The ongoing renovation of Cooper Middle School is heating up — literally.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units put out “a very small, smoldering fire in a construction area” next to the school at 977 Balls Hill Road around noon today (Tuesday).
According to the fire department, the fire did not present any danger to students, who are currently on spring break anyway, and no evacuation was required.
The Fairfax County Police Department has adopted some new equipment to improve how quickly it can process crimes.
It includes a National Integrated Ballistic Information Network system to automate ballistics evaluations, where bullets and firearms can be matched from separate scenes, providing key links for crimes.
The department is also “piloting a rapid DNA Test Machine to help uncover timely information for crime investigations,” Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said in a March 31 digital newsletter.
Mars, Inc., the company that owns both M&M’s and Pedigree Petfoods, is planning to expand its existing headquarters in McLean.
According to an application submitted to Fairfax County on March 30, the American multinational manufacturer of candy, pet food, and other food items says that its current corporate home no longer meets its needs.
Defamation Trial Over Domestic Violence Op-Ed Starts Next Monday — “Johnny Depp, 58, and Amber Heard, 35, who were briefly married from 2015 to 2017, are set to begin their long-anticipated defamation trial with jury selection that day. The trial is expected to last through the end of May, and the case has drawn national and international attention.” [Inside NoVA]
D.C. Area TV News Anchor Dies — “For decades, Bruce Johnson’s voice could be heard emanating from TV sets around the Washington region, delivering the day’s news with both gravitas and humor. Johnson, who spent 44 years at local CBS affiliate WUSA9, died of heart failure Sunday morning, according to the station.” [DCist]
Vienna Softball League Raises Funds to Repair Field — “Caffi Fields, three fields that are home to the Vienna Girls Softball League, undergo annual maintenance with thousands of dollars costs shared between the league and Town of Vienna. But the league says more extensive repairs are needed to make the fields more usable, prompting the launch of a community fundraiser.” [Patch]
Letter Highlights Herndon’s Ties to U.S. President — “President John Tyler (1790-1862) was born in Charles City County, Virginia, located along the James River, west of Williamsburg. His family had long roots in Virginia, dating back to Colonial Williamsburg…Their descendants, however, reached all the way to today’s Herndon.” [Herndon Historical Society/Patch]
Springfield Girls Hockey Team Competes in Nationals — The St. James girls hockey team was the only Virginia group competing in its division at a youth national championship tournament this past weekend. They played on Thursday (March 31), Friday (April 1) and Saturday (April 2) in West Goshen, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. [USA Hockey]
County Joins “City Nature Challenge” — “The challenge begins at 12:01 a.m. local time on April 29 and runs through 11:59 p.m. on May 2. Residents can take part by going outdoors in their neighborhood, backyard or a park, then look to see what’s there and take photos of wild plants, animals and fungi. Upload the photos through a free app provided by iNaturalist.” [Sun Gazette/Inside NoVA]
Goat Gets Stuck in Fence at Frying Pan Farm — “There’s always that one kid. Some farm visitors noticed that one of our goats had decided to move to the next pasture and got stuck in the fence. Eric to the rescue! He’s worked at the farm long enough to know this game and easily helped free the goat from the fence.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]
It’s Tuesday — Rain throughout the day. High of 59 and low of 47. Sunrise at 6:48 am and sunset at 7:37 pm. [Weather.gov]
When Cunningham Park Elementary School Principal Katherine Le asked if she would paint a mural for the school, Ellen Singletary responded as any job interviewee would: she said yes.
Singletary landed the job, becoming the art teacher for the Vienna school of roughly 400 students, but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, it took more than two years for that proposed mural to materialize.
With about 70 volunteer hours and $1,200 worth of paint and other supplies, Singletary transformed the long, winding sidewalk that connects the school’s main building to its playground into a rainbow-hued journey through rain clouds, mermaids, dragons and most daunting of all, a replication of the mini-roundabout at Park and Locust streets.
Your perception of the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in Fairfax County might vary depending on which data dashboard you’re looking at.
For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies the county’s COVID-19 community level as “low” based on the hospitalization metrics that the federal agency has used since February.
Thefts of auto parts and items inside cars have surged this year.
Last year, Fairfax County police found 1,019 incidents involved larcenies of vehicle parts and theft of personal property inside autos.
Just in the first three months of this year, there have been a total of 1,325 incidents, Fairfax County Police Department told FFXnow on Thursday (March 31).
In response to the uptick in thefts, the police have partnered with the auto repair shop G&C Tire and Auto Service to provide free anti-theft labels, Sully District Supervisor Kathy Sullivan said in a March 30 tweet.
The outdoor roller skating rink that popped up on Strawberry Lane in the Mosaic District last summer could become a seasonal fixture — with a possible ice skating rink also in the works.
EDENS, the owner and developer of the Merrifield mixed-use community, has partnered with operator Rink Management Services Corporation to revive the Mosaic Skateland rink annually, starting this summer, according to a special permit application recently submitted to Fairfax County.
Man Dies After Crash in Oakton — “A 78-year-old man has died from injuries sustained in a single-vehicle crash that occurred at 2:01 p.m. on March 30 in Oakton. Thomas Peregoy of Alexandria was driving eastbound on Lawyers Road near Kedge Drive when his 2014 Toyota Tacoma drifted off the roadway to the right, striking a tree head on.” [FCPD]
Genomic Sequencing Could Help ID “Christmas Tree Lady” — “For 25 years, the Fairfax County police have tried and failed to identify ‘the Christmas Tree Lady,’ so named because she placed an 8-inch Christmas tree with gold balls and red ribbons on the clear plastic sheet she put on the ground…She is the only person to die by suicide in Fairfax whom authorities have been unable to identify, before or since.” [The Washington Post]
County Launches Month-Long Solar Energy Campaign — “Fairfax County is pleased and proud to participate in the annual Solarize campaign, which brings residents and businesses bulk discounts on solar systems…Through the program, you can receive a free satellite assessment of your property to determine if it is suitable for solar.” [Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination]
Fort Belvoir Hospital Trauma Center Verified — “Fort Belvoir Community Hospital has received Level lll Trauma Center verification after demonstrating its ability to provide prompt assessment, surgery, intensive care and emergency operations…The only other verified trauma center in Northern Virginia is Inova Fairfax Hospital, a Level I facility.” [Inside NoVA]
Carjacking Reported in Mount Vernon — A man was driving in the 3700 block of Rolling Hills Avenue on March 26 when four men in a brown Nissan Altima blocked his vehicle. “The men then got out of the Altima, displayed a firearm and assaulted the victim,” police say. “The men then left the area in the victim’s car. The victim was treated for injuries not considered life threatening.” [FCPD]
McLean Arts Nonprofit Plans Spring Shows — The McLean Project for the Arts will host its first-ever “Spring Solo” exhibitions starting on April 14. The nonprofit received over 130 proposals, according to its artistic director and curator. Work from three artists, two from D.C. and one from Arlington, will be on display through June 11. [Sun Gazette]
Reston Community Center Announces Spring Programming — “Some of RCC’s most popular seasonal experiences are already sold out (Eggnormous Egg Hunt, Crafternoons), so don’t wait to enroll in the activities that still have space for children and their families!” [RCC]
It’s Monday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 56 and low of 34. Sunrise at 6:50 a.m. and sunset at 7:36 p.m. [Weather.gov]
The weekend is almost here. Before you make one final April Fool’s Day joke 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.
