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Vienna Police Investigating Poop Found in Freeman House Closet

Police were called to the Vienna’s Freeman House a few days ago after human feces was found in a closet.

The defecation happened at some point this past Friday or Saturday, according to Vienna police.

“An employee reported that an unknown person took a bucket into a closet in the store and defecated in it,” according to today’s Vienna crime report. No additional information was immediately available.

The Freeman House Store and Museum at 131 Church Street NE is described as “a historic country store that gives visitors an opportunity to step back in time to experience what general stores in Virginia once looked like.”

Photo via Historic Vienna Inc.

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UPDATE: GW Parkway Reopens After Sinkhole Prompts Extended Closure

Update on 3/24/19 — The sinkhole has been filled and all lanes of the Parkway have reopened, according to the National Park Service.

Earlier: The northbound lanes of the GW Parkway are closed due to a large sinkhole that was discovered overnight.

Heavy rain Thursday may have contributed to the sinkhole’s formation.

It’s reportedly located near the Dead Run Trail, closer to the Parkway’s junction with the Beltway. The road was completely closed between Route 123 and the Beltway for much of the morning. The southbound lanes were reopened Friday afternoon.

Northbound traffic is being diverted onto Route 123, which in turn had morning rush hour traffic backed up at least a mile and a half past Chain Bridge.

No word yet on when the sinkhole might be repaired, though the northbound lanes are expected to remain closed through the weekend. Crews are currently evaluating the extent of the damage, said to be caused by a broken storm water pipe.

More from a National Park Service press release:

Northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway will remain closed through the weekend as road crews and engineers work to fully assess the extent of the sinkhole and repair the road.

Throughout the day, crews have been working to excavate around a damaged stormwater drainage pipe to determine the best way to safely and effectively fill the void and quickly reopen the road.

Preliminary findings indicate that the sinkhole is about 10 feet deep, 12 feet wide and 30 feet long. Once crews complete the extensive excavation work needed to fully access the damaged area, experts will better be able to determine how long it will take to fully repair the pipe and rebuild this section of road before reopening the northbound Parkway to travel.

As a critical link in the region’s transportation network, closing the George Washington Memorial Park is never a decision that is made lightly. The National Park Service is cautiously hopeful that some travel may be permitted by Monday, but drivers should follow local news or visit www.nps.gov/GWMP for the latest information.

Just before 6 a.m. Friday, March 22 a car traveling northbound in the right lane hit the sinkhole adjacent to the road. The driver lost control of their vehicle hitting a stone wall before coming to rest just off the side of the Parkway. When first responders arrived on scene they determined there was an active sinkhole under the road and initiated a closure of the northbound Parkway.

The driver was evaluated by paramedics on scene but declined any further care.

An initial assessment of the road found a large sinkhole deep under the surface of the roadway that extended for an unknown distance. Out of an abundance of caution, National Park Service maintenance crews in consultation with public safety personnel and experts from the Federal Highway Administration, made the hard decision to also close the southbound lanes.

Further assessment revealed damage to a large concrete stormwater drainage pipe that runs deep below the Parkway. Experts from the Federal Highway Administration worked quickly to better assess the potential risk to the southbound lanes, and ultimately determined is did not post an immediate threat. At approximately 11 a.m. the NPS reopened the southbound lanes for travel.

Sinkholes are common occurrences in the Greater Washington area, and are often preceded by high volumes of rain like the region saw on March 21.

More information will be released when it is available.

More via social media:

Map via Google Maps

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Much of N. Va. Now Under Flood Watch

A steady, soaking rain today may lead to flooding around Fairfax County and Northern Virginia.

The National Weather Service says 1-3 inches of rain will fall today, with the heaviest rain between 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The rain may cause creeks and streams to rise and flood low-lying areas, forecasters say.

More from NWS:

…FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM EDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING… THE FLOOD WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR * PORTIONS OF MARYLAND, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS, IN MARYLAND, ANNE ARUNDEL, CARROLL, CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST HOWARD, CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MONTGOMERY, FREDERICK MD, NORTHERN BALTIMORE, NORTHWEST HARFORD, NORTHWEST HOWARD, NORTHWEST MONTGOMERY, PRINCE GEORGES, SOUTHEAST HARFORD, AND SOUTHERN BALTIMORE. THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA, ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA, EASTERN LOUDOUN, FAIRFAX, PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK, AND WESTERN LOUDOUN. * FROM 10 AM EDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING * A WIDESPREAD SOAKING RAIN OF 1 TO 2 INCHES IS EXPECTED. ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF AROUND 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. THE STEADIEST RAIN IS EXPECTED BETWEEN 10 AM THIS MORNING AND 6 PM THIS EVENING, WITH RESIDUAL RUNOFF POSSIBLY PERSISTING THROUGH LATE THIS EVENING. * THESE RAINFALL AMOUNTS MAY CAUSE SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS TO GO OUT OF THEIR BANKS, AS WELL AS CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW-LYING, URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON CURRENT FORECASTS. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING DEVELOP. &&

Some flight delays have been reported at Reagan National Airport as a result of the rain.

