Hotels in the Tysons area laid off nearly 1,000 employees this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Tysons Reporter found six hotels that filed notices under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act with the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC). The WARN Act requires businesses with 100 or more employees to provide at least 60-day notice of a closing or layoffs affecting 50 or more employees, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Here are the WARN notices that hotels filed between late March and June:
- Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center (7901 Tysons One Place): 54 late march
- The Ritz Carlton Tysons Corner (1700 Tysons Blvd): 344
- Tysons Corner Marriott (8028 Leesburg Pike): 120
- Marriott Falls Church Fairview Park (3111 Fairview Park Drive): 164
- Embassy Suites Tysons Corner (8517 Leesburg Pike): 42
- DoubleTree Tysons (1960 Chain Bridge Road): 57
- Crescent Hotels & Resorts (8661 Leesburg Pike): 171
In total, 952 employees were laid off.
“Employment fell in all major industry sectors, with particularly heavy job losses in leisure and hospitality. The largest job loss during April occurred in leisure and hospitality with a decline of 161,400 jobs to 240,800,” according to the Virginia Employment Commission in late May. “The largest over-the-year job loss occurred in leisure and hospitality, down 169,000 jobs (-41.2%).”
Most of the layoffs happened in March and April and were “due to COVID-19,” according to the WARN notices.
A Vienna woman decided to take advantage of free time to help women around the D.C. area that are either suffering from homelessness or domestic violence while also supporting a regional Black-owned eatery.
Alexandra Sorrell, a recent Virginia Tech graduate, doesn’t start her new job until October and said she couldn’t stand the idea of sitting idly by while other people are in need. So Sorrell decided to organize a GoFundMe to purchase full-price meals from Puddin’ for women at both the Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter and N Street Village facilities.
Both of these non-profits focus on helping women and children in the area by offering housing, counseling and advocacy, according to their websites.
“It’s hard to find things to fill your time and I felt so guilty sitting at home while so many people are suffering, especially now with the pandemic and Black Lives Matter,” she said.
Though Sorrell thought about assisting community members around Vienna, she recognized that there was a more immediate and extreme need in D.C.
One of Sorrell’s family friends is an emergency room nurse in a regional hospital and told her that they have seen record numbers of domestic violence and child abuse cases.
“I was trying to address as many areas of struggle as I could,” she said.
Puddin’, which is owned by Toyin Alli, serves Southern-style comfort food, according to the food truck’s website. Sorrell chose the truck from a recommendation of a staffer at N Street Village.
Sorrell told Tysons Reporter that she wanted to do more than provide canned food meals. Through Puddin’, she is able to connect recipients with meals they could enjoy.
She added that she wants to help replicate the joy that she feels when she is able to enjoy a nice meal with some friends.
As of this morning, the campaign has raised $1,760 out of $2,500. If the campaign doesn’t raise the full amount, Sorrell said she would donate the rest from the signing bonus from her new job.
The campaign will run through Aug. 1, according to the GoFundMe.
“My fear is to be ever complacent,” Sorrell said, adding that she hopes other people will assist with outreach and take advantage of free time to help others.
Photo via Puddin’/Facebook
Two Tysons companies are among the 15 tech employers listed for an upcoming virtual job hosted by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.
The fair is targeted to mid-career tech professionals, especially ones with security clearances, and the companies represented will have a total of 3,000 open jobs in the Northern Virginia region, according to FCEDA.
“While the fair is primarily for those in tech fields including data science, software engineering, IT, cybersecurity, defense and aerospace, some companies are featuring non-tech positions such as marketing, sales, finance, human resources and legal,” according to FCEDA.
Companies signed up for the fair include:
- Microsoft, Reston
- Amazon Web Services, Arlington
- AppGuard Inc., Chantilly
- CGI, Fairfax
- Customer Value Partners, Fairfax
- Expedition Technology, Herndon
- EntropyZero Consulting, Reston
- FireEye, Reston
- Ipsun Solar, Fairfax
- General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church
- ManTech International, Herndon
- MicroHealth, Tysons
- NTT Data Federal, Tysons
- Serco Inc., Herndon
- SOSi, Reston
Previously, FCEDA hosted a virtual career fair for recent college graduates.
