Updated at 2:25 p.m. — Police said at 2:20 p.m. that “at this time there is no evidence to substantiate the threat” after completing their search. The bank is resuming its normal operations. 

Earlier: Police are on the scene of a potential bomb threat at Provident Bank (7799 Leesburg Pike) in Falls Church.

Fairfax County Police said in a tweet this afternoon, below, that “a man called the bank indicating a bomb threat.”

Police told Tysons Reporter that the front desk was notified of a vague threat with very little credible information and after a search of the building no suspicious objects were found.

Following the threat, police remained at the scene to continue investigating the source of the call.

We have completed our search. At this time there is no evidence to substantiate the threat. The bank is resuming normal operations. #FCPDhttps://t.co/seUbHQuENL

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) February 8, 2019

Image via Google Maps 

There was a fire earlier this week at the 8200 block of Crestwood Heights Drive in Tysons, but even before Fairfax Fire & Rescue arrived it was doused by the building’s sprinkler system.

The fire started just after midnight in an upper-floor apartment of a 19-story high-rise building. There were no injuries and $200 in damages.

Bill Delaney, a public affairs officer for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, said fires being taken out by sprinklers before firefighters arrive is uncommon, given that sprinklers are only typical in newer high rise buildings.

“Sprinklers are mostly located in high-rise buildings, condos, apartments,” said Delaney. “Also a variety of commercial type buildings and businesses. Older types of those buildings do not have fire sprinklers as it was not a requirement at the time they were built.”

Delaney said the fire was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials. Delaney noted that this was the sixth fire in 2019 caused by discarded cigarettes or other smoking devices. One last week caused significant damage to a home after cigarettes were thrown into the trash.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue offered a few suggestions for safely disposing of cigarettes.

• Never dispose of cigarette butts in potted planting soil. The soil, when it gets too dry, can become highly flammable.
• Never flick cigarettes into mulch or shrubbery. Dispose of them in a suitable ashtray or bucket with sand. Ensure designated outside smoking areas have an appropriate fireproof container, ashtray or bucket.
• Completely douse butts and ashes with water before throwing them away, as they can smolder and cause a fire.
• Never smoke in bed.
• Provide large, deep ashtrays with a center support for smokers. Check furniture for any dropped ashes before going to bed. Empty ashes into a fireproof container with water and sand.
• Keep smoking materials away from anything that can burn (i.e., mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture, draperies, etc.).
• Never smoke in a home where oxygen is being used.
• If you smoke, choose fire-safe cigarettes. They are less likely to cause fires.
• To prevent a deadly cigarette fire, you must be alert. You won’t be if you are sleepy, have been drinking, or have taken medicine or other drugs.
• Keep matches and lighters up high, out of children’s sight and reach.

An Annandale man is facing a litany of charges, including sexual assault, in connection with a weekend incident at the Wolf Trap Hotel in Vienna.

Police were called to the hotel at 430 Maple Avenue W. early this past Sunday morning “for a report of a sexual assault” in one of the hotel rooms.

More from this week’s Vienna police department crime report:

The officers found the room in disarray with furniture overturned and damage throughout the room. A woman advised the officers that an acquaintance picked her and her sister up from their home and transported them to the hotel where they used drugs, and she fell asleep. She woke up to find her sister had left the room and the acquaintance was angry, stating his money was missing. The acquaintance began destroying property throughout the room, assaulted the woman and prevented her from leaving. The assault was interrupted when an unknown person came to the room to investigate the noise.

MPO Shaw arrested the 29-year-old man from Guinea Road in Annandale, Virginia. He was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he was charged with Sexual Assault, Abduction, Simple Assault and Possession of Marijuana.

The aging hotel is set to be redeveloped into a four-story, mixed-use residential building, though the Vienna Town Council’s approval of that development was controversial due to resident opposition.

Photo via Facebook

Valentine’s Day Options in McLean and Tysons — “With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you don’t want to be stuck trying to find a last-minute dinner reservation… We’ve got a few suggestions for restaurants around McLean and Tysons, including those offering special dining options on OpenTable.” [Patch]

Inca Social Officially Open in Merrifield — “Inca Social just brought Merrifield a colorful new getaway for Peruvian comfort foods that are designed to be paired with a long lineup of Virginia craft beers.” [Eater]

A Local Teardown Story — A local man who grew tired of his five-level townhouse in McLean decided to pursue a new home but, unsatisfied by the options, decided instead to buy and tear down a “distressed” house in Pimmit Hills and build his dream home in its place. [Washington Post]

Keam in the Times — “Asked about the state of the government, Delegate Mark L. Keam, a Democrat from Fairfax County, replied with one word: ‘Uncertain.'” [New York Times]

McLean Mansion Offered for Sale — “Buyers will be able to bid in person and online when the mansion in McLean, Va., known as Whispering Woods goes on the auction block on Feb. 27. The 15,000-square-foot mansion at 8305 Alford St. rests on three acres behind fences and gates.” [Washington Post]

If you’re a McLean resident with a passion for your community, you’re invited to run for the McLean Community Center’s (MCM) governing board.

The MCM is located at 1234 Ingleside Ave and reopened earlier this year after extensive renovations. The facility’s governing board is seeking local residents to run for a seat.

The governing board is composed of volunteers elected by the community to set policy, approve budgets and provide oversight for the center’s programs and facilities.

There are currently five openings on the board: three for adults and two for young people. Adults serve a three-year term and youths, who must be between 15-17 years old by “McLean Day” on May 18, serve a one-year term. All candidates must be residents of the McLean tax district.

To be considered for the seat, each candidate must obtain 10 signatures of endorsement from McLean residents. For teen candidates, those signatures must be from peers living in their high school area. Candidate petition packets are currently available at the McLean Community Center.

