Fairfax County’s violent crime rates slightly decreased this year compared to last year, according to a new report from the police department.
The new data comes from FCPD’s annual crime report, which the department released today (Friday). The 64-page document reports a decrease in violent crime rates between 2017 and 2018 for homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
- homicide decreased from 20 to 13
- rape decreased from 98 to 92
- robbery decreased from 428 to 354
- aggravated assault decreased from 283 to 260
The report also provides comparisons between FCPD’s eight police districts for the number of driving while intoxicated (DWI) arrests, citations and dispatched calls.
The McLean District, which covers Merrifield, Dunn Loring, Falls Church, McLean, Tysons Corner and Great Falls, fell on the higher end for the number of DWI arrests with 251 last year.
The report says that officers from the McLean District teamed up last year with Fairfax County Public Schools to support “International Walk to School Day” to reduce traffic congestion and pollution near schools as the county grapples with transportation infrastructure challenges.
In addition to the crime statistics, the report also notes how many different types of complaints the Internal Affairs Bureau closed. A majority of internal complaints were closed — 129 out of 169. Out of the 129 external complaints, however, only 78 were closed.
Fairfax County is looking for election officers for the June 11 Democratic primary election.
The Fairfax County Office of Elections needs officers to serve in parts of Falls Church, Vienna and McLean.
Officers will be paid $175 for a full day or they can volunteer their time.
Registered Virginia voters can sign up online, call 703-324-4735, TTY 711 or email [email protected]. Before they can work at polling locations, election officers must complete a three-hour training. Training classes will be offered through late May.
Bilingual election officers who can speak Korean or Vietnamese, in addition to English, are also needed, especially in Falls Church.
On election day, officers will arrive at the polling place at 5 a.m. before the polls open at 6 a.m. and stay about an hour after polls close at 7 p.m. to help tally votes and pack up equipment.
Some of the officers’ responsibilities throughout the day might include helping voters with voting machines, monitoring phone lines, putting up signs, answering questions and checking in voters, according to a Fairfax County Government video. “Experienced election officers will be on hand to help or handle tricky situations,” the video says.
Flickr pool photo by Mrs. Gemstone
As a storm moves through the area, some residents in McLean are impacted by fallen trees and power outages.
A preliminary local storm report from the National Weather Service says that there is a “tree down with power lines down on Spring Vale Avenue.” ABC 7 meteorologist Alex Liggitt tweeted that trees are down in McLean.
Another NWS report says wind damage was reported in Tysons.
The Dominion Energy map shows two power outages currently in McLean as of 4:50 p.m. today (May 2) — one affecting 30 customers by the Old Dominion School Site Park and another one affecting 61 customers in between Scott’s Run Nature Preserve and I-495.
Dominion expects that power will be restored later tonight for both outages — between 7-10 p.m. for the Old Dominion area and between 8-11 p.m. for the one by the American Legion Bridge.
53 mph wind gust right by the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Trees down in McLean, VA and Rockville, MD so far. Let me know if you have any reports!
— Alex Liggitt (@AlexLiggittWX) May 2, 2019
First map via Google Maps and second map via Dominion Energy
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for Fairfax County.
The warning is in effect until 4:30 p.m. today (Thursday) and also covers several surrounding localities across Northern Virginia, D.C. and Maryland.
More from the National Weather Service:
At 337 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from Mclean to Fairfax, moving east at 20 mph.
HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.
SOURCE…Radar indicated.
IMPACT…Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. This could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. Roadways may become blocked by downed trees. Localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
NWS recommends that people “move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.”
⚠️⚠️The @NWS_BaltWash has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for @fairfaxcounty For more info https://t.co/EJXeeErbYL ⚠️⚠️
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) May 2, 2019
Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Washington DC, Arlington VA, Alexandria VA until 4:30 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/kSkTGwfRmA
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) May 2, 2019
File photo
The Vienna Town Council now has a new strategic plan.
“This plan builds on the town’s previous 2013-2015 strategic plan,” Lynne Coan, the communications and marketing manager for town, said at the Town Council’s meeting Monday night. “Goals, strategies and action steps are outlined in the plan to provide a roadmap for the town’s ongoing services and priorities over the next five years.”
