People

Cell Phone Tower Debated in Burke

Residents, trustees clash over 16-story AT&T tower.

Susan Gaertner, a resident of the Landings in Burke Centre Conservancy, spent most of last summer enjoying the community’s pool and peaceful atmosphere. It is that sense of tranquility and beauty, she says, that makes the community an inappropriate place for a cell tower.

Fall Cankerworm Spraying Debated

Some residents believe spraying of fall cankerworm is unnecessary.

Later this month, the Fairfax County Forest Pest Management Branch is scheduled to spray 2,200 acres of the Mason, Lee and Mount Vernon districts with insecticide in order to rid these areas of fall cankerworms, commonly known as inchworms.

French Students Visit Robinson

American and French students learn language, culture through exchange program.

For Monica Jugnet, a French teacher at Robinson Secondary School’s International Baccalaureate Program, teaching French is more than just advising students on grammar or learning verb conjugations. Exchange programs like the one taking place at Robinson this week is what makes learning a language worthwhile, she says.

Greenspring Celebrates Earth Day

On Tuesday, April 22, Greenspring retirement community celebrated Earth Day. The event included several highlights including a display of fuel efficient vehicles, an assortment of exotic animals from Reptiles Alive!, a Shred-It vehicle, and informational booths and representatives from Green Spring Gardens, Fairfax County Park Authority, the Sierra Club, Greenspring’s own Tillagers gardening group, and many others.

Spring Songbirds Arriving Now

Local bird groups and bird walks help beginning birders see colorful birds.

The birds are coming. The annual migration of often brightly colored songbirds from their winter homes in Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, and the southern U.S. is underway now. Millions and millions of avian migrants fly northward every night and the come down to rest or nest every morning. Some of the birds are enroute to nesting areas far to the north; some nest right here or nearby.

Notes from the Producer

MetroStage Presents ‘Underneath the Lintel’

Storytelling at its best — storytelling in a small intimate space where the audience is actively engaged — this seems to be a common theme at MetroStage.

Gala To Benefit Scholarship Fund

The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria will hold its 28th Annual Spring Gala dinner dance and silent auction on Saturday, April 26.

Send in Mother's Day Photos

Mother’s Day is May 11 and every year at this time, the Gazette Packet calls for submissions to its Mother’s Day photo gallery.

Enjoying the 4th Annual Mardi Growl

Colorful boas and festival masks greeted the guests arriving at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 2 for the 4th annual Mardi Growl benefiting the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.

Good Shepherd Housing Celebrates 40 Years

Anniversary gala brings in $272,000.

Good Shepherd Housing & Family Services celebrated 40 years of delivering continuous community service and promoting self-sufficiency to those in need in Fairfax County with a fundraising gala at the Westin Hotel in Alexandria on Saturday, April 12.

The Connection