“Every job represents a household, so when we connect people — whether newly minted graduates or those midway through a career — to thousands of open jobs, we are really improving lives, saving households and communities,” Victor Hoskins, FCEDA’s president and CEO, said in a press release.
People will be able to browse companies in a virtual lobby before entering “virtual booths” to view open positions and video conference with recruiters.
The job fair will be hosted on Tuesday, July 14, from 1-4 p.m. People can register online.
Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash
In response to demands for police reform in the City of Falls Church, the City Council is seeking residents to serve on its new Use of Force Review Committee.
The committee members will be responsible for meeting bi-weekly from August to November to rethink police force policies and procedures, engage the community for diverse perspectives, report findings and make recommendations, according to a press release.
Volunteer applications are due July 5 at 11:59 p.m.
Councilmembers are ultimately responsible for choosing the candidates, and upcoming committee members can expect to be officially appointed on July 27, the press release said.
Here’s more from the press release:
The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the loss of many other Black lives, have left our nation anguished and outraged. The Obama Foundation and the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance have called on mayors and other city officials to pledge to take actions to review and reform police use of force policies and procedures. Mayor Tarter and City Council have committed to follow the precepts of the pledge and look forward to the UFRC’s recommendations.
People who want more information about the position can contact the city clerk’s office at 703-248-5014 (TTY 711).
The Town of Vienna’s summer concert series will still happen — just not at the Town Green.
Audiences for “Summer on the Green” will instead watch the concerts via Facebook Live or at local businesses at 6:30 p.m. on Fridays.
The town announced on its website that the changes are due to safety concerns with COVID-19.
People will be able to make song requests and play trivia and virtual bingo to win prizes, according to the town. “If you miss the live shows, you can watch later on Facebook or on Youtube,” the website says.
Here’s the line-up:
- July 10: The Sarah Bennett Swanner Band
- July 17: Richard Walton Group
- July 24: Karl Stoll and the Danger Zone
- July 31: TBA
- Aug. 7: Big Bad JuJu
- Aug. 14: The Hot Lanes Trio with Bobby Jasinski
The town and the Rotary Club of Vienna, along with other sponsors, host the series of free performances.
The Vienna Business Association is encouraging businesses to sign up to stream the concerts.
Photo via Town of Vienna/Facebook
AU Prof Wins Republican Primary — “American University professor Daniel Gade won Virginia’s Republican Senate primary and will challenge Sen. Mark Warner (D) in November.” [The Hill]
Local Lauded for Social Media Efforts — “The Vienna Business Association on June 22 awarded its first annual Corporate Social Responsibility Award to Vienna resident Lydia Russo… Founder of the Vienna VA Foodies Facebook group, Russo has raised money and social awareness and encouraged community action for food-insecure families, front-line workers, first-responders and Vienna restaurants.” [Inside NoVa]
Back to School Support — “Northern Virginia parents are generally comfortable with their students returning to school classrooms this fall, assuming precautions are taken to control the spread of COVID-19, according to a survey conducted on InsideNoVa.com.” [Inside NoVa]
FCPS Options for Fall — “Fairfax County Public Schools will offer students two plans for the upcoming school year: 100 percent online learning or part-time classroom instruction.” [Inside NoVa]
Hotels Housing Homeless — “At least six hotels are on board to shelter vulnerable persons around Fairfax County. According to the latest Fairfax County Health and Human Services update, 241 hotel rooms were occupied with 255 guests as of June 16. So far, 456 rooms in six hotels have been secured for the program.” [Patch]
After nearly half of a century, The Treasure Shop in McLean has announced its closing date is Tuesday, June 30.
For patrons interested in browsing one last time, the store is hosting a final sidewalk sale out front on Thursday and Friday (June 25-26) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The boutique and consignment shop made the decision to close after 49 years of business because of the COVID-19 setbacks and increasing operational costs, according to a statement from the store.
