Geovanny Alexander Mejia Castro was working his shift as at Diva Lounge (6763 Wilson Blvd.) in the back corner of the Eden Center last Friday when he was shot and killed, police announced today.
Police announced today that they arrested a suspect, Elser Galeano Herrera, 28, at his sister’s home in Mississippi today. Herrera will be transported back to Virginia, according to police.
In the press release, police said the murder was believed to be in retaliation for an earlier assault at the night club that did not involve Castro.
“The death of Mr. Castro is tragic,” said Police Chief Mary Gavin. “I’m proud of the swift and meticulous investigation that lead to the identification and location of the suspect. We are thankful for the assistance of a number of agencies in helping us find and arrest him.”
Full press release below:
The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project (DCMP) announced that motorists in Tysons East can expect road work on the realignment of Old Meadow Road to continue through the end of the month.
Old Meadow Road runs from Dolley Madison Blvd. at the McLean Metro station to Dolley Madison Apartments along a corridor of office complexes. The realignment aims to connect the road with Capital One Tower Drive but has experienced several delays.
The project started in the spring and was slated to be complete by the end of August, but a press release from DCMP said work will continue at least until the end of September, at which time work will begin on a new median.
“As the realignment of Old Meadow Road with Capital One Tower Drive at Dolley Madison Boulevard (Route 123), near the Capital Beltway in Tysons, continues motorists can expect to see the travel lanes shift near the end of September as work moves from the south side of Old Meadow Road to the median area.,” DCMP said in a press release.
DCMP said weather and various site conditions led to delays in the first phase of the work. The last month has had multiple severe storms and extensive flooding. Crews have since completed the new drainage infrastructure at the site and are working on new sidewalks, curbs and gutters.
The full press release is below: Read More
Despite Eli Lev’s global popularity, the musician holds his Northern Virginia hometown roots in high regard.
Born and raised in Falls Church, the hybrid folk-singer quit his day job around roughly three years ago to pursue music after playing his first few shows at Tryst in Adams Morgan, D.C. and other small venues in the Northern Virginia area.
To this day, Lev said that one of his favorite venues is still the Jammin Java in Vienna, because of its support for upcoming artists.
“The origin story is more of a haphazard journey,” Lev said, adding that he picked up instruments “here and there” before he moved back to the region after living in Andora — a small European country. For him, music and shared culture was a way for him to reconnect with friends and family after living abroad.
In the three years since he began playing professional gigs, Lev has toured the United States and Europe and recently released his album Deep South. The album was inspired by Native American culture he learned about while teaching on the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona and is part of a four-album series about his travels.
The last album in the series “True North” will likely come out later this year, Lev said.
Lev’s music style, though continuing to evolving, was primarily inspired by his adventures around the world. Singer and songwriter-style music was attractive to Lev because it allowed him to travels around with an acoustic guitar and make connections with other travelers.
“It seemed like a natural fit,” he said.
Since first starting, Lev said he also began to experiment with indie-folk, pop and even jazz elements.
People around the D.C. area may recognize Lev from local Sofar Sound Concerts, which he makes regular appearances at. Sofar Sound Concerts are pop-up concerts where attendees are asked to gather at a random location across town to see a surprise lineup of artists. The concept has become increasingly popular over the last few years and has grown internationally. “I was lucky to come across the whole community as a listener first,” Lev said.
Because of the ongoing pandemic though, Lev hasn’t given up performing and instead has taken to performing at outdoor venues and on live streams.
“They’ve carried me through this crazy time essentially,” he said.
Additionally, Lev has set up a virtual community for followers and fans called “The Levitators,” which allows people to connect with Lev, giving them sneak-peeks to new songs, live streams and access to new merchandise. In return, Lev said that he receives valuable feedback.
“Super cheesy, I know,” Lev said. “But that’s how I roll.”
Anyone who wants to join The Levitators can sign up online. Membership is international, Lev said, adding that he knows of members from Brazil, India, UK, Israel and Mexico.
This weekend (Sept. 19 and 20) Lev will actually be performing at a live stream festival called DREAM STREAM. Tickets and a schedule can be found online.
