The National Weather Service issued Flash Flood Watch for Fairfax County and surrounding areas.

The watch was issued around noon and is in effect until 8 p.m. tonight (July 31).

More from NWS:

* Until 8 PM EDT this evening

* Showers and thunderstorms capable of producing very heavy
rainfall are expected across the area this afternoon and into
the evening. This heavy rain may lead to localized total
rainfall amounts of up to 3 inches. Much of this rain may fall
in short periods of time in any given location, resulting in the
risk for flash flooding.

Heavy rain up to 3 inches could pose a risk for flash flooding, according to NWS.

A Flash Flood Watch has been issued for areas along the I-95 corridor from Washington D.C northward through Maryland until 8 pm. Showers and thunderstorms capable of producing heavy rain may lead to localized areas of flash flooding. pic.twitter.com/YH3IWjo14R

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) July 31, 2019

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Beer lovers have not one but two events this week on Thursday and Friday that they can celebrate around Tysons.

Tomorrow is National IPA Day, a which falls annually on the first Thursday in August, to celebrate the beer known as India Pale Ale Beer. International Beer Day, which falls on Friday, Aug. 2, toasts the craft of brewing.

National IPA Day (Aug. 1)

• National IPA Day at Urbanspace (2001 International Drive, third floor): People at Andy’s Pizza can taste five local and out-of-market IPA’s and pair them with pizza in Tysons Galleria.
• National IPA Day at Caboose Brewing Company (Merrifield or Vienna): The brewery will have the “fan favorite” Fog IPA available in six-packs at Caboose Commons in Merrifield (2918 Eskridge Road) and Caboose Tavern in Vienna (520 Mill Street NE).

International Beer Day (Aug. 2)

• International Beer Day at the Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike): Tysons Biergarten will have a “Happy Hour Power Hour” where all of the main floor beer will have happy hour prices from 3-4 p.m.
• International Beer Day at Caboose Brewing Company (Merrifield or Vienna): The brewery plans to celebrate at both Caboose Commons in Merrifield (2918 Eskridge Road) and Caboose Tavern in Vienna (520 Mill Street NE).

Photo via Tysons Biergarten/Facebook

Jazz Haaren, a 19-year-old from Vienna, died Wednesday (July 24) after falling from a popular photo spot in D.C.

Police said that Haaren “fell off the Alexandria Aqueduct in Georgetown about 11:45 p.m. and landed in a boat moored in the water below… The D.C. Medical Examiner Office said Haaren’s death has been ruled accidental,” according to the Washington Post.

While Tysons Reporter does not know the circumstances around how she fell, the location is a popular spot for photography and views of the Potomac River.

Haaren was a student at Old Dominion University in Norfolk and lead hostess at Sweetwater Tavern in Merrifield, according to her LinkedIn.

Known for her love of animals, she had a “dog blog” and posted many pictures of herself with bunnies, horses, dogs and cats on her Facebook and Instagram accounts.

For her birthday this year, Haaren asked in a Facebook post for people to donate to the Animal Rescue Corps, writing, “I’ve chosen this nonprofit because their mission means a lot to me, and I hope you’ll consider contributing as a way to celebrate with me.”

Funeral services will be held Saturday, Aug. 17, at the National Funeral Home (7482 Lee Hwy) in Falls Church. The memorial service is set to start at 11 a.m.

Photo via Jazz Haaren/Facebook

(Updated at 3:05 p.m.) A park in the City of Falls Church needs a name.

Located in the 100 block of W. Broad Street, the park is right by downtown shops and restaurants.

Now, city staff recommends that the park gets named “Mr. Brown’s Park” to honor Brown’s Hardware (100 W. Broad Street) — the city’s oldest business, spanning three generations of Browns back to 1883.

Staff teamed up with Council member Letty Hardi, EDA member Erik Pelton and Recreation and Parks Board member Bill Brew to survey locals, which yielded 130 submissions and “overwhelming community support to reference Brown’s Hardware,” according to city documents.

“This park was first created in the 1960s and was significantly renovated this year using funds provided by the Economic Development Authority (EDA),” according to city documents. “The park is currently being used for events such as live music, yoga lessons, and children’s entertainers.”

