Of the 23 branches in the Fairfax County Public Library system, only one has a dedicated children’s desk.

That area, at the Reston Regional Library, is a bustling center of activity. So said Dorota Rodgers, the library’s youth services manager.

“It’s everything, from storytime to movies to art class,” she said.

The schedule of children’s events for the coming month at the library is jam-packed, featuring something for kids of all ages — from babies all the way up through teens. Programming for teens, for example, includes coding workshops and a Teen Advisory Board.

But Rodgers said there is a “very high demand” for programs geared toward babies.

“When registration opens, it is full in 20 or 30 minutes,” she said. “I think people are more focused on how to prepare their children to be successful as a reader and then at school.”

With that in mind, the library is putting a major focus on the “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program, which launched Nov. 1. The program encourages parents to regularly read to their young children, getting the kids to make reading an important aspect of their lives.

Rodgers said nearly 150 families have registered for the program at the Reston library in its first two months, and some have already reached the 250-book plateau.

“Children learn about pre-reading skills. They can start learning from birth,” she said. “It’s a very precious program.”

Getting children familiar with the importance of reading is a key component to their future success, Rodgers said. She said the all-volunteer teachers who provide programming at the library are a big part of getting kids excited about visiting.

One program sees trained therapy dogs brought into the library. Children read to the pups and gain a valuable learning experience in doing so, Rodgers said.

“They lay down with the dog, show pictures to the dog, whisper to them,” Rodgers said. “Nobody judges them, and they just love spending time reading in a 15-minute session, one on one.”

More intricate programs that require bringing in outside presenters, such as Little Twisters Storytime Yoga and Gymboree Music, are co-sponsored by the Friends of the Reston Regional Library.

“Thanks to the very supportive Friends of the Reston Regional Library, I can book many paid performers from outside, additional to our programs done by our staff members,” Rodgers said.

The library also offers programming for adults, including stress-relieving coloring sessions and courses in English as a Second Language.

For more information on upcoming programming at the Reston Regional Library, check out the online calendar, call the library at 703-689-2700 or pick up a schedule at the front desk.

The 2017 Virginia General Assembly convenes today at noon in Richmond, but 11th-hour elections had some legislators up late last night.

Two Virginia Senate seats were up for vote in a special election Tuesday, along with one House seat. Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) of Reston had a close eye on the races in her chamber, as a Democratic sweep would have put her in position to take the reins of the Finance Committee.

In the 9th District, representing the Richmond area, Democratic candidate Jennifer McClellan took an easy victory over a third-party opponent. But in the 22nd District, representing the Lynchburg area, Republican Mark Peake won by a large margin over Democratic candidate Ryant Washington. Both seats had been vacated by former state senators who were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

The results keep the Republicans in a 21-19 advantage in the Senate. A 20-20 split would have effectively given control to the Democratic Party, as the lieutenant governor, Democrat Ralph Northam, has tiebreaker control.

“It is disappointing but not at all surprising that the Republican won in an overwhelmingly Republican district,” Howell told Reston Now when asked for comment on the 22nd District result. “Sadly, we lost an opportunity to bring our Democratic values to the state Senate.”

Howell says she is concerned about cuts to education, services for the disabled, drug treatment programs and more that may come as the state faces a $1.5 billion budget shortfall that must be made up during the 46-day session.

“I will continue to fight for funding our Northern Virginia priorities in the Finance Committee,” she said.

Application Deadline for Review Panel Approaches — Fairfax County residents interested in being part of the effort to review alleged misconduct by Fairfax County police officers have until Jan. 31 to apply for the county’s new Citizen Review Panel. The panel was created in response to the shooting of an unarmed man by Fairfax County Police in 2013. [WTOP]

FCPS to Name County’s Top Crossing Guard — Who helps your children cross the street to and from school each day? If you think your friendly neighborhood crossing guard is the best of the best, Fairfax County Public Schools wants to hear about it. Nominations for the Crossing Guard of the Year award are being accepted through Jan. 27. [Fairfax County Public Schools]

South Lakes High School Swimmers Honored — Seniors on the SLHS swim team, pictured here, were recognized prior to a winning performance recently against McLean. The team has two more meets left this season: Friday night against Langley and a week from tonight against Washington & Lee. In other Seahawks sports in the past few days, the varsity girls basketball team beat Yorktown, as did both the JV boys and girls. [South Lakes Athletics]

Concerned citizens plan to meet soon in Reston to discuss worries they have about the future of environmental legislation.

