Fairfax County’s online registration form for COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be offline for 12 hours starting at 7 p.m. today (Wednesday).
The form will be inaccessible until 7 a.m. tomorrow so that the county can conduct scheduled, routine technical maintenance and updates, according to the Fairfax County Health Department.
“We apologize for any inconvenience,” the FCHD says in an alert on the registration page. “This will not affect anyone who already has a scheduled appointment or anyone who is currently on the waitlist to get an appointment.”
Fairfax County staff told the Board of Supervisors yesterday that they are continuing to work on issues with the county’s online vaccine registration system, which has been plagued by technical issues and overwhelming demand.
“We’re actually engaged with the health department looking at making improvements to the overall scheduling and registration system,” Fairfax County Information Technology Director Greg Scott said during the board’s health and human services committee meeting. “We’re working on that right now.”
The county is also working to improve its approach to communications and ensuring that vaccine doses are distributed equitably.
Photo via Fairfax County Health Department
Lincoln at Reston Station, a 260-unit apartment community near the Wiehe-Reston East Metro Station, officially has a new name.
The community, which was recently acquired by Snell Properties, an Arlington-based company, has rebranded itself to Russell at Reston Station.
Peter Colarulli, Vice President of the company, said the name change was inspired by the design of the building, which he says has “a bold, contemporary, energetic feel with red pops of color.“
“The name ‘Russell’ taps into the community’s vibe, and we felt the full name ‘Russell at Reston Station’ is clear to the sense of place and catchy with its alliteration.”
The residential community, which is located at 11500 Commerce Park Drive, includes a mix of studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom plans. Rents range from $2,110 to $2,380.
Snell purchased Russell at Reston Station in December. The building was constructed at the end of 2019 and includes a courtyard with a pool, a clubroom, a fitness center, a pet spa, bike room and a package concierge system.
Image via handout/Fairfax County Government
Inova Vaccine Appointment Cancelled ‘In Error’ — Inova says that people were notified of canceled appointments by mistake during a routine technical update to its system. Vaccine appointments will be honored on the day it was scheduled. [Inova Health]
Reston Association Provides Overview of zMOD — Larry Butler provides an update on the Reston Comprehensive Task Force and Fairfax County’s zoning ordinance modernization project, also known as zMOD. [RA]
Local Hospitals Struggle to Meet Demand — “As the U.S. braces for a new surge of COVID-19 cases sparked by more contagious strains from abroad, hospitals across Virginia and the rest of the country are still struggling to meet the demand for beds, particularly in intensive-care units.” [Reston Patch]
Photo by Marjorie Copson
An empty auto repair building, formerly the home of Herndon Auto Care and Dulles Shell Service Center, will flip into a restaurant later this year.
Pollo Campero, a fast-food restaurant that serves fried, grilled and crunchy chicken, plans to move into the 2,900-square-foot building at 1131 Elden Street. The business is expected to relocate from its current location at 496 Elden Street.
The company is seeking a special exception from the town to redevelop the property into a restaurant with a drive-thru and parking.
The car shop moved from its Elden Street location to a new building just two miles away at 45410 Holiday Drive in Sterling, according to its website.
The front of the building will open up to the parking lot and connects to the town’s sidewalks. A walk-up window to pickup orders is also planned. A drive-thru is located at the back of the site, according to Shaghayegh Osipov, a project manager for the company.
Pollo Campero is excited to join the Elden streetscape and looks forward to working together to bring this new Pollo Campero location to life, he wrote.
In a Jan. 29 memo, town staff noted that the company should reconsider the company’s ‘somewhat festive theme’ in order to ensure the building is inviting. Town staff noted that most of the building’s windows are confined to the front of the building.
The town’s Architectural Review Board is set to discuss the item at a virtual meeting tomorrow night.
Image via Pollo Campero/Town of Herndon
A driver who hit and injured a pedestrian in the 300 block of Elden Street last month has not been cited for any wrongdoing, according to the Herndon Police Department.
After an investigation into the incident, which happened on Jan. 16, police concluded the driver struck the pedestrian but was not at fault. HPD did not release any other information about the investigation.
The pedestrian was taken to the hospital and was in critical condition.
An HPD spokesperson later told Reston Now that the pedestrian sustained injuries that were not life-threatening. The driver remained on the scene at the time of the incident. No charges were filed against the driver.