The city’s Planning Commission is set to review the proposed name — and any other suggestions — at its meeting next Monday (Aug. 5). The City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and make a decision on Sept. 9.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) once again faces a transportation dilemma as it looks ahead to the upcoming school year.

The county recently made an all-call for new bus drivers. The district is short-staffed by roughly 100 drivers — primarily in the McLean area, FCPS Director of Transportation Francine Furby said.

There are two hiring events coming up on Tuesday, July 31, at Cedar Lane School (101 Cedar Lane) in Vienna and the Thursday, Aug. 8, at Edison High School (5801 Franconia Road) in Alexandria. Both events will run from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

This isn’t the first time FCPS faced a bus driver shortage. According to WAMU, there was another county shorage in August of 2017, when drivers were paid $18.82.

Furby said that the issue is ongoing and exacerbated at a national level, not just in Fairfax County. “I think it’s because of the economy now,” she said, explaining that bus drivers tend to take on other positions within the school district due to promotions.

Now, the county will offer drivers a raise to $19.20 per hour — $0.19 cents higher per hour than the salary for the previous school year.

Furby said that FCPS transportation office workers would be pulled out of their current positions answering phone calls from parents and instead be asked to drive students.

While some of the office workers are all set to start in their new roles, Furby said that the other office workers will receive the training and resources required for FCPS bus drivers.

She also said that there is a recruitment bonus of $1,000 for existing employees who refer a friend for a bus driver position.”We do know recruiting people by word of mouth is very effective.”

Qualified candidates need to be able to pass a physical and a drug test, clear a background check, have a safe driving record, take a 5-week course and obtain a commercial driving license. Drivers will be assigned to where they are most needed in the county, according to Furby.

“It can cause students to get into school late and get home late,” she said.

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Another bubble tea shop is now open along Maple Avenue in Vienna.

TeaDM Mini recently opened a new location at 142 W. Maple Avenue — the former spot of E.G. Comics. The shop combines bubble tea with electronic dance music.

A grand opening celebration took place on June 30 — about a month after Gem Tea opened at 155 W. Maple Avenue.

The two bubble tea shops are less than 300 feet from each other, facing each other across Maple Avenue, according to Google Maps.

Photo via TeaDM Mini/Facebook 

(Updated at 9 a.m.) If you faced delays on Metro’s Silver Line in the Tysons area during yesterday’s evening commute, you might have a goose to blame.

A Metro spokesperson confirmed that an injured goose caused the delay yesterday.

The Fairfax County Police Department said that the Animal Protection Police Officer removed the goose, which had an injured wing and leg, and took it to a nearby animal hospital. Police did not have an update to share about the goose’s condition Tuesday (July 30) evening.

Metrorail Info tweeted around 4:30 p.m. Monday (July 29) that an animal on the tracks at Tysons Corner was causing single-tracking and delays in both directions between the Tysons Corner and McLean Metro stations.

Shortly after 6 p.m., another tweet said that single-tracking had ended, but that residual delays continued in both directions.

Silver Line Delay: Trains are single tracking btwn Tysons Corner & McLean due to an animal on the track at Tysons Corner. Expect delays in both directions.

— Metrorail Info (@Metrorailinfo) July 29, 2019

UPDATED: Silver Line Delay: No longer single tracking. Residual delays continue both directions following an animal on the track at Tysons Corner.

— Metrorail Info (@Metrorailinfo) July 29, 2019

Goose is the correct answer. An injured goose. #wmata

— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) July 29, 2019

Damage from flash flooding that hit Fairfax County earlier this month will require millions of dollars for necessary repairs.

Seamus Mooney, the director of the Office of Emergency Management, gave the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday) an update on the damage assessment nearly a month after the region experienced about one month’s worth of rain during a couple of hours on the morning of July 8.

Fairfax County retroactively declared a local emergency about a week later to seek federal disaster aid. (The board voted to terminate the local emergency today.)

After giving an overview of the “catastrophic rain event,” Mooney broke down the estimates for how much repairing the damage will cost.

Kirby Road Facing $4 Million Repairs 

Mooney said that some people were landlocked when severe weather damage closed the 1300 block of Kirby Road. Another McLean road — Swinks Mill Road — suffered extreme damage.

The Virginia Department of Transportation told Tysons Reporter that both roads are facing months of repair work.

