Duck, Goose! Goose to Blame for Route 7 Fire, Road Closure

Power flickered Thursday morning after a goose flew into an electrical wire, causing it to fall across Route 7.

Update - A Patch reader sent us this link to a photo of the goose, brush fire and resulting traffic. Sadly, the goose did not survive the mishap. -------  One Virginia goose appears to have learned the hard way what happens when birds of a feather don't fly together. A goose flew into an electrical wire near Leesburg Pike and Gallows Road Thursday morning, causing the wire to fall across Route 7 and start the small brush fire that shut down eastbound lanes near Gallows Road, Le-Ha Anderson, spokeswoman for Dominion Power, told Patch. "One building was without power initially, but we have had to de-energize power to another 30 customers to make final repairs," Anderson told Patch. Dominion had to close lanes in both directions on Route 7 to…

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Heating Assistance Available to Dominion Customers

Punxsutawney Phil said an early spring will come, but temperatures remain wintery. Here's how to get help with your heating bills this winter.

Punxsutawney Phil (and Potomac Phil) both predicted an early spring, but McLean is expecting a dusting of snow both Monday and Tuesday nights. That means temperatures are still wintry and heating bills are still high for residents in the area. (See this week's forecast here.)  Dominion Virginia Power is reminding customers that assistance is available for high heating bills this winter through the utility company’s Energy Share grants. Eligible customers may get a one-time payout of up to $600 to offset heating costs this winter. More than 12,000 customers received assistance in 2012. To quality, customers must live in Dominion’s service area and meeting one of these criteria: Customers can call Dominion's customer service center at 1-866-…

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Dominion Virginia Power Warns of Phone Scam

Callers are demanding immediate payment, usually by prepaid debit card.

Dominion Virginia Power is warning customers of a scam in which a person on the phone claims to be a company employee and demands immediate payment of a bill.  The caller tells customers their electric service will be cut off if the bill isn't paid within a few hours and usually requests payment by prepaid debit card. The caller might falsely claim there's a problem with the customer's electric meter, which could lead to a fire if it isn't replaced immediately. They say Dominion will reimburse them later if they pay for it right away. Dominion says while they do call customers who have delinquent bills to remind them their payment is due, they never ask for specific payment information. Instead they direct customers on how they can make …

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Local Energy Alliance Sponsors Home Energy Contest

Homeowners in McLean as well as other nearby communities are eligible to enter to win home energy makeovers worth up to $10,000.

The Local Energy Alliance Program has partnered with Fairfax County and neighboring jurisdictions as well as financial groups to sponsor a Northern Virginia Home Energy Makeover Contest. Homeowners in Northern Virginia are eligible to win nine prizes including home energy makeovers ranging from $3,000 to $10,000. The contest’s Nonprofit Challenge allows entrants to enter the name of their favorite local nonprofit to help it win a $1,500 cash donation. The contest, which is sponsored in part by Dominion Virginia Power and the Dominion Foundation, runs through Sept. 21. Winners will be announced in October. Enter online at www.novaenergycontest.com by filling out an online home energy report. Eligible homeowners include those in Fairfax, …

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UPDATE: Power Back On in All of McLean Following Monday Outages

Dominion Power estimates electricity will be restored this afternoon for storm-related outages

  UPDATE Tuesday 9:58. All McLean residents have their power back, according to the Dominion Power outage map. Only one McLean resident, who lives in the vicinity of Chain Bridge Road and Georgetown Pike, is without power, according to the map. UPDATE: About a dozen McLean residents remain powerless at 3 p.m. according to the Dominion Power website. They were among about 1,250 McLean customers who were without power. Earlier in the day Dominion gave 3 p.m. as the estimated time of power restoration. Now the website says 9 p.m. ORIGINAL STORY. Just less than 170 McLean residents were without power Monday morning as a result of the thunderstorms that rumbled through the area last night and this morning, bringing much needed rain and much …

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McLean Week in Review

McLean's Big News Week: Lengthy Power Outages, 911 Failure, July Fourth

McLean news week in review

  Monday July 2 McLean Storm Update. Latest information on power restoration. Traffic information. Status of Fairfax. County facilities. Weather forecast. Traffic Alert This Week. Up to 30-minute overnight closings of Capital Beltway, Dulles Connector Road and Jones Branch. McLean Whiz Kids. McLean kids graduated from colleges across the country. Others, who are undergraduates, made the Deans List Tuesday July 3 100 Power Crews Arrive Today. In McLean, Tysons Corner and Great Falls to speed power restoration to neighbors. Outage Odyssey. McLean resident's search for an hotel to protect herself and her prescriptions. Battle of Lewinsville. Plaque now stands in Lewinsville Park to remember. Celebrating July 4: What's Open and Closed in …

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UPDATE: All Power Restored in McLean as Temperatures Head for 102

McLean Power Update

  SATURDAY 8:30 am. The Dominion Power website shows all power restored in McLean this morning. McLean returned to normal almost exactly a week after a powerful storm packing historic winds swept through the Washington area the night of June 29 casting thousands into darkness as trees collapsed across power lines and streets. At the height of the outages at least 10,000 McLean residents were without power. All  neighbors have air conditioning back as temperatures are expected to reach 102 degrees in McLean today. McLean, Fairfax and the Washington area are sweltering under an excessive heat warning and a code red air alert today. That means very unhealthy air to breath. If you are still without power because of the storm please let us know…

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Five Things to Know About Dominion Power, the Company Restoring McLean's Power

McLean neighbor sits on board of directors, lacked power for six days.

Since Dominion Power has been much in the news recently, here are five things to know about the company that you may have praised or cursed this week. 1. William P. Barr, McLean neighbor, is a member of the Dominion Power board of directors. His power was restored Thursday afternoon after six days without it. "No special treatment," Barr said in a note to McLean Patch. Barr, who joined the Dominion board in 2009, lives in the vicinity of Towlston Road which was hard hit by Friday night's high winds that left thousands without power. Barr was the Attorney General of the United States under George H.W. Bush from 1991-1993. He is a longtime McLean resident. 2. Dominion, headquartered in Richmond, is one of the nation’s largest producers and …

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