Tysons’ 1st Stage Theatre will find out tonight if it gets to take home awards for any of its nearly two dozen Helen Hayes Awards nominations.

Named after the “First Lady of American Theatre” Helen Hayes, the awards recognize excellence in professional theatre in the D.C. area. The awards are split into two main categories: the “Hayes” for productions featuring a majority of theater union members and the “Helen” for productions with fewer union members.

The Tysons theater racked up 22 total nominations in the Helen categories and trailed Arena’s 25 nominations for the most for any theater, along with the second most for a single production — nine for rock-fable “Fly by Night” — behind 13 for “The Wiz” at Ford’s Theatre.

The father-son story “Swimming With Whales” and “The Farnsworth Invention” by Aaron Sorkin — the screenwriter and director behind “The West Wing” and “The Newsroom” — both received six nominations for the theater, while “A Civil War Christmas” earned one.

Here is 1st Stage Theatre’s full list of nominations for each show:

• “Fly by Night” — Musical Direction, Direction in a Musical, Ensemble in a Musical, Supporting Actor in a Musical, Supporting Actress in a Musical (2), Lead Actor in a Musical (2), Production in a Musical
• “Swimming With Whales” — Costume Design, Sound Design, Direction in a Play, Ensemble in a Play, Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play, Production in a Play
• “The Farnsworth Invention” — Direction in a Play, Ensemble in a Play, Supporting Actress in a Play, Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play (2), Production in a Play
• “A Civil War Christmas” — Musical Direction

Last year, 1st Stage won two of its 10 nominations. Frank Britton took home the Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play (Helen) for 1st Stage’s production of “Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train.” Also, Jose Guzman received the James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play (Helen) for the same show.

The winners for this year’s nominations will be revealed tonight (May 13).

Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography 

Lane closures are expected around Vienna this week as part of the I-66 Outside the Beltway Project.

According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, crews will continue corridor-wide roadway maintenance this week with multi-lane closures along I-66 including stretches near the Dunn Loring Metro station and the Beltway interchange.

On Friday (May 17), I-66 is expected to have lane closures from the Beltway to Nutley Street in Vienna. Three lanes will be closed on the westbound side from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. to implement long-term lane shifts. At the Nutley Street intersection, repaving work is also planned for the median.

VDOT estimates an extra 20-minutes of stoppages, and slowdowns should be expected.

Photo via VDOT

The candidates running to become the next chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will debate each other on climate change, affordable housing, transportation and land use tonight (May 13).

Four Democrats and one Republican are vying for Sharon Bulova’s seat.

Republican Joe Galdo, a former Defense Department technology intelligence analyst who ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate, is the most recent addition. The Democratic candidates include Reston developer Timothy Chapman, Fairfax County School Board Member At-Large Ryan McElveen, Lee District Supervisor Jeffrey McKay and Georgetown Law Professor Alicia Edith Plerhoples.

Sharon Bulova announced her retirement decision back in December, adding to a growing list of supervisors who also decided not to seek re-election. In addition to the chairman, the seats for the Hunter Mill, Providence, Braddock and Lee districts are open to newcomers.

The Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions partnered with the Fairfax Healthy Communities Coalition for the debate ahead of the June 11 primaries. The upcoming election for the county’s Board of Supervisors will take place on Nov. 5.

The debate will be televised at 8 p.m. on Fairfax Public Access Channel 10’s Inside Scoop.

Photo via Facebook

A body has been found along Leesburg Pike near the Spring Hill Metro station, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

The deceased man was found in the 8500 block of Leesburg Pike, which spans from the Audi dealership to an office building just north of the Maserati and Alfa Romeo dealerships in Tysons.

Detectives have started an investigation into the man’s death, the police department tweeted.

“At this point there appears to be no threat to public safety,” the tweet said. “Please avoid the area.”

Detectives are currently investigating a man found dead in the 8500 block of Leesburg Pike in Tysons. At this point there appears to be no threat to public safety. Please avoid the area. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/CBxVClYktc

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) May 13, 2019

Map via Google Maps 

Tysons Companies on “50 Great Places to Work in Washington” List — Washingtonian’s roundup of great places to work focused on flexibility, including these Tysons companies: Cassaday & Company, Insignia Federal Group and Splunk. Novetta in McLean and Glassman Wealth Services in Vienna also made the list. [Washingtonian]

McLean Students Win National Merit Scholarships — “Six students from McLean have been named winners of the 2019 National Merit $2,500 Scholarship. The merit scholar winners, announced Wednesday, were among 2,500 winners nationwide and were selected from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists.” [McLean Patch]

