Green Spring Gardens holds a holiday open house
The public is invited to a festively decorated Green Spring Gardens Dec. 4, 1-4 p.m., for a free Gardeners’ Holiday Open House. The Blue Sky Puppet Theatre will perform a holiday children’s show at 2 p.m. Tickets are $3 and can be purchased in advance. Also on hand: a collection of German nutcrackers, Lionel toy … Continued
Attorneys with Just Neighbors help immigrants resolve legal problems
When local immigrants need legal help, Just Neighbors provides a lifeline. The nonprofit organization based in Bailey’s Crossroads was established 15 years ago “in response to the lack of immigrant legal services for the community,” says Executive Director Rob Rutland-Brown. Just Neighbors helps people apply for green cards and other documents they need to stay … Continued
Church members raise produce for the poor at Annandale’s Pine Ridge Park
Volunteers working at the Bo White Gardens Lots of people take advantage of Fairfax County’s community gardens program to grow vegetables for their families. A group of dedicated volunteers from Columbia Baptist Church has taken the concept to another level. They are using a garden plot at Pine Ridge Park in Annandale—along with other gardens—to … Continued
Voter turnout in Mason District was down 3 percent
The election is over—and most of the campaign signs have been taken down—but the results are still being analyzed. Voter turnout was down 1 percent this year county wide compared to 2007. In Mason District, turnout was down 3 percent. There doesn’t seem to be a countywide pattern, with turnout also down in Braddock, Providence, … Continued
Scene around A-town: Come and sit a spell in front of this Annandale home
This Annandale ranch house has three bedrooms, a finished basement, and two full bathrooms plus two half-baths. Very convenient – no need to interrupt your yardwork by going inside for potty breaks. You can’t tell from the photo, but this is actually the front of the house.
Kory’s Report from Richmond: Water supply concerns continued
By Del. Kaye Kory My serious concerns about the governor’s proposal to withdraw Virginia from the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) have been reinforced upon reading the letter Secretary of Natural Resources Doug Domenech wrote to me in order to calm my fears. Mr. Domenech states that withdrawal from the ICPRB will … Continued
Park bond will be on 2012 ballot
A $50 million parks bond will be on the 2012 ballot, said Fairfax County Parks Authority Director John Dargle Jr. at a “listening forum” at Green Spring Gardens Nov. 17. Annandale-area projects to be funded by the bond include improvements to the athletic fields and parking lot at Pine Ridge Park and improvements at Pinecrest … Continued
Brian Butler named principal of new Annandale elementary school
Butler Brian Butler, the principal of Mount Eagle Elementary School, has been appointed the first principal of the new elementary school under construction at the Lacey site in Annandale. Butler will begin his new job Jan. 3, 2012, Dan Parris, Cluster III assistant superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools announced Nov. 18. “With a focus … Continued
New Mexican restaurant planned for Annandale at site of former gas station
A restaurant called Bueno Mexican Grill is planned for 7023 Columbia Pike in Annandale next to Evergreen Lane. A vacant gray building that used to house a Shell gas station has been on that site for years. The owner of the property, Charles Lee, expects the restaurant to open in mid-March. It will be independent, … Continued
Mistakes on voter cards led to confusion at the polls
We warned you that there might be problems on Election Day, and there were—a lot more than usual, according to a poll watcher. More than 2,200 people countywide received voter cards from the Fairfax County Office of Elections with errors—such as the wrong precinct or polling place. Many of the mistakes failed to account for … Continued
Annandale real estate market showed gains in October
According to statistics provided by our real estate contributor, Vivianne Couts of Coldwell Banker, the housing market in Annandale appears to be picking up, compared to a year ago. In October 2011, the average price of homes sold in zip code 22003 is up 11.3 percent, the average median price of homes sold is up … Continued
Plans approved for new Bailey’s Crossroads fire station
A drawing of the new fire station Plans have been approved for a new fire station in Bailey’s Crossroads to replace the building damaged during a snowstorm in February 2010. Heavy snowfall caused the roof to collapse, and a temporary tent-like structure has protected the station’s vehicles since then. Construction of a new, larger fire … Continued
Police seek man who tried to enter woman’s car near Unique Thrift Store
Fairfax County Police are investigating a “suspicious event” that took place nearly three weeks ago at the Fairfax Plaza Shopping Center, 2950 Gallows Road, Merrifield, involving an intruder who tried to enter a woman’s car. That is the same shopping center where Vanessa Pham was spotted, and possibly abducted, just minutes before she was stabbed … Continued
Ceremony marks sesquicentennial of Lincoln’s Grand Review
Hundreds of Civil War re-enactors, members of the military, and spectators commemorated the sesquicentennial of President Lincoln’s Grand Review of the Troops Saturday at Fort McNair in southeast Washington, D.C. The event, along with related activities last weekend, including a Grand Ball, history conference, concert, and history mobile—all in the Bailey’s Crossroads area—were sponsored by … Continued
Teen charged with setting fire to Annandale house
Fairfax County fire investigators charged a 14-year-old male juvenile with intentionally setting a fire at an Annandale home, the Fire and Rescue Department reported Nov. 14. The Nov. 8 fire, at a single-family house in the 3900 block of Bruce Lane, in the Columbia Pines neighborhood, caused approximately $35,000 in damages to the siding, eaves, and … Continued