<sh>Man Killed in Crash
<bt>A 38-year-old Manassas man was killed, early Tuesday morning, after his car slammed into the back of a tractor trailer on Route 28 at Westfields Boulevard in Chantilly. Pronounced dead at the scene was Danny Betts of Quail Run Lane.
According to Fairfax County police, Carl Wright, 44, of Purcellville, was driving a 1993 Peterbilt tractor trailer northbound on Route 28, around 2:45 a.m., when the tragedy occurred. Betts was driving a 1996 Saturn sedan, behind him, in the same lane.
Wright stopped his rig for a red light at Westfields Boulevard. After the traffic signal turned green, he began to accelerate. But, for some reason, as Betts approached Wright's vehicle, he tried to stop, but couldn't, and crashed into the back of it. Police said Betts was not wearing a seatbelt and neither speed, nor alcohol, were factors in the accident.
<sh>Teen Stabbed at Party
<bt>Fairfax County police are looking for whoever stabbed an 18-year-old City of Fairfax man, Saturday, at a local home. The incident occurred Jan. 25, around 1:30 a.m., in the 13100 block of Peach Leaf Place. It's in the Willow Ponds community, just east of Stringfellow Road, between I-66 and Route 29.
Police say the victim, along with several other people, was attending a party there when an altercation broke out, involving several of the guests. During the course of the melee, someone stabbed the teen in the upper and lower body. He was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital and underwent surgery for non-lifethreatening injuries.
The suspect is described as an 18-year-old Asian man, 5 feet 8 inches and 180 pounds. He had short, spiked hair and wore a blue sweater and jeans. Police spokeswoman Jacqui Smith said it's not yet known what the fight was about, but no one else was injured and it "didn't appear" that the victim and assailant knew each other. Anyone with information about this incident or the suspect is asked to call police at 703-691-2131 or Fairfax County Crime Solvers at 703-691-8888.
<sh>Grand Jury Indicts Desper
<bt>A Fairfax County grand jury last week indicted a New Jersey man for criminal computer-solicitation. John Benjamin Desper, 33, of 38 Franklin St., Swedesboro Township, N.J., could receive as much as 10 years in prison if convicted.
Fairfax County police say Desper allegedly used a computer to solicit someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl for sexual activities. According to police, Desper and the girl were reportedly supposed to meet each other in Centreville.
Desper was arrested June 28 in New Jersey and transported, July 2, to Fairfax County's Adult Detention Center. Police charged him with using a communications system to solicit a minor for certain offenses. The grand jury indicted him last Tuesday, Jan. 21, and he's scheduled for a March 11 jury trial.
<sh>Sully Land-Use, Traffic
<bt>The Sully District Council of Citizens Associations Land-Use and Transportation Committee will meet Monday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Supervisor Michael R. Frey's (R-Sully) conference room. Call Jeff Parnes, 703-904-0131, evenings. The members will hear about a proposal to light a 60-foot, diamond field at Rachel Carson Middle School.
<sh>Land-Use Committee Mtg.
<bt>The Springfield-Fairfax Center Land-Use Committee will meet Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. in conference room 8 of the Fairfax County Government Center. At that time, it will hear details about two child-care centers. Fair Oaks Child Development Center, at 12001 Lee Hwy., wants to expand its building to provide services for additional children.
And Magic Moments Children's Center wants to construct a facility at 13129 Westbrook Drive, near the intersection of Westbrook and Stringfellow Road. The committee denied approval of this plan in December; since then, the developer has made significant changes.
This land-use committee reviews and receives comments on projects proposed for the northwest corner of the Springfield District. It covers the geographic area from Stringfellow Road to the Fairfax County Government Center to Braddock Road and Route 50.
<sh>Clifton Town Council; New CBA Officers
<bt>The next meeting of the Clifton Town Council will be Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Clifton Town Meeting Hall, 12641 Chapel Road in Clifton. On Jan. 9, the Clifton Betterment Association (CBA) elected a new slate of officers to serve a one-year term. Michelle Stein is president; Tom Peterson, vice president; Lynne Garvey Hodge, secretary; and Steve Goetzinger, treasurer.
<sh>Carwash, Jiffy Lube Approved
<bt>The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Monday unanimously approved a new Suds! carwash and Jiffy Lube in Centreville. Said Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully): "There is a shortage of car washes — particularly good car washes."
The businesses will open up jointly on the south side of Route 29, just west of the Pickwick Square Shopping Center. They'll go on a 1.85-acre site between the existing Exxon station and the shopping center.
Owners Guy Paolozzi of Suds! carwash and Al Quinnville of Jiffy Lube — operating together as P-Q LLC — needed a green light from the county to rezone this land from residential to commercial. They also sought a special-exception permit for vehicle light service.
Both businesses will be open Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. The existing Jiffy Lube, just east of the site, along Route 29, will close.
<sh>OK for School-Bus Parking
<bt>Fairfax County Public Schools will be able to park and fuel its buses across from Westfield High, after all. The proposal received its final approval last Thursday, Jan. 23, from the county Planning Commission.
Since the school-bus parking facilities are far away from the schools in western Fairfax County, the school system will use some 10 1/2 acres it already owns in Chantilly for this purpose. There'll be a one-story office building for 50-75 employees, and the site would accommodate 150 buses and provide parking for school-system staff and drivers. It would be mainly used by those coming to Westfield and Chantilly high schools. It's expected to be operational between September and December 2003 and open from 5 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m.
The automated, diesel-only fueling facility would be built by the county on the back portion of the site. At last week's Planning Commission meeting, Springfield District Commissioner Pete Murphy made a successful motion that the fence around the lot shall be 7 feet, instead of 8 feet, and the portion facing Stonecroft Boulevard shall be decorative iron, similar to the fence at the Sully District Police Station.
<sh>Help Name Rec Center
<bt>Groundbreaking for the west county recreation center is slated for early March. The $18.5 million facility will be just north of Westfield High, bounded by Stonecroft Boulevard and Cub Run. The 94,000-square-foot rec center is anticipated to open in July 2004 but, before then, it needs a name. Residents may send suggestions to Sully@fairfaxcounty.gov. So far, the two main candidates are West County Recreation Center and Cub Run Recreation Center.
<sh>WFCM Clothes Closet is Now Open Wednesday Evenings
<bt>The Western Fairfax Christian Ministries' (WFCM) Shepherd Center clothes closet is now open Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m. It's in the Sully Plaza Shopping Center at 13924 Metrotech Drive in Chantilly (between Fashion Bug and Payless Shoes).
The clothing is in good condition, and prices range from 25 cents for children's socks to $5 for a suit. Donation days for the clothes closet are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Clothing and small household items are accepted. Large household items may be donated to Pender United Methodist Church's furniture ministry at 703-352-7679.
WFCM also extends its thanks to the local community for its swift and generous response to WFCM's plea for food at Christmastime to help feed local needy families. As a result, WFCM was able to serve the more-than 100 extra families for which the organization hadn't originally planned.
<sh>Library Copies of Virginia Tax Forms
<bt>Due to Virginia's budget cuts, the Fairfax County Public Library and other Virginia public libraries will no longer have free copies of Virginia income tax forms. Virginia tax forms are available online; check the Library's Web site at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library for links to IRS and Virginia tax forms. Library users can make copies of Virginia tax forms on library copy machines, or print out the tax forms from the Internet on library PCs, for 15 cents per page.