities during the ongoing pandemic.

The ordinance will allow groups to socially distance and meet under safer conditions by avoiding indoor spaces with less air circulation.

A town attorney said that the council made the ordinance as broad as they could, as to make it inclusive for groups that need it.

“The good news is that if we left anything out in a rush, the good news is that it will come back before you,” the attorney said to the council, noting that they will have to vote to readopt it in 60 days.

Mayor Linda Colbert said at the meeting that she was greeted this morning before the vote by students from Green Hedges at her weekly “meet the mayor” event. The kids and their headmaster all encouraged the council to vote yes on the proposition.

The council also received emails and correspondence from church groups in the area, pushing for the changes, according to the town clerk.

“If you can get the kids out of the classroom and out into the open air, I think is safer in general,” councilmember Nisha Patel previously said.

The change comes after the council approved to extend the use of outdoor space for commercial businesses yesterday.

A new addition to Tysons Corner Center, Brookiegirl is a Black-owned, father-daughter run business that now offers shoppers specialty skincare products.

Dad and daughter duo Bobby and 16- year old Brooklynne Hand decided to start the business after Brooklynne struggled to find suitable products for her sensitive skin.

With two locations becoming increasingly popular in Maryland, the Hand family decided to open a third location in Tysons on Aug. 14, according to Bobby.

Products include bath bombs and teas, lip balms, body butter, hand soaps, body mists and even hand sanitizer. Offerings range in price from around $4 to $35.

For the pair, a location in Tysons Corner Center is a milestone since the traffic and notability of the mall will likely open doors in the future.

“If you’re a retailer, you want to prove yourself at Tysons Corner,” Bobby said. “Tysons is like our Times Square for the area. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.”

Sales and turnout at the Tysons location so far have been great, according to Bobby, who added that foot traffic in the mall allows people to try out Brookiegirl’s products. “We are hitting the mark that we thought we might have hit, even if COVID wasn’t a factor.”

When it comes to product brand and identity, Bobby said that they think of a “Broookiegirl” as someone who “not only is a well rounded and empowered lady of various nationalities, ages and races but someone who is a defender of her own imagination, beliefs and is big on defending others’ individuality.”

Since they are a military family, Bobby said that individuality and hard work is an American trait they work to embody.

All of Brookiegirls products are produced locally by young adults looking to enter the job market, often in college or high school who want to learn about the business or the beauty industry, according to Bobby.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, the company’s growth means that Brookiegirl was able to bring back all of its employees to once again operate at full capacity.

“That made us feel great – not only that they felt we were able to take care of them and they trusted us to provide a safe space, but they wanted to continue growing the business,” Bobby said.

Bobbygirl is open seven days a week offers discounts for military, veterans and first responders.

Photo via Brookie Girl/Facebook

Updated 11:15 a.m. — The VDOT in-person meeting will be held on Oct. 8, not Oct.7. 

As traffic congestion increases on I-495, the McLean Citizens Association approved a resolution at last night’s meeting in support of a project to add express lanes.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is considering the express lanes as part of an expansion along the highway in McLean leading up to the American Legion Bridge

The changes, as they stand, would extend the I-495 Express Lanes north from the I-495 and Dulles Access Road interchange up to the American Legion Bridge and add two new tolled express lanes in each direction.

Discussion during MCA’s meeting last night on the express lanes focused on environmental concerns and the Maryland Department of Transporation’s plans to update its side of the bridge.

When it comes to environmental factors, the proposed changes would destroy 118 acres of trees and interfere with Scott Run’s Nature Preserve along with the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, according to the proposal.

Yet another concern with the removal of trees would be the elimination of sound and visual barriers for some McLean residents, a board member said.

To minimize harm to the trees, MCA requested in the resolution that VDOT conduct a study to determine the species of trees that will be removed and that VDOT tries to minimize harm to healthy and established foliage, like having a replanting program.

Additionally, the project currently does not have a stormwater management plan, despite evidence that watersheds and drainage ponds would be interrupted.

The MCA indicated conditional support for the project as long as VDOT address these issues and make amends for potential damage.

“[The] greatest impact of the project will fall on the Scott’s Run Nature Preserve and GW Parkway. And every effort should be made to minimize the footprint of the facility and avoid temporary use of parkland during construction,” an MCA board member said at the meeting. 

In terms of MDOT’s involvement with the project, many board members expressed concern about misalignment with the state’s timelines.

For example, the VDOT 495 NEXT project is expected to be completed years before MDOT improves the American Legion Bridge and the portion of I-495 between the GW Parkway and I-270, according to the resolution.

Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said earlier this year that timeline misalignment would be a “huge” mistake.

Still, VDOT predicts that Virginia’s part of the work will reduce cut-thru traffic on local roads, increase I-495’s capacity and improve travel time on I-495 — even if Maryland doesn’t do anything, the resolution said.