The Town Council adopted the plan at its April 29 meeting. The plan focuses on a variety of areas, including safety, mobility, fiscal responsibility and environmental sustainability.
Some of the goals targetted for this year include:
- Incorporate wider sidewalks in areas of high pedestrian use
- Identify locations for bicycle parking and bike-sharing stations
- Issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for consultant to lead zoning code update
- Implement quarterly budget reporting
Town staff started discussing the plan with the assistance of Craig Gerhart, a faculty member at the Virginia Institute of Government and former Prince William County Executive, in 2017. Councilmembers have worked on the plan since January last year, Coan said.
As construction gears up for widening Route 7 from Reston to Tysons, upcoming “Pardon Our Dust” meetings will provide information on the $313.9 million project and seek public feedback.
The proposed Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) project will transform nearly seven miles of Route 7 between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive. The project includes widening Route 7 four to six lanes, adding shared-use paths, replacing the bridge over Difficult Run and revamping intersections along the corridor.
“These improvements aim to enhance safety, decrease congestion, increase capacity, and expand mobility for all users, as part of Fairfax County’s Comprehensive Plan,” according to VDOT.
VDOT will hold a public meeting next Tuesday (May 7) at Forestville Elementary School in Great Falls and a second one the following Tuesday (May 14) at Colvin Run Elementary School (1400 Trap Road). The meetings will run from 7-9 p.m. with a presentation at 7:30 p.m.
At the meetings, the team will share information on the design-build phase of the project, including the latest design and schedule, and the transition to construction work, as well as answer questions on stormwater management, right of way, environmental topics, traffic engineering and noise walls.
The current schedule for the project on VDOT’s website says, with expected completion in July 2024:
- late summer 2018-summer 2020: final design
- early 2019-early 2021: right of way
- spring 2019-summer 2023: utility relocation
- spring 2019-summer 2024: construction
Members of the public can provide input at the meetings and can email ([email protected]) or mail (4975 Alliance Drive) comments to VDOT by May 26.
Map via VDOT
McLean Day, an annual outdoor festival, will soon return to Lewinsville Park on Saturday, May 18.
Started in 1915, the McLean School and Civic League and the McLean Volunteer Fire Department created McLean Day as a fundraiser for the Franklin Sherman School. The festival changed over the years and is now produced by the McLean Community Center.
This year’s free festival will include the following activities:
- large amusement rides
- costumed superhero characters available for photos
- Bubble Ball
- a rock-climbing wall
- a petting zoo
- Riverbend Park animal presentations from noon-3 p.m.
- laser tag
People who want a sneak peek at the amusement rides can come to a preview on Friday, May 17, from 2-7 p.m.
In addition to the rides, McLean Day will offer food and performances, including dancers in MCC’s Joy of Dance classes, children’s music group Big Bang Boom, Brazilian martial arts group Abada-Capoeira D.C. and local teen singer and songwriter Mia Rocks. A stage for jugglers located by the children’s ride area will be new this year.
For the smartphone savvy, the Whova McLean Day App — available for free from The App Store or Google Play — has information about the festival.
Residents of the McLean Community Center tax district will be able to vote for the MCC Governing Board from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Eleven candidates are running for seats on the board on this with five adults vying for three seats and six teens vying for two student seats — one for the Langley High School boundary area and another for the McLean High School boundary area.
While parking is prohibited at Lewinsville Park all day on McLean Day, attendees can use three satellite parking lots and free ADA-accessible shuttle buses from 10:25 a.m.-6 p.m. at:
- McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Avenue)
- Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (1545 Chain Bridge Road)
- McLean Baptist Church (1367 Chain Bridge Road)
The free festival, which is looking for volunteers, runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1659 Chain Bridge Road. (A note to attendees: cigarettes, balloons and alcohol are not allowed.)
Photos courtesy McLean Community Center
Several public high schools in the Tysons-area, including Langley and McLean high schools, made the cut for U.S. News and World Report’s annual roundup of best high schools on the state and national levels.
“Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation and how well they prepare students for college,” according to U.S. News and World Report.
