Community Corner

Top 18: Teen Dies in Rooftop Accident, Paralyzed Student Walks, Woodbridge Teen on 'So You Think You Can Dance,' Real Estate Market Heats Up

Top news of the week from our Patches around Virginia and DC.

By Beth Lawton

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.

Teen Dies in Rooftop Accident at Herndon School -- Friends and family of Bennett Rill, 14, were stunned after hearing the boy was electrocuted by a live electrical wire while playing on the roof of Fox Mill Elementary hours after the school year ended Tuesday. Rill and several other boys climbed on top of the school roof - a common activity, some students say - and the Rill became entangled in the wire when trying to climb down about 9 p.m. Tuesday. Rill was an eighth grader at Rachel Carson Middle School.

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Police: 'It's Not Uncommon' to Receive Reports of Kids at Schools, On Roofs at Night -- Kids hanging out at schools - and even on rooftops - after-hours and at night are a fairly regular occurrence, according to Fairfax County Police. Public Information Officer Don Gotthardt said FCPD still does not have a full chronology of the events Tuesday night that led to Bennett Rill's death. But what they do know is that the boy was on the roof of Fox Mill Elementary school with friends when he fell on live wires that led to a temporary classroom.

Gotthardt said the department "strongly discourages" children hanging out on school grounds at night, or climbing fences and getting onto rooftops.

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Paralyzed Lake Braddock Student Walks at Graduation -- A Lake Braddock High School student, who suffered a spinal cord injury last year, stunned his classmates by walking at graduation this week.

Woodbridge Teen Advances to Top 20 on 'So You Think You Can Dance' – Woodbridge’s Nico Greetham started dancing competitively at age 8 and is now one of 20 finalists on the popular FOX show.  "He dances from his heart and soul," his mother, Isabella Greetham, said. "He loves what he does, and I think people can see that. His goal is to do the best that he can."

Charges Filed Against Arlington Student in Skateboarding Death – Arlington County police authorities have charged a 17-year-old Washington-Lee student with reckless driving followingan incident earlier this month that left his friend dead. The teen was driving a pickup truck June 4 while John Malvar, 18, was hanging on to the side, riding a skateboard.

DC Metro Area Real Estate Market Heats Up -- The spring real estate market has been hot in the DC metro area, with homes selling faster and at higher prices.

According to Real Estate Business Intelligence: The average home is on the market for just 38 days (down from 48 days a year ago), and the median sold price of DC area homes has risen more than 8 percent from a year ago.

Foster's Grille Restaurant Owner, Shawn Foster, Dies -- Shawn Foster, the founder and creator of Foster’s Grille the popular “charburger” franchise in Northern Virginia, died this month, two weeks shy of his 48th birthday, according to a Wilmington Star-News obituary.

Wolf: Reopen TWA Flight 800 Investigation -- An upcoming documentary alleging that new evidence could change the results of the investigation into the 1996 explosion of TWA Flight 800 and the media coverage associated with the film prompted U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-VA) today to ask to the investigation reopened.

Refreshing the Mix: Pentagon City Mall Looks Toward Renovation -- The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City is pressing forward with long-term renovation plans.

The mall has announced in recent weeks that Panera Bread opened in its food court. Sephora moved into a new, expanded space. And Ann Taylor reopened after renovations. Beyond that, the remodeling and expansion of public restrooms on the mall's Metro level should be finished soon. The next phase, which is tentatively planned to start next year, would be a complete remodel of the mall's interior. A third phase would renovate the mall's exterior.

Sur La Table Plans August Opening for King Street Store – Sur La Table will open its new King Street location near City Hall in Old Town Alexandria in late August. Building owners EastBanc and Jamestown announced this week the signing of a 10-year lease to bring Sur La Table to the nearly 6,000-square-foot storefront located at 326 King St. The space formerly housed a CVS, which moved up the street to a larger space at 503 King St. in 2012.

Pedestrian Hit Twice on I-95 in Fredericksburg -- A man walking in the left lane of northbound I-95 near mile marker 131.6 in Fredericksburg was struck by two cars in the early morning hours Friday, according to Virginia State Police. The right mirror of a 2013 Dodge Dart struck the man despite the driver’s efforts to avoid him; then a 2004 Volkswagen Passat swerved to avoid the still-standing man, but hit him. Hector Rolando Xitumul-Alvarado, 21, of unknown address, has severe trauma, according to Fredericksburg Deputy Fire Chief Mike Jones.

Attempted Robbery-Turned-Shooting Rattles Mantua Residents -- A 17-year-old person is in custody following a robbery-turned-shooting in the Mantua area of Fairfax on Wednesday night. Fairfax County Police said, it appears a robbery on the street escalated when a victim pulled out a handgun and fired.

Fairfax Board Raises Home Daycare Limits -- The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to allow home day care providers to care for up to 12 children with a special permit — a decision that came from a year’s worth of work and public meetings to get county code in sync with the state.

Vienna Chef Nominated for RAMMY Award -- A Vienna chef is a nominee for “Rising Culinary Star of the Year” in the RAMMY awards. Tim Ma, of Maple Avenue Restaurant, is among those on the short list for the award, which recognizes excellence in the metro DC restaurant industry. “It was great to be nominated. It kind of came as a surprise,” Ma said. “It’s great for a place like Vienna. You don’t really see many nominations this way.”  

"It's a Funding Issue": Tight Budget The Reason Why Manassas Park May Leave Library System -- Manassas Park's decision to possibly stop funding the Prince William Library System is about addressing the city's financial needs, city officials said.  Dean Crowhurst, Manassas Park's interim city manager addressed the Prince William County Library System Board of Trustees on Monday at a special meeting, reassuring them the city wasn't unhappy with library services, but if there's a better way to pay for the libraries then it needs to be done.

Remodeled Annandale Hess Gas Station Could Reopen Next Week -- The Annandale Hess gas station located at 7100 Little River Tpke., which is currently undergoing renovations, could reopen to the public as soon as next week.

Cheesetique Battles Mimolette Blockade on Fox News -- The FDA instituted the blockade after declaring Mimolette had too many mites in its rind, which could cause allergies. Jill Erber, who carries Mimolette at the Del Ray and Shirlington Cheesetique locations, said many other cheeses—including “some of the most famous cheeses in the world”—have similar situations with mites. She expressed worry about what the Mimolette ban might eventually mean for other cheeses.

Missing Glover Park Woman Reportedly in the Hospital -- Police were involved in tracking down a Glover Park woman, Karen Sprecher Keating, whom neighbors had reported as missing. She was later reported to be in the care of Georgetown University Hospital in an unknown condition.


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