Fallen Tree Briefly Closed McLean Road Today — The Fairfax County Police Department tweeted that a fallen tree closed Old Dominion Drive between Balls Hill and Swinks Mill roads in McLean for about two hours earlier this morning. The road reopened shortly after 8 a.m. [FCPD/Twitter]

Where Providence District Candidates Stand on Walkability, Growth — Four of the five candidates running for the Providence District Supervisor seat answered a questionnaire from Greater Greater Washington about affordable housing, walkability and transportation. [Greater Greater Washington]

Kids’ Entertainer Faces Child Pornography Charges — “Police believe Steven Rossi, who goes by the stage name ‘Mr. Knick Knack,’ had numerous files containing illicit images. He was arrested on April 30 and is scheduled to appear in court on June 11… Investigators do not believe that Rossi had contact with the children in the images.” Rossi performed at the Silver Diner Tysons Corner in February. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800. [Reston Now]

A Peek Inside The Boro Development — A reporter is sharing what a recent tour around the Boro Tower, the 20-story building at 8350 Broad Street. [Washington Business Journal]

Falls Church Hospice Care Provider Moving — “Hospice services provider Capital Caring will relocate its headquarters later this year to a 50,000-square-foot space in Falls Church as part of an organizational expansion. The nonprofit Capital Caring plans to sell its current 31,000-square-foot space at 2900 Telestar Court… The organization has signed a 15-year lease for its new space at 3180 Fairview Park Drive.” [Washington Business Journal]

In yet another week of bizarre Vienna crime reports, someone has been targeting local police vehicles with a laser pointer.

The incident occurred on May 2 around 8:40 p.m at 400 Nutley Street S.W., according to a police report:

An officer was driving northbound on Nutley Street when his vehicle was struck multiple times with a green laser pointer. A Fairfax County Police Officer also advised his vehicles had been struck by the laser pointer that night. A similar incident happened to another officer a few weeks before this incident.

Other local crimes include an argument between an employee at IGS Diamonds (444 Maple Avenue E.) and a customer, where the customer said staff bent the prongs of a ring and swapped out the diamonds. The employee showed police photographs indicating this wasn’t the case.

According to the police report, “both parties were advised this was a civil matter.”

Photo via Facebook

By the end of the year, clothing brand Abercrombie & Fitch hopes to have a new kids-focused location at the opposite end of the Tysons Corner Center mall.

Staff at the current Abercrombie & Fitch near the Barnes & Noble said the chain is hoping to open a new “Abercrombie Kids” on the first floor by the Bloomingdale’s. Specifically, employees said the plan is to open the new store next to the American Girl doll store.

A manager at the massage parlor next to American Girl said she didn’t know anything about Abercrombie Kids moving into that space, but there are a handful of other vacant storefronts at that end of the mall.

The Abercrombie & Fitch brand dates back to 1892, but Abercrombie Kids started in 1998. The closest Abercrombie Kids store is in Arlington’s Pentagon City neighborhood at 1100 S. Hayes Street.

Small business owners and residents in Vienna narrowed down more than two dozen suggested solutions to make it easier to park in the town’s central business district.

Last night’s brainstorming session was the second meeting in an ongoing effort to find viable public parking solutions while the town waits for Fairfax County’s renovation of the Patrick Henry Library, which could bring a parking garage.

“I don’t think we’re going to have a parking garage in town for a few years so we’re trying to come up with ideas to alleviate the problem,” Jim Brooke, the chair of the Town Business Liaison Committee, said at the meeting. “It’s important to get feedback from business owners and property owners because you guys live this every day.”

Mayor Laurie DiRocco said that the library got moved up in the county’s renovation schedule from 2026 to 2022. Until then, though, attendees suggested that small business owners meet with the county’s board in June and collect signatures to push for public parking as part of the library renovation.

Friderike Butler, a member of the Town Business Liaison Committee, suggested shared parking, which could encourage drivers to park and walk — potentially encouraging people to shop in more stores as they explore the town.

“You have all of these individually designed signs of ‘No Parking’ or ‘Patrons only,'” Butler told the business owners in attendance. “The message that you’re sending is [that] you’re not wanted here. Come in for your one transitional parking and then please leave.”

Some business owners said that sharing parking sounds like a good idea, yet doesn’t add parking or address needs for nearby parking spots for customers to load heavy items.

Dave Wallen from Nothing Bundt Cakes said that designated parking spots are often necessary for patrons who might not want to hunt for a parking spot nearby.

While possible pricey, Butler said having a digital parking map could help people find public parking spots around town that visitors often don’t know about. A similar idea would have the town put up big, blue parking signs that could direct drivers to those hidden spaces.

