Police say a 17-year-old from Herndon was driving under the influence when she was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Loudoun County last week.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office says the teenage girl left the scene of a collision that took place just before 11 p.m. last Monday in Sterling. When police found her a short time later in the area of Atlantic Boulevard and Magnolia Road, she was issued a charge of underaged DUI. Further charges were pending as of the time the police report was disseminated.
The Fairfax County Police Department reports the following larcenies from the Reston District in the past week:
1700 block of Business Center Drive, belongings from business
11900 block of Democracy Drive, cellphone from residence
2000 block of Headlands Circle, wallet from business
2200 block of Lovedale Lane, wallet from business
11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, copper from construction site
700 block of Walker Road, jewelry from business
1800 block of Wiehle Avenue, beer from business
FCPD in the past week also handled the apparent intentional killing of a Fairfax pedestrian by a Reston man, a man attacking employees at a Fox Mill Center restaurant with a chain, an indecent exposure case on a walkway, and a sexual abuse report from a Herndon day care. Click the links to view any of those stories on Reston Now.
Anyone with information about any of the incidents reported by FCPD should call 703-691-2131 or 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or text “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES(274637).
Local Resident Part of Climate Reality Leadership Corps — Christina Blocksom, of Reston, is one of several area citizens who recently participated in Climate Reality Training in Denver. Former Vice President Al Gore founded the project. [Inside NOVA]
Red’s Table Has New Seasonal Cocktails — Rhubarb purée is a special ingredient in one of the spring drinks at the restaurant, located at the South Lakes Village Center. [DC Eater]
comScore Working With Facebook to Improve Digital Ads — The Reston-based company is introducing new demographic metrics to help provide advertisers with “transparent, uniform measurement across all platforms and devices.” [Yahoo! Finance]
‘Guys and Dolls’ Coming to Herndon HS Stage — The theater department at Herndon High School will present the musical comedy this weekend. There will be shows Friday and Saturday night, and a Sunday matinee. Tickets are $15. [Fairfax Times]
Hunters Woods Village Center has another new spot to visit.
Kung Fu Tea opened over the weekend at 2280 Hunters Woods Plaza. The “soft opening” of the shop is continuing, manager Jayden Park said, until a grand-opening event tentatively slated for early May.
The shop is a national chain that specializes in drinks such as bubble tea, milk tea and yogurt tea, as well as coffee and slush drinks. The application for the Reston location was submitted to the county in December.
King Pollo and Pista House Indian Cuisine have also recently opened in Hunters Woods.
Other area Kung Fu Tea locations include in Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road) and in the Centreville Plaza (13830 Lee Highway).
Store hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. Check out the menu at the company’s website.
The man Fairfax County police say struck a 75-year-old woman twice with his car, killing her, is from Reston.
Kenan M. Ozcan, 31, was arrested Friday afternoon on Fair Ridge Drive in Fairfax after police say he assaulted a woman in a parking lot. Investigating officers noticed front-end damage to his vehicle and connected him with the death of 75-year-old Maria Ascencio earlier that morning.
Police say Ozcan, driving a 2016 Dodge Dart, struck Ascencio at about 10:15 a.m. Friday while she was crossing Rugby Road in the Fair Oaks area of the county. Ozcan then allegedly turned the vehicle around and struck Ascencio a second time before leaving the scene. Police say Ozcan and Ascencio had no prior relationship.
Ozcan has thus far been charged with felony hit and run for his role in Ascencio’s death, as well as with attempted robbery for the parking-lot altercation.
Ozcan is listed in a Friday media release from FCPD as being from Fairfax. Don Gotthardt of FCPD, however, tells Reston Now that the department’s management system lists Ozcan’s address as being in the 2200 block of Castle Rock Square in Reston. That may be a relative’s address, Gotthardt said, but no Fairfax address for Ozcan exists in the system.
