Snow Forecast Disappoints — Snow that was predicted to fall overnight didn’t amount to much of anything in Fairfax County, but it will remain windy and cold today. Warmth is expected to return soon, with 60s or even low 70s possible again Sunday. [Capital Weather Gang]

Three Divas Readying for Upcoming Show — Reston’s three divas (Beverly Cosham, Menda Ahart and Felicia Kessel-Crawley) will perform Friday, Feb. 17 at Reston Community Center, Lake Anne. Though the concert is free, seating is limited and reservations are encouraged. [Reston Museum]

Notable Death: Ralph Edward Groening — Groening, a longtime Reston resident, died earlier this week at the age of 97. Groening was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, and worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for several decades. [Reston Patch]

Reston Soccer Association and Reston Association are holding a community input meeting tonight from 7-9 p.m. “with residents from clusters adjacent to the Lake Newport Soccer Fields to discuss their potential concerns regarding RSA’s proposed enhancements to the field.” The meeting will be at RA’s headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive).

The upgrades would involve the installation of artificial turf fields, LED lighting and a clubhouse building. All would be paid for by Reston Soccer.

Earlier Wednesday, women’s professional soccer team the Washington Spirit announced they would be partnering with Reston Soccer to bring a U.S. Girls’ Development Academy to Reston later this year. Robert Anguizola, Reston Soccer president, said the project and the academy are not directly related, as Reston Soccer also plays at a number of other facilities in Reston. However, he said, improvements to Lake Newport’s fields would be beneficial from multiple standpoints.

“[The partnership] highlights the need for better fields so that we can continue to attract good players, coaches and soccer programs here,” he said. “The partnership with Washington Spirit, that we hope will be a long-term partnership, gives us a good fundraising platform.”

Not everyone is happy about the development, though.

Eric McErlain, president of Bayfield Station, one of the clusters in question, says he is a soccer fan. However, he adds, he was irked by the fact that very few people in his community were even aware of the meeting or the proposal as a whole.

“Only a portion of the community received letters by mail from the RA,” he said. “The letter was dated Jan. 27, but the envelope wasn’t postmarked until Jan. 30, and the envelope itself didn’t get to me until Friday. I didn’t open my mail until Saturday, and there it was.”

McErlain said he and other residents of the area — which also includes Arbor Glen and Concord Green clusters — have been trying to spread the word about tonight’s meeting.

Anguizola has previously estimated the improvements will add 191 extra field hours during the season and 550 during what is now the offseason. McErlain said he is worried about what that will mean for the neighborhood.

“I’m incredibly concerned, now that I see more and more the scale and the scope of it,” he said. “I can’t help but be alarmed, and I can’t help but feel the RA is rushing us and not giving us enough time to study this project and be able to comment on it intelligently.”

Reston Association and Reston Soccer are separate and independent entities.

The Reston Association board set a timeline in October on discussion about the project, including public hearings in the early part of this year. Tonight’s meeting is the “first in a series” on the matter, said Mike Leone, RA’s communications director. Should the board allow the project to move forward, a member referendum would take place.

Anguizola said continued discussions with the community, starting with tonight’s meeting, will help determine the future of the project.

“It should be a happy development for the community, because I think it’s part of the civic fabric,” he said. “[But] we’re happy to have a conversation.”

Robert E. Simon founded Reston in 1964 on the principle that it would be inclusive for all. Six years ago this month, during a Black History Month event at the Reston Historic Trust and Museum, a 96-year-old Simon shared some of his thoughts about racial inclusion.

His words, which are available on YouTube, are transcribed below:

“The story is something I read in the New Yorker magazine. In those days, if you wanted to go from one coast to the other, you had to change trains in Chicago. After Chicago, there were no more cars where you could get food. You got off the train and went into Harvey Houses.”

“So, the story tells of this troop train. Black soldiers transporting white prisoners from one place to the other. After Chicago, they stopped at the Harvey Houses – the prisoners were put in the dining room and the soldiers were put in the kitchen. Well, that really blew my mind.”

