The facility will also have locker rooms, steam and sauna rooms, and WiFi access throughout the building.
“We are beyond excited to launch our newest location at Reston Station,” said David von Storch, president and founder of Urban Adventures. “It is clear to me that Comstock is creating a world-class urban environment at Reston Station with a retail tenancy consisting of the best forward-thinking local and regional operators, and office tenants that provide thousands of potential VIDA customers. We look forward to bringing VIDA Fitness and its affiliated brands to Reston Station, the perfect retailing opportunity to expand our market reach.”
Real Estate Taxes Due Today — For Fairfax County property owners, it’s the final day to send in the first installment of your annual real estate taxes, which saw significant increases this year even with a 3-cent reduction in the county’s rate. Payments can be made to the Department of Tax Administration by phone, mail, drop box, mobile app and online. [DTA]
Springfield Man Convicted in 2020 Murder — A jury convicted Carlington Fitz Auther Campbell yesterday (Wednesday) for shooting and killing Anthony Sullivan outside a West Springfield apartment in November 2020, Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced. Campbell was found guilty of second-degree murder and a weapons charge, which carry possible prison sentences of five to 40 years and three years, respectively. [WUSA9]
Decision on Mosaic District Skating Rink Postponed — “Because of some public pushback, unresolved questions and a legal-advertising snafu, the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) on July 13 deferred until September its decision on whether to allow temporary ice- and roller-skating rinks in Merrifield’s Mosaic District.” [Sun Gazette]
Fairfax City Veterinarian Helps Ukraine Animal Shelters — “Dr. Courtney Katsur chokes up when she describes what she saw while volunteering for two weeks in Ukraine. The veterinarian with Town & Country Animal Hospital in Fairfax tried for months to find a way to get to the war zone to help animals she was seeing in the news.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Clinics Available for Required Student Vaccinations — “Before students return to school in late August, families can check to ensure their students are up to date on immunizations required at Fairfax County Public Schools. The Fairfax County Health Department is offering appointments at upcoming immunization clinics.” [Patch]
Inova to Rebrand Urgent Care Centers With Partnership — Inova Health System will soon let patients make appointments, check wait times and more through the on-demand health care platform GoHealth Urgent Care. Announced yesterday (Wednesday), the joint venture will convert seven existing Inova Urgent Care locations in Northern Virginia into Inova-GoHealth Urgent Care centers later this year, with additional locations planned. [Inova]
Penn Daw Firefighters Help Mow Lawn — “Recently, Station 11, Penn Daw, B-Shift responded to a routine EMS incident for an elderly gentleman experiencing distress while mowing his lawn on one of the hottest days of the year. The #FCFRD crew assisted the gentlemen, and then completed mowing his lawn prior to leaving.” [FCFRD/Twitter]
Park Authority Fall Registration Begins Next Week — “Fairfax County Park Authority registration for fall classes and programs opens Aug. 2, 2022. Fall classes will be in full swing with programs at Rec Centers, nature centers, historic sites, lakefront parks, golf courses and schools. Virtual classes are available for those who prefer or cannot attend in person.” [FCPA]
McLean Lidl Hosts Kids’ Drawing Contest — “Lidl is holding a drawing competition for children at its new McLean store as part of a benefit for the SHARE of McLean food bank. Starting Wednesday, children can participate in the drawing competition, with a chance to win a $100 Lidl gift card…Once the competition closes on Wednesday, Aug. 3, Lidl will narrow down the entries and ask McLean community members to vote for their favorite piece of art.” [Patch]
It’s Thursday — Humid and mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 86 and low of 75. Sunrise at 6:08 am and sunset at 8:25 pm. [Weather.gov]
Amelia Carr’s first year working for Fairfax County Public Schools was miles apart from what she had imagined when she declared that she wanted to become a teacher in her sixth-grade yearbook.
The Bucknell Elementary School kindergarten teacher began her career as an educator in the unpredictable world of September 2020, when classes were confined to the computer due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Verizon may soon have a solution for slow cell service in the Lake Anne area.
The cell phone provider is actively looking for sites of a new cell tower after its facility at Lake Anne Fellowship House was removed in anticipation of the building’s demolition.
