Park Authority Meetings Go Virtual — The Fairfax County Park Authority’s board meetings have returned to virtual format due to current social distancing recommendations and safety concerns related to the surge of COVID-19 cases. [Fairfax County Government]
County Awards $16 Million in Funds to Local Businesses — The county dispersed $16 million in grant funds to 1,016 county businesses that were adversely impacted by the pandemic. Grants ranged between $1,500 and $207,000. The program is called PIVOT and is run through the Fairfax County Department of Economic Initiatives. [Fairfax County Government]
Man Charged After Two Shooting Incidents — One man is dead and another seriously injured after two separate shootings on Jan. 8. Jordan Eugene Chochran, 20, of Alexandria, was charged in connection with the incidents, which happened in Hybla Valley. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Reston Teen Aims for Beijing Winter Olympics — Ilia Malinin, a Reston-based teen, is aiming to compete at the Winter Olympics this year. He is described as one of the best junior skaters in the world. [Washington City Paper]
7-Eleven on Parcher Avenue Robbed — A man robbed the 7-11 on Parcher Avenue on Dec. 11 shortly before 7 p.m. Police believe the robbery happened at gunpoint. No injuries were reported. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Feedback Sought on Search for New CEO — Reston Association recently hired Baker Tilly to conduct a nationwide search for a new CEO, a position that has been vacant for many months. The association also launched a survey to gauge feedback from members on what qualities they want on RA’s new leader. [RA]
A Reminder to Social Distance — County officials are reminding residents to adhere to social distancing as much as possible as the winter surge of COVID-19 cases continues. [Fairfax County Government]
Schools Seek Bus Drivers –– The Fairfax County Public Schools system is seeing bus drivers. A job fair is planned for Friday, Jan. 14 from 10 a..m. to 3 p.m. at the Lorton Transportation Center. [Fairfax Schools]
Photo by Marjorie Copson
Before we head off into another weekend with COVID-19 abound, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now in recent days.
- Taco Bamba is coming to Village Center at Dulles in Herndon
- Noodles restaurant coming to Herndon Centre
- Cybersecurity firm Neovera moves Reston headquarters to RTC West
- Herndon teen John Gluck takes his star turn on NBC’s “Ordinary Joe”
- Nail salon to open in Reston Parkway plaza
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.
Image via Google Maps
A new noodles spot is opening soon in Herndon Centre.
Yu Noodles, a Fairfax-based eatery, plans to open at 358 Elden Street in Herndon Centre.
The business did not immediately indicate when it plans to open. Signage posted on the building’s exterior states the business is coming soon.
The Fairfax menu features Chongqing noodles, which are served with different protein options.
Business representatives did not immediately return requests for comment.
Tenants are frequently changing hands in the plaza. Most recently, MrDr’s Pharmacy announced plans to move into a bigger space in the same plaza.
Winter Weather Warning in Effect — A winter storm warning is in effect for the county. The warning is in effect until 10 a.m. The heaviest snow is expected between 4 and 10 a.m. [Fairfax County Government]
Police Release 2021 Crime Summary — The Fairfax County Police Department says that overall crime fell by nearly 10 percent. The reductions were primarily driven by drops in burglaries, robberies, domestic assault and automobile thefts. Police Chief Kevin Davis says Fairfax County remains one of the safest jurisdictions in the country. [FCPD]
Schools Closed Today — Schools are closed today and no virtual learning will be offered. Classes are expected to resume tomorrow, despite a rise in COVID-19 cases. [FCPS]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
We’re counting down the top 20 most-read articles of 2021 this year. Today, we reveal the top five stories of the year.
5. Parents circulated petitions to remove three Fairfax County School Board Members. The move was pushed by parents who spent the last year calling for a five-day return to school.
4. The victims of a triple murder in Herndon’s Parkridge Gardens were all members of the same family.
3. More than 10,000 county residents received the COVID-19 vaccine to start off 2021.
2. A Vietnam veteran from Reston discovered his old helicopter at the Smithsoaian National Air and Space Museum.
1. A story about Gov. Ralph Northam expanding the eligibility criteria for COVID-19 vaccines had the most views this year.
We look forward to what the coming year has to offer.