Despite barriers and concerns, MCA Transportation Committee Chair David Wuehrmann suggested at the meeting that other board members vote in support of the resolution.

“If you’re not inclined to vote for this, you need to think about what will replace it,” he said, noting the importance of congestion relief on I-495.

Inevitably, the resolution passed last night by a 25-5 vote from the MCA board members.

Going forward, VDOT is scheduled to have an online public hearing on Oct. 5 and an in-person meeting on Oct. 8, according to an MCA board member.

Wuehrmann said that the MCA now has three goals when it comes to the 495 NEXT project — to reaffirm support for the project, encourage VDOT to commit to environmental relief and work toward congestion relief at the American Legion Bridge and connecting roads.

Image via Google Maps

A new tutoring service and study space will soon open in McLean, offering families a place to bring kids for extra help in school or just find a quiet place to work.

Called ‘The STUDY studio on Elm,’ the facility is located at 6846 Elm Street in McLean and run by Carly Latessa, a Northern Virginia native, the website said. The studio posted on Facebook that it opens next Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Students seeking a place to study outside of school can sign up for either a private desk or room at the studio. The location also offers places for group work too.

Pricing varies depending on the time of day and time. For example, a desk can be reserved for $8/hour from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. and $5/hour from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Memberships are available on a monthly basis for $50 f0r an individual and $80 for families with two kids. “Membership fees cover cleaning supplies, strong wifi, snacks, water refill, printing and a committed staff,” the website said.

The business also offers flexible tutoring options starting at $35/hour. “Tutoring sessions can be held at our space, in your home or virtually,” the website said adding that tutoring is also available for a wide variety of subjects.

Tysons Reporter reached out to Latessa for an interview but didn’t receive a response.

Image via Google Maps

As Tysons continues to urbanize, the Meridian Group’s planned extension of The Boro may bring new locations for Silverstone Senior Living and Life Time Fitness.

Silverstone Senior Living, which is headquartered in Texas and has an office in Tysons, wants to put in a continuing care facility near Westpark Drive and Greensboro Drive, according to county documentation. The living facility would include 200 senior living units and 53,000 square feet for memory care and assisted living services.

“The applicant’s objective is to provide seniors with state of the art facilities and residential offerings with appropriate levels of care and service to meet their health needs,” the application said.

The building would occupy one of the areas in Meridian Group’s proposed mixed-use redevelopment of the National Automobile Dealers Association site. 

In addition to the senior living facility, the redevelopment wants to include residential units, retail space and an urban park, according to county documents.

The rezoning application for the senior living facility is currently being reviewed by Fairfax County, according to Lynne Strobel, the attorney representing the project. “We have filed a final development plan in conjunction with the rezoning,” she said.

Along with the senior care facility, there is also a possibility that a Life Time Fitness facility might open as well, Strobel said.

Photo courtesy Hilde Kahn

After noticing gender inequalities in STEM classes and extracurricular activities, the founders of Girls Who Math decided to intervene by setting up a tutoring service for girls and young women.

A free platform created in 2019, the program works by matching mentees with volunteers who have certain areas of expertise, Cynthia Wang, a founding member and the current director at Girls Who Math, said.

Wang is currently a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and lives in Falls Church. She is a part of the five-person team, which includes a Longfellow Middle School alumnus and a McLean High School student.

The program’s tutors currently help more than 700 students around the world with material for grades K-12 including computer coding, math classes and chemistry, the website said.

Girls Who Math offers more than tutoring — the program regularly hosts seminars that help girls with things like college admissions, Wang said, adding that they try to educate people on other free resources available.

Since the beginning of COVID-19, Wang said that the program has increased in popularity and many families are taking advantage of the service since kids are struggling to adapt to online classrooms.

Despite the group’s growth, Wang said that there are underlying problems beyond a demand for tutoring that need to be addressed. Before the program’s founding, she had been offering casual tutoring services to her peers and began to notice some problematic trends.

“I thought there was a discorporate amount of girls [who sought out tutoring],” she said, adding that she later learned this was because they felt uncomfortable asking questions during class because they would be unfairly judged by their peers.

It turned out that the problems didn’t end there. She also said that she noticed what could be labeled as sexism in other areas of academia as well — noting examples of when she sometimes felt unwelcome at clubs in middle school because the coaches would unjustly assume based on her gender alone that she didn’t have the skills to succeed or the ability to learn.

“It made something click in my mind,” she said.

Though Wang is still often the only girl in many of her clubs and extracurriculars, she hopes that Girls Who Math will empower young women across the globe and close the gender inequality gaps.

Anyone interested in getting involved with Girls Who Math can sign up online to become a volunteer or mentee.

Photo by Jerry Wang on Unsplash