Mooney said that the Virginia Department of Transportation recorded about $4 million of the $6 million recorded road damage was just at Kirby Road. Because the roads are funded through state highway funds, Mooney said that they are not eligible for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust called for proactive measures to ensure that the road improvements speed up.

“As a county, we need to put pressure on VDOT,” Foust said. “They’re telling us it’s going to be months [for Kirby Road]. That’s not acceptable.”

Storm’s Impact on Residents and Businesses 

As for residents and businesses, Mooney said that the 277 entries in the county’s Disaster Damage Database as of yesterday (Monday) total about $6.8 million for a “significant amount of damage.”

Money said that state and federal programs can provide individual assistance — Fairfax County is currently waiting to hear back about

Mooney said Fairfax County has been working with surrounding jurisdictions including Arlington on damage assessments to determine eligibility for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which gives loans to disaster victims.

Since Arlington exceeded the 25 damaged properties requirement, Mooney said that Fairfax County should expect to hear from SBA by this week or next week. “[It’s] contiguous — if one gets it, we all get it,” Mooney said.

Fairfax County has chosen the Tysons Pimmit Regional Library as the location for a Disaster Loan Outreach Center and has the space reserved starting next week.

“As soon as we get the notice we can work with OPA and get it open for residents,” Mooney said, adding that residents will have up to six months to fill out the applications if they want a loan.

“Could Have Done More”

While the Board of Supervisors praised the quick response by emergency personnel, several board members — especially Foust — voiced frustration about preventing future damage of this magnitude.

Foust said that the county “could have done more” to prepare, including:

• investing in infrastructure that protects people’s homes
• pressuring VDOT to prioritize local road improvements
• having packages prepared in advance for residents with information on emergency and disaster next steps
• strengthening “grossly inadequate” stormwater management requirements
• focusing on tree preservation

“It’s been difficult on a lot of people, and we have to step up,” Foust said.

The board also voted today to designate September of Emergency Preparedness Awareness Month.

“It doesn’t take much for someone to have a very bad day,” Mooney said, adding that the designation might “make sure people become more resilient to these types of events.”

Additionally, Mooney said that the county is utilizing social media, Fairfax Alerts and other avenues to share information with residents, adding that the county also added people who entered their information into the Disaster Damage Database to Fairfax Alerts.

“Of note, between July 8-12, we sent out 1o2 storm-related tweets and Facebook posts,” he said. “We’ve been using that to make sure anyone who has submitted information, that we’ve been sending them updates as it’s available as well,” he said.

First photo via @SteveML9022/Twitter

Tequila Grande will have a new home this fall as owners AJ Prakash and his wife Renu Prakash plan the restaurant’s relocation to Oakton.

They are currently awaiting a city permit so they can move into the former Bob Evans location at 10443 White Granite Drive. The owners hope the new location will be in a position to start serving food to customers by late October.

Tequila Grande announced the move on their Facebook page and asked for recommendations or feedback. Patrons commented on the post — almost all of them praising the current menu and asking to keep it as-is.

“We are super excited to be working towards our relocation,” the post said.

The decision to move comes after controversy when the Vienna Town Council slated and approved the restaurant’s current location (444 W. Maple Avenue) for redevelopment.

Council member Howard Springsteen expressed disapproval of the decision to remodel the existing buildings in the vicinity and turn it into a four-story mixed-use development.

“Look at the turnout tonight and the signs around town. People are not happy, so I’m not going to vote in favor of this,” Springsteen said before the vote passed 5-2.

For the time being, Tequila Grande is still open for business at their Vienna location 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Friday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday and 11:30 a.m.- 9 p.m. on Sunday.

The restaurant offers guests a variety of Mexican cuisine and happy hour specials.

Image via Google Maps

Kiin Imm, a Thai restaurant in Rockville, Md., is coming to Merrifield.

An employee at the restaurant said that the restaurant has a grand opening scheduled for Friday (Aug. 2).

The online menu indicates that the eatery will serve up Thai salads, veggie spring rolls, Tom Yum chicken soup and Thai street food like Kua Gai noodles and khao kha moo.

The restaurant has a pending application to serve wine and beer at 2676 Avenir Place, Suite A by the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station.

Kiin Imm will be open from 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and until 9:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday, according to the website.

Photo via Kiin Imm Thai Restaurant/Facebook