Editor’s note: Tysons Reporter will temporarily have “Morning Notes” every weekday instead of twice a week to accommodate more news.
Mental Health Services From FCPS — “Any FCPS parent may schedule a 30-minute phone consultation with a school psychologist or school social worker, for either themselves or their middle or high school student.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
COVID-19 Causes More Event Cancellations in Vienna — “The Town of Vienna has canceled all special events through June 30 and has extended limitations to Town facilities and modifications to some Town services until June 10… The Vienna Farmers Market tentatively plans to open Saturday, June 13.” [Town of Vienna]
Bus Changes Rolling In — “Effective Saturday, April 11, 2020, Fairfax County Department of Transportation will make temporary adjustments to Fairfax Connector bus service.” [Fairfax County]
Newest Spring Hill Stations Project Plans — “The latest plans include a 225-foot-tall building with 378K SF of office space and 20K SF of retail, two apartment towers reaching 270 feet and 215 feet, and a 60-foot-tall building with parking garage, retail and an expansive rooftop park. The 1.6-acre park, called the Galaxy Sports Deck, would include a turf field, two multipurpose courts and a children’s playground.” [Bisnow]
Stop Transporting Yard Waste — “Fairfax County residents are strongly discouraged from taking their yard waste to the I-66 Transfer Station or I-95 Landfill. This will help the county to focus on collecting trash during the pandemic and encourage social distancing.” [Fairfax County]
Food Truck Startup Rolling in the Dough — “The Center for Innovative Technology… announced that CIT GAP Funds has invested in Tysons, Va.-based Curbside Kitchen, developer of a platform that manages and connects owners of commercial office and multi-family residential buildings with food truck vendors.” [Globe Newswire]
Patch Starts Small Business Guide — “To help local residents navigate what is open and closed in town during the coronavirus crisis, we’ve introduced a simple a small business guide. Businesses have provided their information.” [McLean Patch]
Tysons is no stranger to people jumping off of its tall buildings. Now, a building under construction at Capital One’s campus seems to be the latest spot for parachuters.
Two videos posted by Reddit users on Sunday (April 5) each appear to show a person parachuting off of the building that will include a Wegmans store, rooftop park, residential units and parking.
One dash cam video recorded at the intersection of Colshire Drive and Dolley Madison Blvd appears to show a parachuter float down from near the future Wegmans building and land in the middle of Scotts Crossing Road.
The user who posted the video said that the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The second video, which was taken in The Gates of McLean development, appears to show a parachuter jump off the building.
“Two people jumped,” the user who posted the second video said in the comments. “I saw the first jump out of the corner of my eye and was able to catch the second on my phone.”
Fairfax County police received a report of two people jumping from a building near Capital One Drive and Scotts Crossing Road around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sgt. Greg Bedor told Tysons Reporter.
Police checked the area around the building, but weren’t able to find the jumpers, Bedor said.
“We are aware of the situation and have been in contact with local authorities,” a Capital One spokesperson said when Tysons Reporter asked about the Reddit posts.
On Monday (April 6), police took a report of a trespassing complaint in the 1600 block of Capital One Drive that happened on Sunday, Bedor said.
“Officers are actively investigating to determine if the trespassing complaint is related to the event described on [April 5],” he said.
People have jumped off of Tysons buildings seemingly for fun in the past. Previously, police investigated a series of BASE jumping incidents at the 32-story Lumen building.
“Dangerous and illegal activities such as this, particularly during a time when emergency medical services are already operating under pressure, are irresponsible and put unnecessary strain on limited community resources,” the Capital One spokesperson said.
Image via u/tlis on Reddit
(Updated 4/8/2020) In addition to their regular menu items for delivery or carry out, some local restaurants are turning into grocers to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grocery kits and markets from restaurants save residents a trip to the grocery store and help financially support local eateries.
Here’s a few of the restaurants-turned-grocers Tysons Reporter has found:
Great American Restaurants, which operates three eateries in Tysons, debuted “The Great American Grocery Essentials” on March 25, according to a press release.
For $69, the kit includes milk, orange juice, butter, rice, eggs, ground beef, chicken breast, toilet paper, baked goods, spaghetti and paper towels.
The kit is available for pick-up or delivery.
Farmers Restaurant Group has started an online market and grocery at the Founding Farmers locations in Tysons and Potomac, Md., according to a press release.
“The market will sell over 300 items with various ‘departments’ including a prepared foods market, bakery and pastry, butcher and deli, produce, an ice cream shop, basic groceries and household staples, tins of specialty roasted coffee, and an alcohol section,” the press release said.
In addition to the restaurant’s a la carte menu, the Tysons location will also offer scheduled, contact-free curbside pick-up and delivery options for its groceries starting today (April 7).
Delivery orders cost an addition $6.99 and will be available within a 10-15 mile radius of the two locations.
“Restaurant access to bulk food and material suppliers and partners could help ease the burden for everyone, especially with shortages at area grocery stores,” the press release said.
Earls, a restaurant chain that has a location in Tysons, recently launched “Earls Grocer” to sell pre-packaged grocery kits, meals and individual items for delivery or pick-up.
