Police prefer voluntary compliance with social distancing rules
Violating the social distancing rules is a Class 1 misdemeanor. UPDATED April 2: While the Fairfax County Police Department has the authority to charge people who violate the stay-at-home order, they prefer to get people to voluntarily comply. Violations of key provisions in executive orders issued by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam aimed at curbing the … Continued
Fairfax County expects huge revenue losses due to coronavirus
The Budget Committee meeting on March 31. Board members Penny Gross (Mason) and Dalia Palchik (Providence) participated remotely. The advertised budget for FY 2021 presented to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in February is outdated due to a decline in revenue and increased expenses projected for dealing with the coronavirus crisis. A revised draft … Continued
Three more COVID-19 deaths
The Fairfax County Health Department reports three additional deaths due to complications of COVID-19. The victims are a man in his 60s, a man in his 80s, and a man in his 90s. All three were hospitalized. Their deaths bring the total to five deaths in the Fairfax Health District, which includes the cities of … Continued
Planning underway for field hospitals to handle coronavirus overflow
A field hospital in New York’s Central Park. [WABC] Northern Virginia leaders have identified sites that could be used for temporary field hospitals to accommodate a surge in COVID-19 cases, WTOP reported March 31. As the number of cases increase, beds would be added at existing hospitals or on hospital campuses. If those facilities are … Continued
Fairview Park Drive office building sold
The future home of BAE Systems [Fairview Park] Menlo Equities purchased the 15-story office building at 2941 Fairview Park Drive in Merrifield for $97.9 million March 25. The seller is listed as 2941 Fairview Park Drive LLC. BAE Systems, a global aerospace/defense corporation, is slated to move its headquarters, and about 350 employees, from Arlington … Continued
Fire at the Parliaments started in an apartment kitchen
This is the second fire at the Parliaments in five months. [FCFRD] A two-alarm fire at the Parliaments high-rise apartment building at about 12:30 p.m. March 30 started in a kitchen on the sixth floor, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reports. The nine-story building is on Eastmoreland Road in Annandale. Fire investigators determined … Continued
Annandale building project nears completion
This building is nearly completed. Construction on the former Palace restaurant building and a new building next to it on Little River Turnpike in Annandale are proceeding, despite the significant lifestyle changes in effect due to the coronavirus pandemic. The project has been delayed for about four years due to a legal dispute, but that … Continued
Man charged with sexual battery at daycare center
Garcia [FCPD] Detectives from the Fairfax County Police Department’s Child Abuse Squad arrested a man for three counts of aggravated sexual battery at a home-based daycare center. Detectives were contacted March 26 after a child from Digna Alvarado Garcia Daycare said they had been inappropriately touched by Santiago Alvarado Garcia, 50, of the Falls Church … Continued
Gov. Northam issues stay-at-home order
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a statewide Stay at Home order March 30 to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan had earlier issued a similar order. Northam’s Executive Order 55 directs people to stay home except for extremely limited circumstances. It takes effect immediately and will remain in place until June 10, … Continued
Gardeners urge Park Authority to reopen community garden plots
A sign closing the parking lot at Pine Ridge Park, barring access to the Bo White community gardens, as well as all other park facilities.. Many gardeners who rent plots from the Fairfax County Park Authority are unhappy that the community gardens are closed. All parks, athletic fields, playgrounds, picnic areas. and parking lots are … Continued
Walkway project, pedestrian signal planned for Little River Turnpike
A sidewalk will improve pedestrian safety on this stretch of Little River Turnpike. Planning is underway for a walkway project along the westbound side of Little River Turnpike in Annandale between High Place and Pinecrest Parkway, Mason Supervisor Penny Gross announced in her newsletter to residents. The project includes an 1,800-foot-long, eight-foot-wide concrete sidewalk, curbs … Continued
Daily COVID-19 deaths will peak in Virginia on May 6, researchers predict
A graph showing predicted COVID-19 deaths in Virginia. [Institute for Health Metricts and Evaluation] The number of daily COVID-19 deaths in Virginia will steadily climb, reaching a peak of 32 deaths on May 6. After that, the number of daily deaths will gradually decline, reaching 0 on July 6. Those projections are from a graph … Continued
Life in the time of coronavirus
Look what we found in a back corner of the CVS. How is coronavirus pandemic affecting our daily lives and local businesses? On a walk down Little River Turnpike on Friday afternoon, we found restaurants with all the tables pushed out of the way, people wearing face masks, and empty shelves that used to be … Continued
Falls Church Distillers now makes hand sanitizer
Michael Paluzzi of Falls Church Distillers. The boxes are full of ingredients for hand sanitizer. Instead of making vodka, gin, and other spirits, Falls Church Distillers is using its equipment to make hand sanitizer – another product much in demand during the coronavirus pandemic. “Sales have been astounding,” says owner Michael Paluzzi. The first batch … Continued
Health Department reports second COVID-19 death
The Fairfax County Health Department is reporting a second death of a person who recently tested positive for COVID-19. The individual was a male in his 60s who acquired the disease through travel. The cause of death was the result of complications of COVID-19. “This is a tragic loss and our hearts go out to … Continued