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

Painful funding cuts outlined at Mason Budget Town Hall

 From the left: Mason Supervisor Penny Gross, school board member Sandy Evans, and County Executive Ed Long. Of all the funding cuts in the Fairfax County advertised budget for 2016, one will hit some Annandale families especially hard: The budget would terminate the Annandale Adult Day Care Center located in the former Annandale Elementary School … Continued

Proposed Fairfax County budget would impose huge cut in library staff

George Mason Regional Library in Annandale (above) would be affected under a budget proposal to cut  library staff. The following statement from a Fairfax County resident was originally published in the Fairfax Library Advocates blog. Even though Fairfax County Public Libraries consume barely seven-tenths of 1 percent of the county budget, they are being asked … Continued

New county building brings health services to Merrifield area

The interior of the building has a nature theme. Staff from various mental health, substance abuse, and other programs operated by the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board have begun moving into the agency’s new building at 8221 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive in Merrifield. Staff from youth services programs began moving in first in mid-January. When … Continued

Bulova defends decision calling for audit of library friends

Following complaints by various library supporters about the Board of Supervisors’ Dec. 2 decision to impose an audit on friends of the library groups, Chair Sharon Bulova issued a lengthy statement explaining her reasons for the audit. Terry Maynard of the Reston Citizens Association’s Reston 2020 Coordinating Committee, Kathy Kaplan, a library volunteer and advocate, … Continued

Health programs moving to new Merrifield Center next month

Merrifield Center Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) programs that are currently based in offices on Woodburn Road, Annandale, and other locations in Fairfax County and Falls Church will be moving in January to the new Merrifield Center building at 8221 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive, near the Route 50/Gallows Road intersection. The CSB is a … Continued

Concerns about empty library shelves

George Mason Library in Annandale has lots of empty shelf space. Library advocates are concerned about the increasingly empty shelves at Fairfax County libraries—and what an aggressive discard policy could mean for the future of the system. That’s why a June 3 meeting of the Library Board of Trustees’ Communication and Evaluation Committee —7 p.m. … Continued

May 22 forum on code compliance focuses on community norms

Neighbors have complained numerous times about this house on Arcadia Road in Parklawn, to no avail. The gutter is falling off, and an addition in the back has been under construction for seven years. Have you filed complaints with the Fairfax County Department of Code Compliance about a neighbor’s poorly maintained home, unkempt yard, or … Continued

County grants available for neighborhood improvement projects

A NEPP grant supported a tree-planting project at Glasgow Park. Fairfax County is seeking proposals for Neighborhood Enhancement Partnership Program (NEPP) grants for the fiscal year 2015 funding cycle. Proposals are due June 17, 11 a.m. NEPP grants can be used for projects that enhance the quality of life in neighborhoods by improving a community’s … Continued

Tax help available for Mason residents

Volunteers from AARP are offering free, walk-in tax preparation assistance at the Mason District Government Center (6507 Columbia Pike) until April 15. This Tax-Aide program is available 1-8 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays; 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays. All returns are filed electronically. You’ll need to … Continued

Security breach affects drug data for Bailey’s Health Center patients

A security breach as led to the unauthorized disclosure of confidential personal information for 1,499 clients at the Bailey’s Health Center, the Fairfax County Health Department reported, Dec. 13. The patient information that was improperly accessed included patients’ names, addresses, social security numbers, and pharmacy identification numbers; the names and dosages of their medications; payment … Continued

Jeanne Simmons, age 96, refuses to vacate Hillwood Square home

Simmons “I don’t want to move,” says Jeanne Simmons, age 96, who is refusing to vacate her home of 57 years in Hillwood Square. A majority of owners of the cooperative complex in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County voted to sell the property to AvalonBay Communities Inc., which plans to develop 461 garden-style … Continued