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Police Holding Anti-DUI Event at Langley HS Today

Fairfax County Police are holding an anti-DUI and alcohol awareness event at Langley High School in McLean today.

The event, which is being held from 9 a.m. to noon, is timed to coincide with some key moments on the school calendar.

More from FCPD:

Prom and graduation season are quickly approaching, and we want to remind teens about the importance of being responsible at celebrations. We are partnering with Fairfax County Public Schools by hosting our Spring Drug and Alcohol Awareness Program.

Juniors and seniors at Langley High School will be given the opportunity to wear physical impairment goggles while being tested on both simple and complex tasks, such as driving a wheelchair through a cone course or going through a mock sobriety check with our officers. Students will also learn about Virginia’s underage drinking laws and the consequences for breaking them, as well as the physical and mental dangers that often come with underage drinking.

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VivaTysons Magazine Wants to Exit Bankruptcy, Citing Competitor Pouncing on Clients

VivaTysons Magazine filed for bankruptcy last month after running up hundreds of thousands in debt, but the publication is now seeking to have its case dismissed.

An attorney for VivaTysons filed a motion asking a federal bankruptcy judge to dismiss the Chapter 11 case, arguing VivaTysons can better function and pay its debts outside of the bankruptcy process.

Among other reasons for exiting bankruptcy, the filing says an unnamed magazine competitor tried to use the bankruptcy to poach advertising clients from VivaTysons. (For the record, it wasn’t us. -Ed.)

From the filing:

The Debtor seeks to dismiss its case “for cause” for the following reasons: (i) the Debtor believes that it is losing essential advertising revenue as a result of its filing for bankruptcy; (ii) the Debtor is experiencing difficulty complying with the administrative burdens of chapter 11; and (iii) the Debtor is hopeful that it can achieve settlements with its creditors outside of bankruptcy. The Debtor believes its creditors will obtain a greater dividend outside of bankruptcy than pursuant to a plan in the bankruptcy case.

After the Petition Date, at least one of the Debtor’s competitors contacted the Debtor’s advertisers and falsely stated to the Debtor’s advertisers that, as a result of the bankruptcy filing, the Debtor was “closed.” The Debtor’s competitor used the bankruptcy filing and alleged “closing” to implore the Debtor’s advertisers to advertise in the competitor’s magazine instead of the Debtor’s magazine. The Debtor believes that it has lost essential advertising revenue because of the actions of its competitors as a result of the bankruptcy filing.

VivaTysons says in the filing that it owes four small business lenders and banks more than $250,000 collectively. It also owes money to its printing company, the printing company’s owner and potentially two other financial companies. The parent company of Washingtonian Magazine also filed a claim, saying it is owed $50,000 by Tysons-based Johnny Hanna & Associates, which owns VivaTysons.

VivaTysons is published every other month. It is mailed to readers and distributed to local businesses in Tysons, McLean, Falls Church, Vienna, Great Falls and Oakton.

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Report: Another Huge Development Proposed Near Spring Hill Metro

A new development plan could bring new housing, hotel rooms, office space and retail to the area around the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons.

The plan, which calls for between 775 and 1,225 residential units, some 700,000 square feet of office space, and perhaps a 350-room hotel, would be located down the street from the proposed View at Tysons project, the Washington Business Journal reports.

More from WBJ:

There’s a new proposal for a 5.24-acre site just down the street, at the corner of Leesburg Pike and Spring Hill Road, that would bring an additional 2 million square feet to the Spring Hill Metro area. And this one features a 2-acre piazza.

“The Piazza at Tysons is more than just another high-quality redevelopment in Tysons, with a mix of uses that will permit people to live, work and play in Tysons,” per the application, submitted to Fairfax County by Michelle Rosati, a partner in Holland & Knight LLP’s Tysons’ office. “It is a vision for an inclusive, welcoming and aesthetically exquisite neighborhood where people will interact and thrive — where the pedestrian realm is at the center of the concept, both literally and philosophically.” [ …]

The Piazza at Tysons would replace Schmitz Exxon and a neighboring retail development currently home to a Starbucks, Tile Shop and Ethan Allen furniture store.

