A McLean man linked to a neo-Nazi group has been sentenced for possessing firearms as a drug user and lying to buy a semiautomatic rifle.
Andrew Thomasberg, a 21-year-old who is a member of the Atomwaffen Division, purchased a semiautomatic rifle for a third party, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
“He transferred that firearm to that third party after purchasing it,” the press release said. “Thomasberg also possessed at least four firearms while unlawfully using controlled substances, including marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms and opium.”
Thomasberg pleaded guilty in November to possessing firearms while being an unlawful drug user and making a false statement in order to illegally purchase a firearm
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia announced today that he was sentenced to one year in prison.
More from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia:
According to court documents and testimony, Thomasberg, who has a prior criminal conviction for a dangerous firearms offense, was associated with white supremacist organizations, such as Vanguard America, Atomwaffen Division, and Patriot Front.
In text message communications, while Thomasberg possessed firearms and was a regular drug user, he glorified racially motivated violence and referred to mass shooters as “saints.”
Additionally, Thomasberg informed law enforcement that only one day before he was arrested, he had submitted an application to join Patriot Front. Patriot Front is “a white supremacist group whose members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it to them alone.”
Photo via Joe Gratz/Flickr
A cafe proposed along Leesburg Pike wants to add a late-night option to Tysons’ growing food scene and after-hours options.
The cafe would occupy the main level of a two-story building at 7787 Leesburg Pike, according to county documents. The restaurant would be open from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 a.m. every day, according to the proposal.
The site, which used to house a United Bank branch, is in the southeast corner of the Leesburg Pike and I-495 interchange and north of George Marshall High School. It is located within Tysons’ East Side neighborhood.
According to the plans, the site provides 36 parking spaces, with the cafe expecting to use 20 of those spots.
“Since most of the use of the restaurant will be during the evening hours, then the main operation hours will be outside the peak (rush) traffic flow for the area,” the applicant said. “It is not anticipated to change the overall traffic level for the existing Leesburg Pike.”
The county’s Planning Commission is set to consider the proposed restaurant in late June.
Image via Google Maps
Former New York City mayor and presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg is set to make an appearance in Tysons tomorrow (Saturday) morning.
Bloomberg plans to participate in the Women for Mike get-out-the-vote event ahead of the March 3 Super Tuesday primary in Virginia.
The event is set to take place at 9 a.m. at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner (7920 Jones Branch Drive), according to a press release. Doors will open at 8 a.m.
After the event, supporters plan to knock on doors for Bloomberg’s campaign.
“This will be Mike’s seventh trip to Virginia since launching his presidential campaign,” the press release says.
Happy Friday! Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:
Tysons Auto Group to Offer Luxury Hybrid Speedsters — “Tysons-based Exclusive Automotive Group has since updated its plans to include sales and service of both Karma Automotive and Koenigsegg vehicles. This will be the first presence for both in the D.C. area.” [Washington Business Journal]
Affordable Housing Spike Expected — “Fairfax County could soon more than double funding for its affordable housing loan program, with local leaders starting work on a new budget that would offer up more than $45.7 million to power affordable development.” [Washington Business Journal]
McLean Falls on Richest U.S. Places List — “The next Virginia town on the list was McLean at 30 with an average household income of $293,323. McLean fell from 25th place last year, although its average income rose from $283,992… Rounding out Virginia towns on the list was Wolf Trap at 47, down from 42 in last year’s ranking. The average household income increased from $261,610 to $265,175.” [Patch]
Falls Church Concerned About Upcoming Metro Parking Closure — “Falls Church’s Assistant City Manager Cindy Mester will be on an urgent conference call with WMATA officials and her counterparts in Arlington and Fairfax Friday in an effort to mitigate the impact on neighborhoods in the City of Falls Church of WMATA’s plans, announced less than two weeks ago, to close the parking lots at the East and West Falls Church Metro stations months ahead of the closing of the stations for platform repairs over the summer.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Thank you for sharing these great pictures with us. We recently had a local Daisy Troop tour the Vienna Police Station. We are glad the children had a wonderful time and also learned about police work. @TownofViennaVA @fcpsnews pic.twitter.com/cEHkZWSKbh
— Town of Vienna Police (@VPDVA) February 28, 2020
Updated 2/28/2020 — Adds number of polling places in schools.
Students at Fairfax County’s public schools will get to stay home on March 3 for Super Tuesday.
Large crowds are expected to turn out for the primary election in Virginia. Brian Worthy, a spokesperson for the county, said that 167 polling places will be in the schools for voters casting their ballots for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Some of those polling spots will be at public schools, including George Marshall High School in Falls Church and Langley High School in McLean.
The county’s school board voted last spring to make Super Tuesday a student holiday for the 2019-2020 school year.
