Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard is disputing allegations that an officer incorrectly filed a report stating that a student from Herndon Middle School instigated a fight on a school bus last year.

Fairfax County’s NAACP alleges that the 12-year-old student was a victim during the fight between another 13-year-old-student. At a press conference earlier today, Sandra Barksdale, the mother of the student, said video from the school bus corroborated her allegations.

Barksdale said the school administration and officer, who also works with School Resource Officers, failed to handle the incident over the last several months. Her son is Black and the other student was white.

But DeBoard vehemently defended the SRO in a press conference at 2 p.m. today.

Although she had not seen the video referenced by the Fairfax County NAACP, DeBoard said the officer’s police report, eight witness statements from middle school students, and other evidence indicated the student started the fight.

“Quite frankly, I could not be more disappointed and more outraged to further a false narrative that does not exist,” DeBoard said.

Fairfax County NAACP President Sean Perryman said it was “extremely telling” that DeBoard admitted to not watching the video, which forms the basis of the allegations.

“This is because the report bears no resemblance to the video of that incident,” he wrote in a statement.

Barksdale also alleged the SRO was combative and unprofessional during later interactions following the Sept. 20 incident.

DeBoard maintained her defense of the SRO, adding that the police department did not criminalize the child.

“It is false allegations that hinder our ability to make progress,” she said.

Neither student was prosecuted in the case.

A man has been arrested and charged with the murder of a Reston woman who was found in the basement of a home she rented last week.

Ball Salim Ahmed Ball, 24, of Herndon, was charged with the second-degree murder of Maryam Al Jaberi. Police believe Ball was in a relationship with the woman that began earlier this year.

Al Jaberi, a mother of two, was found dead in the basement of her home on the 11000 block of Great Owl Circle on June 23.

An autopsy ruled the death a homicide. She was discovered by police with trauma to her upper body after her landlord contacted police.

Al Jaberi is survived by two sons. A LaunchGood campaign has raised $35,490 as of Tuesday morning.

Photo via FCPD

County to Enter Phase Three Tomorrow — As health metrics continue to stabilize, the county will move into phase three along with the rest of the state beginning tomorrow. Social gatherings of up to 250 people will be allowed. New guidelines also end the cap on the number of customers allowed inside non-essential retail stores, restaurants and bars. Face coverings are still required inside public places. [Fairfax County Government]

Trio of Business Burglaries Reported — Three businesses were burglarized over the weekend. Two were located at the 2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza while the third was located at 11800 block of Baron Cameron Avenue. All incidents are under investigation. [Fairfax County Police Department]

State Court Upholds Face Mask Requirement — “A winery’s challenge against Gov. Ralph Northam and State Health Commissioner Norm Oliver’s face mask requirement has not succeeded in court. Fauquier County’s Philip Carter Winery and its owner filed suit earlier in June challenging executive order 63, which took effect on May 29. The executive order applies to indoor public places, including food and beverage establishments. There are exemptions for individuals eating and drinking, among other reasons.” [Reston Patch]

Feedback Sought on Title VI Program — The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is seeking feedback on its Title VI program, which aims to ensure equitable distribution of transit services. Comments on the updated policy will be accepted through July 31. [Fairfax County Government]

Last Day to Vote for Thoreau’s Ensemble — Today is the last day to vote for Thoreau’s Ensemble, which is up for an international art award. The artwork, designed by Philadelphia-based artist Ben Volta, is located at the Colts Neck Underpass. [CODAwards]

Photo by Marjorie Copson

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation has selected its preferred bus service plan for the Fairfax Connector in Reston and Herndon.

County planners say the plan “aims to improve on-time performance and streamline service to meet the needs of the community and commuters.”

Here’s more from FCDOT on what’s being considered:

Some of the key improvements to the bus service in the area include new and more direct connections and routes; new connections to Chantilly, Centreville and the Dulles Corridor; service to Northern Virginia Community College (Loudoun Campus); and routes travelling from Sterling to Herndon. The plan, which also uses elements from all three of the proposed alternatives, shortens travel time, increases access for transit dependent populations, and maintains bus stop coverage at most locations.

The implementation of the proposed service changes will coincide with the start of the new Metrorail Silver Line service and will provide connections to the Reston Town Center Station, Herndon Station, Innovation Center Station, Dulles Airport Station, Loudoun Gateway Station and Ashburn Station.