Records on file with the State Corporation Commission show a taxi company, Capital Flyer Transport and Taxi, was once registered to Kenan M. Ozcan from the Reston address. All reviews of the business on Yelp gave it 1 star, including one that claims a driver named Kenan “flipped his lid” and “began yelling and spewing profanity” at customers, with the reviewer calling him a “mentally unstable, dangerous person.”
A LinkedIn page in Ozcan’s name lists him as a molecular biologist with a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree from George Mason. A GoFundMe page apparently set up by Ozcan in February asks people to help him turn his life around.
“Im a Virginia Tech Graduate, and I have my Masters in Biology, however I have been going thru some tough times recenetly and I am an ex-felon, I thought going to school would change my life and I could really use any support to help my life, I really appreciate it.” [sic]
In 2014, Ozcan was jailed after being found guilty of grand larceny following multiple armed robberies in Herndon. He was given a six-year sentence; however, all but 2 1/2 years was suspended.
Ascencio had three children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, her family told DC’s WJLA.
Image: Kenan Ozcan courtesy Fairfax County Police Department
Reston Dad’s Idea Selling Around the World — Swipe and Feed is an attachment parents can put on their smartphone, allowing them to feed their babies at night while still comfortably holding the phone. Its creator, Reston’s Tim Causa, says he is selling to customers in multiple countries. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Howell, Plum to Meet with Constituents — Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) will host a town-hall meeting tonight from 7:30-9 p.m. at Reston Community Center at Lake Anne (1609 Washington Plaza N.) along with Del. Ken Plum (D-Fairfax). [Sen. Janet Howell]
Campaign Starts for County Residents to Go Solar — The Solarize Fairfax County campaign begins tomorrow and goes through June 30. Fairfax County citizens are invited to sign up for a free solar assessment and to attend an information session to better understand pricing and financing options, as well as meet contractors. [Fairfax County]
Book-Signing Luncheon Slated — The Reston-Herndon Area Branch of American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Reston/Herndon Section of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) are sponsoring a Mother-Daughter and Friends book-signing luncheon. The guest speaker will be Paula Young Shelton, author and daughter of civil rights activist, congressman and United Nations ambassador Andrew Young. The event takes place Saturday at Mon Ami Gabi (11950 Democracy Drive) in Reston Town Center. For more details, call 703-620-9873. [Reston-Herndon AAUW]
Developer Bozzuto is scheduled for two more informational meetings next week on its proposal to redevelop St. Johns Wood.
Meetings are on the agenda with Reston’s Planning & Zoning Committee on Monday night, and with the Design Review Board on Tuesday. The most recent informational meeting on the project, last month at the Planning & Zoning Committee, once again drew large community response opposing the plan.
That response from the community has been consistent since the project was first proposed in 2014. Bozzuto has made numerous alterations to the plan since, with the proposal made at March’s P&Z Committee meeting being the seventh iteration.
In addition, Fairfax County Supervisor Cathy Hudgins will host a community meeting on the proposal later this month, featuring representatives from Bozzuto. That meeting will be held Tuesday, April 25, from 7-9 p.m. in the lecture hall at Langston Hughes Middle School (11401 Ridge Heights Road).
A Fairfax County Planning Commission hearing on the project is slated for May 25.
An April 27 meeting on safety improvements on Glade Drive will regard proposed bike lanes and sharrows along a nearly 2-mile stretch of the road.
Information released Friday morning by the Fairfax County Department of Transportation regarding the meeting says it will be to discuss proposals for Glade Drive between Glade Bank Way and Twin Branches Road. That’s the 1.93-mile portion of the road scheduled for repaving this year by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
“The purpose of the meeting will be to gather input on various proposals to improve traffic safety, bicycling and the pedestrian environment. There will be an open house at 6:30 p.m., and then representatives from FCDOT and VDOT will present plans for the project, which includes sharrows/shared lane markings, bike lanes, crosswalks and pedestrian improvements, starting at 7 p.m.”
