July 11, 2026
Covering Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia

Harris-Teeter employee is top winner in Virginia Lottery’s Cash4Life game

#lottery, #shopping
1

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

#elections, #voting
1

(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

#nature, #parks, #volunteers

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

#Falls Church High School, #school board, #schools, #Willston Center
16

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

Scene around A-Town: Snowzilla!

6

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

#animals, #children, #pets, #schools
1

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

#housing, #land use, #redevelopment
7

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

Blizzard causes Inova to postpone move into new building

#health, #Inova, #weather

Inova Fairfax Hospital’s planned move into its brand-new 11-story Women’s and Children’s Hospital scheduled for this weekend has been delayed until next weekend due to the snowstorm. The Women’s Hospital has 192 private patient rooms, a surgery center with eight operating rooms,33 childbirth and recovery suites, six cesarean-section rooms, a high-risk perinatal unit, family-centered maternity … Continued

Heater causes fire in Falls Church home

#fires
1

A ceiling heater in a home’s master bedroom caused a fire at 6205 Cheryl Drive, Falls Church, Jan. 21, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reports.  Damage is estimated at $80,000. 6205 Cheryl Drive [Google Maps] When firefighters arrived, at approximately 8:15 p.m., they encountered smoke and fire in the attic. The occupants, two … Continued

Supervisors approve Spectrum retail center in Bailey’s Crossroads

#Bailey's Crossroads, #Gross, #land use, #redevelopment, #restaurants, #shopping, #zoning
21

Spectrum’s latest design for the shopping center on Route 7. After many deferrals and revisions over the past year and a-half, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors finally approved a rezoning request to allow Spectrum Development to build a shopping center on Leesburg Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads. “We now have a more viable and agreeable … Continued

The Congressional Schools give back

#schools, #volunteers

More than 100 students and volunteers took part in the second annual Service Day hosted by The Congressional Schools of Virginia on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 18. Participants made 240 “power packs” full of snacks for students at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School, delivered five boxes of clothes and shoes to the Willston Multicultural Center … Continued