The plan will include three new routes: Chantilly to the Dulles Corridor, Northern Virginia Community College’s Loudoun campus, and Sterling too Herndon. Planners say the proposal shortens travel time and creates more direct connections.

The average travel time could be reduced from 57.3 minutes to 49.4 minutes. The updated plan would also improve service to more households, especially those that are low-income.

More information about the proposal is available online.

The county is seeking feedback via an online survey and via email at [email protected]. Residents can also call the county at 703-877-5600, extension 711, or mail comments to 4050 Legato Road, Suite 400.

The county is also hosting a virtual public meeting on the plan with Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn and Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust on Wednesday, July 8 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Staff photo by Jay Westcott

Several local businesses and restaurants have laid off workers due to COVID-19 pandemic in recent months.

Businesses filed notices through the Virginia Employment Commission, which requires businesses with more than 100 employees to provide advanced notice of layoffs affecting more than 50 employees or business closings.

In Reston and Herndon, six businesses filed notices, totaling more than 450 layoffs.

Nearly all notices filed with the VEC were attributed to the pandemic. The following is a breakdown of major layoffs since March 1 through today:

• Hyatt Regency (1800 Presidents Street): 88 workers
• The Westin at Reston Heights (11750 Sunrise Valley Drive): 32
• Barcelona Wine Bar (12023 Town Square Street): 66
• Jackson’s Mighty Fine Food and Luck Lounge (11927 Democracy Drive): 137
• BridgeStreet Corporate Housing (1180 Sunrise Valley Drive): 68

Bartaco let go of 175 employees across its Fairfax and Reston locations.

Photo by Chris Gordon/Flickr

Reston Association is considering opening more pools to the public as four pools begin some operations today (Monday).

If state health orders and funding allow, the association may open at least two more facilities by September.

But pools at Lake Audubon, Shadowood, and Uplands will remain closed this year– in addition to pre-planned closures at Lake Thoreau and North Shore due to ongoing construction projects.

“We will open as many pools as we possibly can, when can we can, based on the rules and resources we have,” said RA CEO Hank Lynch at a meeting late last week.

Lake Audubon and Shadowood will remain closed. Plans to replace the plaster last year were delayed “during budget development with hopes of it lasting until 2021,” according to a staff presentation. Loss of revenue from member fees due to COVID-19 also complicated funding efforts.

Uplands pool will also remain closed due to delayed work on a roof project. Delays with RA’s Design Review Board were also caused by the pandemic.

Members and nonmembers can purchase pass options at half price beginning July. Recreation passes, which include tennis, pickleball and pools, have brought in roughly $117,00 in revenue between this year. Full refunds are also available to those who request them.

At the meeting, Laura Kowalski, RA’s director of recreation and environmental resources, stressed that decisions about pools and other facilities are fluid due to changing recommendations from health officials and the state.

Currently, pools at Glade, Golf Course Island, Lake Newport, and Newbridge are opening for lap swimming and fitness classes only. Other pools may open in the coming weeks. Spas, hot tubs, and water park features are closed due to state orders.

Photo via Reston Association/YouTube

GNC plans to close its location at North Point Village Center after the company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection early last week.

The vitamins and supplements retailer plans to close between 800 and 1,200 stores across the country.

A company representative told Reston Now the Reston location, which is located at 1456 North Point Drive, will likely shutter its doors within the next two weeks. An exact closing date has not yet been determined.

In a June 23 letter to its customers, the company stated that the COVID-19 pandemic “created a situation where we are unable to accomplish our refinancing and the abrupt change in the operating environment has had a negative impact on our business.”

Here’s more from the letter:

As a result, we felt the best opportunity for us to continue to improve our capital structure and address certain operational issues was to restructure through a Chapter 11 reorganization. This gives us the opportunity to improve our balance sheet while continuing to advance our business strategy, right-size our corporate store portfolio, and strengthen our brands to protect the long-term sustainability of our company.

Other Virginia locations are also closing, including the stores in Vienna, Sterling, Franklin and Charlottesville.

