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  • Falls Church community members gather to celebrate Lunar New Year at the Eden Center – WTOP News

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    Hundreds of community members gathered Tuesday afternoon at the Eden Center in Falls Church, Virginia, to welcome the Lunar New Year and pay homage to Vietnam.

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    Falls Church community members celebrate Lunar New Year at Eden Center

    Hundreds of community members gathered Tuesday afternoon at the Eden Center in Falls Church, Virginia, to welcome the Lunar New Year and pay homage to Vietnam.

    The Eden Center is a bustling Vietnamese shopping center that’s home to over 120 family-owned restaurants and shops. Sitting atop the center is an exact replica of a clock tower that can be found in downtown Saigon.

    There was plenty of culture to immerse yourself in. Organizers held a traditional Vietnamese flag-raising ceremony under a banner reading “Chúc mừng năm mới,” which translates to “Happy Lunar New Year.”

    Community members watched in glee at traditional lion dance performances and firecracker displays. Children were offered lì xì, or “lucky money,” in small red envelopes. Many children then fed that money to the dancing lions for good luck.

    “For kids who are born in the United States or overseas, events like this at the community centers to celebrate Lunar New Year is really important because that’s how they are able to learn about the culture,” Thuylan Phan said.

    Phan attended the event with her family, including her two young children and her father, who she said immigrated to the United States after the end of the Vietnam War.

    “(This) is what my dad grew up with when he was back in Vietnam. And now we live here, and this is our home now, and it’s very nice to be able to witness and understand how my dad used to celebrate his Lunar New Year,” Phan said.

    Many of the lion dancers helping to celebrate the first day of the Year of the Horse were local high-schoolers.

    Minh Pham, an organizer with the Eden Center and a Falls Church community member, said involving youth with the event is a great way to help immerse them in Vietnamese culture.

    Kenneth Tang, 17, is a drummer and lead coordinator for his lion dance troupe. Speaking just moments after completing a dance performed over firecrackers, drums and cymbals, Tang was filled with excitement and said his ears were ringing.

    “It’s very tiring, but I believe it is very important for our culture, and it’s really fun,” Tang said. “We want to spread this culture throughout years, and I just hope that everybody gets to enjoy this tradition for years to come.”

    In addition to performances, community members had the opportunity to peruse the shops and restaurants that make up the Eden Center. Many came dressed in traditional Vietnamese garments called áo dài, or “long dress.”

    Calvin Dao, who was walking around with a group of friends, said his Vietnamese-American family has lived in the Falls Church area since before he was born.

    “To be able to be back in this area and celebrate my culture with my friends and my family, it’s an amazing experience, and it’s very dear to my heart,” Dao said.

    Pham said the Eden Center is planning an event for May that will highlight store and restaurant owners in the Year of the Horse.

    “When they come in here, they get to learn a little bit about the history, and then also they know what to eat. So we’ll share some recommendations from each of the stores,” Pham said.

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Grace Newton

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  • 3rd child with measles in Virginia visited health care facilities in Woodbridge, Falls Church – WTOP News

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    Virginia health officials are warning that people who were around the most recently-diagnosed patient may have been exposed to the highly-contagious illness. The child visited several health care centers in Northern Virginia last week.

    A young child who lives in Northern Virginia has tested positive for measles after traveling internationally, marking the third case in the state this month, according to health officials.

    All three cases of measles have involved children who are ages 4 or younger; the Virginia Department of Health officials clarified Tuesday that the latest case is unrelated to the one reported on Jan. 11.

    Virginia health officials are warning that people who were around the most recently-diagnosed patient may have been exposed to the highly-contagious illness. The child visited several health care centers in Northern Virginia last week.