The Sierra Club’s Virginia Chapter and the Sierra Club NOVA Hub organize monthly “Climate Action Night” events in Reston. Kelsey Crane, Northern Virginia program coordinator for the Club, says this month’s meeting — the time and date of which are in flux — will discuss major fears regarding the incoming Trump Administration.

“We are going to be looking at some of the terrible climate deniers that Trump has in important positions and how we can work with our senators to have them block those nominations and stand up for the environment,” Crane said.

In November, Virginia was one of 18 states to pledge support of President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, is a strong opponent of the legislation.

U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) of Fairfax County called the pick of Pruitt part of a “Cabinet of Horrors” being assembled by Trump:

“The decision to appoint an individual who has repeatedly tried to stymie and rollback important environmental regulations — and a climate change denier no less — to head the very agency charged with protecting public health and safety is reckless, cynical and must be opposed.”

The Sierra Club is asking its supporters to show their displeasure with Pruitt’s nomination by petitioning Senate. They contend the Clean Power Plan offers an “unprecedented opportunity” in the effort to “reduce harmful carbon pollution by increasing our use of energy efficiency and renewable energy.”

Another Sierra Club petition exists to ask senators to block the nomination of Trump’s Secretary of State choice, former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson.

Crane said the Club is concerned about protecting not just the Clean Power Plan, but other existing efforts to battle greenhouse gases, including the nation’s participation in The Paris Agreement.

“This is our first meeting of the year to really get together and strategize what are the biggest priorities we can put our attention and our efforts onto to protect our environment against what could be a disastrous administration,” Crane said. “[We’ll be looking at] how we can build a strong base of advocates and people who can do outreach in our community, to our media and to our decision makers.”

Local Climate Action Nights are usually held at the Reston Regional Library, Crane said, and they are open to the public. For further information about this month’s meeting and other local efforts, contact Crane at 703-438-6246 or [email protected].

His name is Jonathan Chicas. But his friends call him “Primo.”

“‘Primo’ means ‘cousin’ in Spanish,” said Ryan Alcorn, a senior at Herndon High School and a Reston resident. “He’s like family.”

And when he was going through some tough times recently, his local “family” was there to help him out. He had fallen sick with pneumonia and was facing a seemingly insurmountable medical bill.

His worries were alleviated when the bill was covered in less than 24 hours, thanks to a GoFundMe page and a community that supports those in need.

“I was sure that I was going to need to leave school to pay this,” Jonathan said. “Wow, I was so happy.”

—

Jonathan, a junior at Herndon High School, came to the U.S. with his family from El Salvador. Living in Herndon, they sometimes have trouble making ends meet. To pay the bills, Jonathan sometimes has to help out by doing odd jobs.

Recently, he was working on a concrete job in unfriendly weather.

“It was cold — very, very cold,” he said.

It wasn’t long after that he started to feel sick — very, very sick.

“I was sneezing and I was getting headaches,” he said. “The next day, it was getting worse.”

Jonathan tried to fight the illness without taking medicine or going to the doctor. Instead, he visited the school clinic.

“I didn’t want to go to the hospital, because I knew it was going to be very, very expensive,” he said, adding that he does not have health insurance.

After a few days, his health turned from bad to worse.

“I went to the clinic and I told the nurse that now I was feeling miserable,” he said. “I went to the bathroom and I was vomiting, and I saw some red spots, and I knew it was blood.”

An ambulance was summoned to transfer Jonathan to the emergency room. He spent a morning there, where he received a pneumonia diagnosis. He was given antibiotics and quickly felt better. After about a week of recovery, he was good as new.

That is, until the bill arrived.

“Just from the hospital, not including the ambulance, it was $4,196.75,” he said. “For three hours.”

Jonathan felt sick again, this time for another reason.

“We were supposed to have dinner, and I wasn’t hungry at all,” he said. “I had lost it, to be honest.”

—

Ryan had been used to hearing from “Primo” regularly. They spent a lot of time together after becoming friends in personal fitness class.

When he hadn’t seen his friend around or heard from him for several days, he texted to ask what was going on.

“He was like, ‘Aww man, I was really sick,'” Ryan said. “He didn’t really go into detail, so I was just like, ‘All right, I’m glad you’re feeling better.'”

But when Jonathan brought the bill over to show Ryan, the true scope of the problem came to light.