Metro’s Lost and Found Procedures to Change — Beginning March 1, Metro’s lost and found department will work to reunite customers with lost wallets and electronics (such as phones, tablets, and laptops) only. All other items lost in the system will be disposed of, donated to charity, destroyed, or auctioned. [Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]
Fairfax Connector Issues Travel Warning — As wintry weather continues into Tuesday, Feb. 2, Fairfax Connector officials would like to remind passengers that during inclement weather service may be reduced, modified or suspended due to poor travel conditions. If road conditions become unsafe, icy or snow packed, service may be suspended on a route-by-route basis, or system-wide. [Fairfax County Government]
South Lakes HS Students Learn About LiFi Tech — South Lakes High students in the Seahawk Cyber club met with the chief executive officer of Light Rider, Inc., the first U.S. company to provide Li-Fi networking technology communication in this area. Li-Fi is a wireless communication technology that uses light instead of radio waves to transmit data and position between devices. [Fairfax County Public Schools]
The Autumnwood courts will soon have better lighting.
Reston Association has kicked off a lighting project that will bring upgraded LED lights and automated lighting controls to the tennis and pickleball courts.
The project will cost $80,000, according to Mike Leone, RA’s spokesman.
The project is expected to begin today, according to a statement by Reston Association. The tennis facility will be closed until Feb. 15. But pickleball activities can continue on Lake Newport during construction at Autumnwood.
Later this spring, two of the tennis courts will be converted into four pickleball courts.
Once construction is completed and the Autumnwood courts reopen, Lake Newport’s courts will return to tennis only.
Lighting upgrades are also planned at the Hook Road tennis facility. That work is expected to begin in March, depending on the weather, Leone said.
Photo via Reston Association
Another business in North Point Village Center has closed.
KLS Studios, a hair salon, that was founded in 2010 by two women, officially closed its doors to the public on Jan. 30.
According to the company’s website, the hair salon is currently operating from a temporary location and plans to reopen in the Tysons Corner area.
Appointments are being taken at a private location and can be scheduled by calling 571-313-0414.
The salon was located at 1410 North Point Village Center. No word yet on what will replace the business.
Photo via Laura Crielly
Winter Weather Advisory In Effect — A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the area until noon today. Light, mixed precipitation is possible and snow accumulations of up to one inch are expected. [National Weather Service]
Reston Men Charged in Vehicle Pursuit — “An officer attempted to stop a 2007 Ford Focus for a traffic violation. The driver initially pulled over but then drove away, resulting in a pursuit. The driver, Chris Kpadeh, 20, of Reston, stopped down the road and was taken into custody. He was charged with reckless driving, speed to elude, and driving on a suspended license. A passenger, Mohamed Abdalla, 21, of Reston, was charged with two counts of possession of a concealed weapon and possessing a magazine for a firearm with the capacity of 20+ rounds.“ [Fairfax County Police Department]
No Snow Day Today — All county schools will take part in virtual learning today. Students will follow their regular Monday schedule for virtual instruction. [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Deadline for Reston Association Assessments Approaches — Members have until March 1 to pay their 2021 assessment. Installment plans are also available. [RA]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Fairfax County and much of the region could see up to nine inches through tomorrow.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the region last night. Snow accumulations between four and nine inches are expected.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel during today’s storm.
So far, crews are treating roads and will begin to plow snow once it accumulates throughout the day.
“With more than 3,000 pieces of equipment, crews will work around the clock on state-maintained roads, focusing on clearing roads that carry the most traffic first. These include interstates, primary roads, and routes connecting public safety and emergency services. Crews can then focus on neighborhoods and lower-volume roads,’ VDOT wrote in a statement earlier this morning.”
Here’s more from NWS:
…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM SUNDAY TO MIDNIGHT EST SUNDAY NIGHT…
* WHAT…HEAVY SNOW EXPECTED. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT AROUND 3 TO 6 INCHES WITH ICE ACCUMULATIONS AROUND ONE TENTH OF AN INCH.
* WHERE…THE WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA.
* WHEN…FROM 1 AM SUNDAY TO MIDNIGHT EST SUNDAY NIGHT. SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA BETWEEN 3 AND 5 AM EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. THE STEADIEST SNOW WILL FALL THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON BEFORE TAPERING OFF TO AN INTERMITTENT MIX OF LIGHT SNOW, SLEET, AND FREEZING RAIN. ADDITIONAL SNOW IS EXPECTED MONDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS MOST LIKELY AROUND 1 TO 3 INCHES, BRINGING THE STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS AROUND 4 TO 8 INCHES.
* IMPACTS…TRAVEL WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING DUE TO A PROLONGED PERIOD OF SNOW AND WINTRY PRECIPITATION WITH TEMPERATURES NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
IF YOU MUST TRAVEL, KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT, FOOD, AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
WHEN VENTURING OUTSIDE, WATCH YOUR FIRST FEW STEPS TAKEN ON STEPS, SIDEWALKS, AND DRIVEWAYS, WHICH COULD BE ICY AND SLIPPERY, INCREASING YOUR RISK OF A FALL AND INJURY.
