BE PREPARED THIS TICK SEASON
Ticks are active through October
The start of Spring means warm weather, longer days, and unfortunately, the return of ticks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the number of cases of disease acquired from ticks, mosquitos and fleas have more than tripled in the last 13 years.
Ticks feed on warm-blooded animals, including people, and can transmit serious illness through their bites. Those illnesses include infections, skin rashes, and the most common tick-borne illness-- Lyme disease. . Symptoms usually appear one to two weeks after a bite and include:
- “Bull’s-eye” rash (erythema migrans)
- Fever
- Muscle and joint pain
- Fatigue
Ticks usually live in tall grass and in wooded areas, but they can also enter your home on pets or on your clothing. While it’s a good idea to take precautions year-round, you should be cautious during warmer months when ticks are most active. The CDC offers these tips to help you avoid tick bites while working or playing outside:
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck your pants into your socks.
- Avoid sitting on the ground.
- Remove and inspect your clothing after leaving a possible tick-infested area.
- Put clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on your clothing.
- Shower within two hours of leaving a tick-prone area to wash off ticks that may be crawling on you.
- Conduct a full-body inspection of yourself, your children and your pets.
Patient First physicians are available to explain the diagnosis, symptoms, treatment and prevention of tick bites and related diseases. Please contact Victoria Soriano at (571) 340-1594 or email Victoria.Soriano@patientfirst.com for interviews.
Related Content
Four Tick-Borne Illnesses You Should Know: https://www.patientfirst.com/blog/tick-borne-illnesses
Measles Case in the State
Virginia Dept. of Health (VDH)
The Virginia 
Department of Health (VDH) is reporting the state's first measles case of the year. The patient is a child (0-4 years) in the Northwest Region who recently traveled internationally. To protect the family's privacy, VDH will not provide any additional information about the patient. Health officials are coordinating efforts to identify anyone who might have been exposed.
"This first case of measles in Virginia this year is a reminder of how easily this highly contagious disease can spread, particularly with internation travel," said VDH State Epidemiologist Laurie Forlano, D.O., M.P.H. "Vaccination remains our best defense against measles and is safe and highly effective at protecting people and preventing outbreaks. We urge Virginians, especially those planning to travel, to check their vaccination status, talk to their health care provider, and get the MMR vaccine if needed."
Listed below are the dates, times, and locations of the potential exposure sites in Virginia:
| Location |
Date and Time |
|
Kaiser Permanente Caton Hill Medical Center, Advanced Urgent Care
Located at 13285 Minnieville Road in Woodbridge
|
From 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15 |
|
Kaiser Permanente Fredericksburg Medical Center, Pediatrics Department
Located at 1201 Hospital Drive in Fredericksburg
|
From noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16 |
What should you do if you were at the above locations on the day and time specified?
- If you have never received a measles containing vaccine (either the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles-only vaccine which is available in other countries), you may be at risk of developing measles. Anyone who might have been exposed and is considered to be at risk of developing measles should contact their healthcare provider immediately.
- Watch for symptoms for 21 days after the date of your potential exposure. If you notice symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home. Contact your healthcare provider right away. If you need to seek healthcare, call ahead before going to your healthcare provider’s office or the emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the local health department. This call will help protect other patients and staff.
- Anyone with an immunocompromising condition should consult with their healthcare provider if they have questions or develop symptoms.
- If you have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are protected and do not need to take any action.
- If you have received only one dose of a measles-containing vaccine, you are very likely to be protected and your risk of being infected with measles from any of these exposures is very low. However, to achieve the highest level of protection, contact your healthcare provider about getting a second vaccine dose.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough. These symptoms usually start seven to fourteen days after being exposed. The second stage starts three to five days after symptoms start, when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. People with measles are contagious from four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appeared.
Measles is preventable through a safe and effective MMR vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are given to provide lifetime protection. Virginia has high measles vaccination rates, with approximately 95% of kindergarteners fully vaccinated against measles. However, infants who are too young to be vaccinated, and others who are not vaccinated, are very susceptible to infection if they are exposed to measles. Infants six months through 11 months of age who will be traveling internationally, or to an outbreak setting, should receive one dose of MMR vaccine prior to travel. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions about the MMR vaccine.
To check your immunization status, call your healthcare provider or request your vaccination records using the VDH Immunization Record Request Form. Virginia residents with additional questions about their potential exposure can email epi_response@vdh.virginia.gov or contact your local health department.
For more information about measles visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/measles/
The ENDEAVOR News Magazine is the Chamber's quarterly online publication and the must read magazine in Annandale. Acquaint yourself with local businesses, community history, revitalization efforts, and issues that concern Annandale: The Crossroads of Northern Virginia TM.
