Local Police Prepare for Winter Storm — The Fairfax County Police Department is preparing for possible snow this Wednesday and Thursday. [FCPD]

Leidos to Buy 1901 Group — “Leidos sees its pending $215 million acquisition of the 1901 Group announced after markets closed Thursday as more capability-focused than a need to add new customers.” [Washington Technology]

National Search Underway for Next FCPD Chief — A national search is underway for the next chief of police. In addition to an online survey, the county will host focus groups with community organizations. [Fairfax County Government]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

The Fairfax County Police Department is investigating three sexual assaults that happened over the last two weeks, including two incidents in Reston and Herndon.

In all the incidents, the suspect was described as a light-skinned Black or Hispanic male between 5’10” and 6′, police said. Police believe the man is in his 20s to early 30s.

In the first incident on Nov. 27 around 7:30 p.m., a man pushed a woman against a wall and assault her in the hallway of a hotel on the 13400 block of Sunrise Valley Drive. She suffered minor injuries and was able to call for help and run away.

In a separate incident on Dec. 3 around 11:45 p.m., a man assaulted a woman as she was walked near the intersection of Centreville Road and Woodland Park Road. Police believe the man hit her with an object and sexually assaulted her. She was treated in a hospital for injuries.

In Ashburn, a man took personal property from a woman while she was standing in the common area of an apartment complex of 13500 block of Virginia Randolph Road on Dec. 3.

It’s possible the incidents may be connected, according to FCPD.

Here’s more from FCPD on how to submit information about any of the above incidents:

Detectives are asking anyone with information about these events or who may be able to provide suspect information to please call our Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 3. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone – 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), by text – Type “FCCS” plus tip to 847411, and by web – Click HERE. Please provide your contact information in the tip if you would like to be contacted by a detective. Download our Mobile tip411 App “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers”. Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1,000 dollars if their information leads to an arrest. For ongoing updates, please read our blog and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @FairfaxCountyPD

Photo via FCPD

The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority is hosting a free cyber and cloud virtual career fair next month.

Set for Jan. 28 from 1-4 p.m., the virtual fair will give candidates a chance to interview with 20 companies in Northern Virginia. According to FCEDA, more than 5,000 open positions are available at all experience levels.

“The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority is proud to host the Cyber + Cloud Virtual Career Fair,” said Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the FCEDA. “We are thankful to the outstanding tech companies that will be participating in this event. This will be a great opportunity for job-seekers to interview virtually for job opportunities in two of the most robust industry sectors in Northern Virginia.”

Candidates with security clearances are strongly encouraged to attend. Attendees will be able to chat with company representatives and can register and attend from anywhere.

A lineup of the represented companies is below:

• BAE Systems North America
• Constellation West
• DocuSign
• HPE
• Easy Dynamics
• FireEye
• Hexaware
• Human Touch
• ID.me
• Kreative Technologies
• Leidos
• ManTech International
• Microsoft
• NetApp
• NTT
• Nutanix
• Randstad
• Ridgeline International
• Splunk
• Triumph Enterprises

The career fair is part of FCEDA’s newly-created talent attraction and retention initiative which is funded by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Photo via Unsplash

New COVID-19 Measures Go Into Effect on Monday — Gov. Ralph Northam’s latest executive orders calls on all residents to stay home from midnight to 5 a.m., imposes a universal mask requirement, and lowers the limit on social gatherings to 10 people. [Fairfax County Government]

Leidos to Buy Company for $215 Million — “Leidos Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LDOS) jumped back into the mergers and acquisition market late Thursday, acquiring 1901 Group in a $215 million cash on hand deal. The deal would shift the Reston-based managed information technology services and cloud solutions provider into Leidos’ defense business segment.” [Washington Business Journal]

Performance Comes to Reston Community Center with No Audience — “The Ravel Dance Studio will take the stage at the Reston Community CenterStage December 12th without an audience. They will be filming their Nutcracker Ballet and although the production will not be open to the public the school and their students are thrilled to be able to keep this holiday tradition alive.” [Reston Patch]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

As Town of Herndon Mayor Lisa Merkel wraps up the final days of her eight-year career as town mayor, a regional organization will honor her for her efforts.

