An unusual evening of mind reading
Derek Jasper By David Siegel Local audience demand has been so robust that Evan Hoffmann, artistic director of NextStop Theatre in Herndon, said he “had to bring back Derek Jasper to the NextStop stage for a third time. It will be an evening of live entertainment like no other.” Jasper is a magician, mentalist, and … Continued
Child honored for saving his family during fire
Taeloire, with firefighters, Ravensworth Principal Roxanne Salata, and his parents. [FCFRD] Firefighters from the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department, Station 8, came to Ravensworth Elementary School March 6 to present a Life Saving Award to Taeloire, a third grader, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reports. Taeloire was credited with saving his family when his … Continued
African American women of the past appear at Annandale library
From the left: Patricia Tyson, Bobbie Coles, Cavon Dixon, Jeremiah Brown, Carol Gordon, and Judy Williams. Frances Ann Rollin was a writer who scored an early civil rights victory. Hallie Quinn Brown was a leader in education and women’s rights. Elizabeth Taylor was an accomplished singer, and Hattie was a slave who lived in obscurity. … Continued
School news: Rocket science
Students at Luther Jackson Middle School teach art to classmates with disabilities. [FCPS] An occasional series highlighting programs and activities at schools in the Annandale/Mason District area. The information here is from Fairfax County Public Schools and individual schools. Annandale High School students are taking part in the Team America Rocketry Challenge, one of the world’s biggest … Continued
Expansion of townhouse development proposed
A completed section of Ambrose Hills and a new tot lot. Stanley Martin Cos., the developer of the Ambrose Hills townhouse development on Columbia Pike and Powell Lane, is requesting a rezoning to build five more homes on a small parcel it acquired a couple of years ago, long after the rest of the property … Continued
Public officials, religious leaders denounce anti-Semitic attacks and bomb threats
Rep. Gerry Connolly at the podium, surrounded by public officials. [Jamie Smith] Government leaders and the heads of various religious institutions appeared at a news conference at the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia March 3 to denounce the recent wave of anti-Semitic vandalism and intimidation nationwide. Hundreds of gravestones were toppled at Jewish cemeteries … Continued
Two bodies found in park as gang activity on the rise
FCPD Chief Roessler speaks to the press. [FCPD] The gang problem “is out of control,” said Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler March 3 at a news briefing on Crater Place in Parklawn on the discovery of two sets of human remains in Holmes Run Stream Valley Park. The remains were found March 2 … Continued
Huge spa planned for Mason District
This would be the future home of Spa Forest. There are plans to transform a vacant four-story office building in an industrial-zoned area in Mason District into a huge health spa. Spa Forest, as it will be known, will have several soaking pools, saunas, an indoor swimming pool, an infinity pool on a rooftop deck, … Continued
HHGregg store in Bailey’s Crossroads will close
A typical HHGregg store. The HHGregg store on Columbia Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads is among 88 stores nationwide that are closing as the company struggles financially. The closings, to be completed by mid-April, also affect HHGregg stores in Fairfax and Springfield. “We are strategically exiting markets and stores that are not financially profitable for us,” … Continued
Mexican restaurant opens in Annandale
There’s a new restaurant – Baja Bistro Fresh Mex Grille – in the Bradlick Shopping Center in Annandale, and it’s owned by local residents, Youness and Kristina Boukhlifi of Edsall Park. It’s a “quick-service, casual restaurant,” says Kristina, and “everything is made fresh in house.” That includes the guacamole and salsa, ranging from medium to … Continued
Board approves land swap in Bailey’s Crossroads
The current land ownership in the Southeast Quadrant of Bailey’s Crossroads. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a land swap with the Weissberg Corp. at the same site in Bailey’s Crossroads where a similar deal with AvalonBay fell through last year. The agreement, approved March 1, paves the way for new housing, “a … Continued
More details emerge on new Bailey’s Crossroads homeless shelter
A conceptual sketch of the new shelter. Fairfax County staff shared more details on the new Bailey’s Crossroads Community Shelter at a meeting of the Mason District Land Use Committee Feb. 28. The 21,000-square-foot, three-story building, with a full cellar, will be on a half-acre site on Seminary Road, close to the intersection with Columbia … Continued
Woman sexually assaulted in Annandale
Ahmed [FCPD] A 27-year-old woman was sexually assaulted Feb. 28 in Annandale, the Fairfax County Police Department reports. The victim reported she was moving out of her apartment around 3 p.m. on the 7900 block of John Adams Court and was walking back and forth from the parking lot when a man approached her. He … Continued
Issues for the Lincolnia Task Force to consider
Landmark Plaza on Little River Turnpike and Beauregard Street. By Nazir Bhagat The charge before the Lincolnia Planning District Study Task Force is to create a vision of a more distant future that will guide development of the area in the next decade or two. I expect the task force to eventually produce some broad … Continued
Party with us at the Coach CJ Celebration
Fun times at the 2016 Coach CJ Celebration. Enjoy a fun family-friendly social event while supporting a good cause. You’re all invited to the third annual Coach CJ Celebration Saturday, March 4, at the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department social hall, 7128 Columbia Pike, 7-11 p.m. It’s a fundraiser for Clayton Joyner Memorial Scholarships in honor … Continued