Fairfax County is on track to bring in more than $1 million in revenue from the first year of its plastic bag tax.
In the first five months after the tax took effect on Jan. 1, the county government received over $500,000, the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination said in a memo to the Board of Supervisors.
Funds Sought to Assist With Police Camera Footage — “Faced with a tsunami of digital evidence from body-worn and in-car video cameras, high-tech forensic tools and other devices, Fairfax County officials are seeking a $1 million grant to pay for staff to manage the data flow and ensure timely accessibility.” [Sun Gazette]
Reston Meal Delivery Service to Expand — “A Northern Virginia meal-delivery startup has raised $1.8 million in fresh capital and is using the funds to expand service into D.C. and beyond. Reston’s Frolick Inc…partners with local commercial kitchens to prepare full meals for under $15, with no fees or minimum orders.” [Washington Business Journal]
Inova Named Top Hospital in D.C. Area — “For patients in the D.C. region, the best medical center is once again Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia, according to the 2022 ‘Best Hospitals’ rankings from U.S. News & World Report. It’s the fourth year in a row that the center has topped the regional ranking.” [WTOP]
New App Shows Original Apple Store in Tysons — After previously being revived via augmented reality, the grand opening of Tysons Corner Center’s Apple store, the tech company’s first retail site, can now be revisited through a new “Apple Store Time Machine.” The app shows four key stores “exactly how they were on their opening days with stunning historical accuracy.” [9to5Mac]
Vienna Police Officer Takes up Boxing for Fundraiser — “Slebonick on Oct. 13 will step into the ring at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., and box four two-minute rounds in Beltway Brawl III. The event’s sponsor, Haymakers for Hope, so far has raised more than $20 million for cancer research, awareness, care and survival.” [Sun Gazette]
Hunter Mill Bridge Work Continues — “[See] the progress of the Hunter Mill Rd over Colvin Run bridge project in Vienna! The new two-lane bridge with a median/splitter island, improved trail crossing south of the bridge and other work is scheduled for completion this fall.” [VDOT/Twitter]
Springfield Restaurant Gets Honorary Award — “The Honorary Milestone RAMMY Awards are given in addition to the judge-voted and public-voted awards. Mike’s American in Springfield was recognized for its 35th anniversary. Located at 6210 Backlick Road in Springfield, Mike’s American offers American fare and regional seafood.” [Patch]
It’s Wednesday — Rain in the morning. High of 84 and low of 73. Sunrise at 6:07 am and sunset at 8:26 pm. [Weather.gov]
“That has been absolutely critical to us because that is the significant element of this future neighborhood,” Painter said.
The county approved up to 175 multi-family units for the easternmost corner of the site. An assisted living facility was the initial idea, but Painter said the development team has dropped that concept in favor of just 24 stacked townhouses.
“The status of assisted living and continuing living care after the pandemic is not in a good place at all,” he said.
Between the COVID-19 pandemic and growing concerns about monkeypox, a recent, national surge in salmonella cases linked to live poultry has flown relatively under the radar.
However, the bacteria has spread to 48 states since early February, infecting 572 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Northern Virginia hasn’t been immune.
A staple of Reston’s events scene — the Reston’s Multicultural Festival — returns in September with a new venue and line-up of presenters.
This year’s festival will take place at Reston Town Center through a partnership with the Reston Town Center Association instead of the typical location at Lake Anne Plaza.
Reston Community Center Executive Director Leila Gordon told FFXnow that the relocation was necessary after the center found itself “unable to agree on mutually satisfactory terms of use for Lake Anne Plaza” with the Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association (LARCA).
For the first time, animals from a research facility will be up for adoption at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.
Roughly 4,000 beagles from a research facility will be transferred to the shelter. A spokesperson for the animal shelter says staff and volunteers are excited to welcome the animals to start the “next chapter of their lives.”
“Once we know them, we’ll be able to help match them with awesome new families who can show them what it means to be a loved pet in a real home,” the spokesperson told FFXnow in a statement.