Leadership Fairfax will be honored with the trustee leadership award at a virtual wards ceremony on Dec. 18 at 9 a.m for the Northern Virginia Leadership Awards (NVLA).

The awards are given annually to talented community leaders and organizations “that have made a significant impact on Northern Virginia through volunteerism, collaboration and community engagement,” according to the organization.

This year’s awards also include the addition of a new category: COVID-19 heroes.

Here’s what Leadership Fairfax had to stay about Merkel’s career:

Lisa Merkel is completing her third and final term as the Mayor of the Town of Herndon. In that time, there has been a decisive move towards inclusiveness and revitalization–Herndon is a 4.2 square mile town with personality, purpose and a vision for the future because of her efforts, and it will continue to grow into the future because of her leadership and vision. Mayor Merkel has advocated for Herndon’s infrastructure, built the town’s social media presence, develope. programs directed at inclusivity, and established a Youth Advisory Council to inspire future generations.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online.

Leadership Fairfax is a county-based leadership organization that was founded by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce in 1987.

Photo via Town of Herndon

Artwork by students at South Lakes High School is on display at Marymount University through Jan. 3.

The exhibition, titled Visions, features the work of several students, including David Raw and Maxine Prudhomme, who won honorable mention awards for their work.

The following students’ work is featured:

• Juana Hernandez
• Sahitya Jammula
• Audrey Kim
• Brianna Le
• Maxine Prudhomme
• David Raw
• Milagro Rosa Flores
• Simone Stevens
• Camila Ytriago
• Mindy Zheng

“The South Lakes work is incredibly inventive, personal, and experimental in both media and concept,” said SLHS art teacher Matt Ravenstahl.

Here’s more from Erica Harrison, who curated the exhibition:

Adjudicating the visual explorations of regional emerging artists who are investigating the complexities of the human experience through varied artistic disciplines was a pleasure. When selecting the works for the exhibition I looked for a combination of form and content that was intelligent and compelling.

During this process, I asked myself several questions; was the focus of the work well composed and visually impactful? Did the artist have a clear sense of what they were communicating? Did the treatment of media show an understanding of artistic fundamentals?  The notable artists selected as awardees not only demonstrated a mastery of media but showed a passion for independent exploration and a willingness to push themselves.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the families and friends of all these young artists for encouraging their gifts, the faculty members of the art departments for their courage and commitment to their students, and Marymount for fostering this open opportunity that supports our vibrant artistic community.

The exhibit can be viewed online.

Artwork by David Raw

Reston Woman Brightens Sister’s Holiday Season — “Carolina Oneill’s sister, Jess, was furloughed due to the coronavirus pandemic back in March. Although Jess was receiving unemployment insurance, it was cut off in October.” [Reston Patch]

A Peek Inside Made in Fairfax Manufacturers — “The Made in Fairfax Directory provides an opportunity for residents and supporters to connect directly with Fairfax County makers. Please note that listing in this directory is not an endorsement of businesses or products, and is provided for informational purposes only.” [Fairfax County Government]

Northam Expected to Announce New COVID-19 Restrictions — “Virginia’s Governor is expected to announce tighter COVID-19 restrictions following a record-setting day for new coronavirus cases. Gov. Ralph Northam hasn’t detailed yet what the restrictions will be but says ‘mitigation measures will be nuanced and in-line with our targeted, data-driven response.'” [NBC4]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Two men were arrested in connection with the robbery of a 7-Eleven (21944 Cascades Parkway) in Sterling.

Marvin R. Garcia- Dominguez, 27, and Carlos A. Centeno-Torres, 29, were arrested over the weekend with the help of the Herndon Police Department.

Police believe one of the men pepper-sprayed an employee during the incident after pushing him behind the counter of the 7-11 in Sterling on Dec. 4. They left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, both men were charged in connection with a similar robbery that happened on Dec. 2 in the Town of Herndon. HPD did not immediately release information about that incident.

Both Garcia-Dominguez and Centeno-Torres remain held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. 

Photo via LCSO

Lake Anne Elementary School will receive a grant from the Virginia Department of Education to boost its security.