VDOT also issued the following tips for residents
Stay home and avoid driving throughout the storm. Heavy snow bands will mean reduced visibility and potential for conditions to deteriorate quickly. Should the higher end of forecasts materialize, it will take some time to make a passable lane on all roads.
Park in driveways or a single side of the street to allow a wider path for plows.
View tips on shoveling driveways, as the plows will push some snow back. Take frequent breaks, especially when shoveling heavy, wet snow.
If you absolutely must travel, completely clear your car, reduce speeds significantly and use these winter driving tips. Use extreme caution on areas prone to freezing such as bridges, ramps and overpasses. Be prepared with gas and wiper fluid tanks and an emergency kit.
Monitor road conditions and traffic cameras from home on www.511virginia.org, on the free mobile app, or call 511 in Virginia.
Follow @vadotnova and @NWS_BaltWash for real-time updates. Learn more about snow removal at virginiadot.org/snow and stats for Northern Virginia.
Roads are slick as snow continues to fall. Please use caution and if possible, stay home! #FCPD pic.twitter.com/ppRbDMinUz
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) January 31, 2021
Photo via Doug Errett/Twitter
The D.C. metropolitan area could potentially get its biggest snowfall in two years starting on Sunday (Jan. 31), The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang predicts.
The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for the region at 10:49 a.m. today. While Northern Virginia is not under a gale warning like Maryland, the agency warns that “there is an enhanced winter storm threat for Sunday and Sunday night, with a slight winter storm threat Monday and Monday night.”
“If the threat materializes, it may cause travel disruptions,” the NWS said.
The current forecast for the Tysons area suggests Saturday night will see clouds set in with a 30% chance of snow or other precipitation after 4 a.m. Chances of precipitation go up to 100% on Sunday, when snow is expected to start falling before 4 p.m. with some freezing rain possibly mixed in.
The NWS forecast suggest snow could continue through Monday with the chance of precipitation still at 50% that night.
As of 9:57 a.m. today, the D.C. area was expected to get three to four inches of snow between 7 p.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m. on Monday.
However, the Capital Weather Gang says this is a “complicated” storm, where total accumulation could vary from two to 12 inches depending on whether a coastal storm forms off the North Carolina coast and brings a second wave on Monday.
In preparation for the weekend, Virginia Department of Transportation crews have been treating roads in Fairfax County and elsewhere in Northern Virginia over the past two days.
A new French-inspired cafe and bakery is coming to Sunset Park Drive in Herndon next month.
Le Vingt-Trois Cafe and Bakery plans to open on Feb. 23 at 311 Sunset Park Drive, according to Inside NOVA, which first reported the opening of the businesses.
The cafe offers a mix of fresh breads, bagels, croissants, sweets, coffee, and tea. Gluten-free options are available upon request.
Customers can drop by on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Orders can be placed online. Curbside pickup is also available.
Photo via Le Vingt-Trois Cafe and Bakery
New Vaccine Distribution Process In Effect — ” While local health districts are allowed flexibility in how doses are administered, roughly half of the available supply each week will be used for people 65 and older. The other half will be allocated for people eligible in the other categories.“ [Fairfax County Government]
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Partners with George Mason University — The department’s data analytics strategy management division partnered with the university to give students a chance to work with real world data from the community. Students studied the relationship between medications administered and procedures performed to distance from the receiving hospital. [FCFRD]
Warren Thompson Talks Growth for His Reston-based Hospitality Company — “If you ask Warren Thompson to predict what the restaurant industry looks like on the other side of the Covid-19 crisis, he’s straightforward — ‘I believe 30% to 35% of restaurants will not make it. They will either close or change hands.'” [Washington Business Journal]
Reston Tech Company Names Chief Growth Officer — “Reston-based tech company TekSynap announced last week it has hired Pete Brady as chief growth officer. With more than 35 years of experience in military operations, growth, business development and technology, he was most recently the chief growth officer with BlueWater Federal, which was acquired by Tetra Tech. “ [Virginia Business Monthly]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
For the first time since it formed in 2016, the county’s Civilian Review Panel has cited its disagreement with the Fairfax County Police Department’s investigation of racial bias allegations that happened in Herndon in 2019.
Because six of the nine-member panel disagree with the findings of FCPD’s investigation, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed the police department to address the panel’s requests for the next steps. The matter was discussed at a board meeting on Tuesday.
The panel disputed FCPD’s findings that an interaction in 2019 between a police officer from the Reston District Station and an African American man in Herndon was motivated by racial bias.
