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

When it comes to distance learning, this Annandale private school gets it right

A Pinecrest student participates in a Zoom session. By Nick Wakeman The headlines about distance learning have not been encouraging with Fairfax County Public Schools online classes shut down for a variety of reasons – problems logging in to security lapses to inappropriate student behavior. But there are bright spots in the county, including right … Continued

Health experts call for aggressive actions to halt COVID

Hundreds of scientists and health experts are urging Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to take more aggressive action to stamp out coronavirus. An open letter to Northam calls for the following “low-cost, high-impact actions to zero out COVID-19 in Virginia”: Empower local governments Maximize social distancing Require mask usage Deploy approaches that have worked elsewhere to … Continued

COVID takes a big bite out of county budget

Fairfax County Chief Financial Officer Joe Mondoro and Mason Supervisor Penny Gross speak at a virtual Mason District Budget Town Hall.  A virtual budget town hall hosted by Mason Supervisor Penny Gross revealed how much Fairfax County’s economic picture has been upended by the coronavirus pandemic. At the last Mason District budget town hall, on … Continued

A school board member answers questions about the Blackboard failure

Kindergarten teachers have a message for their students. [FCPS] The failure of Blackboard Learn 24-7 as a key piece of Fairfax County Public Schools’ distance learning program has raised many questions about how it happened and what the school system is doing to move forward. School board member Rachna Sizemore Heizer (at large), who has … Continued

Annandale townhouse fire starts in kitchen

Firefighters respond to Fountain Head Drive in Annandale. {FCFRD] A townhouse fire in Annandale on April 26 was caused by a malfunction in a gas range, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reports. Fire units were dispatched to the 7400 block of Fountain Head Drive at 7:43 p.m. Smoke was visible in the two-story … Continued

Northam: Virginia could begin easing COVID restrictions May 8 at the earliest

Paige Bordwine (right), southwest regional epidemiologist for the Virginia Department of Health, talks about COVID-19 testing at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke. [Virginia Tech] Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says the restrictions in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 won’t be lifted until certain data thresholds are met. If the positive trends continue, … Continued

Personal hygiene donations needed

The Fairfax County Communities of Trust Committee has launched the Help from the Heart Community Drive to collect personal hygiene and cleaning products for families and individuals facing hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Items can be dropped at collection boxes at all eight Fairfax County police stations, including the Mason Police Station at 6507 Columbia … Continued

Metro to close nine stations, including East Falls Church, all summer

A Metro platform before reconstruction. [Photos: WMATA] Metro is closing all stations on the Silver and Orange lines west of Ballston, beginning May 23. That includes the East Falls Church, West Falls Church, Dunn Loring, and Vienna stations on the Orange Line and the McLean, Tysons, Greensboro, Spring Hill, and Wiehle-Reston East station on the … Continued

FCPS IT chief steps down

Luftglass Maribeth Luftglass has stepped down from her job as head of IT at Fairfax County Public Schools, following the school system’s disastrous experience with distance learning, several news outlets report. Luftglass had been assistant superintendent of information and technology since 1999. Chief Operating Officer Marty Smith will take over the IT department on an … Continued

More details emerge on Skyline revitalization project

The project calls for less concrete and more green space. Developer Robert Seldin, the CEO of Highland Square Holdings, plans to repurpose three office buildings at Skyline Center in Bailey’s Crossroads as residential/work space units, while transforming the concrete setting into an engaging urban park. Seldin and land use attorney Mike Van Atta described their … Continued