Local swimmers mourn loss of popular coach Clayton Joyner
Coach CJ with the Holmes Run swim team. More than 200 people, many of them members of the Falls Church High School and Holmes Run swim teams, gathered at the Holmes Run pool May 6 for a candlelight vigil to honor and remember swim coach Clayton Joyner. Joyner, just 29 years old, died May 5 … Continued
Planning Commission approves TD Bank at Pinecrest Plaza
The Pinecrest Exxon station features a mural facing Braddock Road. The Fairfax County Planning Commission approved a request for a zoning special exception May 7 allowing the construction of a TD Bank branch at 6566 Little River Turnpike in the Pinecrest Plaza shopping center. An Exxon gas station and auto service center on that 0.68-acre … Continued
Home repair scammers target the elderly
Keep an eye on your elderly neighbors, especially those at risk of being victimized by an unscrupulous home improvement contractors, Detective Ryan Young advised the public at the May 6 meeting of the Mason Police District’s Citizen Advisory Committee. In many cases, these solicitors, known as “woodchucks,” knock on doors and tell homeowners they can … Continued
Annual Bed Race in Annandale on May 10
John Marr Drive in Annandale will be turned into a speedway Saturday morning as teams representing local businesses, organizations, and public officials race hospital beds up and down the street. Some teams go to great lengths to decorate their beds. The action starts in front of Kmart at 10 a.m. The annual Bed Race is … Continued
Hit-a-Thon to raise funds for Mason District Little League
Help the Mason District Little League reach its fundraising goal by contributing to the league’s first annual Hit-a-Thon May 9 and 10. The MDLL is hoping to raise $16,000 so it can upgrade its aging equipment, get new uniforms, make improvements to the field and cage, pay for umpires, and provide scholarships to needy families. … Continued
FCPS begins principal selection process for Poe Middle School
Poe Middle School in Annandale. Five months after former Poe Middle School Principal Sonya Swansbrough was arrested for embezzlement, Fairfax County Public Schools officials met with Poe parents to explain the process for selecting a new principal. In recent weeks, complaints have surfaced from Poe staff and parents about a lack of communication from FCPS … Continued
Scene around A-Town: a red-tailed hawk
When a red-tailed hawk dropped in to visit the bird bath at Bob Kovacs’s home in the Columbia Pines community in Annandale, Bob had his camera ready and got this shot.
Planning Commission defers action on Pinecrest School expansion
The Pinecrest School building slated to be replaced. The Fairfax County Planning Commission is expected to approve a zoning amendment May 7 to allow the expansion of Pinecrest School in Annandale. Janet Hall, the planning commissioner representing Mason District, was prepared to recommend approval at the last meeting, May 1, but at the last minute … Continued
Sewage spill contaminates Lake Barcroft
Workers with Am-Liner East Inc. are repairing the sewer line next to the pumping station. A sewage spill connected with an ongoing project to rehabilitate the sewer line under Sleepy Hollow Road has led to the contamination of Lake Barcroft. Fairfax County posted signs around the lake stating: “Warning: Sanitary sewer overflow. Water in this … Continued
Family pets perish in Bailey’s Crossroads house fire
5972 Jan Mar Drive [photo from Google Maps] A house fire at 5972 Jan Mar Drive in Bailey’s Crossroads May 1 was caused by “an electrical anomaly in a second-floor bedroom,” according to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. A dog and a cat perished in the fire. The two people who lived at … Continued
Annandale Walgreens hosts bowling fundraiser for cancer research
The Annandale Walgreens invites the public to a bowling fundraiser at AMF Annandale Lanes Saturday, May 3, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., to raise money for the Ride to Conquer Cancer. The Ride to Conquer is a two-day bike ride in the countryside around Washington, D.C., Sept. 13-14. Walgreens is hoping to raise enough money to send … Continued
Annandale students take part in Montessori Model UN
The Montessori School of Northern Virginia delegation at the United Nations. A delegation of upper elementary students from the Montessori School of Northern Virginia in Annandale discovered the thrill and challenges of international diplomacy after taking part in the recent Montessori Model United Nations in New York. The group of four students prepared for months … Continued
Annandale waterways overflowing after rainstorm
Thanks to Annandale Blog reader James Tuttle for sending these photos of flooding along Holmes Run on the Annandale/Falls Church border, during a break in the heavy rains that inundated the area April 30. The water level was “higher than anyone in our family has ever seen it,” Tuttle says.
Smashburger coming to Bailey’s Crossroads
The Geico Claims Center at 5885 Leesburg Pike The new retail center planned for Leesburg Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads, on the site of the Geico claims center, will have a Smashburger restaurant and a CVS drugstore, said Peter Batten, a principal with Spectrum Development. Smashburger, based in Denver, is a fast-growing hamburger chain with 256 … Continued
BonChon Chicken opens in Annandale
BonChon Chicken is back in Annandale. A new BonChon outlet opened April 30 at 7215 Columbia Pike in the building accessible from the Giant parking lot that used to house the Bukyungwon restaurant, and before that Suldoga. The interior has been completely redone. The previous BonChon restaurant in Annandale, in the Willow Run Shopping Center … Continued