The grant award of $104,000 covers Garfield ES and Lake Anne ES. It will pay for video monitoring systems, voice and video internal communications systems, school bus cameras, mass notification systems, access control systems, two-way radios, and other security upgrades, according to a release by Fairfax County Public Schools.

The award was developed with the help of the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. Priority is given to schools most in need of security, schools with high numbers of offenses, schools with needs flagged in a security audit, and unmet funding needs.

This year, the program expanded to include funding for security equipment on school buses, according to Lucy Caldwell, the system’s director of news and information.

“FCPS intends to use the funds to enhance security systems at these schools,” Caldwell wrote in a statement to Reston Now. “Even though this is not a ‘normal’ school year, security and safety of our school buildings, staff, students and visitors is always a high priority.”

FCPS is one of 102 school divisions to receive the grant.

Photo via Google Maps

Cash will no longer be accepted at the Dulles Toll Road beginning next year.

The decision, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, was made in response to customers’ preferences for electronic toll payments, according to a statement released yesterday by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

No loose change will be accepted and tollbooth change baskets will be removed as part of the permanent move.

Here’s more information from MWAA on acceptable forms of payment:

Any lane can be used with a valid E-ZPass account or other form of electronic tolling. Customers can visit E-ZPass Virginia for information on how to obtain an E-ZPass. If toll-lane cameras identify a license plate associated with an E-ZPass account, that account will be charged for the transaction even if an E-ZPass is not present in the vehicle.

To make it easier to get an E-ZPass, the minimum opening account balance has been temporarily reduced to $20 per transponder (from $35) for online and phone applications. E-Z Pass also offers a reloadable Virginia E-Z Pass Card, these can be purchased your local CVS Pharmacy and 7-11 Convenience Stores.

The GoToll, Slora and Peasey Drive On smartphone apps are also accepted as payment. 

Motorists passing through all toll plaza lanes without electronic payment will be sent a payment notice by mail. Missed tolls which are paid within six days of the violation will not be charged an administrative fee. Customers are encouraged to visit the Virginia Department of Transportation’s online toll violation payment website for information on proactively paying missed tolls.

In early April,  manual toll collecting was suspended in response to COVID-19. All personnel from toll boots were removed and cash-exchange toll collections were suspended.

Electronic tolling became the preferred method of payment in 2003, when more than $18 million was collected with E-ZPass, compared to roughly $17 million collected in cash that calendar year.

In 2017, roughly $130 million was collected via E-ZPass while nearly $18 million was collected by cash, according to a 2018 study by the MWAA.

Image via Google Maps

Great Falls Woman Dies in Two-car Crash — Holly Kuga, 72, died as a result of injuries from a car crash that happened on Sunday around 11 a.m. at the intersection of Leesburg Pike and Towlston Road. [Fairfax  County Police Department]

Two People Injured in Crash — Two people were taken to the hospital with injuries after a crash happened in the area of Reston Parkway. North of Sunset Hills Road yesterday evening. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Reston Cybersecurity Firm Hit by ‘State-sponsored’ Attack — “US cybersecurity firm FireEye says it has recently been attacked by a “highly sophisticated threat actor”, believing the hacking was state-sponsored. In a blog, FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia said company tools used for testing customers’ security had been stolen.” [BBC]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Reston Association has canceled its winter break camp program for 2020, according to a statement posted on social media on Monday.

Mike Leone, RA’s director of communications, marketing, and member services, said the decision was motivated primarily due to low enrollment.

“Before canceling, RA’s camp staff did. Reach out to parents of past winter break. Camp participants to determine their enrollment interest in the winter break camp,” Leone said.

Some parents were concerned about the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Other parents indicated that they did not enroll in the winter camp because of their current ability to take care of children at home or that they planned to continue with current engagements from this fall.

“For parents looking for activities to keep their children busy during the holiday break, RA is still selling its popular Holiday Camp in a Box full of fun activities to keep children active and busy,” he said.

Reston Association has decided to cancel its Winter Break Camp program for this year. Refunds will be provided to anyone who has already paid for camp registration.#Reston #RestonCamps pic.twitter.com/JzYC3fOaf2

— Reston Association (@RestonOnline) December 7, 2020

Fairfax County Public Schools is creating “Safety Teams” of staff members and retirees to monitor adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols at schools that have reopened to students.