FCDOT said recently that there are plans for 10 additional Capital Bikeshare stations in Reston, and information provided regarding the Glade Drive meeting shows three in that part of the community:
- at South Lakes High School
- near the intersection of South Lakes Drive and Soapstone Drive
- near the intersection of Soapstone Drive and Glade Drive
Bike lanes already exist along Soapstone Drive.
A meeting last month regarding the potential addition of bike lanes and sharrows on Twin Branches Road, Colts Neck Road and North Shore Drive drew spirited debate among the community. FCDOT and bicyclists say the work would increase safety for all users of the road, while other residents are concerned about potential loss of parking spaces, increased congestion and possible safety hazards for drivers.
The FCDOT presentation from that meeting is available through the county website.
The Glade Drive meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 27 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Hunters Woods Elementary School (2401 Colts Neck Road).
Project map courtesy Fairfax County Department of Transportation
The Fairfax County Police Department is seeking suspects after they say a woman was intentionally run down by a vehicle.
The incident happened at about 10:16 a.m. in the area of Route 50 and Rugby Road. An adult female was struck twice by the car, police say.
“The woman was crossing Rugby Road,” said Tawny Wright, Fairfax County Police Department public information officer, in a Facebook Live video. “It looks like the car struck her, turned around and then struck her again.”
Rt 50/Rt 286 – UPDATE: Preliminarily this appears to be an intentional act. Suspect struck woman twice with car and fled scene. pic.twitter.com/9KSwBRvaEO
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) April 14, 2017
Police are looking for a black or blue Chevrolet or Mercedes-Benz sedan. The car was last seen traveling northbound on Rugby Road.
Rt 50/Rt 286 – Striking car maybe a blue or black chevy or merz sedan with blue & yellow license plates. Car may have front end damage.
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) April 14, 2017
Rt 50/Rt 286 – Pedestrian is deceased. Appears to be a hit & run. Looking for driver described as a younger w/m with sandy blonde hair. pic.twitter.com/zkamida6as
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) April 14, 2017
The driver is described as being a “younger” white male with sandy blonde hair. The car has blue and yellow license plates, police say, and it may have front-end damage.
Route 50 was closed in both directions in the immediate aftermath of the incident. Eastbound lanes have since been reopened, but may later be closed again during the investigation. Westbound lanes remain closed at Fairfax County Parkway.
“Traffic will be impacted significantly, probably for several hours,” Wright said in the original media briefing.
Reston Rotary Ball Set for April 22 — The annual “Blackbeard’s Ball” event next weekend at Hidden Creek Country Club will benefit the Lake Thoreau Project by the South Lakes High School STEAM team, as well as the nonprofit organization Stop Hunger Now. [Reston Rotary/Facebook]
Men Who Killed SLHS Grad in Israel Charged in US — Two Palestinian men already serving life sentences in an Israeli prison for killing Kristine Luken, a 1984 South Lakes High School graduate, in 2010 have now also been charged with murder by U.S. prosecutors. [Washington Post]
Seahawks Lacrosse Team Has Strong Start — There were no games this week because of Spring Break, but the lacrosse team at South Lakes High School will come back next week looking to improve on their 5-1 early-season record. [South Lakes Athletics]
Arrest Made in Anti-Semitic Graffiti Incidents in Fairfax County — A 20-year-old Annandale man has been charged with committing the vandalism, called “hate-motivated” by police, earlier this week. [Fairfax County Police Department]
The Washington Capitals have big expectations this playoff season, which starts tonight at the Verizon Center with Game 1 of the team’s opening-round series.
Some local Capitals fans had the opportunity for even more excitement Thursday morning, however, as Reston was one of eight locations in the DC Metro area the Capitals chose for a giveaway contest.
At each location, five bobblehead figures of Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby were hidden. Hints were provided on the Capitals’ social media accounts, and the fans who found the hidden figures were rewarded with prizes including signed memorabilia and game tickets.