Photo courtesy Eli Lev
Fairfax County to Receive an Additional $4.85 Million in CARES Act Funding— “Through this final allocation, Fairfax County will receive an additional $4.85 Million in federal funding to assist residents facing higher risk of eviction and help combat the economic hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.” [Fairfax County]
3 F.C. Council Candidates Appear at First Joint Campaign Event — “A new breed of candidates for public office has surfaced in the race to temporarily fill a vacancy on the Falls Church City Council.” [Falls Church News-Press]
D.C. Restaurants Turn to Pop-up Concepts to Stay Afloat — “Bethesda’s URBNmarket is bringing a socially distant Oktoberfest event to Tysons on Oct. 9 and 10 with seasonal beverages in the pop-up biergarten.” [Washington Business Journal]
McLean Mom Plans Meal Packing Efforts During Pandemic — “Through her LiftLikeAMother Amplify program, McLean’s Alicia McKenzie coordinates meal packing efforts to help those in need.” [Patch]
Despite anticipation of a steep drop off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Town of Vienna has managed higher revenue on its meals tax than expected.
The meals tax generated 80% revenue for the first month of the new fiscal year, July, compared to last year. During pre-pandemic months, the monthly average for meals tax was $250,000, while July’s revenue came in at $194,000.
While there have been concerns for lower meals tax through the upcoming colder months, the generated revenue has left the town “pleasantly surprised,” according to finance director Marion Serfass. In preparation for a steeper drop off, the town budgeted for 50% of the pre-pandemic revenue.
Since March, five restaurants in the town have either moved or closed, while only one has reopened.
A contributing factor for the steady meals tax has been the stable business for drive-thru and high-end restaurants. During the pandemic months, there has been “no noticeable” drop off for drive-thru restaurants compared to previous meals tax revenue. The assumption for the trend is that people feel safer utilizing drive-thru restaurants, according to Serfass.
The meals tax revenue — a 3% tax on each meal sold — is used to pay back bonds issued for capital improvement projects.
Though the revenue has been higher than expected and the town is gradually recovering from the effects of the pandemic, there are still concerns about how local businesses may be affected by the pandemic if it stretches into next year.
In a discussion on Tuesday with Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert, and various business and economic leaders, Town Economic Development Manager Natalie Monkou cautioned that businesses might need to adjust to the ongoing health crisis.
“We’re anticipating the health crisis to continue into 2021 and we want to be able to help our business community pivot,” Monkou said.
File photo
(Updated 9/18) After hours of passionate public input at their meeting Tuesday, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors passed a ban on carrying guns on county property.
The Board of Supervisors passed the ordinance 9-1, immediately taking effect and applying to County buildings, parks, recreation and community centers.
The state law that let Fairfax County ban guns on public property, is something that Jeff McKay, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, said the county has been asking for decades. Similar bans were implemented in Alexandria, Arlington, and Falls Church.
“There is also a lot of fear in this community about guns,” McKay said. “So while gun rights advocates are concerned for their own safety, you have to understand there [are] a ton of people in this county worried about guns — period.”
In April, Gov. Ralph Northam signed a new gun control law enabling local governments to ban guns on public property and spaces. The bill followed a charged legislative session in Richmond, where armed pro-gun protesters showed up to the state capital as the legislature was considering proposed gun control measures.
One of the drivers of the ban on guns on public property was a 2019 shooting in Virginia Beach, where a gunman killed 12 people at a municipal building. Read More
After years of delays, arguments and a little arson: Vienna Market at the former Marco Polo restaurant site (245 Maple Avenue) is coming back for review at tonight’s Vienna Board of Architectural Review (BAR) meeting.
The project is a mixed-use development planned to include 44 luxury condominium townhomes and 8,200 square feet of retail.
The designs for the project were approved last September, but Northfield Development and NV Homes are headed back to the BAR after a few errors in the design process came to light.
According to a memo from the Town of Vienna:
- During the permitting phase of the project, several front façade configurations were shown reversed from the original approved elevation drawings. The facades were modified to match the interior floor plans. The floor plans shown in the original drawings would require stairwells on exterior walls;
- The final site plan review process revealed an error in the 35′ height calculation on the rear of the parcel that required reducing the height of two additional town homes and removing the roof access structure on one townhome
- An error in the original rendering showed the end elevations on Church Street in the incorrect lot order. The Church Street elevation schemes have been adjusted to match the front elevation scheme proposed.
