Proposed budget would raise real estate taxes and impose a new admissions tax
The Fairfax County Government Center Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill presented an FY 2021 advertised budget to the Board of Supervisors Feb. 25 that calls for a 3-cent increase in the real estate tax rate and a new 4 percent admissions tax. The 3-cent increase would bring the real estate tax rate to $1.18 per … Continued
Real estate assessments rise 2.65 percent
Fairfax County residential real estate assessments for 2020 are up an average of 2.65 percent countywide over the 2019 rate. In Mason District the average assessment rose 3.57 percent. The average assessment for all homes countywide is $580,272, compared to $565,292 last year. The average assessed value for single-family detached homes countywide is $692,409, a … Continued
FCPS responds to coronavirus concerns
Fairfax County Public Schools has suspended all international field trips and short-term visits to and from counties identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as at risk for coronavirus, FCPS announced Feb. 26. Currently there are no cases of COVID-19 infection (the official name of coronavirus) in Fairfax County, in Virginia, or in … Continued
EYA describes plan for townhouse development at Graham Park Plaza
An illustration of the townhouses proposed by EYA for the Graham Park Plaza property. The EYA real estate development company is planning a 180-unit townhouse community on the western part of the Graham Park Plaza shopping center on Arlington Boulevard. The stores in that area have already closed. This project replaces a mixed-use apartment and retail … Continued
Keep the 3A and 29W Metrobus routes, residents tell WMATA
A sign at the WMATA hearing. Eliminating the 3A and 29W bus routes would create hardships for many commuters, local residents told the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority Board at a budget hearing Feb. 23. One resident of Westlawn said she organizes her life around the 3A bus. She bought her house because it is close … Continued
School news roundup
Second graders at Bailey’s Elementary School harvested lettuce, spinach, and radishes grown all winter in the school’s hoop tunnel garden. The news items and photos here about schools in the Annandale/Mason District are from Fairfax County Public Schools or individual schools. Teaching acceptance – February is “Acceptance Month” at Camelot Elementary School. Administrators, teachers, counselors, … Continued
Volunteer sought for Annandale Farmers Market
The Farmers Market at Mason District Park. Britepaths seeks a “highly motivated” volunteer to coordinate the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) program at the Annandale Farmers Market. The market, at Mason District Park, operates on Thursday mornings, beginning May 7. The volunteer coordinator would need to be there 7 … Continued
Girl Scouts help families at Ronald McDonald House
Members of Girl Scout Troop 5655 helped brighten the lives of families undergoing difficult times by cooking dinner for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House at Inova Fairfax Hospital on Presidents’ Day. The girls, Mireille, Sydney, Eleanor, and Eva, are students at Annandale and Justice high schools. They made pasta with goat cheese and … Continued
Principal Johnson leaving Sleepy Hollow Elementary School
Johnson [FCPS] Eric Johnson is leaving Sleepy Hollow Elementary School, where he has been principal since 2016, to take on a similar role at Cameron Elementary School in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County. Johnson’s last day at Sleepy Hollow is Feb. 28. The FCPS Region 2 office will schedule a community meeting soon on … Continued
Buttigieg tells crowd he is the best bet to defeat Trump
Pete Buttigieg speaks to a large crowd at the Washington-Liberty High School football stadium in Arlington. Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg told the crowd at a rally in Arlington Feb. 23 he is the only candidate who can bring the country together and attract enough independent voters to defeat Trump. The former South Bend, Ind., mayor … Continued
Springdale community celebrates Black History Month
A few of the family photos on display at the Black History Program at Bailey’s Community Center. Residents of the historically black community of Springdale in Bailey’s Crossroads celebrated their heritage at a Black History Month program at Bailey’s Community Center Feb. 22. The program honored the history and life of the community with music, … Continued
Public invited to governor’s Diversity Forum
Add caption Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s office is hosting five Diversity Forums around the state, including one at the James Lee Community Center, March 25, 6-8:30 p.m. At these sessions, members of the community can provide input on Virginia’s first-ever Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence. The James Lee Community Center is at 2855 … Continued
Police solve 22-year-old cold case
A composite sketch of the suspect in 1998 and a photo of Juan Johnson taken in Charles County, Md., in 2004. [FCPD] The Cold Case Squad in the Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes Bureau identified an offender in a sexual assault case that occurred in Mason District in August 1998. The suspect had posed … Continued
Sidewalk project funded for Columbia Pike
A sidewalk is planned for this section of Columbia Pike in Annandale. The Transportation Planning Board (TPB) at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments approved $780,000 for the first phase of the Columbia Pike Complete Streets project. That is one of seven projects, totaling $5.5 million, approved by the TPB Feb. 19 aimed at expanding … Continued
Vandal targets Ring cameras at the Parliaments
Vandalism at the Parliaments captured on a Ring doorbell. [WJLA] Fairfax County Police are investigating vandalism at the Parliaments apartment community in Annandale, in which someone has spray painted peepholes in doors and Ring video doorbells, according to a Feb. 19 “7 On Your Side” report on WJLA. The news program quotes one resident who … Continued