Activities Planned for Eileen Garnett Civic Space 2025
Saturday, May 10th
Community Market
Insurance Insights
Three Ways to Save on Business Insurance
Business Owner Policy or BOP is a type of business insurance. It is a basic policy providing the most common types of coverage most businesses need. Purchasing a BOP plan makes sense for many companies because combining these commonly needed policies can significantly reduce costs. However, Business Owners Policy plans do not always cover all areas of need. Most policies cover property insurance, liability insurance and business interruption insurance.
What to Add to Your BOP Plan
Making changes to your existing business insurance or adding to it is always good practice for companies who may be facing additional risks. The following are four types of commonly added coverage to BOP plans.
#1: Professional Liability Insurance
This is a higher level of liability insurance than a BOP policy offers. With the high cost of litigation, smaller businesses have a growing need for more extensive protection. If you are a medical or dental provider or other professional, you may need this coverage to protect against higher lawsuit risks.
#2: Employee Practice Insurance
Protection from employee claims against your company is also a growing need for smaller companies. Harassment claims or discrimination claims, for example, can be very costly to most businesses today. This policy can minimize those risks.
#3: Business Vehicle Insurance
If your business operates a vehicle for any component of the company’s operation, you need to have business vehicle insurance in place. Commercial auto insurance applies to everything from fleets of trucks and vans to the vehicle you use for meetings and appointments if it is a business-only vehicle.
#4: Workers Compensation
Most BOP plans do not include workers compensation, but it is available as an additional component to your company’s plan. If you have employees, you may be required to maintain this coverage. It aids in covering medical and other losses in situations where an employee is hurt on the job.
Having the right business insurance can give you peace of mind. It can also provide you with the reassurance that your company is covered in situations where you could not prevent or even manage the financial implications. Modify your BOP plan to include these and other coverage applicable to your business.
Get the coverage you need. Contact us today for more information on business insurance.
This article is intended for informational and educational use only. It is not exhaustive and should not be construed as legal advice. Please contact your insurance professional for further information.
Kinneman Insurance 703-823-8800 or go online at www.KinnemanInsurance.com
The Garden Path
Comparing Fire Pits to Outdoor Fireplaces
As the crisp autumn air settles in, many homeowners turn their gaze towards creating a warm and inviting outdoor living environment. A crackling fire adds a touch of ambiance and warmth, perfect for spending evenings outdoors. But one question on many people's minds is, "Should I opt for a fire pit or an outdoor fireplace?"
Both options have their unique advantages and disadvantages to consider. Let's take a look at five key factors to help you make an informed decision.
1. How Will You Use It?
When choosing between a fire pit and an outdoor fireplace, consider how you plan to use your outdoor space. Fire pits and fire tables are ideal for casual, open-air settings with room for family and friends to gather. They create a campfire-style ambiance, perfect for storytelling or group chats. They are also portable, allowing you to move them around your patio or outdoor walkways to suit wind and sun exposure.
On the other hand, an outdoor fireplace creates an intimate setting where you can unwind, cozy up with a book, or enjoy quiet moments with loved ones. A fireplace can also divide sections in your outdoor living area, such as separating dining and lounge spaces, offering both function and privacy while enhancing the overall hardscape design of your yard.
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What a Difference a Century Makes: 1925
Celebrated sled dog Balto with Gunnar Kaasen.
Norwegian immigrant Gunnar Kaasen was the musher on the last dog team
that successfully delivered diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Alaska in 1925.
Balto was the lead dog for the final leg of 53 miles.
Public Figures
President: Calvin Coolidge
Vice President: Charles G. Dawes
Virginia Governor: Elbert Lee Trinkle
Chief Justice Supreme Court: William Howard Taft
Speaker of the House: Frederick H. Gillett (R- Massachusetts)
Senate Majority Leader: Nicholas Longworth
VA Senators: Claude A. Swanson & Carter Glass
BORN: Paul Newman, Margaret Thatcher, Pol Pot, Medgar Evars, Yogi Berra, Gerald Durell, Malcom X, Barbara Bush, John DeLorean
DIED: William Jennings Bryan, Field Marshal John French, John Singer Sargent, Sun Yat-Sen
HISTORICAL EVENTS
Benito Mussolini dissolves the Italian parliament and proclaims himself dictator of Italy, taking the title "Il Duce" (the Leader)
Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf, original title was the catchy "Four and a Half Years (of Struggle) Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice"
Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five begin their first recording session at Okeh Records in Chicago
In 1925 the Jazz Age was in full swing. It was the year Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington made their first recordings
The Ku Klux Klan marched on Washington, D.C.