Town Code states that any changes to the approved design, even fixing errors, has to be approved.
Rendering via Northfield Construction and Development
Tandem Product Academy is looking for 20 existing Northern Virginia technology companies to guide and help succeed in the COVID-19 economy.
Amplifier Advisors, as well as a group of university, government and community partners, helped Tandem Innovation Alliance’s Academy launch a new cohort mentoring these technology companies on Sept. 14.
The Academy will help the selected businesses find a business model that will sustain them throughout the pandemic and long after, according to a statement from the Academy. The program will commence on Oct. 21, 2020.
The program will run virtually over a four-month period, alternating between all-cohort classes and individual company mentor sessions, according to the statement.
“The post COVID-19 economy is punishing for technology businesses that do not have the right product market fit, but as we can see from regional and national successes, when a technology business has the right fit, this is a great time to be in the technology industry,” said Jonathan Aberman, the founder of Amplifier Advisors.
“We want to help a group of promising technology businesses find their best opportunities to pivot what they have built into a market that will be rewarding for the current economy and what’s next,” said Aberman.
Amplifier Advisors is an innovation business led by Aberman, George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis and Marymount University’s Marymount Intrapreneurship Initiative, according to the statement.
The cohort’s teaching team includes Marymount University faculty and technology entrepreneurs and investors; including Mark Walsh, Gene Riechers, Ben Foster, Erich Baumgarter, Tien Wong, Pat Sheridan, Elizabeth Shea and Jonathan Aberman.
Participants must be senior leaders of a business that has a technology product that has achieved some commercial adoption, according to the statement, and whose company has done any of the following over the past year:
- Had gross revenue of $500,000;
- Obtained at least $500,000 in capital from sources other than the founder’s immediate friends or family; or
- Received at least $500,000 in federal research and development funding.
Those interested can view more information and apply at the Tandem Innovation Alliance website.
Photo by Alesia Kazantceva/Unsplash
Earlier this week, the Board of Supervisors voted in favor of changing the name from the McLean Metro station to McLean-Capital One Hall Metro station.
The decision still has to go to WMATA’s Board of Directors for approval, but it seems likely station could take on the name of the planned performance hall under construction nearby.
Naming a Metro station for a nearby company is an unusual move — something the Board of Supervisors opposed Metro doing November. Supervisors were quick to say the station is not named after banking giant Capital One, which is headquartered adjacent to the Metro station, but for the performance hall.
This is a very particular situation in which we do have an agreement between the county and Capital One Hall to provide a minimum of 100 days of use,” said Supervisor Dalia Palchik, representing the Providence District. “It’s going to be our very own Strathmore. It’s a very specific request to have this name put on the Metro station so people know we have this asset here in Fairfax County.”
How do you feel about the proposed name change?
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
As Han Palace, a new dim sum restaurant, makes its debut today in Tysons, the location announced it’ll be hosting a grand opening party this evening.
Those who want to celebrate are invited to do so from 5-9 p.m. at 7900 Westpark Drive tonight (Thursday), a flyer said, adding that complimentary wine and champagne will be available for those over 21.
As a type of traditional Chinese-style brunch, Dim Sum is typically enjoyed by a large group of family and friends.
“Unlike most Dim Sum restaurants, diners will not find any pushcarts at Han Palace,” a press release said. “All Dim Sum will be made to order and the menu will be overseen by Executive Chef Kenny Lei, whom Zhu (the owner) recruited from New York City.”
Specialty dishes at this location will include steamed shrimp dumplings, baked barbecue pork buns and sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves, according to a press release.
“Dim Sum desserts include an intricate Purple Gold Yolk Bun and Almond Ball with Custard Yolk Heart, both filled with an oozy, soft egg custard and for the very adventurous, a Deep Fried Durian Cake,” the press release said.
The location will also offer cocktails, including Japanese whiskey and a variety of liquors.
Both indoor and outdoor seating will be available.
Going forward, the eatery will be open Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., the Facebook page said.
Photo via Han Palace/Facebook
