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

Annandale resident was among Navy Yard shooting victims

Bodrog [Washington Post photo] Among the 12 people killed at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., Sept. 16, in a shooting rampage by Aaron Alexis was Annandale resident Martin Bodrog, 54, a retired Naval officer working as a civilian on the design and procurement of ships. According to reports by ABC7/WJLA and the Washington Post, … 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

Developer cuts off water to 96-year-old homeowner who refused buyout

Jeanne Simmons After AvalonBay purchased the Hillwood Square community in Falls Church earlier this year, all the residents met the Aug. 23 move-out deadline—except for one. The remaining holdout is Jeanne Simmons, a 96-year-old former teacher who has lived in the development for 57 years. On Aug. 28, the developer gave Simmons a five-day notice … Continued

Braddock Elementary has a new principal

Jackson-Muir Keesha Jackson-Muir has been appointed principal of Braddock Elementary School in Annandale, effective Aug. 28. Braddock has 588 students in prekindergarten through grade 5. Jackson-Muir has served as an assistant principal at Parklawn Elementary School since 2010. Before that, she was a gifted and talented specialist at Fort Belvoir and Beech Tree elementary schools, worked … Continued

Farewell, ‘Mr. Annandale’

Photo from the Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home. Irving La’Rue Denton, known as “Mr. Annandale” for his knowledge of the history of this area, passed away July 26, 2013, at age 92. According to an obituary in the Washington Post, Irv Denton spent 30 years in the Air Force, serving in World War II, the Korean War, … Continued

FCPS community bids farewell to former Superintendent Jack Dale

Jack Dale at the retirement celebration with a caricature and his official portrait. Hundreds of school administrators, county officials, and education advocates bid farewell to former Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Dale at a retirement celebration Aug. 1 at the Mason Inn. School board chair Ilryong Moon (at-large) and Deputy Division Superintendent Richard Moniuszko … Continued

Fairfax County park volunteers honored

Lassine Doumbia at Indonesian Cultural Heritage Night at Ossian Hall Park earlier this month. Volunteers involved with initiatives in the Annandale/Mason area are those recognized by the Fairfax County Park Authority in the 2013 Elly Doyle Park Service Awards program. Lassine Doumbia, a volunteer since 2010 at Ossian Hall Park in Annandale who ensures that … 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

Planning Commissioner Pete Murphy is 2012 Fairfax County Citizen of the Year

Murphy The Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations has selected Planning Commissioner Peter “Pete” Murphy as the 2012 Citizen of the Year. Murphy will be honored at the annual awards banquet sponsored by the federation and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) on April 7 at the Tysons Corner Crowne Plaza Hotel. Murphy has been chairman … Continued

Annandale youth experiences war in Israel

Limor Steinberg (left) studying with a classmate in Jerusalem. When Annandale native Limor Steinberg moved to Israel in August, she knew the country was subject to frequent attacks from its neighbors, but she didn’t expect to be living in a war zone. Steinberg, a 2011 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, … Continued