Fairfax County police chief announces retirement
FCPD Chief Roessler speaks at a Black Lives Matter rally hosted by the Fairfax County NAACP in June at the Fairfax County Government Center. Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. has announced plans to retire in February 2021. Roessler was hired by the Fairfax County Police Department as a police recruit in 1989, rose … Continued
Annandale Treasure Trove closes permanently
The Treasure Trove consignment shop in the Annandale Shopping Center on Columbia Pike has closed permanently, Inova announced Nov. 4. The challenge of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the temporary closing of the three Treasure Trove stores run by Inova, meant “our charitable dollars, supported by your generous purchases, donations, and consignments, … Continued
Beech Tree student tests positive for COVID-19
A student at Beech Tree Elementary School has tested positive for COVID-19, Principal Karim Daugherty announced in an email to families Nov. 4. Beech Tree is in the Falls Church area of Mason District. The Fairfax County Health Department “will initiate contact tracing and work to identify close contacts of this individual and give them … Continued
Volunteers needed for Americana Drive cleanup
Volunteers collect trash on American Drive in 2018. Americana Drive in Annandale is a magnet for litter and discarded construction debris, but periodic cleanups help keep the trash from overwhelming the area between the road and the beltway sound wall. The next cleanup is scheduled for Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 10 a.m.-noon. Local residents and … Continued
Planet Fitness reopens in new location in Seven Corners
Planet Fitness reopened in a new location in Seven Corners Nov. 1 with all new equipment. The gym moved from the Eden Center into a spot formerly occupied by Gold’s Gym in the shopping center between Arlington Boulevard and Wilson Boulevard. Gold’s closed in March. Planet Fitness is open 24 hours a day, seven days … Continued
Edsall Park Swim Club seeks community donations after pool house gutted by fire
Edsall Park pool engulfed in flames. The board of directors of the Edsall Park Swim Club is seeking donations from the community to help the board rebuild the pool house after it was destroyed by a fire on Oct. 19. The pool is in the Springfield area of Mason District. The pool house, which contains … Continued
Mason District voters favored Biden
While the national election results aren’t in yet, one thing is clear: Democratic candidate Joe Biden overwhelmingly beat President Donald Trump in Fairfax County. Biden got 69.9 percent of the vote in Fairfax County, compared to 28.0 percent for Trump, according to unofficial results posted by the Virginia Department of Elections. Biden carried the state … Continued
Election volunteers report no lines at polling places
No one is waiting to vote outside the Woodrow Wilson Library in Bailey’s Crossroads. There were no lanes at any of the four Mason District polling places the Annandale Blogger stopped by this afternoon. That’s presumably because so many people voted by mail or voted early in-person. A volunteer at Belvedere Elementary School said voters … Continued
Community members say Diamond Lounge should be shut down
A memorial to Samuel Njikang in the Diamond Lounge parking lot. Friends of Samuel Njikang, who was fatally shot outside the Diamond Lounge in Annandale Oct. 30, say the club should be shut down. Other community members have been complaining for years about unruly mobs and noise at the Diamond. According to the police, there … Continued
Anti-Semitic sign posted on JCC property
The Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia on Little River Turnpike just west of Annandale has again been targeted by anti-Semitic hate speech. A sign posted on the JCC property states “the Democrat platform is socialist.” The sign uses SS bolts, a Nazi symbol, instead of the letter “s,” and the letter “i”s appear … Continued
Fire at Seven Corners high rise caused by electrical issue
Firefighters put out fire at Seven Corners condo. [FCFRD] A fire at the Woodlake Tower Condominium in Seven Corners on Oct. 31 was caused by an overloaded multi-plug adapter in the dining room, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reports. The fire affected a unit on the third floor of a 10-story building in … Continued
Local artist displays political portraits in yard
A portrait of Joe Biden on a tree in Todd Crespi’s front yard. Lots of folks around here have political signs in their front yards, but artist Todd Crespi has gone a lot further. Crespi has decorated his yard, at the corner of Whispering Lane and Oakwood Drive in Annandale, with a rotating display of … Continued
Annandale Halloween scenes 2020
Halloween in 2020 might have been a bit more subdued this year with the COVID-19 pandemic going strong. But thanks to COVID and an intense election battle underway, there’s plenty to be scared about. Skeletons dominated the Halloween decorations in Annandale, while many residents put bags of candy on tables by the curb so they wouldn’t … Continued
Friends of Annandale homicide victim seek funds to help his mother with funeral costs
From the left: Samuel Njikang, his sister Vanessa, his brother Augustine, and their mother Elizabeth Dayeba. Samuel Njikang, the 27-year-old man killed outside the Diamond Lounge in Annandale, Oct. 30, is remembered by his close friend Jiji Kerolus as “really nice and very kind.” Njikang “was always smiling, always happy, and never got into trouble,” … Continued
Annandale woman assaulted in her home
The Fairfax County Police Department reports the following crimes in the Annandale/Mason District area this week. A woman said a man entered her apartment on the 7500 block of Little River Turnpike in Annandale at 1:40 p.m. on Oct. 29, stabbed her, and stole cash. She was taken to a hospital with injuries that were … Continued