Vienna police are urging people to send in tips for their investigation of a burglary at a local gun store on Maple Avenue.
Deputy Chief of Police Dan Janickey told the Vienna Town Council last night that detectives are working “nonstop” on the case.
Janickey said that police showed up at the Vienna Arsenal (386 Maple Ave E.) right around when the store’s owner was checking on an alarm that sounded around 6 a.m. last Monday (March 2).
“We responded and found a forced entry into a second-story window where they were able to gain entry and steal approximately 25 guns,” he said.
The police department received some “useful information” through NextDoor, Janickey said, urging people to reach out to the police department if they have any information.
Janickey said that the police department is working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the store’s owner to determine what types and models of guns were stolen.
The Vienna Arsenal has alarm and camera systems, along with metal bars on its windows, he said.
People with any information about the case are asked to contact Detective Leroux at 703-255-6322 or email him at [email protected].
Image via Town of Vienna
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Fairfax County Public Schools will give students the day off next Monday (March 16) so that staff can make coronavirus preparations.
The student holiday will be a “staff development day” to give staff time to plan for distance learning if any of the schools close due to the virus.
FCPS tweeted the announcement shortly after 3 p.m. today (Tuesday).
“We will use this day as a staff training day and all staff will report to work,” according to the updated FCPS website.
FCPS said that all after-school extracurricular activities on Monday are still set to happen, along with adult and community education classes, recreation programs and “community use by outside groups not affiliated with FCPS.”
The middle school after-school program is canceled, FCPS said.
FCPS said in an email sent shortly after 4 p.m. that all overnight field trips in and out of Virginia have been canceled.
More from the email:
Any overnight trips scheduled on or after March 11 are canceled, and this cancellation notice is effective through April 12, 2020. Any trips scheduled to New York state are also canceled, including day trips. All other day trips will proceed as scheduled. We recognize that the decision to cancel overnight field trips may be disappointing; however, the decision is made in an abundance of caution for our students and staff.
Yesterday, FCPS announced two different scenarios for school closures due to the recent spread of coronavirus.
Major work underway to revamp I-66 underway may soon extend to a bridge and road on the border of Vienna.
Plans to demolish and rebuild Cedar Lane’s bridge over I-66 and the Metro tracks are a part of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s multi-year Transform 66 project.
Susan Shaw, VDOT, and Nancy Smith with FAM provided the Town Council an update on the bridge project last night (Monday).
While nothing has been finalized yet, the bridge will likely get demolished and rebuilt this summer to take advantage of the Orange Line Metro shutdown, they said.
“We’re still having this dialogue so a final decision isn’t made,” Shaw said.
Currently, the lack of a right-hand shoulder on I-66 is creating safety concerns, Smith said.
VDOT is currently looking at move forward with single-phase construction, which would last for six months, Smith told the council, adding that three-phase construction that would last at least 28 months is also an option.
“It would allow us to take full advantage of WMATA’s shutdown,” she said, adding that the goal is to demolish and rebuild the bridge as quickly as possible.
The single-phase construction would require a detour for drivers and pedestrians for the entire six months, Smith said, noting that this option would have fewer impacts on I-66.
Smith said that an analysis of a six-month closure of the bridge found that two-thirds of the traffic on is cut-through traffic between the City of Fairfax and Tysons, while one-third of the traffic is local.
The analysis suggested that drivers would find alternative routes, with local traffic shifting to Nutley Street and Gallows Road.
Smith said that a different detour would be in place for the roughly 40 pedestrians and 20 bicyclists who currently use the bridge every day.
Smith said that the two Fairfax Connector routes that use the bridge would need to be rerouted for a six-month closure.
The bridge is just one of several projects in the area, including:
- work on new Vaden Drive bridge
- construction of new Gallows Road bridge
- work on pedestrian and shared-use path along Nutley Street
“Obviously, Cedar Lane construction won’t happen in a vacuum,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of other construction happening on the corridor simultaneously.”
Work is set to start on the Cedar Lane Bridge in May, Smith said. The new bridge would aim to open by mid-November.
Once the bridge is closed for construction, Smith said that commuters can expect congestion to increase.
People interested in learning more about the single-phase construction can expect a meeting at Thoreau Middle School in late March, Smith said.
Image (1) via Google Maps, image (2) and maps via Town of Vienna
A new proposal submitted to Fairfax County aims to transform the Dunn Loring Center into a residential mixed-use project.
The site (2722 Merrilee Drive) near the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station is currently home to a three-story office building that was built in 1984.
According to county documents, Merilee Ventures, L.C. wants to rezone the 2-acre property for a mixed-use development with a five-story building with up to 239 multifamily dwelling units, including 40 Workforce Dwelling Units, atop two-and-a-half levels of parking with 293 spaces.
The development would also include 3,875 square feet of ground-floor retail use, a public plaza to “bookend” the Halstead Square development to the east and changes to the Merilee Drive streetscape, including a 6-foot sidewalk and 8-foot parking lane.
Merilee Ventures says that the redevelopment will help implement the Comprehensive Plan for the Merrifield Suburban Center, according to county documents.
More from the documents:
The Comprehensive Plan guidance for the area envisions mixed use redevelopment in a pedestrian-oriented urban environment.
Merrilee Ventures, L.C.’s objective is to bring forth a development proposal that carries forward the theories and concepts reflected in the Plan language by establishing a highquality living environment that activates the street and complements other recent development projects in the area.
Ground floor retail and interior amenity space, in combination with a public plaza and additional streetscape improvements provide a strategic focal point that will create a sense of place and anchor the Halstead Square development to the east.
The county’s Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposal in September.
Image via Google Maps
With the recent spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Fairfax County Public Schools has a plan with different scenarios for school closures.
Superintendent Scott Brabrand outlined the two different scenarios in a letter on Monday (March 9).