“And so when I got started here, it was inconceivable that we would not be an open community. [unintelligible] It wasn’t that great an idea to some fellow Virginians at the time. The brokers outside of Reston were prone to say ‘That’s communist.'”

“At any rate, the rest of the history is pretty heart-warming. You have, I think I heard someplace, 100 different languages. I don’t know if that’s possible. But we do have enormous diversity here.”

“At the moment, if you want to pick on ethnic origin, it’s not so much Black. At the moment it’s Latino, which is very interesting, what’s going on in the world, if you think about it — how hate can be transferred.”

Simon died in September 2015 at the age of 101.

H/T Restonian. Screen grab via YouTube.

Commemorative bricks for Reston’s annual Founder’s Day are being sold through next week.

The bricks will be installed on Lake Anne Plaza and dedicated during the event Saturday, April 8. Restonians are encouraged to become part of Reston’s history by purchasing one.

“The commemorative bricks support the Reston Museum and Founder’s Day — an opportunity each year to celebrate Robert E. Simon and his vision for this special and inclusive community,” said Elizabeth Didiano, executive director of Reston Historic Trust and Museum.

A commemorative brick can also be lasting gift to someone special, Didiano said.

“[The bricks] are a unique way for us to record Reston’s history,” she said. “[They allow] individuals to share their names, relationships and contributions to Reston where everyone can see them — surrounding the statue of Reston’s founder Bob Simon on Lake Anne Plaza.”

Bricks can be purchased from the Reston Historic Trust and Museum for a tax-deductible contribution of $100 for a standard-sized brick, or $250 for a large brick. Orders can be made on the museum’s website, by emailing Didiano at [email protected], or by calling 703-709-7700.

The deadline to order bricks is Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Founder’s Day is presented by Reston Historic Trust and Museum, Reston Association, Reston Community Center, Initiative for Public Art — Reston, and Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association.

Photo courtesy Reston Historic Trust and Museum

(Edited 12:45 p.m. after the postponement of a previously announced event.)

VW’s Electric Vehicle Work to Be Done Locally — As part of a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency, Volkswagen AG has been required to spend $2 billion over the next decade in support of zero-emission vehicles in the United States. The company announced Tuesday that under the subsidiary Electrify America LLC, that work will be headquartered in Reston. [Bloomberg]

Name of Officer in Standoff Shooting Still Not Released — The identity of the Fairfax County Police Department officer who shot and killed Mohammad Azim Doudzai last month, ending a chaotic hostage/barricade situation in Herndon, is still not being released. Police Chief Edwin Roessler, who says an assessment of potential threats to the officer is not complete, will appear in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday for a preliminary injunction hearing regarding the matter. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Police to Teens: Pay Attention When Behind the Wheel — According to information provided by the Fairfax County Police Department, an estimated 571 crashes involving teenage drivers in 2016 were attributed to various distracted driving actions. At this week’s Student Advisory Committee meeting, officers are promoting the #PhonesDownTouchdown campaign to try to lower that number. [Fairfax County Police Department]

The battle between Reston Town Center businesses and RTC owner Boston Properties over paid parking appears to be just beginning.

About 50 people, including dozens of representatives from Town Center restaurants and shops, met Monday at Vapiano restaurant to share information, voice their frustrations and continue to work out how they should proceed. They did so as sales at their shops and restaurants continue to dip, as customers have been staying away from the Town Center since paid parking began Jan. 3.

Monday afternoon’s meeting came on a day when Fairfax County Public Schools had not been in session. Yasser Meshki, general manager of Vapiano, said you wouldn’t know that from the lack of customers in his restaurant.

“Every time, when school is off, we’re packed for lunch,” he said. “We make easily, let’s say $3,000. We didn’t make half of that today.”

Meshki’s comments were among numerous that were shared during the hourlong meeting. Aaron Gordon and Aaron Mervis, of Red Velvet Cupcakery and Big Bowl respectively, are organizing the group. One of the goals of Monday’s meeting was to begin the process of assimilating all the upset businesses under one association that can legally stand together against Reston Town Center.