The man said he felt that he had been targeted and suspected of trespassing “for no reason at all.”
According to the investigation file, the officer began following the man’s car when he turned at a red light in Herndon and stared at the officer. When he ran the car’s license plate and it matched with a woman in Virginia Beach — what he knew to be “a source city for illegal substances” in Fairfax County — his suspicions grew and he followed the man into his apartment complex in Herndon.
The officer approached the man and asked him for his identification, where he lived, and other identifying information. In a complaint submitted to the county, the man said he was shaken by the encounter and was “extremely frightened and nervous.” He recorded the encounter on his cell phone.
According to the report, the officer stayed in the parking lot for a few more minutes after he verified the man’s identity and ran the license plate again.
The man, whose name was not released, said he felt the incident was racially motivated because the officer believed he did not live in the apartment complex and stood in a manner that hindered his ability to get out of his car. No use of force was exercised in the incident.
In official comments to the panel, FCPD Chief Edwin Roessler said that while the office had a series of “poor, cascading assumptions and judgments that were wrongly based on his training,” there is no evidence that race was a factor in the incident.
He acknowledged that FCPD said the encounter indicates that there are some elements that need to be “train[ed]-away.”
“We can’t just keep going to proactive patrol training,’ Roessler told the civilian panel during the course of its investigation. “I pray that you are understanding that as your Chief I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
However, the panel determined that FCPD’s internal review did not thoroughly investigate allegations of racial bias and racial profiling. The panel also concurred with the chief that the officer was not professional.
“The investigative record was virtually silent as to why the officer decided to follow the complainant in the first place and panel members questioned whether a similarly situated white driver would ever have been followed in such a manner,” according to the panel report.
But when the panel did not receive additional information about the investigation last year, the panel voted to advise the board that the investigation was incomplete and needed follow-up interviews with the officer’s coworkers and deeper data analysis.
The panel also found that FCPD lacks objective criteria to evaluate racial bias or profiling incidents. It encouraged the police department to include all community contacts, stops searches and arrests into a data management system. Other recommendations are listed below.
Data analysis of an officer’s community contacts, stops, searches and arrests should be compared and contrasted with comparable data from the district station where the incident occurred and the county as a whole. The data analysis should also take into account the racial and ethnic composition of each district as compared to the county overall.
For the purposes of investigations into allegations of bias or profiling, data analysis of the officer’s community contacts, stops, searches and arrests should cover a period of 3-5 years, or if the officer has less tenure, for the duration of his service in the FCPD. If during the prescribed time period the officer has worked in different districts within the county, the review and analysis of the officer’s community contacts, stops, searches and arrests should not be limited to the district where the officer is assigned at the moment, but rather should include all such encounters in every county district where the officer served during the time period.
Like the efforts the FCPD has undertaken to analyze and identify use of force incidents, the FCPD should consider creating an early warning system to alert commanders as to whether an officer’s community contacts, stops, searches or arrests are excessive and disproportionate for a particular race or ethnic group.
The FCPD should retain an independent expert on implicit bias to examine all law enforcement policies, practices and training for the purpose of recommending evidence-based strategies to mitigate the impact of implicit bias on policing.
Officers should receive implicit bias training on an annual basis.
The county’s board voted to direct Roessler to take further action on the panel’s requests.
The Civilian Review Panel reviews FCPD investigations containing “allegations of abuse of authority or serious misconduct to ensure accuracy, completeness, thoroughness, objectivity, and impartiality,“ according to the county’s website.
Photo via FCPD
What to Know About the Vaccine – ‘The overall decrease in Virginia’s vaccine allocation, a result of limited supplies nationally, is going to significantly limit the pace at which we vaccinate the more than 156,000 residents in Phase 1a and 1b priority groups who have registered through the Health Department’s online application system and are currently in the queue to receive an appointment.’ [Fairfax County Government]
Wireless Service Comes to Metro Rail Tunnels Systemwide — ‘Transit riders and visitors to the nation’s capital now enjoy one of the most connected wireless experiences of any rail system in the U.S. with coverage available in all tunnels. The nation’s major wireless carriers–AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon –and Metro today officially announced the final milestone, more than a decade in the making, to provide wireless service for those who use the Metrorail system.’
Professional Services Firm Names Risk Manager — ‘Reston-based professional services company Caliburn International LLC announced Tuesday it has promoted Mike Reynolds to vice president of risk management. With more than 35 years of experience, Reynolds joined Caliburn in 2020 as a program manager for risk management, supporting U.S. Department of State task orders in Erbil, Iraq and Somalia.’ [Virginia Business Monthly]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