All candidates must have their information submitted by no later than 5 p.m. on March 15. McLean residents are then encouraged to come out to the McLean Day festivities on May 18 from 10:30 to 5 p.m. at Lewinsville Park to vote for their candidate of choice.

Adults vote for adult candidates only while youths vote for youth candidates. Absentee ballots can also be submitted from March 18 through May 15.

Photo via McLean Community Center

(Updated 5:20 p.m.) As Tysons grows, it’s sucking up a lot of juice.

According to Dominion Energy, by 2022 the existing load on power lines from the Tysons and McLean areas is expected to exceed 300 megawatts, which means the energy provider needs to build an additional power source to avoid violating mandatory standards.

The Idylwood-Tysons 230 kilovolt (kV) Project would add a new 4.3 mile transmission line underground, right through the heart of Tysons.

The project was approved by the State Corporation Commission in September. Now, Dominion spokesman Charles Penn said the company is engaged in the engineering phase. Penn said an open house for the project is planned for sometime this summer.

Construction on the project is tentatively scheduled for this fall, with completion planned sometime in 2022.

(Updated 11:30 a.m.) The busy intersection of Idylwood Road and Cedar Lane is about to get a little less scary.

A new traffic light is under construction at the intersection. A manager at the construction site said the concrete base was poured yesterday (Wednesday) and will be putting up the pole once the concrete sets. The manager said he expects construction to be finished sometime within the month.

In the meantime, the sidewalk on the southeast side of Cedar Lane is closed and there are periodic lane closures, reducing traffic along the busy street to one lane.

Neighbors stood at the street corner and watched the construction. One woman who lived nearby said the street is often backed up during rush hour.

“It’s a difficult intersection,” she said. “It’s a bad angle. It can be hard to see around.”

The woman said that construction crews had been in the area in late 2018 installing equipment in the area for the new light. She said while most of the neighbors were happy and excited for the new light, some were concerned that, when combined with the other light north, it could make traffic in the area even worse.

Like the nearby Agora in Tysons, Archontiko had ambitious plans to bring Mediterranian cuisine to the area around mid-November last year.

And like the nearby Agora in Tysons, trouble with permitting means the restaurant won’t be opening until March.

Archontiko will be a Greek restaurant focusing on modern cuisine from restaurateur Theodoros “Ted” Theodorou, who owns Delia’s Pizzeria and Mediterranean Grille in Alexandria and restaurants in Sterling and Springfield.

The restaurant is under renovation at 1313 Old Chain Bridge Road at what was once the Evo Bistro.

Theodorou said when the restaurant was applying for permits and received inspections from Fairfax County, there were problems with the building design left over from previous tenants that will require additional time to fix.

As a result, Theodorou said he’s had to push back the opening of the restaurant to opening at the end of March, if construction continues as scheduled.

(Updated at 10:50 a.m.) The McLean Citizens Association is one of the most active civic groups in the area, but it’s an organization largely unknown to many of the residents they represent.

At last night’s (Wednesday) Board of Directors meeting in the newly reopened McLean Community Center, President Dale Stein said the organization’s reliance on local print publications to get the word out about events and the ongoing priorities of the organization is insufficient. Local papers have been growing thinner and delivery has been inconsistent, resulting in less visibility for the association’s announcements, he said.

Stein said the organization is going to need to join the 21st organization and find new electronic methods of communication.

“It starts with electronics, but we may need to get more ambitious,” said Stein. “We’re already sponsoring community-oriented events, like the I Love McLean Party. It doesn’t address planning and zoning issues, it’s a feel-good event. But is there something else we can be doing?”

In the absence of a local government, the MCA is one of the most prominent local voices on McLean issues. Over the last few months, the group has spoken out on issues from the color of local streetlights to the shooting of a local resident by the U.S. Park Police.

But Stein said there have been several occasions where he’s been at public events around McLean where local residents had never heard of the organization. Other members of the Board of Directors shared similar experiences, where those the organization represents had no idea of its existence.

“We’re missing opportunities,” said member Linda Walsh. “We don’t provide conduits for people to know us and get concerns to us.”

The organization does have a Facebook presence, but only has some 330 “likes.” Its website, meanwhile, is rudimentary and not optimized for viewing on mobile devices.

Stein said part of the solution will involve forming closer partnerships with other local organizations. According to Stein, the group was approached recently by the McLean Project for the Arts about setting up a table at this weekend’s I Love McLean party. Stein and other board members said they would be inclined to allow the organization to set up — provided the MCA gets to set up a table at the hugely popular annual MPAartfest in October.

Also discussed: more external outreach via members with public relations experience.

The board voted to put together a small short term committee tasked with putting together a plan to improve communications with the community at-large.

While local representatives were quick to call for Gov. Ralph Northam’s resignation over a blackface controversy, the public response has been slower to controversies involving Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring.

Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-10th District), who made headlines last year when she unseated Republican Barbara Comstock, expressed unequivocal support for Vanessa Tyson, who accused Fairfax of sexually assaulting her in 2004.

I believe Dr. Vanessa Tyson.

— Rep. Jennifer Wexton (@RepWexton) February 6, 2019

Congressional Reps. Don Beyer (D-8th District) and Gerry Connolly (D-11th District) have been silent so far on the accusations against Fairfax.

Other local representatives, like State Sen. Barbara Favola (D-31st District), shared a neutral statement from VA Senate Democrats but have made no other public comment.

@VASenateDems & @VAHouseDems statement in regards to allegations against Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax:

"The facts here are still being determined. Every individual deserves the opportunity to be heard, and we respect anyone who comes forward to share their story."

— Virginia Senate Democrats (@VASenateDems) February 5, 2019

The National Organization for Women, however, did call for Fairfax’s resignation Wednesday.

Photo via Facebook