Police offer more details on actions of fugitive
Police search for Assaye in Annandale. [James Lawler Duggan/Reuters] The Fairfax County Police Department has released more details on the efforts to catch fugitive Wossen Assaye March 31 in Annandale. Assaye, a convicted bank robber, had been under the watch of two contracted security guards at Inova Fairfax Hospital on Gallows Road. Shortly after 3 … Continued
Neighborhood comes together to raise funds for new playground
This old playground will be replaced. The Olde Forge and Surrey Square neighborhoods in Fairfax are getting a new playground, thanks a grant from Fairfax County, donations from local businesses, and a huge amount of work by local residents. The design for the new playground. When Olde Forge resident Joanne Elder’s son was a toddler … Continued
Resident seeks missing cockatiel
Lia, a female adult cockatiel, escaped from her home on Crane Drive in the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood on March 27. She weighs about 1 gram and is 10 to 12 inches long. Lia is mostly gray and white and has orange cheeks, a light yellow head and bottom tail feathers, and a high-pitched voice. She … Continued
County budget would end enforcement of grass ordinance
The owner of this healthy lawn received a warning from a community association. Local lawns could be a lot messier next year, if the Board of Supervisors agrees with a budget recommendation to eliminate enforcement of the grass ordinance. Some neighborhood groups are concerned that could lead to declining property values, deteriorating quality of life, … Continued
Sharpshooters take down seven deer at Green Spring Gardens
Deer at Green Spring Gardens. Fifty deer were killed in Mason District parks during the 2014-15 season, including seven shot by sharpshooters at Green Spring Gardens, says Katherine Edwards, the wildlife management specialist for Fairfax County. Archers using crossbows were responsible for the rest. Edwards gave a presentation at the third and final installment of … Continued
Police searching area for prisoner who escaped from Fairfax Hospital
Assaye [FCPD] Update: The suspect was captured and arrested in D.C., at the intersection of Minnesota Street and 25th Street, S.E., shortly before noon. — Police are searching the area for a prisoner who escaped from Inova Fairfax Hospital early Tuesday morning and is said to be “armed and dangerous.” According to news reports, the … Continued
County plans to close Annandale Adult Day Care Center
Clients enjoy a game of seated, balloon volleyball. The Annandale Adult Day Care Center, which serves people with mental and physical impairments, most of them in their 80s, could be shut down as the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors struggles to cut costs. Each county agency was asked to come up with a list of … Continued
Annandale Cleanup set for April 18
Some of the trash bags full of litter collected during the 2014 Annandale Cleanup. The Annandale Cleanup, an annual spring event, has been scheduled for April 18, beginning at 9 a.m. Everyone who cares about keeping our community attractive and litter free is encouraged to volunteer. The meeting point is in the parking lot at … Continued
Volunteers needed for meadow project at Americana Park
This grassy field at Americana Park will be transformed into a meadow. Annandale’s Americana Park is getting a facelift. A grassy field in the park that is subject to frequent flooding will be transformed into a meadow while invasive species will be replaced with native plants. Friends of Accotink Creek (FACC) is spearheading a planting … Continued
Repaving, bike lanes planned for Mason District
Evergreen Lane The Virginia Department of Transportation has confirmed that Annandale Road will be repaved this summer, Mason Supervisor Penny Gross told the audience at a public meeting on bicycle lanes March 25 at George Mason Regional Library. Repaving and bicycle lanes are also planned for Evergreen Lane, but that project has not yet been … Continued
Residents want a do-over of Seven Corners plan
Fairfax County staff and members of the Mason District Land Use Committee discuss Seven Corners. Residents of the Seven Corners community urged the Mason District Land Use Committee to defer a recommendation on the redevelopment plan approved by the Seven Corners Task Force. Their concerns about the plan were expressed at the MDLUC meeting March … Continued
James Lee community mourns football coach Frank Grant
The community lost a “quiet titan” when Frank Grant III, the football coach and commissioner of the James Lee Community Center Sports Association in Falls Church, died suddenly on March 18, reports Will Nelson, whose son used to play on the team. Grant, 51, suffered from a heart attack. A candlelight vigil is planned … Continued
Spectrum shopping center goes back to the drawing board
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted March 24 to “defer indefinitely” the rezoning application for the proposed Spectrum shopping center on Leesburg Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads. Following many discussions with the community and the developer, “we asked the developer to go back to the drawing board and rework the plan for the shopping center,” … Continued
Habitat for Humanity renovates bug-infested house for first-time homeowner
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia has turned a roach-infested, heavily damaged townhouse in Annandale into a beautifully redone home for a lower-income first-time homebuyer. The four-bedroom house at 4537 Garbo Court, in the Cavalcade community off Ravensworth Road, was donated to Habitat in winter 2014 by Mary Ann Elliott. Rev. Jon Smoot, the executive … Continued
Juvenile arrested for DWI, hit and run
A Fairfax County police officer attempted to stop the driver of a vehicle for suspected driving while intoxicated on March 22 at about 2 a.m. on Leesburg Pike near Nevius Street in the Culmore area. The driver gave chase, struck several parked vehicles, then attempted to flee on foot. When police captured the suspect, he … Continued