Fairfax Dispatches: Weekly County News Roundup

Fairfax shoppers lined up as early as Thursday afternoon to grab Black Friday deals on televisions and laptops. Some weren't so lucky even after waking early and waiting in long lines.

An incident in which two trains broke down in succession towards the end of morning commuter traffic left over a thousand passengers at Burke Centre Station. Buses and taxis were brought to help transport the VRE customers in a process that took nearly an hour to get all of the people out of the station and on their way to work. The incident pointed to larger issues of aging locomotives; a VRE spokesperson said that the trains in use are all 50 to 60 years old except for one newer model. Two more are expected to be put into service in December.

Family. Yes we love them, but sometimes they drive us crazy. It's not easy to dispense advice on how to avoid family disasters during the holidays, but mental health counselor Liz Miller says that planning ahead is your best friend.  And she is not talking about chilling the Jell-O mold up to two days in advance. In Lorton, an area l and a  of led the way in helping the needy this Thanksgiving.

More than 150 cats removed from Annandale home
The 160-170 cats removed from the Annandale house on Village Drive last weekend are currently being treated at local hospitals and are under the care of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. Charges against the cat hoarders are still pending and the house is uninhabitable. Although the cats are not up for adoption yet, the shelter is currently accepting donations for them ranging from food to towels.

Construction has already begun on the four Tysons Corner metro stations that will be completed by 2013, and about 75 percent of the area's  future growth will be within a half  mile of one of them. Smart growth experts came together last week to address the issues the region might face as Tysons Corner development continues.

Clifton School closure heads to court
Chief Judge Dennis J. Smith of the 19th Circuit Court heard arguments Monday in a lawsuit over the impending closure of Clifton Elementary School and ultimately called for further review and another hearing. School Board member Liz Bradsher on Clifton School. 


Dave Anderson and Mike Wingo played at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax as part of the church's concert series, which celebrates different types of music while raising money for charities. Half of the proceeds from Anderson and Wingo's show went toward Heifer International, which works to eliminate hunger and poverty in the world.