Testosterone Replacement Therapy in Springfield, VA

Oof. If there's a more eye-catching headline than "Trader Joe's coming to Springfield," it's got to be "Oops — it's the one in Virginia, not Missouri."

On Thursday, we published an online story based on a statement from Trader Joe's corporate public relations manager, who confirmed the company was planning a store in Springfield. A short while later, the same spokeswoman followed up to apologize, telling us she thought we were in Virginia.

That's the sort of "oops" that no reporter or editor ever wants to hear. We updated the story, which had gone viral at that point. And while the story never made print, I wanted to explain the circumstances that led to its publication online.

After seeing rumors on social media that Trader Joe's was eyeing Springfield — Missouri — for a store, our reporter reached out to the company through its communications portal, which includes various fields for submitting contact information, the nature of the story and story deadlines.

Our reporter identified himself by name, position and organization ("Springfield News-Leader") and provided both an email address and phone number (with a 417 area code). The request also identified the nature of the story: "Trader Joe's store coming to Springfield?" and our request for the company: "Comment or confirmation on rumors of new store coming."

Other media outlets later published statements from the Trader Joe's spokeswoman alleging that neither the reporter nor the spokeswoman referenced a state in their correspondence, which is not accurate. Included in the News-Leader's initial request was information noting the nearest existing Trader Joe's store, in Kansas City, Missouri, although it appears the submitted information was converted to a store number, 720, when it was displayed to the spokeswoman.

The response we received was direct: "I’m happy to confirm we have plans to open a new store in Springfield. I do not yet have a location or timeline to confirm."

Based on the company's confirmation, the News-Leader published an initial story, while also requesting an interview to discuss additional questions. In response to that request, the public relations manager emailed an apology.

"I have made a mistake. I realized this morning that the Springfield News-Leader is in Missouri. Unfortunately, I thought you were speaking of Springfield, VA.

"We are actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year. At this time, we do not have a location confirmed in Springfield, MO."

After receiving that response we quickly updated the initial story and social media posts to alert readers to the incorrect information the company had provided. It was an unpleasant lesson that left us, like readers, disappointed (and a little jealous of the shoppers in that other Springfield). In the future, we'll be more explicit in our requests before running with a company's confirmation.

Now, back to waiting for a Trader Joe's.

(Update: For those not content to wait patiently, one of our readers suggests letting the company know you'd like a store here in the Queen City: https://www.traderjoes.com/home/contact-us/request-a-store.)

Springfield, Va. (Sept. 6, 2023) – Whole Foods Market will open a new 49,499-square-foot store located at 6426 Springfield Plaza, Springfield, Va., on Oct. 4 at 8 a.m. EST. The store will be a relocation of the existing Springfield store (8402 Old Keene Mill Rd), which has been serving the community for more than 25 years.

Designed with cool tones and an open, relaxed atmosphere, the new location nearly doubles the size of the original store, allowing Whole Foods Market to offer Springfield customers more amenities, such as a full-service meat department, additional prepared foods bars and an expanded product assortment which includes more than 600 local items sourced with the help of Daniela D’Ambrosio, a Local Forager for Whole Foods Market.

Whole Foods Market will present a refrigerated van to the Northern Virginia Food Rescue, donated through Whole Foods Market’s Nourishing Our Neighborhoods program, which was created to expand the capacity and capability for community-based food rescue organizations to move food from where it’s available to where it’s needed most.

Features of the Springfield Plaza store include:

Whole Foods Market in Springfield Plaza will be open from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. EST daily. Opening morning, customers will enjoy complimentary coffee and breakfast bites. The first 300 customers in line will receive a limited-edition tote bag and a Secret Saver coupon featuring offers up to $100 off.

All food at Whole Foods Market must meet the company’s rigorous Quality Standards, which prohibit hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup and more than 260 flavors, colors, sweeteners and other ingredients commonly found in food. In addition, all beauty and body care products must meet the company’s body care standards, which ban more than 180 commonly used ingredients, including phthalates, parabens and microbeads.

Amazon Prime members who shop at Whole Foods Market have access to a number of benefits year-round, including deep discounts on select popular products each week and an additional 10% off hundreds of in-store sale items. Grocery pickup will be available at Whole Foods Market Springfield. For more information and hours of operation, please visit: www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/springfieldplaza.

About Whole Foods Market

For more than 40 years, Whole Foods Market has been the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer. As the first certified organic national grocer, Whole Foods Market has more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. To learn more about Whole Foods Market, please visit https://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/.

Two people were treated for burns. One person was airlifted to an area hospital.

SPRINGFIELD, Va. — An investigation is underway in Springfield after an explosion on Tuesday sent two people to area hospitals for help.

At 8:30 p.m., Fairfax County Fire and Rescue was dispatched to Powderbrook Lane in Springfield for a reported fire at a townhome. At the scene, crews determined that some sort of explosion had occurred in the backyard of the home. That fire was quickly contained.