The shop will be following recommended protocols to protect patrons during their final sale, including maintaining social distancing, requiring masks and allowing no more than three individuals in the store at a time.
“A lot of people really love the treasure shop. I would say it’s going to be missed,” said Amiee Freeman, the spokesperson for the Navy Marine Coast Guard Residence Foundation, which owns The Treasure Shop. “It’s kind of the end of an era.”
The Treasure Shop has been a major part of McLean and the Vinson Hall Retirement Community for decades. The store said the decision to close “was not made lightly,” and many members of the community are saddened by the closing.
“I am truly sad to hear this,” one person wrote on the store’s Facebook page. “The Treasure Shop has been such a unique and beloved place to me for many years, both to shop and to consign. I am really sorry to see you go.”
“So sorry to hear this. I love your shop. It always has wonderful items from all over the world,” another person wrote.
The Treasure Shop originally opened in 1971 in Vinson Hall as a way of selling unneeded items to military personnel as well as raising funds to assist residents, according to the Vinson Hall Retirement Community website. From there, the store grew into a widely-known consignment shop where people could find unique and interesting items.
The store moved into the Chesterbrook Shopping Center in 2009 due to the need for more space and parking.
The shop credits its success to the volunteers, consignors and donors who helped support the establishment over its 49-year run.
Photo courtesy of Amiee Freeman
After construction-related closures, commuters can expect several Silver Line stations to reopen ahead of schedule, according to a press release from the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority.
On Aug. 16, WMATA plans to reopen the McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro, Spring Hill and Wiehle-Reston East stations along with the West Falls Church station.
“Assuming the platform work continues at its current pace, the remaining three west-of-Ballston stations (Vienna, Dunn Loring, and East Falls Church) are expected to reopen around Labor Day,” the press release added.
The timely completion of the projects can partially be contributed to the drop in ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the press release said, adding that ridership is down 90% from this time last year.
“Metro has been working to efficiently use track access time during a period of historically low ridership,” the press release said. “Earlier this year, the transit agency combined Orange Line platform reconstruction and Silver Line signal integration into a multi-month summer shutdown of the nine rail stations west of Ballston”
Free shuttle busses will replace trains until the stations reopen, the press release said. “However, Vienna and Dunn Loring customers will be able to connect to Metrorail at West Falls Church, rather than Ballston.”
After temporarily closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a Pizza Hut location in Vienna has shuttered permanently.
The location previously at 541 Maple Ave W. said on its Facebook page that it is “permanently closed,” but there was no post explaining why. Additionally, the location’s page was removed from the list on the eatery’s corporate website.
Just last year, the chain closed more than 500 locations nationally, according to USA Today.
People hungry for pizza in the area can check out a variety of other pizza parlors near Maple Ave, such as Lombardi’s and Church Street Pizzeria (115 Church Street) and the newly opened PizzaRoni (235 Maple Ave E.)
Photo via Pizza Hut/Facebook
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust is joining an effort by Fairfax County officials to help people avoid evictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Foust teamed up with Chairman Jeff McKay and Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck on a board matter to address rent relief options. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the proposal yesterday (Tuesday).
“As we continue to address the impact of COVID-19 and the associated impact on employment in our community, low and moderate income families in particular are increasingly at risk of falling behind on rent and mortgages, and eventually eviction and even homelessness,” the board matter says.
County staff must now develop a Housing Partnership Pledge by working with landlords and lenders. The county officials want to see them offer to defer foreclosures and evictions, along with providing extra time for tenants to pay rent.
Fairfax County is looking at Chicago’s pledge as a guide, according to the board matter.
Along with the pledge, the county is directing the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop new guidelines for emergency rental assistance so that landlords must work “in good faith” to keep their tenants housed in exchange for the county helping tenants’ make payments.
Under the new guidelines, landlords receiving the assistance would have to notify the county before taking legal action against the tenants.
“In addition, we should explore asking landlords receiving emergency rental assistance to waive late fees dating to April 1,” the board matter says.
Additionally, the Redevelopment and Housing Authority is now asked to look into more opportunities to provide emergency rental assistance.
