As COVID-19 continues to change the local and global landscape, several Town of Herndon restaurants are seeking to continue offering outdoor dining on town property for the remainder of 2020.

The Town of Herndon is considering a proposal to extend outdoor dining permits for six local restaurants and a bike shop through the end of November. The following restaurants are expected to continue offering outdoor dining on town property:

• Mile 20 at Mediterranean Breeze
• Red Kimono
• Russia House Restaurant
• Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern
• Sully’s Pour House
• Zeffirelli Ristorante Italiano
• Green Lizard Cycling

The businesses have been using town sidewalks, private property and town parking lots to allow for outdoor dining.

The council first approved the outdoor permits for 100 days in July.

The council will meet tomorrow (Tuesday) at 7 p.m. to discuss the measure. An ordinance to continue revised governmental operations due to the pandemic is also on the meeting’s agenda.

Photo via Sully’s Pour House/Facebook

Micro-school Launches in Reston — “NOVA Labs, the largest Makerspace in the DMV, has launched a micro-school with COVID-19 regulated in-person classes starting in September.” [Local DVM]

Walking Tour Set for Reston Town Center North Plans — Reston Association’s Design Review Board is hosting a walking tour of the parcels on Sept. 24 with Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn. [Reston Association]

Reminder: Complete Census — County officials say that one out of four households in the county have not completed the 2020 census. “For each resident who does not respond to the census, Fairfax County could lose $12,000 in potential funding over the course of a decade,” according to the county. [Fairfax County Government]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Before we head off into another weekend with a stay-at-home order in effect, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now in recent days.

1. Maker’s Union to Open This Week in Reston Town Center
2. Sterling Man Allegedly Used Local Companies in H-1B Visa Fraud Conspiracy
3. Silver Line Extension Clears Major Hurdle
4. Falls Church Man Charged in Connection with Reston Burglaries, Car Theft
5. Reston-Area Private Schools Move Forward With In-Person Classes

If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your social distancing plans or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.

Photo via Thompson Hospitality

Updated 6 p.m. — A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is now in effect until 6:30 p.m.

Earlier: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for Reston and Herndon until 8 p.m. today (Friday). The watch covers 13 counties.

A Flash Flood Watch is in effect from 5 p.m. today to 4 a.m. on Saturday.

The National Weather Service says that scattered showers and thunderstorms will hit the area this evening, potentially causing heavy rain in some areas.

Storms remain in the forecast as Tropical Storm Laura makes its way to the region. The storm is expected to affect Virginia on Saturday, according to forecasters.

Showers and storms are beginning to organize over west-central PA, these will eventually make their way to our area this afternoon. Some storms may become severe in nature with the most likely impacts being damaging winds. Visit https://t.co/MW83KHFiJb for important updates. pic.twitter.com/XWfeJIvtRh

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) August 28, 2020

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

The board chair of Shepherd’s Center was recently honored with the Hunter Mill District Community Champion Award.

Bill Farrell was selected by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, which recognized one individual for their commitment to promoting volunteerism in the community.

Farrell began working with the center when he began volunteering as a driver in 2006. Over the past five years, Farrell took on many positions, including treasurer and the chair of several committees. He joined the Board of Directors in 2008.

Here’s more from the center on Farrell’s work and contributions:

W. Scott Schroth, SC Co-Vice Chair, Board of Directors, noted that “Bill’s calm and thoughtful leadership not only drew me into service with the Shepherd’s Center as a volunteer, but quickly enticed me to join the talented volunteer Board of Directors. He is a pleasure to work with, collegial, and dedicated to our mission. I’m honored to call him a friend and proud of the work he does on our behalf in the local community.”

Bill’s dynamic and friendly leadership style has transformed SC into a leading local charitable organization, recognized and honored both locally and regionally for outstanding community service. Bill was also recognized and selected for a national leadership position with Shepherd’s Centers of America where he served as national treasurer for six years. Bill provides the organization with strategic leadership, prudent financial management, and an infectious desire to help others.

Shepherd’s Center is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to improving quality of life as individuals’ age.