At the end of the meeting, attendees had the opportunity to vote with stickers for their top three in the “idea gallery,” which included all of the short-, mid- and long-term ideas from the two meetings.

Some of the top vote getters:

• business meeting with Fairfax County to accelerate Patrick Henry Library garage
• create a comprehensive, digital map for available public parking options
• clear and improve town-branded parking signage
• comprehensive strategic parking and marketing plan sponsored and coordinated by the town for businesses participating in shared parking
• comprehensive shared parking solution

The idea wall is set to get displayed somewhere accessible for local business owners who were not in attendance last night to vote on the ideas.

The Westin hotel at 7801 Leesburg Pike in Tysons is undergoing extensive remodeling, according to new permits filed with Fairfax County.

According to the permits, interior alterations include conversion of meeting rooms and office space into a new fitness center.

Interior alterations are also underway to remodel the public spaces to include:

• a new entry vestibule
• lobby lounge
• public restrooms
• ballrooms
• meeting rooms
• marketing rooms
• the Starbucks in the hotel
• the hotel bar/restaurant

The permits were processed on May 7. After repeated attempts to contact management, no one was available to answer specifics about the planned renovations.

Renovations for the hotel’s common areas have been in the works since 2018 when the property was purchased by a trio of investors.

Fairfax County is investigating reports of missed trash pick-ups by a solid waste and recycling collection company in preparation to take legal action.

During the county’s Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday (May 7), John Cook and Kathy Smith, the district supervisors for Braddock and Sully, respectively, presented a board matter prompting the investigation into whether American Disposal Services has violated any consumer protection laws.

“For the last several weeks, American has failed to make many trash pick-ups in the county,” the board matter says. “Trash is left on street corners, or in overflowing HOA dumpsters. This open trash attracts rats and other vermin, it smells, and is ugly.”

Cook and Smith said that the trash collection’s failures are creating a “significant” health, safety and community enjoyment problems.

Inside NoVa recently reported that a spokesman for the Solid Waste Management Program of the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) received 143 missed-pickup complaints this year as of May 1.

While DPWES serves about 45,000 homes in the county, 22 private companies pick up trash for the remaining 400,000 homes, the article notes.

Based in Manassas, American Disposal Services is the primary private trash service company for county residents, according to the board matter.

Kevin Edwards, the general manager of American Disposal Services, told Tysons Reporter that a nationwide problem recruiting truck drivers started causing delays in trash pick-ups for Fairfax County residents about six to eight months ago.

“This shortage we’ve been experiencing for the last few years, but we’ve been able to keep ahead of it,” Edwards said. “The majority of what we have been doing has been delays instead of failed pick-ups.”

To address the shortage, Edwards said that the two-day trash service pick-up has been temporarily shifted to now once a week and on a different day, affecting about 10,000 of American Disposal Services’ roughly 100,000 Fairfax County customers.

While American Disposal Services tracks the number of failed pick-ups that get reported by customers, Edwards did not have information available to share on how many failed pick-ups have been reported in Fairfax County for the last six months or last few weeks.

Edwards said in response to the board matter “the level that is being described is not entirely accurate” and that public health shouldn’t be an issue because the company has been alerting residents via phone calls, texts and website updates between one week to 24 hours in advance about changed schedules.

For a long-term solution, Edwards said the company has been “aggressively hiring and recruiting” for several months and trying to convert some customers over to a once-a-week schedule.

Trash schedules have been “back on track” this week and American Disposal Services is talking to the county, Edwards said.

Fairfax County decided on Tuesday to request the county attorney to prepare a briefing for the board for the closed session of the May 12 meeting. The board matter says:

This briefing should include an analysis of all applicable consumer protection statutes, potential claims of fraud, or other legal issues potentially arising out of American’s failure to meet its commitments to our residents, and any options for the county to seek legal remedies. Fairfax County should continue to assist American in providing its promised services, but must also make clear that this is American’s problem, and we expect the company to solve it in the next two weeks, or else the County will be prepared to take whatever legal action may be available.

Staff from DPWES, Consumer Affairs and the Health Department have been working with American Disposal Services for the last few weeks on the issues and the county executive updated the Board of Supervisors on the county’s efforts on Monday, May 6, according to the board matter.

The American Trucking Association said in a 2015 report that the shortage in 2014 totaled 38,000 truck drivers and that the shortage could spike to nearly 175,000 by 2024.

“All trash haulers in the country are facing challenges, but here in Fairfax, after the acquisition by Waste Connections, American’s problems are more acute,” the board matter says.

Image via Facebook