Viewpoint: School rankings obscure Annandale HS’s success
By Shawn DeRose, principal of Annandale High School A member of the Annandale community recently asked me a tough question: Why do certain ranking websites rate Annandale High School low despite all of our recent success? That question made me think of the movie “Moneyball.” In it, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) realizes baseball had been evaluating players … Continued
DeFlock Fairfax wants FCPD to take down the license plate readers
A new advocacy group is trying to get the Board of Supervisors to remove the police department’s Flock license plate readers that are popping up all over Fairfax County. DeFlock Fairfax is concerned that the automated cameras, which continually monitor all traffic, are eroding people’s privacy by creating an easily searchable history of a vehicle’s … Continued
Business spotlight: Sergio’s Hair Salon
Annandale Today has a new feature, “Business Spotlight,” offering brief posts about local businesses in the Annandale/Mason District area. If you would like to have your business highlighted, contact us at [email protected]. Sergio’s Hair Salon serves men, women, and children in a former single-family house at 6535 Little River Turnpike, Lincolnia. Services include haircuts, color, blowouts, barber … Continued
Jimenez condemns ICE agent’s intimidation of a U.S. citizen
Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez has issued a statement condemning the actions of an ICE officer who pointed a firearm at a U.S. citizen in Bailey’s Crossroads on Aug. 10. The ICE agents accused Carolina Molina of attempting to run them over with her vehicle. Video from her car’s dash cam shows that didn’t happen. … Continued
Police arrest snake thieves
Fairfax County Police have charged three suspects from Maryland with stealing reptiles from Petco stores in Annandale, Bailey’s Crossroads, and Groveton, the FCPD reported on Aug. 12. On May 21, two suspects stole four pythons from the Petco at 6612 Richmond Highway, the FCPD reports. Similar reptile thefts took place on May 23 at the … Continued
Viewpoint: Bring back the purple bin
By Chris Delta During the July Fourth weekend, I attended a cookout in my neighborhood. In the course of various lively conversations, many topics came up, including the unpredictable weather, climate change, and what we can do to fight it. One neighbor mentioned he had been committed to recycling his glass bottles, but now with the … Continued
ICE agent pulls a gun on a U.S. citizen in Bailey’s Crossroads
A video taken by a woman who was pulled over by ICE in Bailey’s Crossroads on Aug. 10 is going viral. In the video posted by Carolina Molina on Instagram, an ICE agent with his face covered points a gun at her and yells, “You almost ran us over.” Molina, a U.S. citizen and mother, … Continued
Culmore families come together for Unity in the Community
Free toys for kids, resources for adults, and free food for everyone: that’s the concept of the Unity in the Community event in Culmore. George Mason University’s Place-Based Initiative and the Mason Police District sponsored the event, which took place on Aug. 10 just a few hours after an ICE raid in Culmore. The Unity … Continued
Thousands of Virginians will lose Medicaid coverage
The Trump administration’s cuts to the Medicaid program are expected to threaten healthcare coverage for some 300,000 Virginians. While the state government is taking steps to fill the gap, it won’t come close to making up the difference. Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” (H.R. 1), passed by Congress in 2025, cuts the federal Medicaid program … Continued
Three constitutional amendments will be on the Nov. 3 ballot
Virginians will have an opportunity to vote on three constitutional amendments in November: to protect reproductive rights, voting rights, and marriage equality. Reproductive rights Virginia’s Constitution currently does not explicitly give citizens a right to reproductive freedom, nor does it explicitly protect or prohibit certain kinds of healthcare procedures or decisions. Ballot question #1 asks … Continued
Business spotlight: Shadow Combatives
Annandale Today has a new feature, “Business Spotlight,” offering brief posts about local businesses in the Annandale/Mason District area. If you would like to have your business highlighted, contact us at [email protected]. Shadow Combatives, a martial arts school in Annandale, teaches a variety of martial arts techniques focused on self-defense. “We offer two types of programs, … Continued
VDOT seeks input on roadway safety
The Virginia Department of Transportation is asking the public to provide input on their experiences and concerns about roadway safety. The results will help guide VDOT’s update of its five-year Virginia’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan. A statewide survey is now open and will remain available through Aug. 23. The survey asks Virginians to identify the most pressing … Continued
Tree Commission gets the axe
The Office of the County Executive is calling for a number of boards and commissions to be dissolved, including the Fairfax County Tree Commission and the Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC). Those entities would be replaced by a new Environmental Commission. Some of the Tree Commission’s responsibilities might be shifted to the Urban Forest Management … Continued
Jimenez urges Planning Commission to reject substation
Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez has sent a letter to the Fairfax County Planning Commission recommending denial of the substation that would serve the data center at the Plaza 500 site in Bren Mar Park. In recent days, the Alexandria City Council and Rep. Don Beyer have also urged the Planning Commission to reject Dominion … Continued
Data centers must pay for transmission infrastructure
The State Corporation Commission is ordering data centers to cover the cost of transmission infrastructure built exclusively to serve data centers. That will save Virginia families, small businesses, and other ratepayers “hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Gov. Abigail Spanberger. The governor’s office had submitted a filing with the SCC in response to Dominion Energy’s … Continued