Welcome to the first, revamped Morning Notes of 2020! Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:
Toll Lane Plan Zooming Ahead — “Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Friday afternoon that he and Comptroller Peter Franchot (D) plan to approve the next step of the much-debated proposal to add toll lanes to interstates 270 and 495.” [Bethesda Magazine]
General Assembly Convenes Tomorrow — “Already, Democrats submitted more than 260 bills for consideration in the upcoming session… It’s been 20 years since the Democrats have had this kind of control in Richmond, but more realistically, those with the kind of progressive values of the current majorities have never come close to running the show in Richmond before.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Here’s a “Decade Review Story” for Tysons — “The last decade was a period of rapid transformation in Tysons, with the opening of four new Metro stations, the tallest building in the D.C. region and major mixed-use projects like The Boro.” [Bisnow]
FCPS to Close Early Today — “Light snow is expected between noon to 7 p.m. today (Tuesday) in the area. Fairfax County Public Schools will close two hours early today.” [Reston Now]
Snow will be affecting the area today, and will be heavy for a couple of hours this afternoon. Biggest concerns are the timing and intensity of this burst. Find the most likely start time on the graphic. Full details at https://t.co/ZOlvESgJ2H. pic.twitter.com/ih7HuDpN4T
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) January 7, 2020
You asked, we have answers: One reader asked what happened to House of Fortune in McLean. The restaurant’s Facebook page said that it closed Nov. 3, 2019. An employee said the restaurant closed after the owner became sick.
Sneak Peek: Looking ahead to stories later this week, Tysons Reporter will spotlight local thrift stores and provide more information about an upcoming “toy library.”
Have a great Tuesday and look out for Morning Notes again on Friday, Jan. 10.
Tysons Reporter is back with its monthly crime map showing where the incidents occurred in Fairfax County Police Department’s McLean District Station.
We went ahead and pulled together all of the incidents noted for the McLean District Station in FCPD crime recaps from Dec. 1-31, weeded out the ones that are not in the Tysons Reporter coverage area and plotted them in the interactive map above.
The McLean District Station covers crime in Merrifield, Dunn Loring, Falls Church, McLean, Tysons and Great Falls.
The map only includes information from FCPD and does not include reports to the police departments in the Town of Vienna or the City of Falls Church.
Use the icon in the top left corner of the map to toggle between the various types of crimes displayed.
Fairfax County’s weekday police recaps are not comprehensive lists of every incident and the addresses are approximate. FCPD also notes that information in the recaps “is generally based on initial reports made to the police department.”
Anyone with information about any of these crimes should call 703-691-2131 or 1-866-411-TIPS(8477).
Updated 1/10/20 — The Casual Pint has delayed its opening to later this month.
Earlier: Hungry for more food options around Tysons? Foodies are in luck — several eateries are set to debut this winter.
In Falls Church, The Casual Pint, a chain watering hole, is scheduled to open this month. The owner of the local franchise told Tysons Reporter that he plans to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Jan. 17 at 6410 Arlington Blvd.
Jersey Mike’s is opening a new spot at 1108-A West Broad Street in Falls Plaza on Wednesday (Jan. 8), according to the sandwich chain’s website.
Over in Tysons, North Italia, an Italian restaurant chain, plans to open Feb. 5 at 1651 Boro Place. The restaurant would be the latest of several newcomers to The Boro development — Flower Child and Whole Food’s food hall and bar opened last year. For job seekers, there’s an ongoing job fair at the restaurant.
In the Town of Vienna, a new tavern is revamping a building along Maple Avenue. Bear Branch Tavern is set to open this winter with two bars, a patio, indoor and outdoor fire pits, an oyster bar, frozen drink machines and bike racks at 133 E. Maple Avenue.
While not a restaurant, Black Dog Beer Shop is set to start selling craft beers near the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station in February. The owner told Tysons Reporter in December that the new store plans to debut at 2672M Avenir Place in early February.
Photo via The Casual Pint/Facebook
Tysons’ 1st Stage Theatre plans to kick off 2020 with a show about the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion in the U.S.
Inspired by real events, “The Royale” is set to come to bring the story of Jay “The Sport” Jackson and a crooked boxing promoter to the theater’s stage later this month.
Back in the fall, 1st Stage received a grant from ARTSFAIRFAX, letting the theater co-produce the show with Maryland-based Olney Theatre. The show was at Olney from in the fall.
The play starts on Jan. 30 and runs until Feb. 23.
Performances for “The Royale” are:
- Thursdays — 7:30 p.m.
- Fridays — 8 p.m.
- Saturdays — 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
- Sundays — 2 p.m.
General admission tickets are $42 or $39 for seniors. Students and military tickets are $15.
