People can now watch two forums with the candidates running for the Vienna Town Council and mayor’s seat.
In lieu of in-person forums due to the coronavirus pandemic, the North East Vienna Citizens Association (NEVCA) and Vienna Business Association (VBA) teamed up to host the forums virtually.
Doug Francis, NEVCA’s vice president, moderated the two forums — one for three mayoral candidates and a second one for the seven people running for council seats.
The forums, which were recorded on April 2, were uploaded to YouTube earlier today (Monday).
The town’s upcoming election is May 5. Absentee voting — which Fairfax County officials strongly encourage to reduce the risk of spreading the virus — is already underway.
Tysons Reporter will also reach out to the candidates for Q&As that will be published this spring ahead of the election.
If you have a question you would like the Tysons Reporter team to consider asking, please let us know in the comments below or on our social media pages.
Images of three mayoral candidates via Town of Vienna
Tysons-based Gannett has created a new initiative to help connect people to local businesses seeking support during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Support Local website lets people search for businesses from a list to buy gift cards. The website prompts people to share the news of their gift card purchases on social media.
The website has businesses from hundreds of cities across the U.S. So far, Austin, Texas has the most small businesses on the site (260).
The Tysons-area businesses include:
- J. Gilbert’s in McLean
- Founding Farmers in Tysons
- Red Galanga in Vienna
- Bazin’s on Church in Vienna
- Jolie Hair Studio in Vienna
- 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church
- Koi Koi Sushi in Falls Church
- Malee Thai Massage in Falls Church
“We hope that our efforts will allow them to continue to serve their communities in the future,” according to the website.
Headquartered in Valo Park, the news media company includes USA TODAY and hundreds of daily local news brands.
Patrons or business owners can submit information about small businesses registered with Google to get added to the site.
Image via Support Local
Editor’s note: Are you a restaurant in the Vienna, Falls Church, Tysons, Merrifield and McLean areas that has a fundraiser? Email us at [email protected].
Many eateries in the Tysons area are turning to fundraisers to help them stay afloat financially during the coronavirus panoramic or to help support laid off staff.
Tysons Reporter has been keeping track of GoFundMe pages for local restaurants and their staff. Here are the latest fundraisers we found:
Rocco’s (1357 Chain Bridge Road) is looking to raise $25,000.
“We have been serving our community since 1977, and we don’t want to lose Rocco’s because of this pandemic,” the GoFundMe page says.
The Italian restaurant in McLean is currently offering pick-up and delivery options, according to its website.
Over in Falls Church, Loving Hut (2842 Rodgers Drive) is looking to raise $10,000 to help with operating costs and paychecks for employees.
The vegan chain offers Asian-accented cuisine. The Falls Church location is regularly screening employees for illness, selling vegan hand sanitizer and offering carry out, according to the eatery’s Facebook page.
Agora Restaurants, which has a location in Tysons, is raising $5,000 for their staff.
“Both of our locations have switched to Delivery/Carryout thus leaving us to make the difficult decision to layoff over 100 of our dedicated and loving team members,” the GoFundMe said. “We have decided to setup a fundraiser to support our staff that can be beneficial for them during this period of uncertainty.”
The Tysons location (7911 Westpark Drive) is currently offering delivery and pickup from noon-9 p.m. daily, according to its website.
Photo via Rocco’s/Facebook
Updated at 11:30 a.m. — Corrects percentage of the number of cases that increased.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to climb in Fairfax County.
As of today (Monday), cases rose by 14.5 percent from 426 on Sunday to 488, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health.
Overall, statewide cases are nearing 3,000. So far, there are 2,878 cases — a number that rested at around 1,000 cases just a week ago.
Arlington has the second-most number of cases (203), followed by Loudoun County (188).
In the state, 51 people have died as a result of the respiratory illness, with five deaths in Fairfax County.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now encouraging residents to wear face masks in order to prevent and slow community transmission of the virus.
Data in graph via Virginia Department of Health
Editor’s note: Tysons Reporter will temporarily have “Morning Notes” every weekday instead of twice a week to accommodate more news.
