Visit Fairfax has made its list of the top five tackiest lights displays in the county — and homes in Vienna and McLean are included.
In McLean, the house at 6530 Heather Brook Court has a “Start” button for a 10-minute show set to music, according to the list. Over in Vienna, the house at 10203 Lawyers Road has lighted animals.
Visit Fairfax wants to remind people that the lights may be off when it’s raining or snowing.
Visit Fairfax also has tips for Christmas lights viewers, saying that 6-8 p.m. is the best time window for watching lights shows and that viewers should respect homeowners’ properties.
For people looking for more holiday lights, Tysons Reporter spotted several sparkly spots in the Ingleside and Langley areas of McLean.
School Start Time Changes in Falls Church — “The Falls Church City Public Schools will begin classes two weeks prior to Labor Day next fall, on Aug. 24, based on a 4-2 vote by the School Board Tuesday night. The new calendar will conclude the school year next spring with graduation on June 2 and the last day of school on June 10.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Where Can You Eat Out This Christmas? — Here are lists of restaurants open for the holidays in McLean and Vienna. [Patch, Patch]
Local Police Fighting Crime at Tysons Malls — “Tysons urban team patrols the shopping centers. Over the past six years they busted organized retail criminals from other states, and even Russia, Romania and China.” [ABC7]
Want to Work at Wolf Trap? — The performing arts center and National Park plans to host three job fairs — one on Sunday (Dec. 29) noon-4 p.m., Saturday (Jan. 4) noon-4 p.m. and Tuesday (Jan. 7) 4-8 p.m. [Potomac Local]
Black Dog Beer Shop, a craft beer store inspired by the owner’s dog, is gearing up to open next year in Avenir Place.
Owner Tyler Cohen told Tysons Reporter that the shop is planning to open in early February — about a year after Cohen started work on the new store.
“We’re here to support the local scene,” Cohen said.
Cohen, who lives in the Mosaic District, said that he originally picked a location that was closer to his residence, but that his idea didn’t fit the landlord’s vision of a bar or restaurant.
“That fell through, but I’m glad it did,” he said.
Even though the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station and other Orange Line stations in NoVa are set to close temporarily next summer, Cohen said he still thinks the spot he nabbed at 2672M Avenir Place will add to the restaurants and townhouses already there.
Cohen is also happy about the discounted rent on the spot “because it had a column in it.”
“The goal of Black Dog Beer Shop is to provide a craft beer store with a large variety of local craft beers,” according to the beer shop’s website. People can expect to find local brews, including Port City Brewing, Aslin Beer Co. and Ornery Beer Company, along with taps for growler fill-ups.
The website says that he is opening the store because “I wanted a place to grab a beer with my dog.”
Cohen told Tysons Reporter that he struggled to come up with a name for the store and his limited liability company, ultimately deciding on “Black Dog Beer Shop” to honor his dog, Ash.
“I think they just, like, go together,” he said. “Dogs and beer is the thing.”
Ash is a fan of beer and will go “snout first into my thing of beer,” Cohen said, adding that his dog’s German ancestry must be influencing the pup’s taste buds.
To gear up for his opening, Cohen has been visiting breweries across Virginia and detailing the tours on the website’s blog. Recently, he’s been to Port City Brewing Company and Settle Down Easy Brewing Co.
“I’ve met so many cool people,” Cohen said.
Cohen has also hired a store manager and assistant store manager, both of whom are “beer sommeliers,” Cohen said.
Ultimately, Cohen said that he hopes to grow the store and expand to North Carolina and Maryland.
But for now, he’s aiming for a “walkable neighborhood beer store” that will attract craft brew lovers and newcomers.
“I see the main customers as two types of people — serious beer lovers who want to try all sorts of different stuff, the “beer explorer” — and the other type we want to capture is those just starting off drinking macro-brews and want to explore micro-breweries but don’t know where to start.”
Dog photo courtesy Tyler Cohen
A fire that broke out in a McLean house earlier this week caused the death of the family’s dog and displaced five residents.
The firefighters responded to the fire, which started in the basement of a house in the 6800 block of Old Chesterbrook Road, on Wednesday (Dec. 18) morning. The fire had spread to other floors. By around 12:30 p.m., firefighters had the blaze extinguished.
“A family dog was located in the basement but unfortunately did not survive,” Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said in an update today (Friday).
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“No occupants were home at the time of the fire,” the fire department said. “The fire was discovered by a neighbor who called 9-1-1 and then flagged down a Fairfax County Police Officer.”
The human occupants and firefighters were uninjured.