Photo by Laura Crielly

Reston Association Resumes Youth Swimming Lessons — The association is resting swimming lessons for children between the ages of three and 12. Registration is $80 for RA members and $95 for all others. [Reston Association]

Measuring the Impact of the Silver Line — “The Silver Line has caused some riders to change their routes and others to leave Metrorail entirely. Not every Silver Line rider is a new Metrorail customer. Once it opened, some Orange Line riders who frequented the Vienna, Dunn Loring, and West Falls Church stations switched to using the Silver Line for convenience.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Town of Herndon Resumes Inspections — After offering a brief grace period, town officials are resuming the enforcement of motor vehicle safety inspections. The state’s executive order does not apply to local municipalities within the state. [Herndon Police Department]

Around Town: Fairfax County Teachers Revolt — “A day after one of the nation’s largest school systems announced its proposal for fall learning, teachers within Fairfax County Public Schools rose in revolt and refused to teach in-person, as the plan demands, until officials revise their strategy.” [Washington Post]

Photo by Marjorie Copson

Plans to reactivate the Hunters Woods Ballfield — which is behind Reston Community Center — are moving forward after Reston Association’s Board of Directors approved a conceptual plan at a meeting last night (Thursday).

RA is working with community stakeholders, including the Hunters Woods Neighborhood Coalition, to reactive the site, which is no longer used by Reston-Herndon Little League due to its long distance from the nearest parking lot.

The conceptual plan, developed with the help of architecture firm Kimley-Horn, would repurpose the area into common open space with a pathway, entrance to the field, additional trees and landscaping. More features would be installed during later phases, including:

• A library book share
• Sledding hill
• Meadow
• Imprinted concrete
• Perennial garden
• Raingarden
• Mile marker sign

“We want to build that excitement,” said Larry Butler, RA’s Chief Operating Officer. Butler said local stakeholders are excited about the project.

The board authorized funds last year to repurpose the ballfield. Plan to install additional pathway lighting in the area — which were originally presented alongside the repurposing proposal — is expected to come before an RA committee next month.

With the board’s approval secured, the plan will be presented to Fairfax County planners and RA’s Design Review Board.

A cost estimate for the project was not immediately available, but surveying, engineering and permitting could cost around $25,00, Butler said. Grading will require a minor site plan.

RA Board President Julie Bitzer described the proposal as a “passive park.”

Several local companies are among the 15 tech employers listed for an upcoming virtual job hosted by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.

The fair is targeted to mid-career tech professionals, especially ones with security clearances, and the companies represented will have a total of 3,000 open jobs in the Northern Virginia region, according to FCEDA.

“While the fair is primarily for those in tech fields including data science, software engineering, IT, cybersecurity, defense and aerospace, some companies are featuring non-tech positions such as marketing, sales, finance, human resources and legal,” according to FCEDA.

Companies signed up for the fair include:

• Microsoft, Reston
• Amazon Web Services, Arlington
• AppGuard Inc., Chantilly
• CGI, Fairfax
• Customer Value Partners, Fairfax
• Expedition Technology, Herndon
• EntropyZero Consulting, Reston
• FireEye, Reston
• Ipsun Solar, Fairfax
• General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church
• ManTech International, Herndon
• MicroHealth, Tysons
• NTT Data Federal, Tysons
• Serco Inc., Herndon
• SOSi, Reston

Previously, FCEDA hosted a virtual career fair for recent college graduates.

“Every job represents a household, so when we connect people — whether newly minted graduates or those midway through a career — to thousands of open jobs, we are really improving lives, saving households and communities,” Victor Hoskins, FCEDA’s president and CEO, said in a press release.

People will be able to browse companies in a virtual lobby before entering “virtual booths” to view open positions and video conference with recruiters.

The job fair will be hosted on Tuesday, July 14, from 1-4 p.m. People can register online.

It was love at first sight when Matt Rofougaran walked into a Biergarten in Munich, Germany. The then 23-year-old had just sold off everything he owned and went backpacking around the world for inspiration.

Roughly 16 years later, Rofougaran is bringing a traditional German beer garden to the Town of Herndon at 771 Center Street. Like the Tysons location — which closed late last year due to property redevelopment — the Herndon Biergarten will have daily activities, family-friendly games, events and beer festivals.

But unlike the Tysons location, Rofougaran doesn’t plan to have a token system. At the Tysons location, customers purchased tokens that were exchanged for food and drinks.

The business is expected to open in the spring of next year.

The Herndon location will include more than 60 craft beers, 100+ whiskeys, and a German food menu.

A patio will run along the building, which has a combination of textures like painted black brick and wooden awning. An open area with grass will offer additional seating, along with a 2,000-square-foot rooftop area.

