Depp-Heard Defamation Trial Starts Today — “Three years after actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, for defamation over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post about being a survivor of domestic abuse, the case is going to trial on Monday in Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia.” [The Washington Post]
Reston Man Indicted for Animal Cruelty — “Sheheryar Kamran, a 20-year-old resident of Reston, Virginia, was indicted on three federal charges related to animal cruelty for allegedly creating and posting videos on social media showing him abusing and killing hamsters. Kamran pleaded ‘not guilty’ in a federal court in Alexandria on February 24, 2022. He is currently awaiting trial set for May 16, 2022.” [FOX5]
TJ Admissions Lawsuit Could go to Supreme Court — The Coalition for TJ, a community group opposed to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s new admissions policy, has filed an emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to vacate a stay of a judge’s order striking down the changes. Chief Justice John Roberts gave the Fairfax County School Board until Wednesday (April 13) to respond. [Associated Press/WTOP]
Portion of I-66 West to Close Overnight — All westbound lanes will close at Route 28 between 11 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. today (Monday) through Friday, requiring a detour. Crews will install bridge beams for the new Route 28 South bridge as part of the sweeping project to add express lanes on I-66. [VDOT]
Chantilly School Introduces “Walking Club” — The introduction of recess at Rocky Run Middle School this year inspired a teacher to supervise a ‘walking club’ for students and teachers who spend the break taking a stroll outside. The activity is part of a countywide pilot in anticipation of Fairfax County Public Schools requiring recess for middle schools this fall, a policy set to be approved Thursday (April 14). [WTOP]
Tysons Dim Sum Restaurant Enters D.C. — “After opening two grand dim sum parlors in the suburbs, restaurateur Chris Zhu is ready to expand to DC. The China Garden (Rockville) and Han Palace (Tysons) owner will open a 70-seat branch of her Cantonese restaurant in Woodley Park on Sunday, April 10.” [Washingtonian]
McLean HS Lands New Football Coach — “Prior to accepting the job as the new McLean High School head football coach, Joe Cockerham held a variety of positions on different high school and college staffs. Cockerham, 34, believes those experiences will help him build a consistent winner of the Highlanders at McLean.” [Sun Gazette]
Hybla Valley Walmart Shoplifting Leads to Assault — Police responding to a shoplifting complaint at 7910 Richmond Highway reportedly found a 35-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman concealing merchandise. The woman ran, and the man assaulted officers. The man was arrested and taken to the hospital for injuries not considered life threatening. [FCPD]
McLean Symphony Marks 50th Anniversary — The McLean Symphony held a concert at Capital One Hall on Saturday (April 9) to celebrate 50 years of existence, all of them led by conductor Dingwall Fleary. The concert featured two premieres of original compositions, including one by a local student, and the attendance of Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears.
It’s Monday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 66 and low of 41. Sunrise at 6:39 am and sunset at 7:43 pm. [Weather.gov]
We’re a couple weeks into spring now, but that won’t stop a chill from settling in Fairfax County early tomorrow morning (Monday).
The National Weather Service has issued a Frost Advisory set to take effect in the D.C. area from midnight to 9 a.m.
…FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 9 AM EDT MONDAY…
The weekend is almost here. Before you romp over to the nearest playground or head to bed for some much-needed sleep after avoiding those pranksters, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.
Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:
Ideas for potential stories can be sent to [email protected] or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.
Anything is possible for Vienna’s former Faith Baptist Church site — anything within the financial reach of a town whose annual budget comes in under $50 million, that is.
The 3-acre property at 301 Center Street South was a “godsend” for the town, hitting the market just as the search for a temporary home for the Vienna Police Department was becoming urgent, Councilmember Ed Somers said during a town council work session on March 28.
Where the National Automobile Dealers Association’s headquarters once stood, there is now only dirt.