County NAACP Calls for Action on Heat — “It is Too HOT for people to be outside all day and all night. Fairfax County needs to create and publicize more cooling options for homeless and low-income residents NOW. See the full Fairfax NAACP resolution” [Fairfax County NAACP/Twitter]
Stolen Laptops Were Wiped Clean, FCPS Says — “The Fairfax County Police Department has made a number of arrests in connection to the theft of approximately 35,000 laptops from a warehouse. We want to let you know that the laptops had been stripped of all data and their hard drives in preparation for their auction and that, as a result, no student data was compromised in this theft.” [FCPS]
FCPS Students See Progress With Free Online Tutoring — “In Fairfax County, Virginia, the academic backlog became more evident than ever with the complete return of children to the classroom last fall. Students are lagging behind in math, language arts, English, and social skills. The solution? Since April, an online tutoring service has been made available to more than 180,000 students, 25% of whom are Latino.” [DCist]
New Metro GM Takes Charge — “New Metro General Manager Randy Clarke began his role at the transit agency Monday, marking the end of a leadership vacuum that was created during a tumultuous spring…Clarke on Monday said his priorities will be improving service frequency and ensuring customer safety ahead of addressing longer-term goals, such as finances and the agency’s business model.” [The Washington Post]
Fundraiser Up for Family of Woman Killed in Springfield — “An online fundraising campaign was launched to help the family of Evelin Cali, a Springfield woman who was killed in her home on [July 17]. The family plans to use the funds to cover the cost of Cali’s funeral. Fairfax County Police have charged Cali’s husband, Jose Hernandez Mejia, in her stabbing death.” [Patch]
Police Investigate Reston Stabbing — “Around 2:23 a.m., on July 15, two men confronted the victim in the 1800 block of Sycamore Valley Drive in Reston, according to police. One of the men then stabbed the victim in the upper body. The victim was later treated for non-life-threatening injuries.” [Patch]
Swap Plant Seeds at Library in Rose Hill — “Do you have extra seedlings, #Fairfax? On the hunt for different varieties of plants to add to your collection? Bring your cuttings, seeds, seedlings, transplants & garden supplies to our John Marshall branch Saturday for a community plant swap.” [Fairfax County Public Library/Twitter]
It’s Tuesday — Rain starting in the afternoon. High of 81 and low of 73. Sunrise at 6:06 am and sunset at 8:27 pm. [Weather.gov]
This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.
By John V. Berry, Esq.
In a move that will affect Virginia executives and employees, it appears that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is considering new regulations to curtail the use of non-compete agreements. Non-compete agreements limit the ability of employees to work for potential competitors or start their own businesses.
The President issued an Executive Order in July 2021 urging the FTC to consider limiting the unfair use of non-compete agreements that unfairly limit worker mobility. It now appears that the FTC is on the verge of taking action.
Non-compete agreements in recent years have gotten out of hand, with some companies barring even fast food workers or coffee baristas from taking similar positions elsewhere. Traditionally, non-compete agreements were reserved for very senior-level executives, but the practice has now been extended to all types of employees.
Lina Khan, the Chairperson of the FTC, recently told the Wall Street Journal, “We feel an enormous amount of urgency given how much harm is happening against the workers. This is the type of practice that falls squarely in our wheelhouse.” While non-compete agreements have typically been controlled by state law, it is time for action on the federal level. Locally, in 2020, Virginia exempted low-wage workers from non-compete agreements; this was a move in the right direction.
Many lawyers who draft non-compete agreements disagree with the FTC taking any action to limit them. Our firm represents executives and employees who have been issued unfairly broad non-compete agreements, and we believe that the FTC should take action to limit this practice.
Contact Us
If you are employed in Virginia and have signed or are considering signing a non-compete agreement, you should seek the advice of a qualified Virginia employment lawyer. Please contact our office at 703-668-0070 or through our contact page to schedule a consultation.
The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
A fourth vaccine has entered the fight against COVID-19.
The Gaithersburg-based company Novavax received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration earlier this month for a two-dose vaccination designated for unvaccinated people 18 and older.
The Fairfax Health District, which includes Fairfax County and cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, will get a portion of the 20,800 doses allocated to Virginia, the Fairfax County Health Department confirmed to FFXnow.