“We’re not necessarily threatening lawsuit, but we are saying that we can explore a few different avenues,” Gordon said. “The first one is going to be to all get under one umbrella, pitch in a little money and then see where it takes us.”

Representatives of law firm Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC, who have not been retained by the group at this time, addressed the crowd and offered some preliminary advice regarding organizing. Gordon and Mervis had company representatives who attended the meeting sign up and show their willingness to join.

Some merchants who spoke during the meeting shared information about how much their sales have dropped from this time last year, with most falling between 10 and 50 percent. Even businesses that appear on the surface to be doing relatively well, such as Potomac River Running, are actually not.

“This weather is fantastic for us, so we’re having much higher sales than we normally would among our eight stores,” said owner Ray Pugsley. “My other seven stores are up between 10 and 50 percent in the last 30 days. This store here is down 4 percent.”

Evan Matz, CEO of World of Beer, said even the customers who are stopping into his restaurant show the effects of paid parking.

“We used to see customers come in with bags after shopping, and they would sit down and have a meal or lunch or a beer or something, but we don’t see those customers come in anymore,” he said. “They’re coming in, doing what they need to do, getting back in their car and leaving right away.”

Concerns about the paid parking are more than just about the cost, the merchants said. They also expressed opinions about the ParkRTC app they say is driving customers away, and about how designated employee parking spots blocks away from stores are causing hardships on their workers, among other issues.

Cliff Hallock, owner of the Ben & Jerry’s on Market Street, said he is extremely concerned about the coming months.

“I’m terrified of what’s going to happen in the future, in terms of lower foot traffic, when things should get busy in [the] March, April, May time frame,” he said. “Close friends of mine are telling me, ‘I’m sorry Cliff, I just don’t go there anymore. I love ya, but we’re not going to go there.'”

Anne Mader, co-owner of The Bike Lane, said she and her husband opened up shop in Reston because of the sense of community. She says that sense is now gone at Reston Town Center.

“Now it’s just disheartening, because it feels so unwelcome. It’s not the Reston community that I grew up in,” said Mader, whose shop is publicly seeking a new home. “It hurts my heart, it makes me sad. I really want to do business here.”

Everything was coming together nicely for Nisa Katz, a 2010 graduate of South Lakes High School.

“I actually was able to get an internship with Disney World, which was my dream job,” she said. “I was offered a regular full-time position, but I ended up getting sick.”

After a long series of doctor’s visits, Katz was diagnosed in 2014 with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a condition that causes an increased heart rate when standing upright — resulting in dizziness, migraines and more. Because of it, Katz was forced to give up her photography position at Disney World and return home to Reston to her parents, Gina and Bert.

Since, Katz said she has been diagnosed with a series of other conditions — Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Chiari malformation and trigeminal neuralgia among them.

Now 25, Katz finds herself traveling down a new path in life, raising awareness for rare diseases and chronic illnesses. She has started an awareness campaign called Spoonspirations — the name of which is a reference to “spoon theory,” a term coined by lupus patient advocate Christine Miserandino about how sufferers of such conditions must ration their energy.

“She wanted a way to describe it to people who don’t have a chronic illness, so they could understand,” Katz said. “Basically, it’s kind of like if you get up to walk the dog, you use three spoons out of your 12 total spoons for the day.”

Through Spoonspirations, Katz is using her love of art to spread the word about chronic illness. Katz studied graphic design as well as photography, and she has designed a number of different pieces of apparel for various related causes.

She is raising money for research in the process, as all proceeds from sales of the clothing are given to chronic illness organizations. In 2016, she said, she raised $8,000 that was donated in large part to Dysautonomia International and the Dysautonomia Support Network, organizations she became acquainted with through her personal journey.

This year, Katz has become involved with rare disease advocacy organization Global Genes. She will travel to Southern California at the end of the month to participate in a fashion show for the organization as part of World Rare Disease Day.

“Everyone is walking in honor of someone who has a rare disease,” she said. “I’m the only one walking who actually has a rare disease.”