Reston Hospital Center Buys Tysons Eatery — “HCA Healthcare Inc. has acquired a former Korean BBQ restaurant in Tysons that its subsidiary, Reston Hospital Center, plans to retrofit into an emergency center.” [Washington Business Journal]
Giant Donates to Local Food Banks — “Giant announced the donation of $550,000 and 1,200 hams to the five Feeding America food banks within its region: Capital Area Food Bank, Maryland Food Bank, Food Bank of Delaware, Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank and Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Tysons Company Has Free Web Services — Appian is offering free web services to businesses so that they can better manage COVID-19. [Cheddar]
McLean Group Urges Tax Rate Freeze — “Fairfax County officials are revising the proposed fiscal 2021 budget following dismal economic projections related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the McLean Citizens Association has some ideas on what spending reductions they should be considering.” [Inside NoVa]
#Tysons-based @IDme and San Francisco-based @SlackHQ have partnered to create a secure workspace that healthcare providers can use to share real-time information about the coronavirus. https://t.co/AgiyGwizoz
— Fairfax County EDA (@FairfaxEDA) April 4, 2020
Fairfax-based @CustomInk is partnering with @FeedingAmerica to get essential supplies to communities and people facing hunger in this time of uncertainty. https://t.co/EMTOak6wfl
— Fairfax County EDA (@FairfaxEDA) April 2, 2020
Fairfax County Public Schools will keep feeding students during spring break next week.
During spring break (April 6-10), FCPS plans to offering grab and go meals at school sites, along with curbside service, according to a press release.
The hours will be from 10 a.m.- 1p p.m. Families can also get meals from the current pop-up sites and bus route drop-offs.
Meals are free for kids and $2 for adults. Families must bring their kids when requesting meals.
FCPS wants families to maintain six feet apart from each other to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus and to practice good hygiene before, during and after the food pick-up.
Photo via FCPS
Superintendent Scott Brabrand said during a Facebook Live event today (Friday) that possible Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) budget changes will be shared next week.
Brabrand said that the economic uncertainty sparked by COVID-19 has had a widespread impact on budgets, including Fairfax County.
Currently, Fairfax County staff are revising the proposed budget, which was developed before the coronavirus pandemic hit the area, to address expected revenue losses and help small businesses. The new budget proposal is expected to be ready by next week.
Brabrand said that a new economic forecast is expected from Gov. Ralph Northam later next week.
The Fairfax County School Board will host a virtual meeting next Thursday (April 9) at 10 a.m., Brabrand said. At that meeting, he said he plans to share his initial thoughts on how the budget may need to be adjusted.
Brabrand said that FCPS is dedicated to providing quality education during the “tight budget times that have now confronted us,” adding that FCPS has weathered challenging financial times before.
Image via Fairfax County Public Schools/Facebook
The head of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is joining mayors and county officials around the U.S. in a call for the federal government to ramp up production and distribution of medical supplies.
Addressed to President Donald Trump, the letter demands that the federal government establish a “medical equipment czar” and task force that would work with the Defense Logistics Agency to handle the distribution of medical supplies while the pandemic lasts.
Jeff McKay, the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, tweeted earlier today that he had signed the letter.
At the time this article published, just over 100 local elected officials from around the U.S. had signed the letter.
The letter notes that many hospitals and health care workers are facing obstacles to replenish their dwindling medical supplies to treat COVID-19 patients.
To help minimize medial supply shortages, the task force would forecast the geographic and temporal spread of COVID-19 and maintain an inventory of medical equipment, along with other roles, according to the letter.
Staying at home with your pet? Just adopted a furry friend to keep you company while you’re self-isolating? Send us photos!
We’re looking for your photos of what it’s like to live or work in Tysons, Vienna, McLean, Falls Church or Merrifield with your animal companion(s) during the coronavirus.
Whether you snap pictures on a professional camera or your smartphone, we are always interested in sharing your photos (with credit to you!).
The best way to send photos is to email us at [email protected] or tag/direct message us on our social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook).
Photo by vlad shu on Unsplash
The number of COVID-19 cases continues to climb in Fairfax County.
As of today (Friday), there are now 372 cases in the Fairfax Health District — a jump from 328 cases yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
The Fairfax Health District includes Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church and towns in the county. Five people have died due to the novel coronavirus in the county.
Arlington has the second-most confirmed cases in the Virginia with 135 cases.
Statewide, there are 2,012 confirmed cases and 46 deaths, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Last Friday, there were 604 cases and 14 deaths due to the respiratory illness in Virginia.
The number of cases has steadily increased in the state over the last few weeks — likely due to expanded testing capacity and community spread of the virus in Northern Virginia.
On Wednesday, Northam said that Virginia will likely see “a surge in the number of people who test positive between late April and late May.”
Fairfax County now has a webpage for geo-spatial resources for COVID-19. The webpage includes information on community resources like food, healthcare and lodging, along with information on the county’s demographics.
According to the “COVID-19 Impact Planning Report,” the county’s at-risk population for the virus includes nearly 160,000 people who are age 65 or older, roughly 16,000 households without vehicles and 62,000 households with a person who has a disability.
Image via Fairfax County