Lord and Taylor is leaving Tysons Corner Center this month with a storewide sale.
Since the fall, everything in the store has been on sale with a 20-40% discount. Shoppers can clothing, shoes and accessories for men, women and kids.
The store is still open as of today (Jan. 6), and an employee said that the store plans to close sometime in mid-January.
Let Tysons Reporter know if you have shopped at — or plan to visit — the store before it closes.
Vienna police say Skorpio’s Maggio’s Greek Family Restaurant was vandalized several times during the holidays.
The first incident happened between Dec. 28 at 11 p.m. and Dec. 29 at 4 a.m. at 421 Maple Avenue E.
“An unknown person smeared ketchup on the windows of the restaurant and the restaurant’s van,” according to the police report. “There was also profanity written on the windows and sidewalk.”
Police said that they also observed additional vandalism to holiday decorations after the initial report.
In a separate incident that happened sometime on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, “an unknown person threw an unknown liquid on the front window of the restaurant.”
A spokesperson for the police department told Tysons Reporter that “it is too early to tell” if the incidents at the restaurant are related.
Image via Google Maps
Diners looking to eat Greek cuisine at the newly opened Archontiko in McLean will need to wait a month.
The restaurant is temporarily closed, according to a sign in the window.
“Due to remodeling and [the] hire of [a] new executive chef we will be closed until January the 29th,” the sign says. “We are sorry for any inconvenience and hope to see you all again soon with exclusive tasty Greek dishes and our vast variety of wines.”
After a year of delays, the restaurant opened in the former spot of Mediterranean restaurant Evo Bistro (1313 Old Chain Bridge Road) in the fall.
While Tysons Reporter isn’t sure when the sign first appeared, a tipster emailed us about the sign yesterday.
Still have a holiday tree and wondering what to do with it? Here’s where and how to recycle it if you live in the Tysons area.
Christmas tree recycling rules vary depending on where people live. Here’s information for residents in Fairfax County, the Town of Vienna and the City of Falls Church.
Fairfax County
Fairfax County will be recycling Christmas trees less than 8 feet tall for the first two weeks of January. Residents are asked to place the trees outside their single family house or townhouse community.
Have a fake tree? People can drop them off at the donation stations at the the I-66 Transfer Station or the I-95 Landfill Complex.
For $7, Fairfax County residents also can drop off their trees the I-66 Transfer Station or the I-95 Landfill Complex.
City of Falls Church
Little City residents can have their Christmas trees collected from the curb on Wednesdays in January and February — although the city urges residents to do so during the first two weeks of January.
For people in apartments or condos, their trees can get recycled at the brush collection area at the Fairfax County Citizens’ Disposal and Recycling Facility (4618 W. Ox Road) in Fairfax.
Town of Vienna
The Town of Vienna will collect Christmas trees curb-side on collection days this month.
Tip: People looking to recycle their trees should first remove all decorations, tinsel, bags and rope.
Updated on 11/16/20 — Prosecutors dropped charges against Hou in October. A reason was not given. The prosecutor’s office declined comment, noting that charges could be re-filed within a year.
Earlier: Fairfax County police arrested a man who offers private music lessons in the Tysons area for allegedly inappropriately touching a minor.
Vienna resident Jun Hou, 56, runs Jun Hou Classic Music LLC (8850 Lee Hwy), which provides private music lessons, mostly to children, and music camps in the summer, police said.
Police arrested and charged Hou with aggravated sexual battery on Monday (Dec. 23). “He was released on Dec. 30 after posting $10,000 bond,” police said.
Fairfax County detectives said they would like to hear from anyone who is concerned their child may have had inappropriate contact with Hou.
More from FCPD:
The investigation began in September when a juvenile disclosed being inappropriately touched by Hou. Our detectives worked to corroborate the allegations and received authorization from the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office to obtain warrants…
Victim specialists from our Victim Services Division have been assigned to ensure that the identified victim receives appropriate resources and assistance.
Detectives are asking for anybody with information about this event to contact the Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 3. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by visiting http://www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org, or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES (274637). Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1000 dollars if their information leads to an arrest.
Photo via Fairfax County Police Department
Fairfax County police said gang activity may be behind the New Year’s Day shooting that injured three people in the Spring Hill area.
In an update today (Thursday), police said that two men and one woman had gunshot wounds after a shooting in the 8600 block of Westwood Center Drive early in the morning on New Year’s Day.
The three people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released from a local hospital, police said today.
John Lieb, a police spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter that one scene was located in the parking lot of the Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, while another was in a breezeway of the buildings.
Lieb was not able to confirm if any of the people involved in the shooting had been staying at the hotel.
“The suspects were described as black males,” police said. “Detectives believe this shooting is gang-related.”
Map via Google Maps