“Five occupants were displaced because of the fire. Red Cross assistance was offered but declined,” the fire department said. “Damages as a result of the fire were approximately $100,000.”
Want to help lead the Fairfax County Democratic Committee? The political committee is currently looking for a new executive director.
Frank Anderson, the former executive director, will now serve as Fairfax County Supervisor-elect James Walkinshaw’s Chief of Staff, according to Blue Virginia.
Interested applicants can expect a pay range between $50,000-$60,000 along with benefits.
Here’s the job summary:
The Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) is seeking an energetic, forward-looking, self-starter as a full-time Executive Director to manage a broad spectrum of political functions for the County Committee and to manage the operations of FCDC’s office.
These duties include, but are not limited to, support of fundraising and volunteer recruiting, organizing volunteers and supervising interns, performing a variety of office and political functions, maintaining internal and external communications, ensuring equipment remains functional and the office operates effectively and efficiently, advising the Chair and Steering Committee on committee business and political operations, organizing various political events, and coordinating with political campaigns in Fairfax County.
The Executive Director is currently the only paid staff member of the committee but from time to time may be assisted by volunteers, interns, and contracted staff. The Executive Director works independently with general direction from the committee Chair and FCDC’s leadership.
The application is open until Jan. 15. and the new hire would start that month.
Image via Fairfax County Democratic Committee/Facebook
The police departments for the Town of Vienna and City of Falls Church want people to be careful about phone scammers — especially ones pretending to be local police.
Falls Church officials put out a press release in late November warning locals of “a recent phone scam trend that spoofs, or fraudulently displays, actual Falls Church Police Department phone numbers on caller ID.”
“To further convince the recipient that the caller is a representative of the Falls Church Police Department, the scammer impersonates an actual Falls Church Police Department official and advises the victim to look up the phone number where the call is originating from,” the press release said. “The scammer then uses intimidation tactics, such as the threat of arrest, to demand payment of money purportedly owed to the government.”
Vienna police have also been dealing with the same issue.
“It is very strange,” Juan Vazquez, a spokesperson for the Vienna Police Department, told Tysons Reporter.
Since people are becoming more aware of the IRS phone spoofs, Vazquez said that scammers have realized that those calls aren’t as effective. The fraudulent police calls “are another variation of the same thing,” he said.
Vazquez said he doesn’t know how scammers get the police department numbers to display as the caller ID.
Fishy Phone Calls
A review of the weekly crime highlights from the two police departments found several reported cases of residents receiving calls from people saying they were with the local police department.
In late November, Falls Church police received a report of “unknown suspect(s) purporting to be a retired Falls Church police officer called community members and falsely stated that they had outstanding warrants and demanded money.”
A man came to the Vienna Police Station in September “advising he was on the phone with someone claiming to be a Vienna Police Officer and they were attempting to defraud him of money,” according to a crime report.
“An officer attempted to speak to the caller; however, the caller hung up when the officer identified himself,” the report said. “The phone number the call initiated from was the Vienna Police non-emergency number.”
How to Stay Safe From Scammers
Vazquez advised that if people get a suspicious call claiming to be from the police department, Social Security Administration, IRS or other entity that they ask for the caller’s name, then hang up and call the organization the caller says they’re from to ask to speak to the caller. That way, the person can verify whether or not the person works there.
Falls Church police advise a similar strategy, urging people to call the Falls Church police’s non-emergency number 703-241-5050 (TTY 711) to confirm if the caller is a legitimate official.
“Indicators of scam calls are threats, orders to not hang up and other statements about immediacy,” Falls Church police say. “Never give out personal information — such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden names, or passwords — in response to unexpected calls if you are at all suspicious.”
Both police departments have said they do not make calls in an attempt to collect money.
“The City of Falls Church Police Department will never call and request payment for fines, traffic tickets, or bail over the phone,” the Falls Church press release said. “All these transactions are conducted by the respective court systems and never over the phone. Police will also never call an individual to threaten arrest or remove an arrest warrant.”
More from Falls Church police:
Caller ID spoofing is a scam that deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise the scammer’s identity as well as appearing as an official organization or entity. Spoofing is often used as part of an attempt to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information so it can be used in fraudulent activity or sold illegally.
Scammers will oftentimes know the victim’s full name and their extensive background, such as birth date and names of family members.
You may not be able to tell right away if an incoming call is spoofed.
People who receive suspicious calls can file a report about attempted fraud with the Fairfax County Police Department and visit the Federal Communications Commission’s “Caller ID Spoofing” webpage for information on spoofing scams.