“He looked really depressed, and that was something I’d never really seen before,” Ryan said. “I kept telling him on the way home, ‘I think everything’s going to be all right, it’s going to be OK.’ But I knew at that point he didn’t believe me, and I don’t know if I totally believed myself.”

Jonathan’s mother makes $380 a week at her job, and his dad makes some cash here and there through handyman work, but not much in the winter. In addition to helping to pay the bills, Jonathan sends money back to El Salvador to help his grandmother.

“I kind of know his financial situation, about having to pay other bills,” Ryan said. “The amount of work he has to put in just to get by is incredible.”

Ryan floated the idea of a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to pay the bill.

“I knew, just from the people that Jonathan is friends with and people he’s met, they all love him,” he said. “I knew they would come out and support him.”

Jonathan wasn’t as optimistic, but Ryan was able to convince him. The page launched Jan. 4.

And it took off, Ryan said.

“At first it was people we knew, good friends of Jonathan, and then it was people who had heard about him or just heard the story, and they all wanted to get involved,” he said. “That’s truly a testament to this community that we have here. I knew there were some really great people, but I didn’t realize how much support they could bring for someone they barely knew. I just thought that was awesome.”

—

From the GoFundMe page:

“Our friend Jonathan, known to many as ‘Primo’ needs our help. In early December Jonathan caught pneumonia and despite trying to soldier through it, he ended up in the Emergency Room. Primo doesn’t have insurance and he’s now facing a staggering medical bill. In addition to being a student a Herndon High School, Jonathan works multiple jobs to support himself and his family. He’s considering dropping out to take on yet another job to pay this bill. If we can all pitch in, even a little bit, we might be able to cover the expenses and keep Primo on the path to graduation. If you know Primo, you know just how wonderful a guy he is. He needs our help. Please consider donating today.”

Donations of $10, $50, $100 and more came pouring in. The GoFundMe page hit its $4,197 goal within a day, and the total has now risen to nearly $5,000.

The money is currently in a special account, being handled by Ryan’s mother, Kristina. It will soon be transferred to pay the bill in full, with some cash left over to help Jonathan’s other expenses.

Jonathan said he is hopeful that he can pursue a career in the U.S. Marine Corps once he is done with school. He is involved in the ROTC program at Herndon High and he has been talking with a recruiter about making his dream a reality.

“(I’d be) serving the country that has helped me,” he said. “I just want to protect my family and my friends, so they can have the rights that they have.”

Ryan said that selfless determination is further proof of the type of human being “Primo,” his “cousin,” is.

“He’s just a nice guy, really kind,” Ryan said. “He really is loved by this community.”

Police this weekend removed a man they say was unlawfully staying in a vacant apartment in Reston.

Hassen Semir, 42, was taken out of the apartment in the 1900 block of Reston Metro Plaza on Sunday afternoon. An employee had notified police Semir “did not have the right to be there.” Semir was taken into custody without incident, charged with unlawful entry and transferred to the Adult Detention Center.

Fairfax County Police’s Reston District also reported a commercial burglary last Tuesday in the 12000 block of Market Street, in Reston Town Center. An employee said someone had broken in the previous night and had taken property. According to police, officers “were able to develop suspect information and the case is being actively investigated.”

Additional Reston Station reports shared by FCPD in the past week:

LARCENIES:

12400 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, golf cart from business

8900 block of Victoria Road, wallet from residence

1800 block of Michael Faraday Drive, license plates from vehicle

13300 block of Hunger Ford Place, tools from vehicle

11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, beer from business

12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, merchandise from business

1800 block of Wiehle Avenue, merchandise from business

STOLEN VEHICLES:

None reported

FCPD also reported the alleged assault of a woman at a Herndon gas station and an armed robbery at the Chipotle on Sunset Hills Road, both of which were reported Monday by Reston Now.

Online Survey for FCPS Superintendent Available — Former Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza left last month, and the district is hosting a series of community forums to find out what residents want to see in her successor. Now, it has launched an online survey to gather information from community members as well. [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Major Intersection to Be Shut Down Thursday — Fairfax County Police are asking drivers to find alternate routes on Thursday, as the entire Seven Corners intersection will be closed all day for work on traffic signals. [Fairfax County Police Department/Twitter]

SLHS Runner Sets New School Record — Olivia Beckner, a South Lakes High School junior, ran 1,000 meters in 2 minutes, 54.06 seconds at an indoor track meet in New York this weekend. That breaks her own school record, set last year, by over four seconds. [South Lakes High School]

Photo via Douglas H. Errett (@MrErrett), Twitter

The Bike Lane has been serving its customers in Reston Town Center for going on nine years.