    These are the sites where Virginia health officials said people could have been exposed:

    • PM Pediatric Urgent Care, located at 2690 Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge
      • Tuesday, Jan. 13 from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
    •  Inova Children’s Emergency Department, located at 3300 Gallows Road in Falls Church
      • Thursday, Jan. 15 from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
      • Friday, Jan. 16 from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
    • Inova Fairfax Hospital Women’s and Children’s Building, floors 2-10, located at 3300 Gallows Road in Falls Church
      • Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2:30 a.m. to Sunday, Jan. 18 at 5 p.m.

    So far this year, two children in Northern Virginia have contracted measles as well as another child who lives in the central part of the Commonwealth, according to the health department.

    The cases come amid multiple measles outbreaks in the U.S. that have put the country at risk of losing its measles-free designation, international health authorities told The Associated Press.

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states with three or more related cases would constitute an outbreak. There have been no new outbreaks reported by the CDC this year.

    What to do if you’ve potentially been exposed

    If you’re concerned you may have been exposed to measles, Virginia health officials said to look into whether you’ve been vaccinated or had the illness in the past. That includes being up to date on vaccinations.

    Virginians can request their immunization status online.

    If you are not fully vaccinated and have not had measles in the past, health officials recommend you contact your health care provider or call your local health department. There are post-exposure treatments that can be used in certain scenarios.

    Anyone who may have been exposed should watch for measles symptoms for 21 days, according to Virginia health officials. In the most recent case, the most likely time frame for others to get sick would be between Jan. 20 to Feb. 8.

    Should symptoms pop up, health officials said to isolate at home and call your health care provider. Those symptoms could include a runny nose, fever over 101 degrees, cough, red or watery eyes and a rash.

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jessica Kronzer

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  • Events around the region celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. – WTOP News

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    On the holiday celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr., several events around the D.C. region have hosted events honoring the civil rights leader’s memory. 

    FILE – The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial during the 9th Annual Wreath Laying and Day of Reflection and Reconciliation, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)(AP/Jose Luis Magana)

    On the holiday celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., there were several events around the D.C. region honoring the Civil Rights Movement leader’s memory.

    Families packed into downtown Silver Spring’s Civic Building at Veterans Plaza to do more than a single day’s service; they looked into ways they could help their communities throughout the year.

    The Montgomery Volunteer Center and the Montgomery County Alumnae chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority hosted the event.

    Outside, people lined up to donate blood at the Children’s National Hospital’s bloodmobile.

    Inside, crowds milled about tables representing civic groups, nonprofit organizations and county government agencies such as the Board of Elections.

    Nena Abdul-Wakeel, president of the Montgomery County alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, smiled broadly as she looked at the throngs interested in spending their MLK holiday serving others.

    “I think people are feeling the need to show up for their communities,” she said. “They want people to know, ‘I care,’ and this is a great way to do it.”

    Sylvia Stevens, a member of the service organization, showed off the items donated to the “Dear Project.”

    “We collect the forever stamps for the women’s correctional facility in Boyds, Maryland,” Stevens said, explaining the donations help incarcerated women stay in touch with their family members.

    A woman who asked that we use her first name, Brittany, brought her children to the event, and was especially interested in the “Dear Project.”

    “It may seem like a small thing, but it’s not a small thing to someone who does not have the resources to communicate with their families, so I think it’s a wonderful thing,” she told WTOP.

    Brittany said she thought about how correspondence with her own family members matters to her, especially letters and notes from family members who have passed away.

    “I keep those and cherish those, and so I know their families will probably do the same in years to come,” she said.

    In one of the civic center rooms, people huddled around a table making necklaces — the creation of 14-year-old Isis Idiokitas, an 8th grader at Silver Spring International Middle School. Her Tu Snaps necklaces are made using Legos.

    “Tu Snap necklaces are easy to take on and off because you use the Lego as the clasp,” she explained, “For every necklace bought, another necklace is donated to a child living with sickle cell disease.”

    Idiokitas was asked about why she chose to focus her community efforts around sickle cell disease education.