In the first scenario, most of the schools would stay open, but one school or a few would dismiss students to limit the spread of the virus.
“The superintendent may authorize the dismissal of students from class based on recommendations from the local health department director,” the letter said. “Instructional program support and division-wide support services may be limited due to high absenteeism rate or the redeployment of staff.”
In the second scenario, the schools would close either due to either a large absent number of students or staff or by the orders of the state health commissioner.
“FCPS facilities may remain open to faculty and staff to support continuity of learning,” the letter said, adding that snow days may be used if schools close.
“We learned [Sunday] at the [Fairfax County Health Department] briefing that the risk to the general public remains low,” the letter says.
As of this morning, 14 people in the D.C. area have coronavirus — six in Maryland, three in D.C. and five in NoVa — and no one has died from the virus, WTOP reported.
The full letter is below the jump.
Commuters can expect delays today on I-495 south of Leesburg Pike (Route 7) while truck fire clean-up is underway.
As of 9:43 a.m., the south right outside lane and right shoulder are closed, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
VDOT said that drivers can expect delays. As of 10 a.m., traffic is heavy on I-495 between Leesburg Pike and I-66.
#HappeningNow Outer loop of I-495 is crawling past this truck fire at Rte. 7 near Tysons Corner @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/XMThO3MhRv
— Lauren DeMarco (@Ldemarconews) March 10, 2020
Lauren DeMarco, a Fox 5 reporter, tweeted a video of the traffic back-up and firefighters and medics on the scene around 10:30 p.m. on Monday.
The video captured firefighters working to extinguish the truck fire.
WTOP reported this morning that clean-up is underway.
https://twitter.com/WTOPtraffic/status/1237369269752680448?s=20
Map via Google Maps
Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:
The Books Are Back — “The Mary Riley Styles Public Library’s temporary location in Falls Church [opened] this Monday, March 9 at 9:30 a.m. The trailers outside of Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, 160 S. Oak St. will be home to the library while its permanent location on N. Virginia Ave. undergoes an expansion and renovation.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Firefighters Honor Owner of Little City’s Oldest Business — “On Friday, we presented Brown’s Hardware in Falls Church with a fire helmet honoring Mr. Hugh Brown… Mr. Brown’s father, Horace E. Brown, was one of the original trustees of the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department in 1925, and we can think of no better place to say ‘thank you’ than at Brown’s Hardware Store, our city’s oldest business at 127 years old, founded by Hugh’s grandfather in 1883.” [Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department/Facebook]
McLean Group Reviews Tysons Redevelopment Plan — “The McLean Citizens Association board of directors got down to business quickly March 4, approving resolutions that touched on a redevelopment proposal and a proposed county-government plan amendment… The MCA board approved a resolution supporting plans by the Tamares Group to convert the former Gannett/USA Today headquarters building at 7950 Jones Branch Drive in Tysons into a commercial building with restaurants, retail, conference spaces and a fitness center.” [Inside NoVa]
New Coronavirus Cases in NoVa — “The Virginia Department of Health announced Monday night that two Virginia residents, the wife of the patient in Fairfax City and an unrelated patient in Spotsylvania County, have tested presumptive positive for the coronavirus COVID-19.” [Inside NoVa]
Small Fire at Tysons High-Rise — Sprinklers extinguished a “small fire” on the 11th floor of a high-rise in Tysons in the 1500 block of Anderson Road on Friday, March 6. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter]
Oh deer! Earlier today Station 13, Dunn Loring, B-Shift worked with @FairfaxCountyPD Animal Control to free this little doe who got caught between fences. Once removed the uninjured doe was free to happily scamper away. #FCFRD #FairfaxCounty pic.twitter.com/S3sDDxBrtl
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) March 7, 2020
Vienna officials want residents to nominate volunteers for upcoming awards.
Nominations for individuals are due March 30, while nominations for the 2020 Carole Wolfand Award, which celebrates a local business, are due March 9.
The Town Business Liaison Committee will select the finalist for the 2020 Carole Wolfand Award, according to the nomination form.
“Show your appreciation for the Town of Vienna’s hometown heroes by nominating one or more individuals or groups to be recognized,” the town said in a press release.
The awardees will be recognized at the annual Mayor’s Volunteer Reception at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, according to the press release.
Fairfax Connector shared the steps being taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, as more cases are reported in the D.C. area.
Fairfax County’s Department of Transportation announced on Friday (March 6) that contractors are following these steps:
- reviewed and updated cleaning protocols based on guidance from public health officials
- increased vehicle cleaning cycles with a special focus on bus interiors and critical touchpoints such as door handles, handrails and other surfaces.
- initiated regular communication with Fairfax Connector workforce
Fairfax County also has suggestions for passengers to curtail the rapidly-spreading illness:
- wash hands often with soap and water and use hand sanitizer
- avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
- cover your mouth/nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing
- avoid contact with people who are sick
- stay home while you are sick and avoid close contact with others
“FCDOT highly values the health and safety of Fairfax Connector customers and personnel,” the county said.
Virginia has three “presumptive” cases of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
The 9th annual Nowruz Festival plans to return to Tysons Corner Center this weekend.
The event will celebrate the Persian New Year with live performances and costumed characters.
Admission is free, and people can expect a bazaar selling Persian food, art and more.
“The Nowruz Festival is the largest event for the Iranian-American community that celebrates the Persian New Year,” according to the Facebook event.
More than 10,000 people usually go to the festival, according to the post.
“It draws people from Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and other countries who celebrate Nowruz as well as Americans who are interested in knowing more about Iranian culture, traditions, arts, crafts and foods,” the post said.
The festival is set to take place on Sunday (March 15) from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Attendees can park on the outside lot between Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom, according to the mall.
Photo via Facebook