Now, the owners of the store say they are actively seeking to leave because of the Town Center’s new paid-parking initiative.

In a recent Facebook post, The Bike Lane said its customers should not be forced to pay to shop there — and because that is now the case, they want to set up shop elsewhere.

“We believe in providing our customers with an amazing shopping experience and we do not agree with charging for parking. We are actively looking to relocate The Bike Lane in or around Reston and we will keep you updated about our future plans as they progress.”

Todd Mader owns the shop along with his wife, Anne. He tells Reston Now they only have a little over a year left on a 10-year lease and they have every intention of leaving early.

“This is not the experience we want our customers to have, to come in here during the week and battle with a parking app,” Mader said. “They come in here to buy a $10 inner tube and now they’re paying $12.”

The store is offering customers in-store credits and gift cards to compensate them for weekday parking. But Mader said in the long run, the hassle isn’t worth it when the store can just relocate.

“We were hoping parking wouldn’t be a big deal,” he said. “But if given the opportunity to move sooner rather than later, we’d do that.”

Mader said the parking situation has never been ideal for many of his customers, who may have bicycles attached to the roof or the back of their vehicle and may therefore find parking garages difficult to navigate. Now that it costs by the hour as well, he’s had enough.

“Having a space that’s more traditional, open-air shopping… that’s more what we’re looking for,” Mader said.

Social media backlash has been heavy on Reston Town Center and its owner, Boston Properties, because of the new parking fees, with many people threatening a “boycott.” However, Mader said the result of that hurts businesses such as his more than anyone.

“That’s not hurting [the Town Center and Boston Properties], not directly anyway. That’s hurting the merchant — big and small,” he said. “There is a noticeable drop in the plaza during the week. Friday night was dead, in the restaurants and in foot traffic.”

Mader said his hope is to relocate the store within a mile of its current location, so it can continue to serve its loyal patrons.

“We’re overwhelmed by the support of our customers,” he said. “We want to make it very convenient for people to find us and continue to shop with us.”

The Chipotle on Sunset Hills Road was robbed Sunday night.

Fairfax County Police say two employees were closing up shop at about 10:10 p.m. Sunday when a man entered the store, displayed a handgun and demanded cash. The suspect left the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.

The suspect was described as Hispanic. He was wearing gloves and all-black clothing, and he had his face covered, according to the description.

No one was injured in the incident.

If you have information about the suspect, contact the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District at 703-478-0904.

No matter where you find yourself on the political landscape, there is always something to lampoon. The current state of politics in the nation leaves no shortage of targets.

Political satire troupe Capitol Steps will be in Reston once again this month to throw their barbs at those targets, all to benefit a good cause.

For the 34th straight year, the D.C.-based group will perform here to benefit Cornerstones. This year’s event is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Reston (1800 Presidents Street).

Tickets for the show are $100, with full tables and sponsorship opportunities also available.

Proceeds from the performance will benefit Cornerstones’ efforts to provide affordable housing, emergency shelter, food, financial assistance, childcare and other essential resources to individuals and families in need. Last year’s show raised over $230,000 for those efforts.

Photo via Chip McCrea Photography

Work will soon begin on Sunrise Valley Drive to widen westbound lanes, as part of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.

The construction effort was scheduled to begin Monday. But Marcia McAllister, spokesperson for the project, said Mother Nature had other plans.

“It’s just too cold” for work to start as planned, McAllister said. She said they envision getting workers on the ground later this week.

Roadway improvements near the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride will require the closing of Sunrise Valley Drive westbound lanes between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day; as well as the closure of the sidewalk on the north side of the street, between the Arboretum and Thunder Chase Drive.

“We don’t yet have specific dates for all the lane closures and sidewalk closures, because it’s an unfolding process,” McAllister said. “We’ll be sending out frequent alerts to tell people in the neighborhood and the general public.”

Once it gets underway, the work will include the clearing of trees along the street, the installation of erosion and sediment controls, utility relocations, and the construction of a new entrance road to the existing parking garage. Work on this project is expected to continue through the end of 2018.

“There will be times when the work is more intense and other times when it’s not,” McAllister said. “We wanted to give the public a general idea of how much work is going to be done there.”

Ground was broken in November on a new parking garage for the Herndon Metro Station. That project is under the guidance of Fairfax County.

