City National Bank opened its doors in The Boro last week.
The bank, which is a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada, announced the opening of the 4,200-square-foot full-service regional banking center (8301 Greensboro Drive, Suite J), noting that it will help better serve clients in the D.C. and Northern Virginia areas.
“Greater Washington has responded well to City National’s deep expertise and customized solutions,” Juan Jara, who leads the bank’s personal and business banking team. “Opening our Tysons office will enable us to help individuals and local businesses navigate these uncertain times and reach their financial goals.”
The Tysons team of four commercial bankers will work closely with Royal Bank of Canada’s wealth management and capital markets businesses, the press release said.
For the last three years, City National Bank has expanded in the D.C., Boston, Long Island and Miami areas. In July, the bank opened two new branches in New York, the bank said in a press release.
The Tysons branch is following COVID-19 guidance in Fairfax County to keep clients and employees to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the press release said. The branch is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays, according to the bank’s website.
The bank is the latest of a string of newcomers to the Tysons development this summer, including Santouka Ramen, FRESHFARM Farmers Markets and Poki DC.
Photo courtesy City National Bank
(Updated 8/20/2020) A much-needed bridge replacement is on pause while the City of Falls Church waits to hear if the Virginia Department of Transportation will award the project funding.
Oak Street Bridge, which crosses Tripps Run, is in poor condition. Yearly inspections since 2012 have found several safety concerns and an urgent need to repair or replace the bridge.
While the bridge was repaired last year to fix damage from severe flooding, Falls Church officials want to replace it to make it safer and a better fit for the community.
A staff update to the Falls Church City Council last Monday (Aug. 10) on projects in the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) shared that the bridge replacement is the only CIP project that has stopped during the pandemic.
The CIP update noted that the city was expecting to hear back in May or June about its application to VDOT’s State of Good Repair (SGR) program for the remaining $928,000. As of last Monday, the city hasn’t heard anything.
“The SGR program is one of the very few funding sources available for paving and bridges that requires no match,” staff said in the update, noting that infrastructure funding was already competitive before the pandemic.
In November, city staff said that construction could begin in early 2021. The CIP update last week noted that the project design is 90% complete, but the funding shortfall is holding the project up.
Previously, the city announced that the $2.6 million replacement received partial funding through Regional Surface Transportation Program funds.
Aside from the bridge, the majority of the city’s CIP projects have progressed during the pandemic, with 18 on schedule and 11 facing delays. Since the last CIP update in January, the city finished two projects — sanitary sewer infrastructure in West Falls Church and primary extension paving along East Broad Street and Hillwood Avenue.
The city also added two new projects to the CIP list after the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) granted the total funding. One project received $6.9 million to address transit access and multimodal connectivity in West Falls Church. The other project, which received $8.3 million, will tackle multimodal improvements in the downtown area.
The CIP update last week noted that receiving the full funding for both projects was “unexpected, but much needed.”
Update corrects name of NVTA
Image via City of Falls Church
Electrify America plans to bring electric vehicle chargers to Tysons Corner Center as part of its plan to add hundreds of new stations by the end of next year.
The Reston-based company is working with the mall to bring an ultra-fast EV charging station to the mall in early 2021, Alyssa Schor, a spokesperson for Electrify America, told Tysons Reporter.
Electrify America, which Volkswagon launched in 2017, has more than 450 sites with about 2,000 direct-current fast chargers. The company has said it plans to invest $2 billion in Zero Emission Vehicle programs by 2027, with $800 million going toward programs in California and $1.2 billion around the rest of the U.S.
The company plans to install or have under development approximately 800 total charging stations with about 3,500 direct-current fast chargers by December 2021, Schor said.
“Electrify America conducts an extensive review and analysis to select locations for charging stations, working with a variety of site hosts,” according to a company statement Schor provided. “A large focus is on placing these locations where EV drivers can multitask while their vehicle charges — running errands, dining out, etc.”
Schor declined to share how many chargers the station will have or where they will be located at the mall.
A spokesperson for Tysons Corner Center said that the upcoming chargers will increase the property’s zero-emissions sustainability offerings.
“We look forward to welcoming locally based Electrify America to the center and working together in promoting customer-centric, energy management solutions for the community,” Todd Putt, the mall’s senior marketing manager, said in a statement.
