Community Corner

Top News: Murder Charges in Toddler Death, Cliff Diver Drowns, Zombies Coming to Town

Vienna Mayor diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and other top news of the week from our Patches around Virginia and DC.

Patch has 31 community sites in Virginia and D.C. Here are some of the top stories from around the region over the past week.

1. Fireworks in Arlington: A Family Affair The old wooden stand at the corner of Columbia Pike and George Mason Drive has been selling fireworks every summer since 1982. Rosa Clark, who grew up in nearby Falls Church, started working there when she was 8 — loading the shelves or helping mom run the register. Clark is now 35 and running the business for the first time this summer. "It's great," Clark said. "I see some of the kids, they used to come here with their moms, we'd sell them snap pops. ... Now, they're men. They're teenagers — with hair."

2. Last Call: Union Jack's Closes Ballston Location. Union Jack's of Ballston closed its doors for good Monday night. "We're really sad," the company’s regional manager, Matthew Snee. told Patch. "I remember putting the nails in the floorboard when we were building the raised level. We probably kept it open longer than we should have economically because we have such an affinity for it."

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3. Man Drowns in Potomac River After Diving Off Cliffs: The body of Vincent Crapps, 24, was found in the Potomac River near Bear Island at about 2:25 p.m. Monday, July 1. The member of the third United States Infantry Regiment was dead when he was found, according to a Montgomery County (Md.) Police Department statement. Crapps was diving off the cliffs on the Virginia side of the Potomac River near Great Falls Saturday when his friends noticed him go under the water and not resurface. His friends—who tried to rescue him, according to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service's Twitter feed—called 911 at about 5:30 p.m., the statement reported.

4. Update: Police Offer Details on Cyclist Struck by SUV in Reston:  A weekend crash that left a cyclist in the hospital was caused when she allegedly failed to stop at the intersection of the W&OD Trail and the road, Fairfax County police said Tuesday.  The cyclist, a 53-year-old woman, was traveling on the W&OD trail approaching Sunrise Valley Drive around 5:45 p.m. June 29 when she failed to stop, police said, and was struck by an SUV. The driver remained on scene and no charges were filed. The cyclist remains in the hospital with a long list of injuries, according a blog post by Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling, a local cycling group The accident prompted an outpouring of concern from the cycling community and local residents.

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5. Police Log: Two Drunken Men Caught Fighting Outside Bar: Two drunken men were charged with disorderly conduct amongst other things after police saw the two men fighting outside a Falls Church bar.

Police were driving around the Eden Center in the 6700 block of Wilson Blvd. on June 26 when they saw a 32-year-old Woodbridge man fighting a 26-year-old Alexandria man. The two men were also charged with public drunkenness, obstruction of justice and resisting arrest, according to a police report.

6. Register Now for Zombies and ‘Warm Bodies’ Author Event in Chantilly

Fans of author Isaac Marion, best-selling author of zombie love story"Warm Bodies," should register now for a fun event later this month featuring the author, who is coming to Chantilly.

Friends of Kings Park Library is organizing the event to be held Wednesday, July 24 from 7:30-9 p.m. at the Chantilly Regional Library, 4000 Stringfellow Road in Chantilly. The evening is geared to ages 12 to 18.

7. Police Chase on I-66 Ends With Crash: An early morning police chase ended with the driver deserting his car after a crash and fleeing the area on foot, according to Virginia State Police. The events unfolded after a Virginia State Police trooper tried to stop a vehicle traveling eastbound on I-66, in the Centreville area, at 2:57 a.m. After the driver of the vehicle refused to stop, the trooper began a pursuit, police spokesman Corinne Geller said.

8. Police: Herndon Man Robbed at Knifepoint: A man is in Fairfax County police custody after allegedly trying to rob a man at knifepoint on Friday night.

Fairfax County Police said Monday a 43-year-old Herndon-area man was approached by a stranger as he walked home Friday night. The suspect displayed a knife and demanded the victim’s wallet, according to police.

9. Hagerstown Suns to Fredericksburg: Do You Want Baseball Here? Bruce Quinn, majority owner of the Hagerstown Suns, told Fredericksburg City Council Monday night the team needs a lease in place by October 30 to ensure construction of a new stadium would be complete in time for the 2015 season.  Vice Mayor Brad Ellis told the owners and representatives at the meeting "I'd love for baseball to be in Fredericksburg, but it has to make business sense.” A public hearing on a proposed stadium and lease deal is scheduled for July 9.

10. Police: Woman Attacked While Jogging: Around 10 p.m. Saturday, a woman jogging along Hayfield Road was grabbed from behind by an unknown man. During the attack, which occurred as the woman was approaching Old Telegraph Road, the woman used mace that she carried for protection and fought off the suspect.