The five bobbleheads in Reston were hidden at Reston Town Center. The first to be found — which was the first of all 40 to be tracked down — was located in the Town Center pavilion by Jared Puleo just after 9 a.m.
“I walked in and showed everybody in my office,” said Puleo, a Purcellville resident who works at software company Daon. “I was stoked.”
Puleo, who said he will be attending tonight’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, won a signed puck from the team.
Some clues for Reston! Little under an hour left for our #RockTheRed Hunt! pic.twitter.com/FEfuMxTSY2
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 13, 2017
Other hides within the Town Center, according to hints posted by the Capitals, included ones at Fountain Square and within the “A Bird in the Hand” public art installation at Greater Reston Arts Center. That’s where Sheena Dunn of Alexandria, who works at an engineering company off Sunrise Valley Drive, was searching late Thursday morning — but the prize had already been claimed.
“I went to my boss and said it was in Reston Town Center, and he said ‘OK, go!'” said Dunn, a Caps season-ticket holder who said she would also be in attendance for tonight’s game. “It looks like they’re all gone, but it was fun.”
Both Puleo and Dunn said they have tempered optimism for the team during the playoffs. The Capitals, who have never won a Stanley Cup, won the Presidents’ Trophy as the National Hockey League’s best regular-season team this year.
“I’m nervous, as Caps fans always are this time of year,” Puleo said. “But I’m excited and I’m hoping for the best.”
Photo via Jared Puleo/@pul7pul on Twitter
Kelsey Richard, a recreation specialist, was named Reston Association’s 2016 Employee of the Year during the annual Members’ Meeting on Tuesday.
“Kelsey was selected for her incredible service to RA,” said Ellen Graves, outgoing president of the Reston Association Board of Directors, in presenting the award. “She’s always friendly, she’s always upbeat and positive and consistently provides RA members and her RA partners with outstanding customer service, and [she] models teamwork and a can-do attitude every day.”
Graves said Richard went “above and beyond” in 2016 to help her department and others, including Member Services.
“[Kelsey] personifies the Reston Association model employee,” Graves said. “She regularly jumps in and helps wherever needed, regardless of whether it is her job or not.”
Graves said when help was needed on the aquatics team, Richard was quick to fill in, and she did the same when a bus driver was needed for RA’s camp program. Richard also helped train numerous co-workers to use RA’s new WebTrac system, Graves said.
“As humble as she is, she deserves significant recognition for all she has brought to the organization this year,” Graves said.
Richard first received recognition for the award in December, but Graves said the annual Members’ Meeting was an opportunity to once again thank her for her efforts.
RA’s top volunteers of the year, who had in the past also been recognized at the Members’ Meeting, will be honored this year with their own ceremony during National Volunteer Week. That event will take place Thursday, April 27, from 6:30-9 p.m. at The Lake House.
At Wednesday night’s initial meeting of the new Reston Association Board of Directors, Director Sherri Hebert (Lake Anne/Tall Oaks District) was elected the board’s new president.
“I think we’re in a place right now [where we need to] build trust and faith in the community,” Hebert said. “I think I have a lot of support with groups all over the community… [and] I just think that’s the biggest thing we need to really do as a board, is rebuild that trust.”
Hebert is in the second year of her first team as a director, after being voted onto the board in 2016. She said the board needs to work on its internal relationships to improve the discourse among directors.
“We need to be in a collaborative space, [but] that doesn’t mean we all agree with each other all the time,” she said. “We want to be respectful and timely, and do things maybe faster with not as much grandstanding.”
Hebert said she is a firm believer in transparency and fights executive sessions whenever possible. She also said her experience on the board’s fiscal committee provides “a good foundation” to move into the president’s seat.
Voting was done by secret ballot. Julie Bitzer (South Lakes District) was also nominated.
Board newcomer David Bobzien (Apartment Owners’ representative) was elected vice president, winning a vote over fellow newcomer Eric Carr (At-Large).