Photo via Shepherd’s Center

A new Chief Information Officer will oversee Fairfax County Public Schools’ virtual learning and department of information technology.

Gautam Sethi, who currently serves as the chief technology officer for Douglas County in Colorado, will take over the position on Sept. 21.

The head of information technology for FCPS resigned in April following distance learning woes. Maribeth Luftglass had held the position for more than two decades. Technical and management problems haunted the beginning of remote education this year, leading the school system to temporarily cancel classes.

FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand said he is confident Sethi will help ensure FCPS is at “the forefront of innovation and fully supports our students, families, and employees.”

“He has administrative and management skills in K-12 education–including experience supporting remote learning–that make him uniquely qualified to oversee our IT functions,” Brabrand wrote in a statement.

Sethi built an IT security program in Colorado for the state’s third-largest district. He also modernized existing technologies and helped develop online portals to support staff and families, according to FCPS.

Here’s more from FCPS on his background:

Previously, Mr. Sethi led technology teams for Atlanta and New York City public schools.  He served as executive director of information technology for Atlanta Public Schools, where he enabled solutions for successful virtual student-teacher collaboration and human resources functions. He also served as the New York City Department of Education director of enterprise solutions architecture, working on innovative technology solutions resulting in more than 20 new systems initiatives; spearheaded a pilot cloud deployment; and directed IT for special education programs.

Sethi earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Delhi n Indian and his master’s degree in business administration from Emory University in Atlanta.

Photo via FCPS

Reston Association is hosting a series of listening sessions for its members beginning next month.

All five sessions will take place virtually on Zoom. The first four sessions will be targeted to subjects related to each of Reston’s districts, according to RA. The last session, which takes place in October, will touch on general topics.

Each meeting begins at 7 p.m.

A breakdown of the schedule, along with links on how to join, is available below:

• Sept. 9 – North Point District
• Sept. 17 – South Lakes District
• Sept. 21 – Hunters Woods/Dogwood District
• Sept. 29 – Lake Anne/Tall Oaks District
• Oct. 15 – At-Large Meeting

Representatives of RA and its Board of Directors will be available to answer and field questions.

Speech and Language Program Pivots to Teletherapy Sessions — “By switching to teletherapy sessions and using clear reusable face masks, the Health Department’s Speech and Language Program has been able to continue to provide its critical early-intervention services to children during the COVID-19 pandemic.” [Fairfax County Government]

Local Discussion on Access to Capital for Minority-owned Businesses — “Minority entrepreneurs face challenges in accessing capital to start, grow and sustain businesses, and that problem has worsened during the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.” [Fairfax County Economic Development Authority]

Nearby: Homicide Suspect Extracted from El Salvador — “Adonay Polanco Cabrera, 25, formerly of Culmore, arrived in Fairfax County on Aug. 18 after being extradited from El Salvador with the assistance of several federal law enforcement partners to include the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Marshals Service.” [Fairfax County Police Department]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

JBG Smith, the company behind RTC West near the future Reston Town Center Metro Station, is looking to let go of one of its office properties in Reston.

Bisnow reports that the company is seeking to sell Reston Arboretum, a 95,000-square-foot building located at 12700 Sunrise Valley Drive.

Thus far, the owner of the property renovated the building, including upgrades to the lobby and fitness center and the addition of an outdoor park area, food market and bike storage room.

Here’s more from Bisnow on the possible sale:

“The Reston Arboretum property is a compelling investment opportunity based on its boutique characteristics, its suburban location and proximity to both the Herndon Metrorail Station and the 15-acre Herndon Nature Preserve,” Colliers Executive Vice President Bill Kaye wrote in an emailed statement to Bisnow. He is marketing the property along with David Gast. JBG Smith has pursued a strategy of selling assets since early 2018, when it said it viewed D.C. as a seller’s market with elevated pricing. It set a goal in 2018 to generate $700M through asset sales, which it accomplished. Many of those sales were stand-alone office buildings, including properties in Reston, K Street and Dupont Circle.  The REIT then set another goal to sell $200M in assets this year. But early in the coronavirus crisis, JBG Smith CEO Matt Kelly told investors he expects the REIT will shift to become a net buyer of assets in the coming years as it anticipated a correction in pricing. In his Q2 letter to investors released Aug. 4, Kelly said the $200M sales target may be difficult to achieve because the pandemic has slowed the investment sales market, but he said JBG Smith is still looking to sell where it can.