Fairfax County Public Schools dominated U.S. News and World Report’s “Best High Schools in Virginia,” and five out of the eight Fairfax County schools included two in McLean, two in Vienna and one in Falls Church:
- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology: Alexandria
- Langley High School: McLean
- McLean High School: McLean
- Oakton High School: Vienna
- Open High School: Richmond
- Marshall High: Falls Church
- Madison High: Vienna
- West Springfield High School: Springfield
- W.T. Woodson High School: Fairfax
- Deep Run High School: Glen Allen
The Tysons-area high schools bumped up a few spots for this year’s list. Last year, Langley ranked #3, McLean was #5, Oakton was #6 and Marshall was #8.
Their rankings on the national level hit the top 200 and 300 categories:
- Langley: #123
- McLean: #127
- Oakton: #173
- Marshall: #251
- Madison: #261
Image via Google Maps
One year after Appian Corporation first mentioned plans to relocate from Reston to Tysons, the cloud computing company is nearing its move-in date, which will bring 600 jobs.
Appian will soon trade in its current headquarters at 11955 Democracy Drive, Suite 1700 in Reston Town Center for Gannett’s headquarters at Valo Park (7950 Jones Branch Drive).
Appian’s relocation is set to happen in June, the Washington Business Journal reported last week.
“The 12.5-year lease for 200,000 square feet in the Jones Branch Drive building was officially signed April 17, complete with a press conference with Gov. Ralph Northam. The lease was a win for real estate group Tamares, which purchased the building from Gannett for $270 million in 2015,” according to the story.
Back in December, the company received $4 million from Fairfax County for the company’s expansion and new headquarters. The funds will pay for the leasing, improvements, equipment and operation of the new North Central home.
Image via Google Maps
Just a month shy of its 10-year-anniversary, a kids’ clothing boutique named Wee Chic recently opened its first Virginia store in the Mosaic District.
Rewinding to when it all began, owner Bridget Quinn Stickline told Tysons Reporter that she started Wee Chic after struggling to find clothing she liked for her daughter, who was then a baby. “A retailer alert went off [in my head] — this is a void in the market. There’s opportunity here,” she said.
Stickline, who has worked in the garment industry and is a self-described “fabric-phile,” knew she wanted ethical fashion with a modern approach that she could buy in boutiques.
Fast forward to present day and Wee Chic sells appropriate kids’ clothing that parents can have a hard time finding, she said.
“Fashion forward and mom approved” is how Stickline describes the shop’s offerings, which include clothing for girls’ sizes from newborn up to size 16 and for boys from newborn up to size 8, along with toys and books. (Food-printed clothing, like sushi and tacos, are popular right now, she said.)
Originally based in the Baltimore-area, Wee Chic has a newly opened Mosaic District shop, which was formerly the location of Dawn Price Baby — another local kids’ boutique that started shuttering its stores last year after 15 years in business.
Stickline said that she heard about Price’s plan to retires and signed the lease for the space in March just a few months after Price’s lease ended.
“We saw that as a sign for us to make a move into Northern Virginia,” Stickline said, adding that she likes the variety of restaurants and mix of national chains and small businesses that call the Mosaic District home.
She says she hasn’t had any customers confuse the two shops, since the decor and merchandising “feel very different” from Dawn Price Baby.
Wee Chic embraces the individuality, fun and the flexibility that comes from being a small business, Stickline said.
She has embraced recent push in the industry toward selling gender-bending — not be confused with gender neutral — clothes and toys. “We’re seeing dinosaurs on girls’ clothing. Why didn’t this happen 10 years ago?” Stickline said, adding that she’s excited about how retailers are starting to think differently about gender.
Wee Chic is also unique in its refusal to sell products online — a move that might be surprising in an e-commerce age, but one that Stickline says creates in-person experiences that shoppers can’t replicate online. “For us, it’s about the human connection,” Stickline said. “We get to know clients really well.”
Even in “Age of Amazon” as Stickline calls it, the boutique sees returning customers — “the Wee Chic Squad” — that allows Stickline to watch kids grow up.
“Kids come into our store and it’s their favorite store,” she said, adding that parents will bring their kids shopping there as a reward. “That’s a really cool feeling to create a space that kids love.”
Now age 12, Stickline’s daughter has outgrown Wee Chic, but has picked up her mom’s entrepreneurial spirit, Stickline said. “She was the original Wee Chic.”
Photo courtesy via Wee Chic