March 18, 1925, the Great Tri-State Tornado tore across Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois, and Southwest Indiana. With its rapid movement, monstrous size, and long track, the tornado took hundreds of lives and injured thousands.
Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming is sworn in as the first woman Governor of a U.S. state. January 20, 1925: Miriam A. Ferguson of Texas sworn in as second woman Governor of a U.S. state.
Scopes Trial: The trial makes explicit the fundamentalist-modernist controversy within the Presbyterian Church in America, with William Jennings Bryan (who dies later in 1925) being challenged by the liberal Clarence Darrow.
The French complete their evacuation of the Ruhr region of Germany.
Anthropologist Margaret Mead lands in American Samoa to begin nine months of field work that will culminate in her 1928 book Coming of Age in Samoa. The bestselling book will become the first popular anthropological study and will change many attitudes towards tribal peoples.
The U.S. Navy dirigible Shenandoah breaks up in a squall line near Caldwell, Ohio, killing 14 crewmen. breaks up in a squall line near Caldwell, Ohio, killing 14 crewmen.
The weekly country music-variety program Grand Ole Opry is first broadcast on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee, as the "WSM Barn Dance".
The first motel in the world, the Milestone Mo-Tel opens in San Luis Obispo, California.
Reza Shahtake becomes the first shah of Persia of the Pahlavi dynasty.
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VIEW ON NATURE: Before Virginia
When we think of early Virginia, we think back to the first English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. But what was Nature like before then…way before then?
Bison, elk, red wolves, and cougars wandered our forests and meadows when the Europeans came. But it didn’t take long for the settling invaders to exterminate them for their plentiful meat, and to protect their livestock. Wolf bounties, first offered in 1632, were paid to colonists in cash, tobacco, wine and corn, and to Native Americans with blankets and trinkets. Today, red wolves are the most endangered U.S. mammal.
But what wildlife did Paleo-Native Americans’ face when they first came to Virginia 15,000 years ago? They were nomadic hunters, fishers and food gathers. And boy did they have huge mammals to hunt: the elephant ancestor mammoths and mastodons, giant ground sloths, huge short-faced bears, and 1,000-pound woodland musk-oxen. How do we know this? From fossil evidence found near the southwestern town of Saltville, VA where prehistoric animals and confederate soldiers alike flocked for the salt.
One of the first reports of strange fossils came from Dr. Arthur Campbell to Thomas Jefferson in 1782. Jefferson commented on the bones of this new, unknown animal goliath (the giant ground sloth) at the 1797 American Philosophical Society meeting in Philadelphia.
The mystery bones became an instant sensation as this giant sloth was scientifically named Megalonyx jeffersonii, after our third president who later instructed Lewis and Clark to keep an eye out for such beasts on their scientific/commercial expedition across the expanse of what later became the U.S.
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Your Dreams Can Come True
With a blend of creativi
ty, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to quality, Kitchen & Bath Solutions in Annandale offers an unrivaled service portfolio. Whether you’re looking to remodel your kitchen with cutting-edge appliances and trendy aesthetics, or you desire a bathroom renovation that provides you with a personal spa-like sanctuary, or how about renovating or finishing off your basement into a useable cozy space, creating an office, playroom, family or game room. KBS can turn your vision into reality.
Now through the end of February 2025, KBS is offering a discount on full remodels with $1,000 off baths and $2,000 off kitchens. Visit their showroom on Columbia Pike in the Annandale Shopping Center and meet with business owner Henry Andrade to view flooring, countertops, hardware, cabinetry, fixtures, and much more. Later you can make an appointment with Henry to view your bath or kitchen and prepare a full estimate and proposal. This affable and down-to-earth gentleman will encourage you to seek other such estimates and compare them to his. You will be pleasantly impressed.
Their services range from comprehensive design planning, selection of top-quality materials, through to meticulous installation, as well as file for any permits that might be required. Henry will provide personal attention to each project with hands-on management, ensuring that every detail is handled with care and precision by his employees. He does not utilize outside sub-contractors which means he can ensure delivering results that will exceed your expectations.
Kitchen & Bath Solutions
7042 Columbia Pike, Annandale, 22003
(in the Annandale Shopping Center at Gallows Rd.)
571-399-4141 . www.kitchensbathssolutions.com
The Police Beat
Message from the Chief Kevin Davis
Crisis Intervention Team training (CIT) is a critical skill set for our police officers, as it provides a better understanding and deeper appreciation for individuals suffering from a mental health crisis. The Fairfax County Police Department recognizes the crucial importance of CIT training, and it is vital to how we serve and safeguard our communities.
