Monday Morning Notes

Columns

by Dave Emke — July 31, 2017 at 9:00 am 21 Comments

Silver Line Struggling to Maintain Riders — Phase 1 of Metro’s Silver Line expansion fueled an unprecedented building boom in areas adjacent to its five stations, the Washington Post reports. However, the line has struggled to attract riders in the three years since it opened. Only the Wiehle-Metro East station is even close to projected ridership numbers. [Washington Post]

Remembering Bob Simon — In a piece for an English-language Indian newspaper, Manish Nandy remembers the stories Bob Simon told him during daily walks around Lake Anne. [The Statesman]

‘White Liberals Give Themselves Too Much Credit’ — In an opinion piece for an “intersectional feminist” magazine, a Restonian looks back on the death of Nabra Hassanen, saying that hate lives here and everywhere. [Wear Your Voice]

Work Today at Park & Ride — The access road to the Herndon-Monroe Park & Ride will have daytime lane closures for paving from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. Drivers should watch for flaggers, who will help direct traffic around the lane closures. [Fairfax County]

Teavana Stores Shutting Down — Starbucks announced last week will close all 379 of its Teavana stores, which it says have been underperforming. This will include the store in Reston Town Center (1826 Library St.). [CNN Money]

Get Ready for Terraset — All rising Terraset kindergarteners are invited to the Terraset playground from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in August to meet classmates and play on the new Terraset playground. The August kindergarten play dates are sponsored by Terraset Elementary School and Terraset Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Representatives from the PTO will be on hand Aug. 2 and Aug. 9 to answer parent questions. No RSVP is required. [Terraset Parent Teacher Organization]

Scott

“The Silver Line is being financed through a combination of local, state and federal dollars as well as special taxing districts. But the bulk of the project’s expenses will be paid for by revenue from drivers who use the Dulles Toll Road — an element of the financing package that has angered those who argue that drivers shouldn’t have to pay for the rail line.”

“THE BULK”. Politicians hate cars, but they love trains and bikes. Why? Perhaps this video explains it
- Greg
  
  And they lied about the projected ridership. And the lied that the line would be all new eight-car trains. And they lied about the trains being computer controlled. And they lied about the maximum capacity of the Potomac tunnel…
  - Scott
    
    I have a great idea. We should ask the government to run Healthcare in this country. They have such a great track record on estimating and managing costs!
  - Why do you bother?
    
    I don’t think they lied about projected ridership so much as they so badly fouled up the construction that many people don’t want to risk their time – or their safety – on it.
    - Greg
      
      Mid 2000’s cost: $3 billion.
      Mid 2000’s riders: 70,000 daily.
      
      That included a Wolf Trap station which was never built.
      
      Lies or fantasy — what difference, at this point, does it make?
      We’ve been hosed. And all we have to show for it is a hideously ugly elevated eyesore. And an unsafe one at that.
      - RVA_101
        
        The ‘ugly, elevated eyesore’ is in Tysons, through Reston it is all surface in the median of the ‘ugly, large freeway’. So what’s it to you?
      - Nope
        
        freeway?
      - Greg
        
        “Freeway.” Imagine that! One more thing they lied about. The toll road was to become free of tolls once it (not the silver line) was paid for.
      - 30yearsinreston
        
        the dulles toll road has become a cash cow
        who could have known ?
      - Conservative Senior
        
        All thanks to Timmy Kaine.
      - Greg
        
        It’s an ugly elevated eyesore. That likely cost more to build, and will cost much more to maintain, than a buried line.
        
        And, the weeds growing beneath it are hideous.
        
        The “freeway,” which is far from free, carries hundreds of thousands of passengers every day. The silver line? Fewer than 1400 on that hideous elevated eyesore.
liberal

“White supremacy is all-consuming, and it doesn’t matter if the perpetrator is non-white.”

Someone please get this author some play-doh and a safe space.
- The Constitutionalist
  
  Yep. Even though it was determined as not a hate crime, it seems the entire local Muslim community is making it out as such, that she was targeted purely based on her choice of deities.
- Anonymous Poster
  
  Is she a 30 something year old that still lives in her parents house?
- Chuck Morningwood
  
  I know. Everywhere I look in the house, the trim AND the ceilings are painted white. We paint the walls other colors, like olive or beige, thankfully. We can’t we paint the trim and cielings and complementary (and complimentary) color.
  
  It’s all a White conspiracy, I tell you.
  - Guest
    
    Living in Reston, I think of it more of an as non-conformist-conforming Earth-Tone Conspiracy. Navaho White anyone?
- TheKingJAK
  
  The greatest farce regarding the absurd opinion piece is the fact that not a single white individual was involved in the crime.
Matt Lang

Reston Now, do us all a favor and derive your news from credible sources. That “piece” from Wear Your Voice was an absolute nightmare. Shame on you for even giving them a platform to speak from.
- Reston Now
  
  It’s not “news.” It’s the opinion (a word we used in our blurb above) of a Reston resident that has been published in an online magazine. It was shared here as something that may be of interest to Reston residents. Our posting of it does not signify approval of the opinions shared by its author.
  - CNN
    
    Your bias is showing…
  - Mike M
    
    I’ve posted things you have censored very recently that were less obtuse. How did you find THIS? I mean, you had to go and get it.

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