11. Voila Pastry & Cafe to Open Next Week: Prepare your palate for freshly made pastries made from scratch at Voila Pastry & Cafe which is scheduled to open next week, according to an A.J. Dwoskin & Associates news release. The cafe wil serve coffee, pastries and brunch at its new location next to New China Taste at the Huntington Station Shopping Center on North Kings Highway.

12. Chap Petersen to Governor: Disclose Gifts or Resign: State Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) is calling on Gov. Bob McDonnell to come clean and hand over gifts he’s received from Star Scientific executive Jonnie Williams or resign his office. It is mandatory for state officials to disclose gifts to the public in order to avoid conflicts of interest, and McDonnell has come under fire recently for failing to disclose a number of expensive gifts from Williams. Williams paid for the $15,000 catering bill at McDonnell’s daughter’s wedding, as well as a $6,500 Rolex watch that was later given to the governor as a gift.

13. Father Accused of Killing Toddler Indicted on Capital Murder Charge: A grand jury in Prince William County Circuit Court has indicted a Manassas father accused of killing his young son on a capital murder charge, court records show.

The new charge means that if convicted, Joaquin Shadow Rams, 41, could face the death penalty. Rams had already been indicted on first degree murder charges in May and had a jury trial scheduled for August.

14. Remodeled Hess Gas Station Reopens in Annandale It's back: the Annandale Hess gas station has reopened after three months of renovations. Located at 7100 Little River Tpke., the remodeled station opened last week, according to an employee. The renovations were a long time coming for the gas station, which has operated in Annandale for more than 40 years.

15. Max's Ice Cream To Remain Open Through October Max's Best Ice Cream will remain open at its current location at 2416 Wisconsin Ave. NW in Glover Park through Oct. 31, according to a statement released by both his attorney and the attorney for the landlords. Max's Best owner, Max Keshani, had previously been facing the termination of his lease effective the end of June. Community outcry over his untimely departure resulted inextended negotiations between Keshani's attorney and the attorney for his landlords, Gail and Barbara Bassin.

16. Meet Tori Nelson: Iron Maiden Seven years ago, Tori Nelson wasn’t any different from the woman she is teaching in class. She wanted to get in shape and learn how to throw a good punch. She has learned that and more. At 36, the mother of two is the World Boxing Council’s middleweight boxing champion. “My trainer asked me one day what would you do if you had to compete? And I said, ‘If I compete, I’m going to be the world champion.’ And by God’s grace, I’m the world champion,” Nelson said.She is going to defend her title on September 21 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax.

17. Alexandria Opens Sidewalks to Cycling Alexandria City Council updated the city’s bicycle ordinance on Tuesday night, opening most sidewalks in the city to riding. Sidewalk cycling had previously been banned in Alexandria, with the lone exception of a few designated areas. The new ordinance does prohibit sidewalk riding in two pedestrian-heavy sections of Old Town—King Street east of West Street and on Union Street between Prince and Cameron streets. Members of the Alexandria’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee said the update improves rider safety in heavy traffic areas like Duke Street.

18. Sengel: Alexandria Officers Acted in Self-Defense in Shooting: The Alexandria police officers involved in the shooting death of 30-year-old city resident Taft Sellers will not face criminal charges, according to a report issued Monday by Commonwealth’s Attorney Randy Sengel. The 30-page document indicates that Sellers, a T.C. Williams graduate and former Marine, pointed a firearm at police during a Feb. 17 encounter at his grandmother’s apartment complex in the 3400 block of Duke Street.  “The gun was fully loaded but Sellers did not fire it; and he was shot by officers who feared Sellers was going to shoot at them,” reads the report. “Under these circumstances, the law clearly supports the conclusion that the officers were entitled to use deadly force in response and that they fired in self-defense. Criminal charges against the officers are not appropriate.”

19. Vienna Mayor Jane Seeman Diagnosed With Lung Cancer Vienna Mayor Jane Seeman — who has served as the town's top leader for more than a decade — has been diagnosed with lung cancer, officials confirmed to Patch. The cancer is inoperable, but Seeman has been fighting the illness through other treatments, town officials said.

"She will continue to serve as Vienna’s Mayor while she is battling this illness," the town said in a statement. Seeman is in the middle of her seventh term as Vienna's mayor. She and her family have deep roots in the area: Seeman has lived in Vienna since 1968. And before she took the reigns as mayor, her husband, the late Rodger W. Seeman, had served on the town council for a decade before his death 17 years ago. Jane was appointed to fill his unexpired term in 1996, then went on to win two more council seats, in 1997 and 1999, on her own."This town has been so good to my family and to me and it’s just he place that I love," Seeman told Patch last year.


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