    “Not a lot of people know about sickle cell, and so it’s a way to raise awareness and advocate for them,” she said of children living with the disease.

    County council member Kristin Mink spent part of her morning at the event in downtown Silver Spring.

    “There really is an abundance of opportunities here to dig in and get things done. We are packing comfort care kits, we are learning about all sorts of different volunteer opportunities around the county that happen year round.”

    Falls Church comes out to march

    Hundreds of folks marched through Falls Church, Virginia, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, honoring the civil rights icon’s legacy as well as the town’s Black history.

    Volunteers read Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech that he gave at the March on Washington on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

    “Here we are all these years later, and it’s so meaningful, so appropriate,” Nikki Henderson with the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation said about hearing those words.

    The crowd, holding signs with King quotes and more contemporary political messages such as “no ICE anytime,” marched from Tinner Hill, where a meeting took place to create the first rural branch of the NAACP in the U.S. over a century ago.

    “It’s an awfully, awfully cold day, but I’m not surprised that people came out anyway. They’re committed,” Henderson said.

    One woman marched with the crowd to Falls Church Episcopal with a sign with her favorite King quote.

    “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

    WTOP’s Luke Lukert contributed to this story. 

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kate Ryan

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  • ‘It’s unbearable’: Neighbors at Eaves Fairfax Towers without air conditioning for 2 weeks – WTOP News

    ‘It’s unbearable’: Neighbors at Eaves Fairfax Towers without air conditioning for 2 weeks – WTOP News

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    Amid dangerous heat waves, nearly 250 people who live at Eaves Fairfax Towers in Falls Church, Virginia, have been without air conditioning for two weeks and are desperate for relief.

    One Eaves Fairfax Towers unit’s thermostat reads 92 degrees.(Courtesy Patrycja Dziewa)

    Amid dangerous heat waves, the nearly 250 people who live at Eaves Fairfax Towers in Falls Church, Virginia, have been without air conditioning for two weeks and are desperate for relief.

    “No sleep for the last 15 days,” resident Sonny Singh said. “Look at the weather outside, you sweat in two seconds. Inside, it’s a box.”

    Singh shared an email with WTOP from the apartment’s management team sent June 22.

    “It has been brought to our attention that last night the Cooling Tower unexpectedly went down for the odd side of the building. One of the blades for the fan had broken off and caused damage. Our maintenance team is already hard at work getting a rental Cooling Tower up and running until we receive the new part,” the email read.

    The management team went on to say that they’re committed to repairing the cooling tower and restoring the air conditioning as soon as possible. They also suggested residents keep the windows closed, blinds down and turn on the AC fan for additional cooling.

    “We have been sleeping on the couch in the living room because we cannot access the bedroom because it’s very hot,” resident Vatsal Shah said. “This situation is really unbearable, it’s getting out of hand.”

    On June 25, the apartment’s management team said it ordered the necessary parts to fix the tower and repairs are projected to begin mid-July. They also were able to implement a temporary fix that allowed half the floors that were impacted to have AC and provided portable units to those still impacted.

    “I don’t feel like I should be paying for the rent when I’m not able to live normally, like a human being,” Patrycja Dziewa said. “I haven’t been able to sleep for the past two weeks. I slept maybe two hours a night.”

    A portable AC units provided to those impacted by the outages.

    Dziewa said the portable units don’t work properly and are unable to cool down the apartments. She said even with the unit in her apartment, it’s 92 degrees inside and there’s been no relief.

    “What they do is they keep coming back and adding more tape to the portable units in the windows,” Dziewa said. “It keeps falling. I think I request maintenance six to seven times a day.”

    As of this week, the apartment complex said it received the parts and they have given approval to a contractor to begin repairs immediately. According to an email neighbors shared, repairs will begin Monday night, but there is no timeline on how long it will take.

    WTOP has contacted Eaves Fairfax Towers for comment, but did not get a response.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Cheyenne Corin

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