Currently, more than 400 police officers assigned to patrol have attended CIT courses, which consist of 40 hours of instruction, simulation, and practical exercises. This figure represents approximately 40% of our patrol officers, who respond to unpredictable and often risky calls for service every day in Fairfax County. To further efforts, all current police officers, as well as current and future police recruit classes attending the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy, receive basic instruction on Crisis Intervention tactics. This standard curriculum is designed to enhance an officer's capabilities and awareness upon encountering an individual in mental health crisis.
On January 1, 2016, CIT-trained officers were selected to collaborate with the Fairfax County-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) at the Merrifield Crisis Response Center (MCRC); a primary location in Fairfax County for mental health needs and services. The primary function of those CIT officers is to provide a high-level continuum of care for individuals brought to the MCRC by others for a mental health evaluation, stabilization plan, or hospitalization. The service provided by the CIT-trained officers at MCRC greatly increases the level of care and compassion for individuals suffering from a mental health crisis or illness in addition to providing a layer of security and safety for everyone.
Police officers may also divert individuals suffering from mental illness who commit low-level, low-risk offenses from entering the criminal justice system, through a program known as Diversion First. For more information on this program, please visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/topics/diversion-first.
The Fairfax County Police Department is committed to providing exceptional service to every member of our community, without exclusion. To that end, we have bolstered our CIT efforts by implementing a Co-Responder Program where a CIT trained police officer is paired with a mental health clinician from the MCRC to respond in real time to persons in crisis. This program ensures we have the best resources available, to provide the right intervention, at the right time, by the right person.
Should you have any questions or require additional information on this program, please feel free to contact us at fcpdchiefsoffice@fairfaxcounty.gov
Sincerely,
Kevin Davis, Chief of Police
12099 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, Virginia 22035
George Mason Regional Library Programs
We're 85!
It’s hard to imagine that the 1939 Board of Supervisors could envision the success of their new library system when they budgeted a whopping $250 to support the library, but here we are, stronger than ever!
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The Clarke House
Family Homestead & 400 Acre Dairy Farm,
Now an Event Venue
The Clark House was built in 1902 by 
William Lee Clark and served as
the family homestead, of this 400 acre dairy farm, for over 50 years. The builder, Henry Manchester, was a long time local resident. His remuneration came in the form of dinner plus two dollars a day. One of the first telephones in the area was installed here in 1918 and electricity was added around 1935. The family consisted of William, his wife Minnie Howdershell Clark and their children, Wilbur, Lillian and Madeline.
In 1953, Wilbur Burnley Clark (son of William) retired from farming and sold all his land except the house and 6.1 acres. Here he established W.B. Clark and Sons Inc. which sold top soil, sawdust, gravel, wood mulch, fertilizer, firewood, and railroad ties. His sons Larry and Wayne ran the business in an office next to the kitchen and employed over 20 people.
Progress was not to favor the Clark family. In 1972 Fairfax County went in search of a building site for the Mason District Government Center and the Clark property became a prime contender. Unfortunately, Wilbur Clark had no desire to sell. By this time four Clark generations had lived on the homestead, built decades of memories and a thriving business. The issue was resolved when another site was deemed more appropriate, but that was not the end of Wilbur’s problems. The Fairfax County Park Authority was in need of 8.1 acres in Mason District to meet the 8.5 acres of community parkland for every 1,000 people goal. A long fight ensued, and the Clarks were ultimately forced to sell the house and remaining land to the Park Authority in 1986. The house was moved down Columbia Pike in 1990 (originally located at 6337 Columbia Pike); townhouses built around it; and, a saddened Mr. Clark died two years later at age 92.
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Annandale's American Legion
Would you like to be a part of a winning organization who helps the community and has fun doing it? Are you a veteran or someone in your family a veteran? Common myth is that if you are not a veteran, you cannot join. Not true, you can join under family members. American Legion Post 1976 is always looking for new members. If anyone in your family is a veteran, you may qualify. Meeting new people in our club is a great part of the experience. We have a monthly breakfast that is the best in town. Other events include trivia, spaghetti dinners, lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday, steak dinners, karaoke and many more. We participate in the Annandale parade and toys for tots. We have a pool table, 6 televisi
ons and low prices. Lockers are also available. Email me at rpcomm6759@aol.com to see if you qualify. If you prefer, stop by the post at American Legion Post 1976, 4206 Daniels Avenue, Annandale, VA 22003. 703-941-9608 or 703-941-9460.
We're 85!
William Lee Clark and served as
DOT Extends Route 236/Little River Turnpike STARS Study Comment Period