Photo via Facebook
People across the U.S. are expected to hit record levels for traveling this holiday season.
According to AAA, 115.6 million people across the U.S. will travel between this Saturday and New Year’s Day — roughly 104 million will drive while around 7 million flying and 4 million taking trains, buses, or cruise ships.
For the D.C. area, AAA forecasts the worst travel day will be Thursday (Dec. 26) between 4-6 p.m.
“For the 104.8 million Americans traveling by automobile, INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, predicts only marginal delays throughout the holiday week,” according to AAA.
Let Tysons Reporter know what your travel plans are in the poll and comments section below.
A fish-focused taco spot and Italian restaurant now plan to open in The Boro early next year.
Earlier this fall, a construction contractor working on-site told Tysons Reporter that North Italia was expected this December, but a recent press release says that the restaurant plans to open Feb. 5 at 1651 Boro Place.
The restaurant is slated to host job fair sessions from Jan. 6-18 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., the press release said.
More from the press release:
North Italia’s menu is centered around made-from-scratch Italian favorites for lunch, dinner, weekday happy hour and weekend brunch, along with rotating daily specials.
Made with the freshest ingredients, menu highlights include: White Truffle Garlic Bread with house made ricotta, mozzarella, grana Padano and fresh herbs; Tuscan Kale Salad with crispy pancetta, charred grape, apple, pistachio, breadcrumbs and parmesan vinaigrette; house-specialty Bolognese served atop a bed of fresh tagliatelle noodles sprinkled with grana Padano; a selection of Italian desserts such as the signature Bombolini; and a kids menu offering a variety of child-friendly options.
Back in November, a sign said Fish Taco planned to open in December too.
An employee at Fish Taco said that the Maryland-based eatery has pushed its anticipated opening to early January.
Updated 12/20/19 — Six occupants were displaced because of the fire, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said in an update today (Friday).
Red Cross services were offered but declined. Damages as a result of the fire were approximately $1,059,612, the fire department said.
Updated at 5:20 p.m. — Maple Avenue has reopened, the Town of Vienna tweeted.
Firefighters extinguished a fire in a house in the Vienna area, which closed Maple Avenue for a few hours.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue tweeted about the fire in the 8700 block of Westwood Forest Lane around 1:45 p.m. today (Thursday). “All occupants are accounted for,” the tweet said.
“Due to an active house fire in Fairfax County, Maple Avenue is closed to traffic in both directions from Niblick Drive to St. Andrews Drive,” the Town of Vienna’s tweeted around 2 p.m. Westbound lanes reopened about 30 minutes later.
Around 3 p.m., the fire department said that the fire was out. “Fire investigators on scene to determine cause. One firefighter transported to area hospital with minor injury,” the tweet said.
Photos from scene of a house fire in the 8700 block of Westwood Forest Lane in Vienna. #FCFRD #FairfaxCounty pic.twitter.com/jsG1fUybU9
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) December 19, 2019
Units are on scene of a house fire in the 8700 block of Westwood Forest Lane in Vienna. Crews arrived to find fire showing from the home. All occupants are accounted for. pic.twitter.com/OeM5QgaViE
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) December 19, 2019
Image via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter; map via Google Maps
Haycock Elementary School recently told families who will head the school for the time being after the school’s newly hired principal faces charges related to alleged abuse of students at a different school.
Scott Bloom was hired as the principal for Haycock Elementary School in Falls Church in August and was placed on leave in September involving a personnel matter.
Bloom, a 39-year-old Reston resident, was indicted for allegedly failing to report assaults on students with intellectual disabilities during his time as the principal at Freedom Hill Elementary School in Vienna.
August Frattali became the interim principal in September.
In a letter to Haycock families on Monday (Dec. 16), Region 2 Assistant Superintendent Fabio Zuluaga said that Frattali will continue that role.
“We are in the process of updating the policy and regulation that covers the procedures for reporting cases of suspected child abuse or neglect to ensure that all of us understand our reporting obligations,” Zuluaga said in the letter.
More from the letter:
FCPS Administration was made aware of these allegations in September, following Mr. Bloom’s appointment at Haycock. Staff members under investigation were immediately removed from their positions and placed on leave for the duration of the investigation.
We are saddened and distressed by these allegations involving our employees. There is no greater responsibility of a school system than the safety and well-being of our students and, as a result of these incidents, we have learned that we need to do more. Our teachers and staff have been trained annually in best practices and legal requirements regarding mandated reporting of suspected abuse and received additional training this year to reinforce reporting requirements.
Image via Google Maps, photo via FCPS
