With Thanksgiving nearing, are you planning on staying in the area or going away for the holiday?

According to AAA Mid-Atlantic, nearly 1.35 million people living in the D.C. area are expected to travel during the upcoming holiday period around 50 miles or more away from home.

About 91% of all D.C. area travelers will travel by car, compared to 7% traveling by air, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

For people staying — or coming — here, forecasters predict the weather will be partly cloudy.

Let Tysons Reporter know what your travel plans are for the holiday weekend.

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Fairfax County is looking at where it might need to add more outdoor spaces for dogs and their owners.

The county currently has 11 dog parks, according to its map of parks. The closest one to the Tysons area is at the Blake Lane School Site (10033 Blake Lane) in Oakton, which could become a new public elementary school.

In the Tysons area, several apartment buildings have dog parks, like Halstead Square (2655 Prosperity Avenue) by the Dunn Loring Metro station, The Mile Dog Park at the Highgate at the Mile (7915 Jones Branch Drive) or the “bark park” for residents of The Boro (8301 Greensboro Drive).

The Town of Vienna has a dog park (700 Courthouse Road SW). There’s also the Mosaic Dog Park (45 Penny Lane).

In the future, an approved mixed-use development in Tysons North called The Mile plans to add a dog park.

Currently, the county’s Park Authority has a study underway to determine where the county might need new dog parks.

People can participate by taking an online survey to help the county determine where it might need new off-leash dog parks.

“Based on community input, spatial analysis, and a review of national trends in dog park planning, the Park Authority will adopt strategies for long-term planning, development, and management of dog parks,” according to the county.

The survey will be open through Dec. 15. Written comments can be submitted to Project Manager Adam Wynn at Fairfax County Park Authority (12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 406, Fairfax, VA 22035) or emailed to [email protected].

Let Tysons Reporter know in the poll below if you think the Tysons area could use some more parks for pooches. If so, tell us where in the comments section.

Image via Fairfax County Planning Commission

Veterans Day on Monday (Nov. 11) will celebrate the servicemen and women who currently or previously served in the United States Armed Forces.

The federal holiday means many people will have a long weekend, meaning more time to relax at home, check out local events or get away.

Whether you’re hopping on a plane, speeding away in a train, hitting the roads or staying local, Tysons Reporter wants to know what your weekend travel plans are.

Today is the last chance for Fairfax County voters to head to the polls.

More than half of the seats are contested on both the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and School Board.

While many of the Board of Supervisors candidates are incumbents — like John Foust, Penny Gross and Pat Herrity — some new faces are also vying for seats due to officials retiring, like Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth.

Voters will also decide the fate of a $360 million bond referendum for Fairfax County Public Schools.

Halloween is here and there are plenty of events around the Tysons area to get into the spooky spirit.

The Fairfax County Police Department will be handing out candy on The Plaza for Tysons Corner Center’s Malloween event from 3-5 p.m. tonight.

Also at the mall, Spirit Halloween is selling Halloween costumes and decorations until 9:30 p.m., while the American Scream Selfie Museum is offering attendees the chance to take pictures with various Halloween themed displays until Nov. 3.

Over in Merrifield, the Caboose Halloween Costume Contest will feature an extended happy hour at Caboose Commons (2918 Eskridge Road) as well as prizes for people with the best outfits from 3:30-9 p.m. tonight.

From pumpkin carving to costumes to eating lots of candy, let Tysons Reporter know what your spooky plans are.

Send photos of pets dressed in Halloween costumes to us for a story on Friday (Nov. 1) — tag or direct message us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) or email us at [email protected].

For no particular reason, I made a Halloweeny, pun-filled version of the @wmata metro map.

Get on at Pentagram City, get off at Fear-in-gut West for spooooooky brunch. pic.twitter.com/Egmm6JvsHv

— Paul Hostetler 🌻 (@phostetlerart) October 7, 2019

Halloween poses an especially dangerous threat to pedestrians, as more people are out at night on the hunt for candy. 🍫 If your night involves alcohol, plan for a sober ride home. Remember: It’s never safe to drink and drive. #DesignateB4Ucelebrate #FCPD pic.twitter.com/K5dqbXu5N5

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 29, 2019

Ashley Hopko contributed to this story.

(Updated 10/16/19) Two weeks ago, Fairfax County announced that glass bottles and jars would no longer be recycled via curbside collection.

Instead, the county wants residents to toss those items in one of the purple, glass-only recycling containers located around the county or throw them in the trash.

Following in the footsteps of Arlington, Fairfax County said the change was spurred by China’s decision to stop accepting some recycling materials, along with growing concerns about the dangers of broken glass items in curbside recycling bins.

(The City of Falls Church and the Town of Vienna still allow glass bottles in curbside recycling bins.)

Earlier today (Tuesday), two members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors pushed to declare Nov. 15 “Fairfax County Recycles Day” to promote the county’s recent messaging around glass recycling.

