New COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County are declining
Members of a rapid response team prepare to enter a COVID-19 hotspot, such as an assisted living or skilled nursing facility. [Fairfax County Health Department] The number of new COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County is declining. There have been fewer than 100 new cases every day for the past week. There were just 13 new … Continued
Fairfax County School Board to consider three ‘return to school’ scenarios
Families celebrate Annandale High School graduates. [FCPS] Fairfax County Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand presented three potential scenarios for reopening schools – virtual education only, opening buildings with health guidelines, and a hybrid model – at a school board work session June 15. The school board is holding a virtual public hearing on the “return to … Continued
Police report: assault, robbery, school break-in
Among recent crimes reported by the Fairfax County Police Department, there was a disorderly conduct incident at Bill Page Honda, 6715 Arlington Blvd., on June 12. Officers responded at 4:45 p.m. to a call about a man who assaulted a woman and was screaming at employees. Gregory Sharp Jr., 34, of Washington, D.C., assaulted an … Continued
Annandale resident seriously injured in fire
Firefighters respond to fire on Airlie Way. [FCFRD] The resident of a home in the 4500 block of Airlie Way in Annandale was seriously injured in a townhouse fire Sunday evening. She was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, the Fairfax County Fire Department reports. One of the four other occupants was alerted to … Continued
During pandemic, Annandale preschool reaches out to children at home
Sleepy Hollow Preschool teachers say goodbye to the children at a drive-by end-of-year celebration. Sleepy Hollow Preschool has been continuously operating in Annandale for 70 years – and when the coronavirus pandemic struck, it found an innovative way to keep going. The school, located in rented space at John Calvin Presbyterian Church on … Continued
Annandale restaurants open for indoor dining
Inside The Block. As Fairfax County moved into Phase 2 on Friday, many Annandale restaurants are opening up for indoor dining. Among the restaurants that have opened their dining rooms, Honey Pig and Cue Club on Columbia Pike and Manoa Bakery Café on Little River Turnpike are the only ones we found that said they are checking … Continued
Real Food for Kids hands out free pizzas in Annandale
Real Food for Kids has been handing out free pizzas every weekend in Annandale for the past two months to help families struggling with food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic. The group had 300 pizzas to give away Saturday afternoon at the ACCA Child Development Center in Annandale and will distribute 250 more beginning at … Continued
A call to action from the TJ principal
The principal of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Ann Bonitatibus, acknowledges there are significant issues that need to be addressed. The following excerpt is from an email Bonitatibus sent to TJ families. It was published in the Connection on June 9. “I would like to simultaneously call the TJ community to action in three … Continued
Very few black students accepted to TJ
Thomas Jefferson High School is on Braddock Road in Mason District. Updated June 15. Of the 486 students accepted to the Class 2024 at the elite Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ), very few of them are African American and only 16 are Hispanic, Fairfax County Public Schools reports. [Clarification: School officials … Continued
More Fairfax County park facilities open today
Mason District Park in Annandale. The Fairfax County Park Authority will begin opening additional park facilities on Friday, June 12, as the region moves into Phase 2 in the process of easing COVID-19 restrictions. Here’s what Phase 2 means for county parks: Athletic fields – open for organized and permitted use based on the Virginia … Continued
Bear spotted in Annandale
The bear takes a rest in an Annandale backyard. A young black bear has been spotted in Annandale in recent days – on Garlot Drive in the Camelot neighborhood, Lutrell Road, and Queen Elizabeth Boulevard – and further west, on El James Drive, Red Fox Drive, and other locations in the Braddock District. The bear … Continued
Fairfax County board chair creates task force on equity
Local residents march for racial justice along Columbia Pike in Annandale. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, at its June 9 meeting, issued a statement condemning the “senseless murder of George Floyd” and affirming that “Black Lives Matter.” Board chair Jeffrey McKay announced plans to form a Task Force on Equity and Opportunity to “bring … Continued
New lane on I-395 opens June 12
Smooth sailing on I-395 southbound. (VDOT) A new, fourth travel lane is scheduled to open on or about this Friday, June 12, on Interstate 395 southbound between Duke Street and Edsall Road, the Virginia Department of Transportation reports. The new travel lane will provide additional capacity in a busy stretch of I-395. It is part … Continued
Northam reveals guidelines for opening schools
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued guidelines June 9 for reopening preK-12 schools for the 2020-21 school year. Whether school buildings will open or not, all schools must offer new instruction. Fairfax County school buildings have been closed since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in mid-March, and all instruction has been virtual since then. State guidelines call … Continued
Northam says Northern Virginia is ready for Phase 2
Northam Northern Virginia can enter Phase 2 of the state’s plan to ease Covid-19 restrictions on Friday, June 12, Gov. Ralph Northam announced today. According to Northam, positive Covid-19 tests have declined to about 10 percent of tests given in Northern Virginia and are trending downward. The region is two weeks behind the rest of … Continued