“I think that it’s incredibly important this year for the Reston Association to have a board that operates efficiently — one who actually has efficient board meetings,” Bobzien said. “I think that I bring a great deal of experience in leading that kind of effort.”
Michael Sanio (At-Large), the board’s previous vice president, was elected secretary. He was the only director nominated.
The board also voted at the meeting to have Dannielle LaRosa, who stepped down from her role as a director, continue as treasurer until a call for applicants for the position is completed. No one has yet applied for the position, board Assistant Secretary Sabrina Tadele said, but the deadline for applicants is not until May 19.
LaRosa expressed a desire to continue on as treasurer beyond May. There was discussion to withdraw the call for applicants and re-appoint LaRosa to the position indefinitely, but that met resistance from At-Large Director Ray Wedell.
“There is no harm in allowing Dannielle to continue for a month, and I’m sure she’ll do a great job, [but] we have an opportunity to get some applications and learn some things, that maybe there’s one or two other people out there we don’t know of,” he said. “Even if we do not choose them at the end of the day, it would be good to know who they are and what they can do.”
Full video of the meeting is available at Reston Association’s YouTube channel.
Fine Arts Center Coming to Herndon? — A McLean-based investor group is proposing a $40 million afterschool fine arts facility at Centreville and West Ox roads, near Frying Pan Farm Park. The site could have up to 40,000 square feet of by-right commercial development in its future instead, the group’s land-use attorney said, which would not fit the “historic fabric of the property.” [Washington Business Journal]
Easter Event Schedule — Easter is this weekend, and no matter how you mark the holiday there are plenty of opportunities to do so around the area. [Connection Newspapers]
Registration for Reston Kids Triathlon Now Open — Signups for the event, scheduled for Aug. 6, began last night. Cost is $35. [Reston Kids Triathlon]
County DOT Seeking Data Gatherers — Volunteers are sought to help count non-motorized road and trail users as part of a national data-gathering project, to be conducted in September. Among the locations where counts are to be done are Town Center Parkway, New Dominion Parkway, Fairfax County Parkway and the W&OD Trail in Reston. [Connection Newspapers]
Parkway Advisory Committee Needs Members — The objectives of the Town of Herndon’s committee are to identify current and future transportation impacts in the three jurisdictions; develop a proposed policy for council consideration for the use of the Herndon Parkway; and coordinate a list of concerns and proposed solutions for representatives of each jurisdiction to take to their respective government bodies. [Town of Herndon]
Speaking at Reston Association’s annual Members’ Meeting on Tuesday, CEO Cate Fulkerson said she is looking to capitalize on the opportunities presented by challenges RA has faced in the past year.
“For anyone who knows my leadership style, I’m not one who walks away from a challenge or ignores difficulties,” Fulkerson said as she addressed the audience. “I believe in taking responsibility for errors, correcting them so they do not happen again, and I believe in finding opportunity in difficulty.”
Specifically, the difficulties of which Fulkerson spoke included the controversy surrounding the Tetra/Lake House renovation, concerns about how RA handles conflicts of interest, and the public input process regarding the Lake Newport soccer field proposal. Moving forward, Fulkerson said she understands the importance of building community trust and continuing on the path of leading sustainable change.
Fulkerson said she and her staff have a number of important tasks to complete in order for that to happen. The first, she said, is to establish a solid foundation with the incoming board — based, she said, on mutual respect, reciprocal communications and shared purpose.
The CEO said the StoneTurn Group review of the Tetra/Lake House deal highlighted several ways Reston Association can work toward bettering internal control policies and procedures for project management. She said she is developing a proposal along with RA CFO Robert Wood that includes the conduct of an internal process control and a walk-through review of RA’s purchasing practices, contract processing and capital-project management.
“The goal will be to have a new system in place by August of this year, so we can take the opportunity to invite StoneTurn to audit the Association in 2018 and to make sure the new processes and policies are being followed,” Fulkerson said.