The board matter by Springfield District Supervisor John Herrity and Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross also wants the director of the Solid Waste Division and members of the recycling team to get recognized for their efforts with glass recycling on Oct. 29 by the county board.

The closest purple containers for glass recycling in the Tysons area are at the Providence Community Center (3001 Vaden Drive), Dolley Madison Library (1244 Oak Ridge Avenue) and the Lee Community Center (5722 Lee Hwy).

Map via Fairfax County

This op-ed was submitted by Steve Descano, the Democratic nominee for Fairfax County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney and former prosecutor for U.S. Department of Justice under the Obama administration. It does not reflect the opinions of Tysons Reporter. We publish op-eds and letters to the editor of specific interest to the Tysons community. Contributions may be edited for length or content. 

The national conversation on immigration can be debilitating. While national politics on this issue is a catastrophe, local District Attorneys can implement policies in their offices to protect our immigrant communities.

Fairfax County’s next Commonwealth’s Attorney (Virginia’s version of a District Attorney) will lead a criminal justice system larger than seven states and the District of Columbia. The foreign-born population of Fairfax County makes up about 30% of its population of 1.1 million.

Where you come from doesn’t give you less of a right to fair treatment under the criminal justice system. Additionally, because prosecutors have the potential to touch so many when it comes to immigration, they must take the lead.

Immigrant populations are often vulnerable to a criminal justice system that does not treat them in the same way as non-immigrants. If we want Fairfax County to continue to be welcoming and for diversity to be a central characteristic of the community, then those values need to be reflected in the criminal justice system.

District Attorneys can change the way their offices interact with ICE and other immigration officials. I have promised not to assist ICE. This paradigm shift will increase public safety.

For example, domestic abusers regularly exploit their victim’s immigration status to stop the victims from reporting abuse, thereby trapping their victims in a recurring cycle of domestic violence. Allowing these victims to report their abuser without having to fear their own deportation gives them a real opportunity to escape continued victimization.

Regardless of the crime committed, when undocumented individuals feel that they can report crime to the police, our communities are safer. Instead of sowing distrust between immigrants and law enforcement, public safety demands that we ensure everyone feels protected.

Charging and plea guidelines in a DA’s office can also affect undocumented communities. Considering the immigration consequences of charging and plea decisions is critical to ensuring equality and opportunity. If two people commit the same minor offense, but only one’s punishment includes the breaking up of their family via deportation, the result is unequal treatment based on status.

Furthermore, deporting parents and removing them from their children for minor offenses serves no social good. It merely creates more hardship and exacerbates inequality.

For too long, the criminal justice system has been skilled at breaking up families and systemically fostering criminal behavior. This failure has taken the most vulnerable down with it.

As prosecutors, we have the opportunity to build up communities by rooting out the systemic causes of crime. We should be leaders in our communities in bringing equality to immigrants even if we can’t reform immigration policy nationally.

— Steve Descano

Photo via Steve Descano/Facebook

At 6 p.m. last night, Fairfax County Public Schools announced that schools would open on a two hour delay today, due to expected snow.

Based on the winter weather advisory in effect overnight, all Fairfax County public schools will open two hours late tomorrow, March 1, 2019 (Cond 3B). School offices and central offices will open on time. SACC opens at 8:00 am

— Fairfax Schools 🌟 (@fcpsnews) February 28, 2019

As of this morning, however, roads and sidewalks around the county were mostly wet, with some slick spots, while grassy areas had a coating of snow. Yesterday’s forecasts called for anything from no snow to 2 inches.

Given what was known last night, do you think FCPS made the right call?

For all of the new stuff coming to Tysons, there is still a sense that those who live and work here want more.

With the Biergarten and the new Palladium, there’s more nightlife than before. Yet only 6 percent of respondents to a recent poll described Tysons as a fun place to go out at night.

Likewise, there are plenty of restaurants in Tysons proper, but via social media we hear grumblings about there being too many chains and not enough interesting, independent eateries.

So what do you think? Of the following list, what is the biggest need for Tysons?

Have a specific type of cuisine you’re hungry for more of in Tysons? Let us know in the comments.

Photo via Facebook

There’s a lot of new stuff in Tysons, and plenty of people come here to work or shop, but what about nightlife?

We posed a question on Facebook earlier this week: is Tysons is a fun place to go out at night?

The overwhelming response thus far is no. With nearly 70 people voting, only 20 percent agreed that it was fun to go out in Tysons.

Though new developments like The Boro will be bringing new dining and entertainment options, those commenting on our Facebook post said that the current options are limited.

“Could use more bars/restaurants in between fast food and $$$$ places,” said one commenter.

“[Tysons] Biergarten is a perfect example of what I think we need more of here… a super social place without needing to spend too much,” said another. We’ve got plenty of swanky places… we just need more places that offer a casual atmosphere to hang out with neighbors and friends, and get some decent food and beer.”

Didn’t get a chance to weigh in on Facebook? Let us what you think below.

Photo via Tysons Partnership