Read more here.

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Morning Notes

FCPS Isolation Practices Questioned — “For years, Fairfax County Public Schools reported to the federal government that not a single student was physically restrained or trapped in an isolating space. But documents obtained by WAMU reveal hundreds of cases where children, some as young as 6 years old, were restrained or put in seclusion multiple times. In some cases, a single child was confined to a room almost 100 times in a school year.” [WAMU]

Falls Church Budget Proposal — “Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields proposed a Fiscal Year 2020 (FY2020) budget of $99.3 million, which provides for a 2.4 percent ($958,408) increase in general government operating expenditures and a 2.5 percent ($1,044,231) increase in local funding for public schools, as requested by the School Board.” [City of Falls Church]

Local Students Emerge As State Chess Champs — “Students from four Fairfax County public schools won team championships in all four K-12 divisions at the Virginia Scholastic Chess Championships held recently in Charlottesville… The K-3 team from Spring Hill Elementary School won the team title in its age group.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]

McLean Teacher’s Wedding Gets NYT Write-up — Sara Rhodin, a history teacher at the private, all-girls Madeira School in McLean, had her recent nuptials to former Obama speechwriter Tyler Lechtenberg written up in the New York Times’ wedding section. [New York Times]

Tysons Reporter Event Calendar — Tysons Reporter has launched its Tysons, McLean, Vienna and Falls Church event calendar. The calendar has been pre-populated with events from around the region to start, but expect to see more local events being added every week. You can submit events to the calendar here.

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Vienna Police Looking for Shrimp Bandit(s)

A supermarket in Vienna has been the victim of a theft of shrimp twice in as many weeks.

Both thefts happened between 10-11 a.m. on a weekday and involved a man walking off with pilfered shrimp from the Giant store at 359 Maple Avenue E., according to the latest Vienna Police Department crime report.

The first theft happened on Monday, Feb. 25, when “a man left the store without paying for several platters of shrimp.” The second theft happened on Friday, March 8 when “a man left the store without paying for several bags of shrimp.”

A description of the suspect or suspects was not provided in the crime report.

Photo via Facebook

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What to Expect at Tysons Area Irish Bars on St. Patrick’s Day

Planning to wear the green and drink the beer on Sunday? If so, there are plenty of options for doing just that around the Tysons area.

Just about any bar you walk into on St. Patrick’s Day will have some craic and a ready bottle of Jameson. But to have a proper pint of Guinness poured you may have to fight the crowds at one the area’s Irish bars.

Here is what’s happening at Paddy Barry’s Irish Pub (8150 Leesburg Pike, Tysons), the Old Brogue Irish Pub (760-C Walker Rd, Great Falls) and Ireland’s Four Provinces (105 W Broad St, Falls Church).

https://www.facebook.com/paddybarrysva/photos/pcb.2065384833496659/2065383950163414

https://www.facebook.com/oldbrogue/photos/a.564417980244221/2409569632395704

https://www.facebook.com/IrelandsFourProvinces/photos/a.683014831724913/2638902702802773

Want to go further afield? There are a number of other nearby options in Arlington, Reston and Herndon. Also, Dulles Moms has a listing of more family-friendly activities around the area.

Sláinte!

Photo via Facebook

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Authorities Seek ‘Person of Interest’ in Tysons Garbage Can Fire

Fairfax County fire investigators are trying to identify a woman seen lighting a trash can on fire in Tysons early Monday morning.

Authorities say the woman tried several times to start a fire in the garbage can before finally succeeding at starting a small trash fire. It happened around 3:40 a.m. outside of an office building at 8065 Leesburg Pike, near the Chef Geoff’s restaurant in Tysons.

More from the Fairfax County Fire Department:

Fire investigators are asking for the public’s help identifying a person of interest in a recent fire.

On March 11, at approximately 3:40 a.m., a woman ignited the contents of a trash can in front of 8065 Leesburg Pike in the Tysons area of Fairfax County. It took her several attempts to start the fire.

The person of interest is a female who was last seen wearing black pants, grey hooded pullover, black sneakers, carrying a large black shoulder bag, shoulder length hair and dark framed glasses.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator John Sherwood at (703) 246-4801 or [email protected].

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