Crunch Fitness in Reston Town Center has closed.
The fitness center — which routinely offered outdoor classes and activities near the pavilion — offered a full slate of tines classes, personal training, and other services.
Crunch Fitness opened in 2014.  No word yet on what new business will take over the gym’s current location.Â
The business has locations across the country, Canada and Costa Rica. Locally, Crunch has locations in Baltimore, Md., Timonium, Md., and the District.Â
The company did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but a sign posted on the gym’s door says that last day of business was Dec. 20.
Boston Properties has remained mum about new tenants expected to open at the town center.Â
So far, Open Road Distillery, Hammer & Nails and Compass Real Estate have signed leases with the company, along with a new steakhouse.Â
The company has declined to comment further on those leases.Â
Image via Crunch Fitness
Longtime Restonian Dave Hughes Dies — Dave Hughes, a longtime Restonian who founded newsy gossip blog DCRV.com, died at the age of 63. He moved to North Carolina two years ago after living in Reston for a number of years. [WTOP]
Fire and Rescue Department Adjusts Service — The county’s fire and rescue department is adjusting services after COVID-19 cases surged among staff. Currently, 66 employees have tested positive. An additional 12 are in quarantine. Fire Chief John Butler says service adjustments were made in an effort to minimize the impact of staffing shortages. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]
Oversight Agency Recalls Metro Railcars — The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission has issued an order calling on Metro to remove its 7000 series railcars from service. The move came after the agency found that at least five of the 40 railers did not meet safety criteria. [WMSC]
New COVID-19 Testing Clinic Announced — INOVA has set up a new testing site that opens today on weekdays from Monday through Friday. Appointments are required at the site, which is located in Falls Church. [INOVA]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Comstock, a Reston-based developer, plans to begin construction on the redevelopment of downtown Herndon by August of next year.
A company spokesperson told Reston Now that a groundbreaking date has not been finalized yet, but could offer a ballpark estimate of when construction might begin.
“We are finalizing updates to plans to ensure constructability given the numerous supply chain constraints currently affecting the industry and hope to start construction in Q1 or Q2,” the spokesperson said.
The project recently secured a commitment for five million dollars in county funding earlier this month, allowing the project to move forward.
In the public-private partnership between the Town of Herndon and Comstock, the developer plans to transform 4.7 acres of land previously owned by the town into a mixed-use town center with 273 residential apartments, 17,000 square feet of retail space, an arts center and a 726-spae parking garage.
The project’s total cost increase by nearly $25 million due to issues related to materials, labor, and workforce restrictions caused by the pandemic, the town’s economic development manager Dennis Holste, told the Herndon Town Council earlier this month.
The revitalization of downtown Herndon has been on the drawing board for several years. A groundbreaking date was first anticipated in late 2019.
We’re counting down the top 20 most-read articles of 2020 this week. Here’s the rundown for #6-10.
10. Officials estimated that phase two of the Silver Line would not open no earlier than February of next year.Â
9. The county revised its methods for registering people for the COVID-19 vaccine.Â
8. A Reston Now employee was booted from Reston Town Center for taking photos
7. A Herndon teen scored a part in NBC’s drama “Ordinary Joe.”
6. Parents petitioned to recall Fairfax County School Board members in June.Â
Check back tomorrow for our final update.
Photo courtesy of Sandy Morris/NBC
County Changes Quarantine Period — Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s revised recommendations, the county is now shortening the recommended isolation period after testing positive from COVID-19 to five days. [Fairfax County Government]
No Word Yet on Herndon Sheetz — The company says that it is too early to provide additional details on when a Sheetz in Herndon is expected to break ground. The project is still in permitting stages, a company representative tells Reston Now. [Sheetz]
Last Few Days for Tacky Christmas Lights — Residents still have the chance to check out tacky Christmas lights in Fairfax County. A local location is 12708 Kettering Drive in Herndon. [Fairfax County VA]
Eastbound Route 7 Traffic Shift to Begin — Beginning Jan. 11, drivers should expect a lane shift to the north between Lyons Street and Lewinsville Road and temporary traffic changes on side streets. All residences and businesses will remain accessible. [Connect Route 7]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
We’re counting down the top 20 most-read articles of 2020 this week. Here’s the rundown for #11-15.