“With what we’re going to be adding in that area… it’s necessary that we do some improvements to Sunrise Valley, to improve the access to the station,” McAllister said.

The future Herndon Metro Silver Line Station will serve riders at ground level in the median on the Dulles Toll Road and will serve the existing Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride, with access from both sides of the road. Phase 1 of construction on the Metro station is already underway, and Phase 2 is expected to wind up at some point in the next five years, according to Metro officials.

Image courtesy Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project

Police say a Reston man assaulted a woman after demanding money from her last week at a Herndon gas station.

According to a Fairfax County Police report, the incident took place Thursday afternoon at Sunoco (2100 Centreville Road). A 44-year-old woman was pumping gas when she was approached by the man, to whom she refused to give money. According to the police report:

“When she declined, he grabbed her in a bear hug. She continued to decline his demands and she was able to break free and run to a local store where she summoned police.”

Police arrested 39-year-old Akeem Gale in connection with the incident. Gale was charged with assault and taken to the Adult Detention Center.

‘Best of Reston’ Applications Due Today — Nominees for the 2017 Best of Reston Community Service Awards, sponsored by Cornerstones and the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, must be submitted by 5 p.m. today. The awards will be presented Thursday, April 6. [Cornerstones]

Cybersecurity Company May Make Passwords Obsolete — Daon Corporation, based in Reston, is working on technology that would allow for unique human factors such as voice and face structure to take over for passwords in smartphones and beyond. [WJLA]

Reston Women Collecting Hats for D.C. March — Carrie and Molly McKnight have made their home the collection point for pink knitted hats. The hats will be worn by thousands participating in the Women’s March on Washington on Jan. 21. [WUSA]

(Updated 7:50 p.m. to include statements from Deputy Fire Chief Anthony Barrero)

A Herndon townhouse suffered heavy damage in a Friday afternoon fire, but all occupants are safe.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue crews responded to a report of a blaze in the 2500 block of Chase Wellesley Drive, off McNair Farms Drive, around 3:30 p.m. Friday.

Units on scene 2500 block of Chase Wellesley Dr with fire showing from the rear of 3 level townhouse pic.twitter.com/1DlG2XzUXb

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) January 6, 2017

A pair of ladder trucks were involved in battling the flames, which were quickly brought under control by the responding units.

According to Deputy Chief Anthony Barrero of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, the fire started with an outside gas grill.

“They were outside cooking,” Barrero said. “Burning on the grill led to the fire, which extended up to the attic space.”

Barrero said two adults were home at the time of the blaze; however, a total of four adults and two juveniles were living in the townhouse. The Red Cross is assisting the residents.

No one was injured in the blaze, Barrero said, and there were no pets in the home.

Update 2500 block of Chase Wellesley Dr – All occupants accounted for. Crews working on extinguishing fire. pic.twitter.com/sOMjw3Rorx

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) January 6, 2017

Update 2500 block of Chase Wellesley Dr – Fire under control. Units checking for extension. pic.twitter.com/oag0z80tYh

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) January 6, 2017

The townhouse is a middle house in a row of attached dwellings. Barrero said the fire did extend to one neighboring home, which he said suffered “very minor damage” on its second floor.

Update 2500 block of Chase Wellesley Dr – Fire is out. All units will be on scene undetermined amount of time conducting extensive overhaul. pic.twitter.com/cJ8jINaypf

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) January 6, 2017

The fire caused an estimated $90,000 in damage to the townhouse itself and $10,000 in damage to contents, Barrero said.

Four-legged friends in Reston may soon have a new favorite place to visit.

Arlington-based pet store Dogma Bakery announced earlier this week that it plans to open a Reston location in the space formerly housed by PetMAC Pet Nutrition Center, which recently closed due to an illness suffered by the owner.

PetMAC had been in the location about two years. Dogma says it plans to keep all three of PetMAC’s employees to work at its new store.

The company’s website advertises the new Reston location as a “grooming salon,” but they have responded to customers on Facebook by saying they plan to offer some of their house-made treats for dogs as well.

“We will have ice cream and some treats. Maybe not the entire selection, but we can always make sure to have your favorites ready for you when you come by.”

Dogma said earlier this week in its post that it is “[k]ind of unofficially open,” but that it would have an official opening soon. No operating hours for the store are being provided quite yet.

The shop is located at 11412 Washington Plaza West, in Lake Anne Plaza.