Free tax help available
If you’re starting to get anxious about filing your taxes, calm down. Free assistance is available to lower-income taxpayers through the AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide program and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The deadline for filing federal taxes this year is Monday, April 18, because Emancipation Day, April 16, is a holiday in the … Continued
Real estate insights: Part 2
This 3,200-square foot house on Ridge Road in Columbia Pines is on the market for $625,000. It has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. [Zillow’ This is the second of a two-part series on the local real estate market, focusing on the single-family neighborhoods of Broyhill Crest, Columbia Pines, and Sleepy Hollow Woods. Part 1 was … Continued
Real estate insights: Part 1
This 2,340-square foot house on Donna Circle in Broyhill Crest is on the market for $442,900. It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. [Zillow] How quickly are homes selling? Why does one house sell faster or for more money than a similar house on the same street? Is house flipping on the increase? Is it … Continued
New Mason police commander outlines challenges facing FCPD
Capt. Christian Quinn and Lt. Chantel Cochrane. The Fairfax County Police Department is facing a lot of changes and challenges, says the Mason Police District’s new commander, Capt. Christian Quinn, a 20-year veteran of the FCPD. Quinn and Lt. Chantel Cochrane, the station’s new second-in-command who’s also been with the police force for 20 years, … Continued
Sale of retail center supports Mosaic District expansion
Unique and CubeSmart to be redeveloped. Retail Properties of America Inc. (RPAI) announced Jan. 25 that it purchased “Merrifield II,” part of the Fairfax Plaza shopping center on Gallows Road next to the Mosaic District, for $45.7 million, smoothing the way for redevelopment. The 138,000-square foot property acquired by RPI includes the part of the … Continued
Proposed park bond omits renovation for Audrey Moore RECenter
The fitness room at the Audrey Moore RECenter. If you swim, work out, play racquetball, take a class, or otherwise enjoy the Audrey Moore RECenter, this is a critical time to let public officials know that the aging, heavily used recreation facility needs major improvements. Audrey Moore RECenter at Wakefield Park in Annandale, the county’s … Continued
ACCA childcare center wants to expand
The Annandale Adult Day Center occupied some rooms on the right side of the building. The departure of the Annandale Adult Day Center from the building at 7200 Columbia Pike has left some vacant space that the ACCA Child Development Center (CDC) would like to expand into. The CDC, a full-day, affordable child care program … Continued
Harris-Teeter employee is top winner in Virginia Lottery’s Cash4Life game
The Virginia Lottery presents Michael Donnelly with a giant check. The winning “Cash4Life” lottery ticket purchased at the Harris-Teeter in Barcroft Plaza was bought by the store’s customer service manager, Michael Donnelly, “by mistake,” the Virginia Lottery reported Jan. 29. Donnelly, a resident of Woodbridge, hadn’t intended to play Cash4Life. Instead, like millions of people … Continued
The Virginia primary: 10 things you need to know
(1) The presidential primary in Virginia is Tuesday, March 1, but absentee voting by mail has already started. You can either vote in the Democratic or Republican party primary – not both. (2) Voters in the Democratic primary have three choices: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, or Martin O’Malley. (3) The Republican primary ballot lists these … Continued
Friends group forming for Oak Hill Park
An overgrown trail in Oak Hill Park. [Glen Erickson Bell] Oak Hill Park in Annandale has long been neglected by the Fairfax County Park Authority. Nearby residents have done some maintenance on their own over the years, but now Glen Erickson Bell is mobilizing his neighbors to become more active advocates by creating a friends … Continued
School overcrowding not a problem any more? Enrollment growth slows
Modular units, like these classrooms at Glen Forest Elementary School, don’t count when determining whether a school is overcrowded. For the last couple of years, there were lots of complaints about how nearly all the schools in the Annandale/Mason District area were overcrowded and getting worse. Now, it doesn’t seem to be such a problem … Continued
Annandale/Mason digs out after monster snowstorm
Kids scale a snow mountain in the Annandale Shopping Center parking lot. Two days after a monster snowstorm dumped as much as 30 inches of snow in some areas of Northern Virginia, residents of the Annandale /Mason area are still snowed in. Local Nextdoor message boards are full of complaints about unplowed streets, cars stuck … Continued
Scene around A-Town: Snowzilla!
A monster snowstorm deserves a monster snowman. Sherveen Gharangik and his little sister, Meena, spent eight hours, creating this humungous, 10-15-foot high snow monster that dwarfs their house on Oakwood Drive, Falls Church.
Therapy dog helps children connect
Katie Miller, who uses a therapy dog, Ryder, to connect with children at the Phillips Special Education Day School in Annandale, was named “Related Services Provider of the Year” by the National Association of Private Special Education Centers. Ryder, an affectionate golden retriever mix, was trained as a service dog. Miller uses Ryder as a … Continued
Townhouses planned for Heritage Mall
There’s a field and parking lot behind Heritage Mall. There a plan in the works to build 68 single-family attached housing units behind the Heritage Mall shopping center on Heritage Drive in Annandale. The proposal also includes a community center, improved pedestrian connectivity, and improvements to the shopping center parking lot and plaza area. The … Continued