15. CVS Pharmacy locations in the area began offering the COVID-19 vaccine in February.Â
14. The county’s police department began deploying officers to address a coup in D.C.Â
13. The county began offering doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.Â
12. The county’s health department director answered questions about the vaccine at a local town hall.Â
11. The county expanded eligibility requirements to receive the vaccine.Â
Check back tomorrow for another update.
The Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art will kick off the new year with the work of Laurel Nakadate, a Boston-based artist who traveled across the country to photograph familiar matches she discovered through DNA testing.Â
Nakadate’s work, which is presented in partnership with George Mason University, will be on display at the institute from Jan. 22 through May 29. The artist focuses self-representation, identify formation, representation and loneliness.Â
Her DNA-based series — “Relations” — began in 2013. It also features direct relatives of her mother — who died shortly after Nakadate completed work on that series. Each photograph features individuals at night with a single light source at a location of their choice.
“I realized at a certain point it wasn’t just about the people, but it was about these landscapes. It was about standing in these landscapes and night. And it was about the sort of ways that I could still be surprised by photography,” Nakadate wrote in a statement.
Tephra will also offer a first look at a series in which technicians edited photos of Nakadate’s mother with her newborn son, who was born shortly after Nakadate’s mother died.Â
The arts institute offered a quick look at upcoming exhibitions as well:
Travis Childers (Feb. 10-June 28): “The component parts of one of Childers’ artworks are often recognizable manufactured objects, such as pencils or model railroad trees and figurines–even his works on canvas are comprised of images lifted from printed newspaper using scotch tape. Through a process that errs on the side of obsession, he assembles works that are deeply influenced by his personal experience of the Northern Virginia suburban landscape and his memories of a more rural childhood. In reference to a collage made from hundreds of skies excerpted from the background of published newspaper images, the artist reflects, “There is just something reassuring about seeing so many horizon lines.”
Danni O’Brien (July 14-Oct. 11): Danni O’Brien is fascinated by the history of the plastics boom that took place in the mid-twentieth century. Looming in the corner of her studio, an overburdened wire shelf serves as a library of collected refuse. Boxes and bins of found and scrapped objects are sorted intuitively by criteria such as texture, shape, material, and color. O’Brien speaks about her process as “caring for the objects” as she meticulously integrates them into monochromatic wall mounted works, whose compositions are drawn from diagrams similarly loosened from their original contexts as instructions for home renovations, sewing, or understanding human anatomy.
Dominic Chambers (Fall 2022): Chambers’ most recent bodies of work feature his friends and acquaintances engaged in acts of leisure and contemplation. “Too often, the Black body has been located in our imaginations as one incapable of rest,” Chambers explains. “Often when we imagine what the Black body is doing it is usually an act of labor, rebellion, or resistance.” Instead, his subjects are depicted reading or lost in thought, their gaze fixed on points that seem far beyond the realm of the picture plane.
Image via Laurel Nakadate/Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art
Local Plastic Bag Tax to Begin — At grocery stores, convenience stores and drug stores, a five-cent tax will be charged for each single-use plastic bag for customer purchases. The Northern Virginia Waste Management Board is working on outreach to help with the transition. [Patch]
County Launches New Photo Contest — The First Hike Fairfax contest returns next year with more categories for photographers to submit entrants. Participants can submit photos from any trails managed by the Fairfax County Park Authority. [Fairfax County Government]
Christmas Tree Recycling Underway — Christmas trees will be collected from Jan. 3 to 14. Lights, decorations and stands must be removed to ensure trees can be collected. [Reston Patch]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Arrests Made in Online Predator Sting — Ten men have been arrested in sting operations intended to identify predators who use the Internet to exploit children. The arrests were made since Dec. 23. [Sun Gazette]
Reston Association to Hold Special Meeting — The association’s Board of Directors will meet with its information technology committee on Jan. 5 to discuss IT-related matters. The meeting takes place via Zoom and starts at 6:30 p.m. [RA]
Local Organizations Given Funding for Afghan Resettlement — The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia has awarded $60,000 in grants to six local organizations to help resettle Afghans. Awardees include Herndon-Reston FISH, Inc. and the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia. [The Connection]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