The grocery packs offered in the U.S. include the “Produce Pack,” “Dairy + Egg Pack,” “Pantry Pack” and “Protein Pack.”
Shoppers can also by individual items — like toilet paper, hand soap, BBQ rack of ribs, ground coffee and cheesecake — and prepared meals to feed two to four people.
In the U.S., the groceries can be delivered through DoorDash, UberEats or GrubHub.
The Palm, a restaurant chain that has a location in Tysons, is offering take-home meal kits, according to Facebook posts.
People can create their own meals with The Palm’s “Steak Kits.”
“From 7-ounce Center-Cut Filets to 18-ounce Rib-Eye Steaks, place your order at your nearest Palm for pickup or curbside service,” according to a Facebook post.
Know of a local restaurant offering groceries? Email us at [email protected]
Fairfax County has seen another jump in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Cases rose from 488 on Monday to 532 today (Tuesday), according to data from the Virginia Department of Health
As of today, there are 3,333 confirmed cases and 63 deaths statewide, including five deaths in Fairfax County.
The Fairfax Health District, which includes Fairfax County, has the highest number of cases in the state, followed by Henrico County (267), which is near Richmond.
Nearby Arlington County has 237 cases, while Loudoun County has 209.
Recently, Northam urged Virginians to wear cloth face masks or coverings to reduce the spread of the virus — especially by asymptomatic people.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear cloth face coverings — not surgical masks or N-95 respirators that medical workers need.
Data in graph via Virginia Department of Health
Virginia is ranked #35 for states with the most aggressive response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report by WalletHub.
WalletHub says the rankings for the 50 states and D.C. were determined after weighting 51 metrics under three dimensions: “Prevention & Containment,” “Risk Factors & Infrastructure” and “Economic Impact.”
New York topped the “Most Aggressive States Against the Coronavirus” report’s list of states with the most aggressive measures against the virus, while Oklahoma came in last.
Virginia’s Response
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to climb in the state.
As of today, there are 3,333 confirmed cases and 63 deaths statewide, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Fairfax Health District, which includes Fairfax County, has the highest number of cases in the state with 532 cases as of today.
Gov. Ralph Northam issues a stay-at-home order last Monday (March 30).
The order, which will last until June 10, lets people leave their homes for essential services — including medical care, food, supplies, work and more — and social-distanced outdoor activities. Gatherings of 10 people or more are currently banned.
Recreation and entertainment businesses have been ordered closed, while restaurants and retailers have been able to stay open under modified operations — restaurants can stay open for delivery and take-out options, while non-essential businesses must limit the number of shoppers in stores.
Recently, Northam urged Virginians to wear cloth face masks or coverings to reduce the spread of the virus — especially by asymptomatic people.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear cloth face coverings — not surgical masks or N-95 respirators that medical workers need.
What Other States Are Doing
Nearby, all non-essential businesses are temporarily closed in Maryland and D.C., which both have stay at home orders. In WalletHub’s report, D.C. was ranked #2, while Maryland was #13.
Other states have taken different approaches to combating the virus.
On March 19, California’s governor announced a statewide shelter-in-place order — restricting Californians to only essential errands.
MSN reported yesterday (Monday) that Iowa’s governor is urging people to stay home but has not made it an order, while Oklahoma’s governor has only ordered people who are elderly or who have immunodeficiencies to stay home.
Let Tysons Reporter know in the poll below what you think of Virginia’s response so far to the pandemic.
Editor’s note: Tysons Reporter will temporarily have “Morning Notes” every weekday instead of twice a week to accommodate more news.
Local Paper Looking for Help — The Falls Church News-Press has been asking for donations from $25-$5,000 to help keep the paper operating under the COVID-19 pandemic. [Falls Church News-Press]
How One Local Faith Group is Adapting — “The ongoing COVID-19 public-health crisis has caused many organizations to regroup. Among them is Arlington/McLean Young Life Capernaum, which works with young people with special needs.” [Inside NoVa]
Local Students’ Research Lauded — “Emily Sun and Abigail Xu, students at Langley High School, have been selected as the 2020 recipients of the STEM Excellence Award bestowed by the McLean area branch of the American Association of University Women.” [Inside NoVa]
Shopper Limits at Harris Teeter — “Kroger Co. will limit the number of shoppers it allows in each of its stores across the country — including its Harris Teeter-branded stores — beginning Tuesday…The standard grocery store building capacity is one person per 60 square feet. Kroger will now limit capacity to one person per 120 square feet.” [Washington Business Journal]
Falls Church Officials Mull COVID-19 Impacts — “Although it is only a very preliminary assessment, the City’s chief financial officer Kiran Bawa presented to the Council two possible scenarios for the fiscal conditions facing the City, moderate and a severe estimates, with one having the City losing $1.3 to $3.9 million in revenues below earlier projections in the last four months of the current fiscal year, and $5.5 to $8.5 million in the Fiscal Year 2021 that begins July 1.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Severe Thunderstorms Possible — “Isolated severe storms are possible late this afternoon and evening for locations near and to the south and west of the Potomac River. Damaging winds and large hail are the primary threats. There is an isolated threat for severe thunderstorms overnight across the entire area.” [National Weather Service]
Severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and tonight. See image for more details. pic.twitter.com/s73E9gUzze
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) April 7, 2020
People can now watch two forums with the candidates running for the Vienna Town Council and mayor’s seat.
