Healthcare, education, safety initiatives in the works for Culmore
A new project in Culmore is connecting residents to healthcare, education, afterschool programs, and much more in their own neighborhood. The Culmore and Bailey’s Crossroads Place-Based Initiative (PBI) is creating a hub for community-serving programs at Culmore United Methodist Church. The PBI, run by George Mason University’s College of Public Health, is a coalition of … Continued
Voting underway for the primaries
Early voting for the Democratic and Republican primaries started on May 3. Both primaries are on June 18. Several candidates for the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives are on the primary ballots. Voting at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway in Fairfax, and two other locations in Alexandria and Reston is available … Continued
VA Tech students propose improvements for the Annandale Greenway
A handful of urban planning students at Virginia Tech developed a plan for enhancing and promoting the Annandale Greenway. The greenway is a 4.5-mile pathway connecting park trails and sidewalks between Annandale Community Park and Green Spring Gardens. The students, under the leadership of Prof. Shelley Mastran, put together a “story map,” a geographical information … Continued
Celebration of Acceptance offers mental health resources to LGBTQ youths
A Celebration of Acceptance at the James Lee Community Center on May 3 focused on mental health awareness and inclusion, particularly for LGBTQ+ youths. That’s critical because students in that community are more likely to be bullied, contemplate suicide, and struggle with mental health issues. The event, hosted by the Community Service Board’s (CSB) Equity … Continued
KORUS Festival features K-pop, food, traditional arts, and much more
The Korean-American community is bringing K-pop dance groups, cultural performances, food, and games to Annandale at the 21st annual KORUS Festival. The festival opened May 4 and is continuing today, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday, 11-7, rain or shine, at the K-Market parking lot on John Marr Drive. Highlights on the stage scheduled for Saturday … Continued
Dunkin’ Donuts is coming to Annandale
The small building at 7025 Columbia Pike in Annandale undergoing renovations will house a Dunkin’ Donuts shop, according to a building permit posted on the structure. The building was formerly occupied by Annandale Florist but has been vacant since a fire in August 2022. A single-family house had been built on the site in 1950. … Continued
Kendale Woods pickleball courts to close
Pickleball players who gather at the Kendale Woods Park in Annandale are going to have to find a new location. The Fairfax County Park Authority plans to begin work soon to revert those courts to tennis-only courts. According to the Park Authority, that is being done because of complaints from neighbors about noise and because … Continued
Weekly crime report
The following recent crimes in the Annandale/Mason District area are from the Fairfax County Police Department as reported on CityProtect: May 1 April 30 April 29 April 28 April 27 April 26 April 25
School news roundup
A new principal – Holly Dowling, an administrator at Braddock Elementary School, has been named principal of Bailey’s Upper Elementary School, effective May 13. Dowling has been an assistant principal at Braddock for five years. Before joining FCPS, she was a teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal at Mount Vernon Community School in Alexandria Public … Continued
Inova drops redevelopment plans
Inova Health System is not planning to proceed with a massive mixed-use development on its Merrifield campus, the Washington Business Journal reported on April 30. In 2018, Inova proposed redeveloping the 117-acre property that Inova acquired from Exxon Mobil with multifamily housing, retail, restaurants, a hotel, and additional medical facilities. The Fairfax County Board of … Continued
Man arrested for Culmore shooting
Police officers arrested a man for a shooting and attempted robbery that occurred April 12, at about 5 a.m., in the 3400 block of Lake Street in the Culmore area of Bailey’s Crossroads. Officers with the City of Alexandria Police Department arrested Abner Neftali Selen Barrera, 24, of Del Ray in Alexandria, on April 30. … Continued
Board approves 3-cent tax increase
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a marked-up budget package for FY 2025 on April 30 that raises the property tax rate by 3 cents – to $1.125 per $100 of assessed value. That is one cent less than the $1.135 rate in the advertised budget proposed in February. The 3-cent increase will add … Continued
FCPS: middle schools start too early
Fairfax County Public Schools is considering changing middle school start times to a more reasonable hour than the current 7:30 a.m. Research shows that having schools start a bit later in the morning has a positive impact on students’ health and wellbeing. FCPS kicked off a series of community engagement meetings on middle school start … Continued
Asiantque Market draws a large crowd
More than 500 people enjoyed Thai food at the Asiantque Market behind the Masonic lodge at 6911 Columbia Pike Sunday evening. This was the biggest crowd yet at the monthly food festivals, said organizer Nelson Figueroa Velez. There were 26 vendors, offering grilled squid, dumplings, giant shrimp, coconut balls, grilled chicken, mussel pancakes, sugar cane … Continued
Church volunteers fix up two group homes
Nine men with developmental disabilities living in two group homes in the North Springfield area got a nice surprise when they returned from outings Saturday evening. While they were gone, volunteers from several Annandale churches spent the day fixing up their homes. The annual event is carried out by a partnership of the Annandale Christian … Continued