Mason District Little League begins season
Dozens of hopeful young baseball players, along with their parents and coaches, gathered at Mason District Park Saturday morning for a ceremony marking the opening day of the Mason District Little League. Following a parade of teams, Rep. Jim Moran, Mason Supervisor Penny Gross, and Mason school board member Sandy Evans offered welcoming remarks. The … Continued
An outdoor classroom will enhance learning at Belvedere Elementary School
Stepping stones wind through Belvedere’s new outdoor classroom. Students, teachers, parents, and the community celebrated the completion of an outdoor classroom at Belvedere Elementary School April 12. The school’s courtyard has been transformed into a plaza with tables and chairs surrounded by trees and plantings. “Our goal is to extend academic learning to the … Continued
Mixed-use redevelopment plan proposed for Landmark Mall
The area outlined in blue would be redeveloped. Before Landmark Mall was transformed into a two-level enclosed shopping mall in 1990, it was an open-air shopping center. It could revert to that structure again, if the City of Alexandria approves a plan submitted by the Howard Hughes Corp. April 11 to redevelop the central portion … Continued
Plans drawn up for Annandale ‘skate spot’
The plan proposed by the county. Fairfax County officials have drawn up preliminary plans for a “skate spot” at the old basketball court between the Annandale Fire Station and the Annandale Christian Community for Action building on Columbia Pike. All that’s needed now to make it happen is the money. Implementing the plan would cost … Continued
Fairfax County provides funds for road projects
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors greenlighted several road projects in the Annandale/Mason area, including improvements addressing pedestrian issues on Route 50 and congestion on Route 236 at Interstate-395, Beauregard Street, and Cherokee Avenue. At its April 9 meeting, the board reallocated $11.2 million in existing funds to complete more than 12 transportation projects countywide. … Continued
Behind the Annandale newsstand: Is it a junkyard or a ‘shop’?
Yard behind the newsstand as it looked on April 6. During the Annandale Cleanup on Saturday morning, Cyra Doty and her fellow volunteers were disgusted by a huge pile of junk behind Anna ’N Dales Newsstand and Advance Electronics on 7025 Columbia Pike.What appears to be trash, though, is apparently part of a small engine … Continued
Lubbock, Texas, Superintendent Karen Garza selected FCPS superintendent
Garza Karen Garza, the superintendent of the Lubbock, Texas, school system, is the “preferred candidate” to be the next superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, “pending final negotiations for employment and a successful site visit,” the school board announced April 10. Garza would succeed Jack Dale, who is retiring, effective July 1. The school board … Continued
Seven Corners Task Force urged to consider need for new schools
Students head into Bailey’s Elementary School. Schools are “change agents” that can spur community revitalization and business investment, Dan Parris, Fairfax County Public Schools assistant superintendent for Cluster 3, told the Seven Corners Land Use and Transportation Task Force April 9. Parris urged the task force to incorporate new school facilities into the revitalization plan … Continued
Farewell to ‘Darling,’ the nature center snake
Darling swallows a mouse. An eastern rat snake that had lived at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale for 20 years has passed away. Naturalists don’t name exhibit animals—because they aren’t pets and shouldn’t be humanized—but staff members referred to the snake as Darling. He arrived in 1993, when a homeowner found some snake eggs … Continued
Volunteers sought for Accotink Creek cleanups
Friends of Accotink Creek hosted a cleanup at Lake Accotink April 6, as part of the annual Potomac Watershed Cleanup. Who wants to take a walk along a local stream and find it full of plastic bottles, tires, shopping cars, and all sorts of junk? Local residents who care about the environment and the quality … Continued
The American lawn: A product in search of a need
A well-cared-for lawn in Annandale. By Jim McGlone Americans “farm” 40 million acres of lawn. That’s an area the size of Ol’ Virginny (modern Virginia and West Virginia). Lawn is the largest “crop” in the state of Maryland. Fairfax County lawn farmers buy more nitrogen than farmers in any other county of the Commonwealth. How … Continued
Fairfax County/school board exploring opportunities for shared facilities
A joint working group made up of Fairfax County supervisors and school board members is exploring the county’s capital needs and creative ways to fund new projects—including opportunities for shared facilities. The Capital Facilities and Debt Management Working Group was convened by Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova to respond to concerns raised by the … Continued
Virginia transportation bill is a step in the right direction
Saslaw speaks at the Legislative Town Hall. The landmark transportation bill passed by the Virginia General Assembly last week is far from perfect, but it provides a badly needed infusion of new money and sets a precedent for recognizing the needs of Northern Virginia, lawmakers representing the Annandale area told constituents at a Legislative Town … Continued
Landmark area residents stage rally to protest I-395 ramp
Citing health dangers, local residents want Gov. McDonnell to halt the ramp construction. Dozens of local residents took part in a rally Saturday morning to protest a flyover ramp under construction on Interstate 395 that will lead to more traffic congestion, resulting in unacceptably high levels of air pollution. The ramp will be used to … Continued
Volunteers clean up Annandale
Volunteers pick up trash in Poe Terrace Park. There’s a lot less litter in Annandale today, thanks to the dozens of volunteers who took part in the annual Annandale Cleanup Saturday morning. Boy Scout Troop 150 based at Annandale United Methodist Church, the Korean American Association of the Washington Metropolitan Area, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s … Continued