Here’s more from the team behind the project:

In order to get the full picture of this crazy concept Herndon Biergarten (HBG), join us on the journey that brought us here. In early 2015, a group of five young entrepreneurs came together to take on a very ambitious project in the heart of Tysons, VA, and after a year of preparation, Tysons Biergarten officially opened its doors to the public.  TBG brought the features and excitement of a German Biergarten to Northern Virginia, with 40+ taps of German, Belgian, Austrian, and American craft beer, complemented by authentic German food and a great atmosphere. Almost instantly, the public gravitated to the new concept and after a few successful years, it was recognized as local staple.  TBG held events that attracted thousands of people from all sorts of backgrounds, hosted charity events with children from a local homeless shelter, and even hosted campaign fundraisers for local political offices. TBG earned various awards through the years and was featured in numerous publications ranging from local news channel broadcasts to articles in the Washington Post. Catching lightning in a bottle, Tysons Biergarten was truly an American success story.

Fast forward two years… Late December 2018, a small hole in the wall in Alexandria, VA, became the new home for our second restaurant, Hops N Shine. At HnS, we take great pride in being an artisan destination with a unique and constantly evolving menu. If you walk into Hops N Shine today, the first thing you’ll see is our enormous mural, 52 incredible craft beers on tap, a mouthwatering custom gourmet grilled cheese menu, and an extensive list of our delicious moonshine infusions that will have your taste buds singing for more. HnS is the perfect laid-back location for meeting with family, friends, coworkers, or even your dog on the back patio!

In early 2019, with several combined years of experience and loads of new ideas, we began putting a new concept into action that when finished will truly showcase the levels of creativity and ambition of our team.  Insert our newest project, Herndon Biergarten(HBG). HBG will shock your senses when you see its features. 

Overall, the project includes a bar on the main floor, two bars upstairs, a patio, a green room, an outdoor seating area, an outdoor bar, and a rooftop deck.

The beer garden will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Photos via Herndon Biergarten

Planning for Reston’s Ultimate Population — “In discussing the need for the plan study, Alcorn acknowledged that most of the initial planning of Reston was based on the master plan Robert Simon created when he established the community in the 1960s. It’s only been in the last decade or so, as Reston has undergone redevelopment, that comprehensive plan language has been updated.” [Reston Patch]

Man Assaulted on North Shore Drive — A man was treated for injuries at a local hospital after two men assaulted him on the 11400 block of North Shore Drive at around 1:11 a.m. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Reston Firm Acquired by French Company — “Reston-based managed security firm Paladion will be acquired by Bezons, France-based information technology company Atos. A transaction amount was not disclosed.” [Virginia Business]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

A 17-year-old from Silver Spring, Md. died from an apparent drowning in Lake Audubon late last night (Thursday).

Several teens were swimming in the water when the teenage boy went underwater and did not resurface. Rescue crews began searching the scene with the assistance of a helicopter shortly before 9 p.m. yesterday. His body was found roughly one hour later.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.  Autopsy results are pending, but detectives do not suspect foul play.

“We dispatched our police chaplains last night to help console this community and we cannot imagine the grief and pain that this family is experiencing. They are certainly in our thoughts,” an FCPD spokesperson told Reston Now.

In recent weeks, county officials have urged residents to avoid swimming in lakes and other areas where swimming is typically prohibited. Some swimmers have been spotted in Reston lakes in recent days.

Lake Audubon is located in South Reston near South Lakes Village Center and Lake Thoreau.

Units currently on scene in the 2000 block of Beacon Heights Drive in Reston, Lake Audubon.
Technical Rescue Team searching for a juvenile that disappeared under water. @FairfaxCountyPD helicopter and K9’s assisting. #FCFRD pic.twitter.com/63xz8gKUiI

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) June 26, 2020

Photo via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

Reston Association’s Board of Directors will meet today (Thursday) to discuss a concept plan for the Hunters Woods Ballfield and plans to reopen pools for this year’s season.

The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Design consultant Kimley-Horn created several concept images to repurpose the Hunters Woods ballfield, which is located behind Reston Community Center Hunters Woods. Design sketches show the space would largely be maintained as open space, with the addition of trees and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.

The Hunters Woods Neighborhood Coalition is encouraging RA to repurpose the ball field, which is no longer used by the Reston-Herndon Little League. So far, a pathway lighting project north of the Hunters Woods Village Center is under consideration, with roughly 16 light poles at a cost of $100,000.

The board could approve a concept plan, which would then be considered by RA’s Design Review Board and county planners. More details are expected at the meeting.

RA will also discuss plans to open more pools. So far, only four pools will reopen on June 29, with several restrictions in place. The full agenda is available online.

File photo