Katz is hopeful that she will be able to make more connections during the event to help her expand Spoonspirations and raise more awareness for the hundreds of millions worldwide suffering from chronic illnesses.

“Rare diseases affect approximately 350 million people worldwide and often times are invisible,” she said. “So you never know who might be affected.”

Photos courtesy Nisa Katz/Spoonspirations

Police in Fairfax County are still searching for a 16-year-old girl and her 5-month-old baby after they went missing last month.

Lizzy Lizbeth Rivera Colindres and her son, Aidan David Castillo Rivera, were last seen Jan. 14 at their home on Rhoden Court in Springfield. Her mom reported her missing the next day.

According to police, it was originally believed the girl left voluntarily with the baby’s father, 18-year-old Jose Ivan Castillo Rivas. New information, however, suggests Colindres and her son may be in danger, and she may have left out of fear of Rivas.

Please help us locate this missing girl and her baby. Call us if you know anything! https://t.co/SbirN9N3U3 pic.twitter.com/PQJnZlUoiw

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) February 6, 2017

UPDATE: Missing teen/baby. Photo of baby's father released, if you see him or Lizzy, call us immediately. https://t.co/BdgoxQ65NS pic.twitter.com/8d2rXwnzef

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) February 7, 2017

Colindres is described as Hispanic, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and 125 pounds. She has long black hair with light-colored stripes in it. She wears glasses.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective K. Mason (571-585-2378) or Detective M. Fox (571-489-1796), or the Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131, or contact Crime Solvers. Tips can also be made by texting “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES(274637).

In crimes reported from the Reston District Station in the past week:

LARCENIES:

1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, generator from residence

1800 block of Wiehle Avenue, wine from business

11800 block of Freedom Drive, laser from construction site

1500 block of Kings Valley Court, package from business

10000 block of Runaway Lane, purse from vehicle

400 block of Springpark Place, firearm from vehicle

11600 block of Vantage Hill Road, glasses from residence

2300 block of Woodland Crossing Drive, wallet and luggage from residence

2400 block of Centreville Road, cell phone from residence

2400 block of Centreville Road, wallet from vehicle

13000 block of New Austin Court, property from residence

11100 block of South Lakes Drive, liquor from business

STOLEN VEHICLES:

None reported

RCC Board Seeks Community Input — The Reston Community Center Board of Governors will hold a community relations and program policy meeting Monday from 6:30-8 p.m. at RCC Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road). Discussion topics will include new programming approaches and content for inclusion in RCC’s FY19 budget; capital project planning for the Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center; and the board’s progress in meeting new Strategic Plan goals and objectives. [Reston Community Center]

How Can LinkedIn Work for You? — The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce (1886 Metro Center Drive) will host a workshop Wednesday morning on how the social networking service can help attendees improve business development and polish their personal brand, or with a career transition. [Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce]

Reston-Based Company May Lose Listing — Audience-measuring firm comScore, headquartered on Democracy Drive, saw its stocks plummet Monday. This happened after an announcement that it would miss a February deadline for filing financial statements, which may result in its stock being delisted by Nasdaq. [WTOP]

More than 150 people say they will attend a protest of Reston Town Center’s paid parking, and that number is growing.

The scores of potential demonstrators have signaled their intention on a Facebook page titled Park Free RTC (Protest). The group’s organizers are planning the event for Saturday, March 4.

As of noon Monday, 155 people had indicated they would be attending. That number has nearly doubled since Friday. Nearly 400 more had marked that they are “interested” in the event.

Guarang Shah, a Town Center resident, is one of the organizers. He said he expects about 300 people to participate in the “peaceful protest.”

According to the event details listed on the page, which went live last week:

“It’s been almost a month since RTC and Boston Properties has started Paid Parking and nobody is happy about that. Also it is most expensive parking in Northern Virginia compare to any other malls and shopping centers. Now, Reston Town Center looks empty all restaurants, bars and local businesses are down. Reston town center parking been free for years and it should be forever.” [sic]

Dozens of comments from followers of the page detail their frustrations with and anger about the paid parking system, which went into effect Jan. 3.