Continuing work to establish a Code of Ethics for Reston Association is also on Fulkerson’s list of tasks, as she said it is of utmost importance as they work to build community trust.
In regard to new development, Fulkerson said Reston National Golf Course, Tall Oaks Village Center and St. John’s Wood are just some examples of “how vitally important it is for Reston Association to keep on track with leading sustainable change by vigilantly monitoring land-use happenings and advocating for trees, trails and thoughtful design.”
Fulkerson said community input is important to all decisions made by Reston Association. She said listening meetings are being planned for May and June in each of Reston’s districts to gather feedback on what matters most to RA members.
“Our interest is to engage you in conversation,” she said. “The timing of these listening meetings goes hand-in-hand with the development of the 2018 and 2019 Capital and Operating budgets.”
In addition to inviting feedback at the upcoming meetings, the CEO encouraged members to fill out request/suggestion forms for the budget.
Full video of Fulkerson’s speech is available through the Reston Association YouTube channel.
Eric Carr, John Mooney and Victoria White were announced Tuesday at Reston Association’s annual Members’ Meeting as the winners of the three contested races in the 2017 Reston Association Board of Directors election.
Carr won a six-person race for an At-Large seat on the board, defeating runner-up Ven Iyer by 117 votes in a race that saw 8,534 votes counted. The full breakdown of votes in the race:
- Carr: 2,493 votes (29.2 percent)
- Iyer: 2,376 votes (27.8 percent)
- Mike Collins: 1,404 votes (16.5 percent)
- HeidiAnne Werner: 1,121 votes (13.1 percent)
- Roberto Anguizola: 647 votes (7.6 percent)
- Charles Dorfeuille: 296 votes (3.5 percent)
- Abstain: 197 (2.3 percent)
“I think it’s clear from the turnout, the number of candidates and the number of votes, that this is a very impassioned community that got involved because of the changes that are happening here,” said Carr, who won a three-year term. “It’s a community that really embraced that idea that we need to take a new interest in how the organization is run, and I think that as you look at the results across the board, you see that.”
Mooney and White each won head-to-head matchups with their challengers. Mooney earned a two-year term as the North Point District representative with 1,384 votes to opponent Arlene Krieger‘s 1,069. He will serve the remaining two years of the term won in the 2016 election by Dannielle LaRosa, who stepped down.
“I’m very grateful to the voters, the members, for putting their trust in me,” Mooney said. “I hope to serve the board as best I can, and the Association as best I can. [There are] a lot of challenges, but I’m looking forward to it.”
White, meanwhile, earned a three-year team as the Hunters Woods/Dogwood District representative with 1,026 votes to opponent Syazana Durrani‘s 456.
“I’m looking forward to reminding the RA that the Hunters Woods/Dogwood District exists and reminding them that there are a lot of great community members who have probably not been getting involved because they haven’t been happy,” she said. “I’m really excited to remind the RA of that.”
David Bobzien, who was unopposed in the race for Apartment Owners’ representative, will also join the board for a three-year term.
“I’m sort of coming full circle, since I’ve lived here since 1975 and have been active in the community and was on the Planning Commission during some of the early development,” he said. “Now we’re looking at all this re-development, so I’m just looking to do my part and help out wherever I can.”
The four new board members will sit in on their first meeting tonight, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at RA Headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive). The agenda includes the election of officers, and discussion of committees and upcoming training. CEO Cate Fulkerson will also present the board with its 2017 calendar and strategic issues for consideration in the next three months.
The new members join continuing members Julie Bitzer, Sherri Hebert, Michael Sanio, Eve Thompson and Ray Wedell on the board.
In total, 4,918 ballots were tallied for the election — a voter turnout of about 18.97 percent. The North Point District had the highest percentage (24.79) of ballots returned; Hunters Woods/Dogwood (13.74 percent) had the lowest.