Investigators say two people were treated for burns as a result of the explosion. Both were taken to area hospitals for help, with one victim being airlifted.

The investigation into this explosion is active and ongoing.

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TGI Fridays has shuttered another Fairfax County location.

The chain’s restaurant in Springfield Commons at 6751 Frontier Drive permanently closed on Tuesday, Jan. 2, part of a slew of closures that took effect nationwide that day.

“We regret to inform you that Fridays has made the difficult decision to close our doors at Springfield VA effective Jan. 2,” a notice posted to the restaurant’s door said. “We are extremely grateful to our loyal Guests and our Team Members at our Springfield restaurant.”

A generic version of that message was sent to local members of TGI Fridays’ loyalty rewards program. One member told FFXnow that they had visited the Springfield location just last Friday (Dec. 29) and saw no indications of the impending closure.

The Jan. 2 closures targeted 36 restaurants across the U.S. that were “underperforming,” TGI Fridays announced on Wednesday (Dec. 3). Locations in Manassas, Woodbridge’s Potomac Mills shopping mall and Fredericksburg were also affected, according to the company’s guest relations team.

The company said more than 1,000 employees, or over 80% of those affected, were offered the option to transfer to a different location.

“Our top priority has always been delivering a superior experience for each and every TGI Fridays guest, and we’ve identified opportunities to optimize and streamline our operations to ensure we are best positioned to meet — and exceed — on that brand promise,” TGI Fridays U.S. President and Chief Operating Officer Ray Risley said in a statement. “By strengthening our franchise model and closing underperforming stores, we are creating an unprecedented opportunity for Fridays to drive forward its vision for the future.”

TGI Fridays had been at Springfield Commons since at least 2007, according to the location’s Yelp page, where it has an average rating of just 2.2 stars.

The 6,830-square-foot space is now available for leasing. Rappaport, which manages and leases the strip mall, told the Washington Business Journal that it’s actively seeking a tenant for the storefront, which is adjacent to a recently opened Pure Hockey store.

This round of closures was preceded by TGI Fridays shutting down its Fair Lakes location late last year. That restaurant at 12249 Fair Lakes Promenade Drive will be replaced by First Watch, a daytime cafe expected to open this summer.

SPRINGFIELD, VA — The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $100 million grant to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority in support of the Franconia-Springfield Bypass Project, a project designed to speed up train service at a severely congested area between Fredericksburg and Washington, D.C.

As part of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grants program, the $100 million grant will go toward final design and construction of the Bypass Project, which officials said is critical to the region to reduce conflicts and delays between freight and passenger rail.

The $405 million Franconia-Springfield Bypass Project will include the construction of a nearly 1-mile-long, dedicated passenger flyover rail bridge just south of the Franconia-Springfield Metro station for use by Virginia Railway Express and Amtrak. Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2024 and last two years.

The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) allocated $23 million to the bypass project and $13 million toward extending the train platform at the Franconia-Springfield station to improve passenger boarding.

An event was held at the Franconia-Springfield Station on Friday to celebrate the $100 million grant awarded by the DOT.

Find out what's happening in Arlingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The flyover bridge, which will cross over two existing freight tracks, will be owned by VPRA and will allow passenger trains to cross over the existing freight tracks to reach station stops on the opposite side. The project will provide a connection for passenger trains between the west side of the corridor north of the bridge and the east side of the corridor south of the bridge, providing improved service for both passenger and freight trains through the area.

The bypass will further VPRA’s mission to create two separate rail corridors through the area, one for passenger trains and one for freight trains, and will serve both Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express trains.

“The Franconia-Springfield Bypass Project represents the future of rail in Northern Virginia. Creating this dedicated passenger rail corridor is a crucial step toward alleviating congestion and offering commuters more choices,” NVTA CEO Monica Backmon said in a statement Friday.

While NVTA’s nearly $36 million investment in the bypass and platform improvements will be instrumental, the U.S. Department of Transportation funding secured through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grants program “is the driving force behind making this vision a reality,” Backmon said.

VPRA launched its Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative in 2021 with a goal to expand the availability of passenger rail throughout the state. Once the first phase of projects — including the Franconia-Springfield Bypass Project — is complete, additional Amtrak Virginia and VRE frequencies will be available with more weekend and new, late-night options.

In August, nearly 131,000 passengers traveled on the state’s four corridors, exceeding the previous record set in July when 125,488 passengers traveled. Currently, Amtrak Virginia service offers three daily roundtrips between Norfolk and D.C., two daily roundtrips between both Roanoke and Washington, and Newport News and Washington, and one daily roundtrip between Richmond and the nation’s capital.

The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority was established in 2020 to promote, sustain and expand the availability of passenger and commuter rail service in the state.