Currently, EV drivers can find more than two dozen charging stations in Tysons from Tesla, Blink, SemaConnect, EVgo, Volta and ChargePoint. Electrify America has a charging station near the Walmart next to the Spring Hill Metro station.
Looking for a charging station? Here’s a map of current options in Tysons:
Photo via Electrify America
Town Hall Tonight — Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand has been hosting weekly town halls to talk about the back-to-school plans and answer questions from the community. The town hall tonight will be live-streamed from 6-7 p.m. [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Silent Auction Ends Today — The Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce started its virtual silent auction last Wednesday. Now, the event ends today at 11 p.m. So far, the auction has raised a little over $1,800, with the goal of hitting $2,500. [32auctions]
Blood Drive on Thursday — Inova is holding a blood drive at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department Hall (400 Center Street S.) on Thursday from 1-7 p.m. [Inova]
Protest in McLean — “Youth activists gathered outside the McLean home of U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday morning, protesting what they called corruption in his role as the federal government’s top law enforcement officer.” [Patch]
Local Student Plays Golf Championship — “As one of the youngest players in the talented and experienced field, Kelly Chinn maintained a steady calm to record a strong finish during the 36-hole stroke-play portion of the 2020 men’s U.S. Amateur Golf Championship.” [Inside NoVa]
After 28 years in the role, Falls Church Sheriff Stephen Bittle recently retired. Now, voters will choose his successor next year.
Bittle retired on Saturday (Aug. 15), the City of Falls Church announced today. Chief Deputy Sheriff Matt Cay will serve as the interim sheriff until the election in November 2021.
Bittle started working for the city’s police department in 1966 and then left to become the interim sheriff in 1992, according to the city. He was officially elected to the position in 1993. Bittle ran unopposed in the last five elections, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
The Virginia House of Delegates lauded Bittle for 50 years of service in 2017.
Falls Church voters elect the sheriff every four years. The sheriff’s office provides court security and prisoner transportation and also works with the city’s police department to help with things like traffic control, special events and training exercises.
Photo via City of Falls Church
The number of new COVID-19 cases appears to be remaining steady in Fairfax County, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health.
The Fairfax Health District’s percent positivity has hovered between 5-7% since mid-June. Currently, it is at 6.4%, while the percent positivity statewide is 7%.
The weekly average of new COVID-19 cases has remained between 16-200 since mid-June in Northern Virginia. Statewide, the average has been dropping since mid-July after a spike.
The epidemic curve for the Fairfax Health District, which shows the number of new cases in a week by the date symptoms started, has remained mostly the same since June and saw a decrease in early August, according to Fairfax County’s dashboard.
As of today, the Fairfax Health District has a total of at least 17,154 cases, 1,975 hospitalizations and 550 deaths. Statewide, there have been more than 103,000 confirmed cases, 4,400 probably ones and 2,396 deaths.
The Herndon area (zip code 20170) has the fifth-highest cases per 100,000 people in Fairfax County, according to the county. The Dunn Loring area (zip code 22027) is the sixth-highest.
While the age group for people ages 18-49 has seen the most number of cases, people ages 65 and older have died the most from the virus in the county.
State health officials have pointed to a lag in reporting cases for spikes in daily updates on the VDH website.
The Vienna and Dunn Loring stations will reopen to riders right after Labor Day, Metro announced yesterday (Monday).
The two stations are set to reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The stations temporarily closed a few months ago for platform reconstruction.
“Rail service has returned to near pre-pandemic levels, and Metrobus service will increase dramatically beginning Sunday, August 23,” Metro said in the announcement.
Meanwhile, the East Falls Church station, which was originally set to open around Labor Day, is now expected to reopen two weeks ahead of schedule on Sunday, Aug. 23. Metro said that riders will be able to use a new free Bike & Ride facility at the East Falls Church station.
On Sunday (Aug. 16), five Silver Line stations, which temporarily closed for Silver Line Phase 2 work, and the West Falls Church station returned to service.
Greenheart Juice Shop is getting ready to bring its drinks to the Town of Vienna in a few weeks.
The upcoming location (208 Dominion Road NE) along the W&OD Trail is expected to open in September, the shop shared on Facebook in mid-July.
