<sh>Teens Charged with Abduction
<bt>Fairfax County police arrested two boys, both 17, in connection with an incident last month in the Chantilly Regional Library. Police say a 16-year-old Centreville boy was studying at the library, Feb. 12, around 2:25 p.m., when the trouble began. According to police, the older boys lured him into a conference room, where they began to threaten him.
"One suspect displayed a gun, and the other suspect had a knife," said police. "This incident stemmed from an argument over a girlfriend." The victim was not injured. Five days later, on Feb. 17, police detectives identified and arrested the two 17-year-olds.
They charged one boy with abduction, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and brandishing a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school. The other boy was charged with abduction and carrying a concealed weapon. Although the incident happened in February, police did not release any information about it until last Thursday, March 18.
<sh>VDOT Road Projects Begin Next Month
<bt>The Commonwealth Transportation Board recently approved several construction contracts that will begin this spring. Locally, West Ox Road will be widened from two to four lanes for 1.3 miles between Route 29 and Centreville Road. The new section will include turn lanes, a raised median, sidewalks and a trail. The contractor for the $11.1 million improvement is Martin & Gass Inc. of Alexandria. Work should be completed in September 2006.
<sh>Community Watershed Forum
<bt>A free Community Watershed Forum will be held Saturday, March 27, from 1-5 p.m. at Liberty Middle School. It will provide education on watershed issues and seek citizen input for use in developing a watershed management plan for Popes Head Creek. Fairfax county plans to create such plans for all 30 county watersheds — the areas draining to particular streams — all of which empty into the Potomac River and eventually the Chesapeake Bay.
<sh>Fire Dept. Sending Survey
<bt>On April 1, the Centreville Volunteer Fire Department (Station 17 on Old Centreville Road) will be mailing a fund-drive letter to some 29,000 local residents. It will also contain a survey to learn what they think about Fairfax County's proposal to charge a fee for ambulance rides, and station officials urge local residents to complete and return the survey to them.
<sh>Hospital Gets More Beds
<bt>Inova Fair Oaks Hospital will soon add 22 acute-care beds. It just received approval to do so from the Virginia State Health Commissioner. The extra beds will accommodate the increasing number of medical/surgical and obstetric patients in the area and will bring the total number of beds at Inova Fair Oaks to 182.
<sh>WFCCA Says OK to Rezoning
<bt>Continental-Packaging Associates got its first OK, last week. It's on Pleasant Valley Road, about half a mile from Route 50, in the Lafayette Business Park in Chantilly. It wants to expand into a second building there and is seeking a rezoning of that building.
Its current I-3 industrial zoning limits the amount of warehousing that may be done there, but the proposed I-4 industrial zoning would allow for more flexibility in warehouse usage. The new building would be used for storage, but that's not allowed in an I-3 area.
Last Tuesday, March 16, the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee gave the proposal a thumbs-up. The case is slated to go before the county Planning Commission on April 7.
<sh>Hearing on VRE Fares
<bt>A public hearing will be held Tuesday, March 30, at 7 p.m. on a possible Virginia Railway Express (VRE) fare increase. It will be in the City Council chamber room of the Manassas City Hall, 9027 Center St., in Manassas. The fare restructuring would take effect on June 28. Besides a fare increase, it would include the introduction of a five-day pass, the institution of a step-up ticket for AMTRAK, an increase in VRE tickets' expiration dates and other changes.
<sh>Wolf Hosts Town Meeting
<bt>Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-10th) will hold a town meeting on Saturday, April 3, at 11 a.m. at Franklin Middle School, 3300 Lees Corner Road in Chantilly. Constituents may access Wolf's complete voting record for the first session of the 108th Congress on his Web site at www.house.gov/wolf.
<sh>Blood Is Urgently Needed
<bt>The Inova Blood Donor Center in the Centremed I Building on Route 29 in Centreville (across from the Centreville Multiplex Cinemas) is in urgent need of blood donations — especially O positive or negative, as well as A and B. They're accepted Tuesday-Friday, noon-8 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. For an appointment to give blood, call 703-322-1970, or drop in at your own convenience.