Demolition of the former NADA building at 8400 Westpark Drive in Tysons is complete, and construction is underway to expand The Boro to the north side of Westpark Drive near the Greensboro Metro station.
So far, work has concentrated on “Block J” of the mixed-use development’s expansion, according to Tanya Graves, senior vice president of marketing & tenant services at The Boro.
County Elections Director Resigns — “Fairfax County’s general registrar has resigned after less than a year on the job and now the former election manager will serve as registrar until the term expires on June 30, 2023, county officials said. Scott Konopasek announced his intention to resign as general registrar during a closed session of the Electoral Board on March 24.” [Sun Gazette/Inside NoVA]
Depp-Heard Defamation Trial Will Be Televised — “Court TV will carry the televised feed of the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial, which is scheduled to begin next week in Fairfax County, VA. The network will be the pool feed provider for the trial, and plans to provide coverage of the proceedings.” [Deadline]
Centreville HS Students Behind Blood Type Bill — “Fairfax County high school students spearheaded a bill that will allow Virginia residents to indicate blood type on their license. Sen. George L. Barker, D-Fairfax, introduced Senate Bill 345 during the regular General Assembly session. The Senate and House approved the bill, which will take effect in July 2023.” [The Roanoke Star]
Fairfax County Has Strong Showing on “Best Places to Work” List — Of the 47 Northern Virginia-based companies to make the Washington Business Journal’s annual list of the “Best Places to Work in Greater Washington,” 28 are located in Fairfax County. The ranking is based on employee surveys about topics like leadership, culture, and benefits. [Fairfax County EDA]
Vienna Hires New Planning and Zoning Director — “Town officials chose David Levy after conducting a nationwide search and receiving applications from candidates in 10 states. Levy will assume his new job May 9 at a salary of $161,000.” [Sun Gazette]
Colvin Run Miller’s House Opens — “Ceremonies took place on Sunday, April 3, 2022, to officially cut the ribbon and open the doors of the historic Miller’s House at Colvin Run Mill in Great Falls…After extensive renovation, the house now offers an interactive design representing home life in the early and late 1800s.” [FCPA]
Blood Drive Coming to Reston — “The Reston District Police Station is hosting a blood drive with the INOVA Bloodmobile on Monday, April 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the North County Governmental Center…Registration is required. Your blood donation will support Fairfax County Police Department’s Helicopter Division’s whole blood carrying program for medevac services.” [Hunter Mill District News]
It’s Friday — Possible light rain in the evening and overnight. High of 56 and low of 43. Sunrise at 6:43 am and sunset at 7:40 pm. [Weather.gov]
With two proposals to transform hotels into housing, local officials are exploring more creative ways to reach affordable housing goals.
In Herndon, a Residence Inn is slated to convert into a 17-unit affordable housing project spread across 11 buildings. Owners say the buildings are too difficult to maintain and industry demands haven’t kept with hotel brand standards.
“The physical layout of the various buildings on the property, the interior unit configuration, and the good condition of the underlying building structures, presents a unique opportunity with the Town of Herndon to repurpose the current building as multifamily units,” a March 2 application to the town says.
No matter how many times the name and owners change, the ground-floor restaurant in the office building at 226 Maple Avenue West seems destined to serve Thai cuisine.
Following in the steps of Tara Thai and the recently departed Tom Yum Thai, the newly opened Burapa THAI & Bar comes from a face familiar to local diners: co-owner Bo Boonyaket was the owner and chef at I-Thai’s Side Street & Sushi Bar in Tysons until it shuttered last year.
The McLean Community Center has a water problem, and it will take about $100,000 in repairs to fix it.
The MCC governing board unanimously approved that funding on March 10 for a roof repair project deemed “urgent” by the board’s Capital Facilities Committee.
A pre-construction meeting with Function Enterprises, the Springfield-based company enlisted as the vendor, is scheduled for the end of April, MCC Director of Marketing and Communications Sabrina Anwah told FFXnow.