In lieu of in-person forums due to the coronavirus pandemic, the North East Vienna Citizens Association (NEVCA) and Vienna Business Association (VBA) teamed up to host the forums virtually.
Doug Francis, NEVCA’s vice president, moderated the two forums — one for three mayoral candidates and a second one for the seven people running for council seats.
The forums, which were recorded on April 2, were uploaded to YouTube earlier today (Monday).
The town’s upcoming election is May 5. Absentee voting — which Fairfax County officials strongly encourage to reduce the risk of spreading the virus — is already underway.
Tysons Reporter will also reach out to the candidates for Q&As that will be published this spring ahead of the election.
If you have a question you would like the Tysons Reporter team to consider asking, please let us know in the comments below or on our social media pages.
Images of three mayoral candidates via Town of Vienna
Tysons-based Gannett has created a new initiative to help connect people to local businesses seeking support during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Support Local website lets people search for businesses from a list to buy gift cards. The website prompts people to share the news of their gift card purchases on social media.
The website has businesses from hundreds of cities across the U.S. So far, Austin, Texas has the most small businesses on the site (260).
The Tysons-area businesses include:
- J. Gilbert’s in McLean
- Founding Farmers in Tysons
- Red Galanga in Vienna
- Bazin’s on Church in Vienna
- Jolie Hair Studio in Vienna
- 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church
- Koi Koi Sushi in Falls Church
- Malee Thai Massage in Falls Church
“We hope that our efforts will allow them to continue to serve their communities in the future,” according to the website.
Headquartered in Valo Park, the news media company includes USA TODAY and hundreds of daily local news brands.
Patrons or business owners can submit information about small businesses registered with Google to get added to the site.
Image via Support Local
Editor’s note: Are you a restaurant in the Vienna, Falls Church, Tysons, Merrifield and McLean areas that has a fundraiser? Email us at [email protected].
Many eateries in the Tysons area are turning to fundraisers to help them stay afloat financially during the coronavirus panoramic or to help support laid off staff.
Tysons Reporter has been keeping track of GoFundMe pages for local restaurants and their staff. Here are the latest fundraisers we found:
Rocco’s (1357 Chain Bridge Road) is looking to raise $25,000.
“We have been serving our community since 1977, and we don’t want to lose Rocco’s because of this pandemic,” the GoFundMe page says.
The Italian restaurant in McLean is currently offering pick-up and delivery options, according to its website.
Over in Falls Church, Loving Hut (2842 Rodgers Drive) is looking to raise $10,000 to help with operating costs and paychecks for employees.
The vegan chain offers Asian-accented cuisine. The Falls Church location is regularly screening employees for illness, selling vegan hand sanitizer and offering carry out, according to the eatery’s Facebook page.
Agora Restaurants, which has a location in Tysons, is raising $5,000 for their staff.
“Both of our locations have switched to Delivery/Carryout thus leaving us to make the difficult decision to layoff over 100 of our dedicated and loving team members,” the GoFundMe said. “We have decided to setup a fundraiser to support our staff that can be beneficial for them during this period of uncertainty.”
The Tysons location (7911 Westpark Drive) is currently offering delivery and pickup from noon-9 p.m. daily, according to its website.
Photo via Rocco’s/Facebook
Editor’s note: Tysons Reporter will temporarily have “Morning Notes” every weekday instead of twice a week to accommodate more news.
Reston Hospital Center Buys Tysons Eatery — “HCA Healthcare Inc. has acquired a former Korean BBQ restaurant in Tysons that its subsidiary, Reston Hospital Center, plans to retrofit into an emergency center.” [Washington Business Journal]
Giant Donates to Local Food Banks — “Giant announced the donation of $550,000 and 1,200 hams to the five Feeding America food banks within its region: Capital Area Food Bank, Maryland Food Bank, Food Bank of Delaware, Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank and Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Tysons Company Has Free Web Services — Appian is offering free web services to businesses so that they can better manage COVID-19. [Cheddar]
McLean Group Urges Tax Rate Freeze — “Fairfax County officials are revising the proposed fiscal 2021 budget following dismal economic projections related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the McLean Citizens Association has some ideas on what spending reductions they should be considering.” [Inside NoVa]
#Tysons-based @IDme and San Francisco-based @SlackHQ have partnered to create a secure workspace that healthcare providers can use to share real-time information about the coronavirus. https://t.co/AgiyGwizoz
— Fairfax County EDA (@FairfaxEDA) April 4, 2020
Fairfax-based @CustomInk is partnering with @FeedingAmerica to get essential supplies to communities and people facing hunger in this time of uncertainty. https://t.co/EMTOak6wfl
— Fairfax County EDA (@FairfaxEDA) April 2, 2020