Charged with enforcing the implementation of mitigation strategies recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the teams will conduct random on-site spot checks, provide education and resources, and report data to administrators, according to a news release that FCPS published yesterday (Monday).

“The role of these teams is to help protect staff and students, and to make sure we all know what we can do to ensure safe, clean, healthy spaces,” FCPS Assistant Superintendent of Facilities and Transportation Services Jeff Platenberg said. “We’ve been training teams and conducting checks in recent weeks across FCPS.”

To limit the transmission of COVID-19, the CDC says schools should, at a minimum, ensure that students and staff consistently and correctly use masks, maintain social distancing to the extent possible, practice hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, clean and disinfect facilities, and collaborate on contact tracing with local health officials.

The announcement that FCPS has deployed safety teams comes as school officials face dueling pressures from reports indicating that virtual learning has hampered many students’ educational experience and from teachers’ unions who arguethat in-person classes are unsafe.

FCPS currently has approximately 5,500 students receiving in-person instruction, all of them in special education, career preparation, and other specialized programs.

FCPS returned 2,900 students to distance learning and suspended plans to bring more students into school buildings on Nov. 16, when the COVID-19 transmission rate in Fairfax County surpassed 200 new cases per 100,000 people.

The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests over the last 14 days also has to be lower than 10% for students to start or remain in class.

As of Dec. 7, Fairfax County’s COVID-19 case rate is now more than double the 200-case threshold at 431.4 new cases per 100,000 people within the past 14 days. The test positivity rate is currently at 9.4%.

The Fairfax County Federation of Teachers and Fairfax Education Association, two unions that represent faculty and staff in FCPS, have urged FCPS to return all students to virtual learning.

“In schools that are already open, COVID-19 cases are increasing and employees report unsafe working conditions,” the FCFT said as part of a letter-writing campaign. “Fairfax County must transition everyone to virtual learning until it is safe.”

FCPS has recorded 387 COVID-19 cases since Sept. 8, including 300 staff members and 58 students. 21 cases involved staff at multiple sites, according to the school system’s COVID-19 dashboard.

Platenberg says the data that FCPS collects through its new safety teams will help officials determine where to devote additional education or resources in their effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

“We want to make sure we are consistently implementing the CDC’s strategies,” Platenberg said. “This is new for all of us, and so far, we are encouraged by what we see.”

Photo via FCPS

FCPA Director Retires After 40 Years — “Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) Executive Director Kirk Kincannon announced his retirement this week, ending his tenure with the award-winning agency effective Feb. 12, 2021. Kincannon, a seasoned parks and recreation professional with four decades of national experience.” [Fairfax County Government]

‘HOPE’ Letters on Display at Reston. Hospital Center — A new installation with the word “Hope” is on display at the entrance of Reston Hospital. Center. [COVID-19 U.S. Honor Quilt]

Updates on Vaccine in Fairfax County — The county offers information on the COVID-19 vaccine, which is an mRNA vaccine.  These vaccines teach our cells to make a protein that triggers an immune response in our bodies. [Fairfax County Government]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

The Town of Herndon’s historic district officially has a new name and updated guidelines. 

The Herndon Town Council unanimously voted to change the name of the Historic Preservation District, which is generally located in and around downtown and the northern areas of Herndon, to the Historic District Overlay.

In a release from earlier this month, the town stated that that the new name “allows for clearer identification of the district and conforms to the typical term used for similar districts throughout Virginia anD the nation.”

The town worked with Work Program Architects and Commonwealth Preservation Group to adopt the new guidelines, which generally offer a “clearer basis of evaluation for staff at the Historic District Review Board,” according to a statement released by the town of Dec. 1.

“The new guidelines are easier to navigate, provide material flexibility and include a resource guide for property owners.”

Applicants now have more flexibility to design and building additions to existing buildings. An engineered site plan is not required for some additions. Applications for some exterior modifications will go to staff for approval instead of work sessions or public hearings.

The guidelines also include a new process guide for property owners as well as different options to improve or modify district properties.

The project consultants interviewed 143 total participants prior to going through with the changes, including 110 homeowners and residents and 15 commercial property and business owners.

Photo via Town of Herndon