Using ingredients sourced from local farms, Greenheart Juice Shop offers a variety of activated cashew milk, $11 cold-pressed juices and juice cleanse packs, along with granola.
Until the Vienna store opens, people can check out the drinks at the shop’s Vienna Farmers Market booth on Saturdays. Greenheart also delivers locally for orders over $40.
The upcoming Vienna location is hiring for several positions, according to recent posts on the company’s Facebook page.
Currently, the juice shop has locations in Leesburg, Aldie and Middleburg. Its website says that a D.C. location in Georgetown is coming soon.
Photo via Greenheart Juice Shop/Facebook
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) plans to hold a virtual job fair on Wednesday to hire educators.
The job fair is scheduled to take place in two sessions, with the first running from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and the second from 3-7 p.m.
People interested in participating are urged to learn about the school system, apply to open jobs and register for one or both sessions, which have attendance caps.
During the virtual job fair, job hunters will be able to chat one-on-one with HR or school representatives from FCPS.
FCPS has more than 90 job opportunities listed online. The majority of the open positions are for high school and middle school teachers.
People looking to read a few more books before summer ends in a few weeks might want to check out work by local authors.
Tysons Reporter recently revisited its profiles of local authors from the last few months. From murder mysteries to kids’ books, the books run the gamut of genres.
While nowhere near an exhaustive list, the titles below are a few of the recent books by Tysons-area residents:
At the start of this year, Garry Gekhman, the owner of Tysons Ballroom, published the kids’ book. Gekhman, who is a former “Dancing With The Stars” contestant and started dancing at age 6, hopes the book sparks kids’ passion for dancing.
Harper Kincaid’s murder mystery is set in Vienna and features local spots like Bards Alley bookstore and the Freeman Store. The book follows a woman’s investigation after she is framed for murder. The book debuted in May.
https://twitter.com/HarperKincaid/status/1292986521914671104?s=20
After the success of “Bob Winging It,” local author Joe Jamaldinian decided to write a second book about a penguin named Bob. “Bob In a Box” was published last January.
Jamaldinian told Tysons Reporter that he aims to inspire the younger generations to follow their dreams through his writing.
Larry Issa won the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award in 2019 for his picture book about a young boy who keeps catching the characters trying to escape from his book. The book, which features art by British artist Emma Chadwick, was released last January.
“The Emancipation of Evan Walls“
Jeffrey Blount published his novel tackling classism and racism last June. The main character, Evan Wells, reflects on the oppression he faced during his childhood in a small Virginian town.
If you’re interested in hearing more about the book, Blount and his wife Jeanne Meserve, a former anchor and correspondent for CNN and ABC News, are set to talk about the book during a Zoom event on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
#TheEmancipationofEvanWalls pic.twitter.com/e97yxNVgnR
— Jeffrey Blount (@JEBlount) November 18, 2019
“Gay Men in the Feminist Revolution“
Nick Benton, the founder and owner of the Falls Church News-Press, released the volume for the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in 1969. The book explores the power of feminism in politics and discusses various perspectives in the LGBTQ+ community.
Benton, who wrote for gay media outlets and worked as an LGBTQ in the San Francisco Bay Area, told Tysons Reporter that the book “is my two cents in terms of what happened 50 years ago.”
Cooper Middle School student Chloe Middleton became a published author with her book about a bunny who has to be brave and overcome peer pressure. An artist digitized the artwork by Chloe and her younger sister, Adeline, for the book.
The book was published in March. Chloe told Tysons Reporter that she is working on a sequel.
Marie Kisner, a former public information officer for the Town of Vienna, collected and compiled newspaper stories to share vignettes about what the town was like from the 1950s to early 2000s.
Kisner got the idea for the book after the town’s clerk office gave her dozens of boxes with news article clippings. The book was published in 2019.
Memorial Day weekend reading: “Vienna Stories: 1950-2000” by former @TownofViennaVA PIO Marie Kisner pic.twitter.com/KVvHNEJb6u
— Catherine D Moran (@c_douglasmoran) May 24, 2019
Do you know of a local author with a book published within the last year that isn’t on the list? Email us at [email protected].
Photo via Kimberly Farmer/Unsplash