Pulte plans to build 40 townhouses right next to the office building. Originally, the company pitched the same number of single family houses.

Image via Google Maps

As the start date for Fairfax County Public Schools approaches on Sept. 8, school officials are in the midst of developing metrics to guide how and when schools would reopen.

At a Fairfax County School Board meeting in late July, the board directed FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand to begin drafting preliminary metrics to inform decisions about school openings and closures.

School officials anticipate a spike in COVID-19 cases in the late fall when flu season prompts more COVID-19 transmissions. Another possibility is “recurring waves across many months until a vaccine is developed,” which could reflect a “loss of stamina” for strict social distancing precautions, according to FCPS documents.

The move comes in the absence of state or county level metrics on the issue. In a recent email, Melanie Meren, school board member for the Hunter Mill District, said this step was taken due to lack of guidance from state officials on the issue.

“Therefore, the school board felt it was vital for FCPS to begin developing our own, because no one else was doing that for or with us,” Meren wrote.

The latest plan for reopening and closures notes that “multi-faceted metric and thresholds” will be used to guide decision-making.

School officials will take several factors into consideration based on community transmission and disease trends, which will determine if the level of community transmissions creates conditions for face-to-face transmission.

Other factors include operational metrics like the school system’s capacity to support in-person instruction, personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies. Finally, school officials will also consider school metrics.

Photo by Annie Spratt/Unsplash

The Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling is hosting a bike safety event in partnership with the Fairfax County Police Department.

The socially-distanced event on bicyclist and pedestrian safety takes place on Saturday (August 29) from 9-11 a.m. next to the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Reston.

FCPD will set up next to the bike lockets at Newton Square’s access road near the mile 17 marker, directly west of the intersection at Wiehle Avenue and Sunset Hills Road.

“This will be a great opportunity for riders to raise bike safety issues and share other concerns with our local law enforcement officers and county officials,” FABB wrote in a statement.

Masks, hand sanitizer, water, snacks, and safety literature will be available at the location.

Several county officials, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation and Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets will also take part.

Residents are encouraged to bring their bikes.

Several employers in Reston and Herndon ranked high in Military Times’ annual ‘Best for Vets’ list.

The ranking determines how companies nationwide have expanded efforts to recruit and retain former service members into the job market.

Of the 14 companies in Fairfax County that made it to the list, five are in Herndon and Reston.

Here’s a list of the local companies that made it to the list:

• ManTech International Corporation (2251 Corporate Park Drive) – #15, 48 percent veterans
• Leidos (1750 Presidents Street) – #39, 22 percent veterans
• MAXIMUS (1891 Metro Center Drive) – #54, six percent veterans
• Peraton (12975 Worldgate Drive) – #87, 19.6 percent veterans
• Constellis (13530 Dulles Technology Dr) – #133, 25 percent veterans

A total of 144 employers took part in this year’s survey. Military Times conducted the survey with ScoutComms, a marketing and research firm that focuses on the military community. The firm recently ceased operations due to COVID-19, according to its company page.

Firms responded to nearly 100 questions detailing their policies and practices related to veterans.

Here’s more from Military Times on the project:

The success in recent years is evident in veterans unemployment figures, which have fallen steadily from their peak a decade ago. Even with this year’s spike in joblessness due to the coronavirus, unemployment among veterans remains lower than among their civilian counterparts.

In recent years, more companies are focused on not just hiring veterans but making sure the veterans who are hired succeed in the long term.

“It’s not about a job. It’s about a career. It’s about fit,” said Rosalinda Maury, who serves as IVMF’s director of research and analytics.

Comcast NBC Universal topped the list, followed by Southern Company.

Rendering via Boston Properties