Reston Town Center merchants have announced they are considering a lawsuit against property owner Boston Properties because of the paid parking, which they say has caused them a large chunk of their sales. Shah said merchants he’s spoken with have shared those concerns.

Shah said he organizes regular social meetups in the Town Center. He said turnout for an annual January charity event he hosts at Vapiano was down by half from last year — and many who came left early.

“Every weekend we have something, and we [would] bring a lot of crowds around the Town Center,” he said. “Right now, nobody wants to go to Town Center. I have events in Herndon and Tysons and Ashburn — we try to stay away from the Town Center.”

Shah said his group of concerned citizens has been holding meetings and plans to fight until paid parking is rescinded.

“We just want to get rid of this [paid] parking,” he said. “It’s been free for 25 years, and this is causing a lot of trouble.”

Afghan Immigrant Shares Story — Today, he works out of government service provider SOS International’s headquarters in Reston, where he lives with his family. A mere two years ago, Naveed was an interpreter in his home country helping with counter drug-dealing operations. While he says daily life in Afghanistan is not the harrowing experience Americans may imagine, he is happy to have his family safe in the U.S. [Fairfax Times]

Community Services Discussion Slated — The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board says it is taking a “fresh look” at how it prioritizes mental health, substance abuse and developmental disability issues. The board wants to hear the opinions of citizens regarding what matters most to them and how they feel it should be handled. The board is hosting a series of community dialogues on the topic, the first of which is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Northwest Center in Reston. [Fairfax County]

Herndon Seeks Input on Proposed Budget — The Town of Herndon will host a public hearing Tuesday, Feb. 14, to discuss its FY2018 budget proposal. Comments may also be made online. [Town of Herndon]

Looking for something to do this weekend? Here is a sampling of what’s available in Reston:

• The South Lakes High School Chorus is presenting its Broadway Night event tonight and Saturday.
• Reston Town Center events this weekend include a kids’ cooking class at Il Fornaio, cartoon skate at the ice pavilion, Super Bowl festivities at American Tap Room and Mon Ami Gabi, and more.
• Potomac River Running will be putting on its For The Love Of It 10K, beginning at South Lakes High School (11400 South Lakes Drive), Saturday morning.
• Reston Community Players will close out their run of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” tonight and Saturday at Reston Community Center’s CenterStage (2310 Colts Neck Road).
• Project-based charter school Ideaventions Academy (12340 Pinecrest Road) will be holding an open house Saturday.
• Art exhibitions “CUT” and “Springtime in Winter” remain on display at Greater Reston Arts Center (12001 Market Street) and Reston Art Gallery & Studios (11400 Washington Plaza W.), respectively.
• Del. Ken Plum will be at Lake Anne Coffee House (1612 Washington Plaza N.) on Saturday morning to discuss issues with his constituents.
• Red’s Table (11150 South Lakes Drive) won’t just be offering beer specials Sunday during the Super Bowl, but it will unveil its new bison chili as well.
• Kalypso’s (1617 Washington Plaza N.) will host a Super Bowl party Sunday, featuring regional foods from New England and Atlanta. A raffle will also be held to benefit Camp Sunshine.

For the 20th year, Reston is preparing to host its annual Relay for Life fundraiser to fight cancer.

This year’s event will be held May 20-21 at South Lakes High School. The fundraising drive will officially kick off Thursday, Feb. 9 with a celebration at the Reston Association conference center (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive) from 7-9 p.m.

Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society‘s largest fundraising event. All proceeds raised from the drive are donated to ACS to support local community programs and cancer research. As of Friday afternoon, the Relay for Life website reports more than $7,300 in local donations have already been pledged.

The Reston event’s goal is $175,000.

May’s event at SLHS will feature live entertainment, food, games and more. At the kickoff event next week, catered snacks will be provided by Trader Joe’s of Reston.

According to information provided by Relay for Life, the fundraiser — staffed and coordinated by volunteers — takes place in more than 5,200 communities across 20 countries. It has raised more than $5 billion since it began in 1985.

For more information, to register or to make a donation, visit the Relay for Life website.