<sh>Metro Derailment Delays
<bt>A Metro train on the Blue Line derailed at approximately 8:20 p.m., Monday, Jan. 20, alarming passengers, who were taken off the train by emergency officials. The cause of the derailment is not known, according to Cheryl Johnson, Metro spokesperson, but "we have our investigators on the scene," she said.
The following morning, as the investigation and repairs continued, Metro used 28 buses to transport passengers from the Springfield-Franconia station to the Pentagon. Later Tuesday evening, the repairs were completed and Metro returned to their regular schedules.
<sh>Bank Robbery
<bt>A man entered the Chevy Chase Bank in the 6400 block of Springfield Plaza, indicated he was armed and demanded money, according to police. The victim teller relinquished an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect fled in a beige-colored, four-door sedan with a Virginia license plate. Based on a lookout, the car was spotted southbound on Interstate 95. The car was stopped, and Bobby Ray Wooley, 30, of King Henry Court in the Richmond area, was taken into custody without incident, police said. A black BB gun and the cash were recovered in the car. Wooley was charged with armed robbery.
<sh>School Robbery
<bt>At 1L30 p.m., on Jan. 6, a 14-year-old student at Hayfield Secondary School went to the school security office and reported he had been robbed, according to police. Investigation revealed the victim was near the gym when another student, a 17-year-old Lorton-area boy, approached him and pushed him into a telephone alcove. The suspect demanded to know the size of the victim's shirt. After the victim answered, the suspect demanded the shirt. The suspect repeated his demand several times, getting louder each time. The victim relinquished his shirt for fear of being assaulted, and the suspect left. Fairfax County School Resource Officer Lon Wolber and school security officials searched for the suspect to no avail as school ended for the day. The next day, the suspect wore the stolen shirt to school, and he was observed by school security. Subsequent investigation led to the 17-year-old Lorton boy's arrest. According to police, the boy was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center, where he was held and charged with robbery.
<sh>Robbery
<bt>At 10:45 p.m. on Jan. 12, an Alexandria-area man, 39, employed as a taxicab driver for Springfield Yellow Cab, was dispatched to pick up a fare in a parking lot in the 6900 block of Braddock Road in the Springfield area. On arrival, a man got into the taxi, brandished a handgun and announced a robbery, police sources said. The victim struggled with the suspect, but the suspect maintained control of the gun. The victim relinquished cash, and the suspect fled. A few hours later, the City of Alexandria Police Department arrested a Springfield man for a similar incident. That man was found to be responsible for this robbery also, and charges were pending.
<sh>Leadership Recognition
<bt>On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the students who have participated in the Fairfax County Youth Leadership Program's Class of 2001-02 will graduate in a ceremony at the Fairfax County Government Center.
A total of 19 students will graduate from the 2002 class of the Youth Leadership Program, one student from nearly all Fairfax County's high schools and secondary schools. Each month during the program, the students attended three-hour sessions sponsored by different county agencies. Through these sessions and an internship in July 2002, students gained firsthand experience in local government and the services provided to citizens, and they learned about the challenges faced in meeting the county's growing needs. The students were selected based on their individual achievements in school and their involvement at their schools and in the community. The Class of 2002 includes the following local students: Shion Chang, Lake Braddock Secondary School; Natasha J. Clay, Hayfield Secondary School; Benjamin Click, West Springfield High School; Reese Dandawate, Fairfax High School; Sarah Jugo, Robert E. Lee High School; Jamie Miranda, Robinson Secondary School; and Lauren Shea, Edison High School.
<sh>Community Dialogue
<bt>Supervisor Sharon Bulova (D-Braddock) is hosting a series of community discussions to examine the issues of transportation and land use in the aftermath of last November's defeat of the Regional Sales Tax Referendum.
The meetings will take place at Braddock Hall (adjacent to the Kings Park Library), 9002 Burke Lake Road, Burke. The public meetings will be held from Jan. 22 through May 14 with meetings every other Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. An exception will be the April 15 meeting, which will be on a Tuesday.
Recommendations resulting from the community dialogue will be the subject of Bulova's Spring Braddock District Town Meeting on Wednesday, June 25.
Each community dialogue session will begin with a panel discussion, followed by an audience discussion. Topics will include transportation planning and funding, Fairfax County's Comprehensive Plan for transportation and development, the parameters within which we operate in the commonwealth of Virginia, and political dynamics. Panelists throughout the series will include state, county and private-sector speakers, including traffic commentator Steve Eldridge of radio station WTOP. For more information about the series, call the Braddock District office at 703-425-9300, TTY 703-978-7973.