While students will have the day off, staff will still need to report to the schools, Lucy Caldwell, an FCPS spokesperson, said.
Eligible voters can find their polling location on the Virginia Department of Elections website or the My Neighborhood App.
In the spring, Vienna and Herndon want locals to take part in a biking and walking event featuring raffle tickets for prizes.
“Caboose to Caboose,” which will take place early May, aims to encourage people to shop, dine and explore their town and the other one. The towns want people to go from caboose to caboose — Vienna’s is at 234 Dominion Road, while Herndon’s is at 777 Lynn Street.
The total roundtrip distance is 16.6 miles, and people who don’t want to make the whole trip can stop halfway if they want, the flyer says.
Google estimates that the bike ride one-way takes 50 minutes, while walking would take roughly three hours on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail.
The towns’ parks and recreation departments came up with the idea during a meeting in October, Amy-Jo Hendrix, who works in Vienna’s parks and recreation department, told Tysons Reporter.
Participating restaurants and businesses in both towns will give out raffle tickets during the event. Brandy Wyatt, another employee in Vienna’s parks and recreation department, said that all of the raffle tickets will be mixed together.
“There are a variety of things that are on the raffle,” Wyatt said, adding that people can expect the prizes to include store gift cards and sports tickets.
The first 200 registered participants will receive a t-shirt representing their town — blue for Vienna and red for Herndon, according to the website. The town that gets the most people to register for the event will win the “Mayors Cup.”
“I want to win!” Mayor Laurie DiRocco enthusiastically told attendees at the Vienna Business Association’s event last week.
Admission is $10 for people ages 15 or under and $18 for people ages 16 and older. People interested in participating can contact Vienna’s parks and recreation department at 703-255-6360.
The event will take place rain or shine on Saturday, May 2, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Photo via Lisa Emrich/Facebook
A new British pub with live music is no longer eyeing a spot in the building that also houses Amphora Bakery in Vienna.
Tom Kyllo, the applicant for the project, told the town’s Planning Commission at the meeting yesterday (Wednesday) that plans to bring the Hawk & Griffin Pub to 405-409 Maple Avenue W. have been withdrawn.
Kyllo said that issues with signage rules and the site’s subdivision prompted the withdrawal.
“This site is one of those difficult sites in Vienna,” Kyllo said, adding that the subdivision means that there is one site plan for two sites. Since it is a shared site, Kyllo said that the pub would share a dumpster with the other businesses there, but would not have shared parking.
“Because we are on a side street, we can’t have a sign on Lewis Street,” Kyllo said. “And because don’t own the property, we can’t have the sign on Maple [Avenue].”
Kyllo told the Planning Commission that he is looking to bring “the authentic British public house atmosphere” with live acoustic music to another spot in the town.
Image via Town of Vienna
Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic candidate for president and senator from Minnesota, is coming to Falls Church tomorrow.
Klobuchar will be at a rally supporting her campaign ahead of the March 3 Super Tuesday primary in Virginia.
The event is set to take place at noon at the State Theatre (220 N. Washington Street). Doors will open at 11:15 a.m.
After stopping in Falls Church, Klobuchar will then head to Nashville, according to a press release from her campaign.
Photo via Amy Klobuchar/Facebook
Cranes and crews are busy working on a new office tower near the Greensboro Metro station in Tysons.
Tysons Biergarten’s former site will soon become a 383,000-square-foot office tower with 20 floors and a penthouse, according to the project’s website.
Named Tysons Central, the tower is set to open in the first quarter of 2022, according to signs along Leesburg Pike.
The building will include 365,000 square feet of office space and 19,000 square feet of retail space, the signs say.
The plans show that the office space will be atop parking decks, which will be above the retail and plaza area, according to the project’s website.
The building will also have a sky lobby with an outdoor terrace on the eighth floor and a private terrace on the 12th floor.
“Additionally, the exclusive 6,362 sf Penthouse floor offers a unique opportunity to create a private C-Suite, conference center or tenant lounge for a lead tenant,” according to the website.
At full build-out, the office tower will be a part of a mixed-use development that was approved in 2014 with 1,100 residential units, 200 hotel rooms and 135,000 square feet of retail, according to the website.
Here are renderings of what Tysons Central plans to look like when it’s finished:
Renderings and map via Tysons Central
Stationery and gift company Paper Source is set to open its doors in The Boro tomorrow (Thursday).
An employee at the store told Tysons Reporter about the store’s planned opening at 1643 Boro Place.
Paper Source has nearby locations in Reston, the Mosaic District and D.C. At the store, shoppers can expect to find stationery, cards, crafts supplies, decorations and gift wrap.
The store will be the latest newcomer in the Tysons development near the Greensboro Metro station — North Italia and Fish Taco opened a few weeks ago.
The store will be open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sundays, the employee said.
