It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the food supply chain, making it harder for some food pantries and food banks to keep their shelves fully stocked.

South Lakes High School’s food pantry is not insulated from these struggles, according to pantry coordinator Roberta Gosling. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the food pantry quickly shifted from its location at the school to a new distribution and collection model.

Since schools closed in mid-March, food is collected and packed at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Volunteers then drive bags of food to SLHS on distribution day.

Gosling says food distribution has grown from 40 to 73 bags in just a few weeks. She expects that number to grow between 25 to 50 percent each week.

The pantry urgently needs the following items:

• Pasta
• Pasta sauce
• Tomatoes/sauce
• Dried beans
• Rice
• Canned meat
• Canned veggies
• Peanut butter
• Jelly
• Cereal
• Crackers
• Granola bars
• Deodorant

Donations can be shipped to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (1133 Reston Avenue, Herndon, Va. 20170). Non-contact drop off on Mondays from 2-4 p.m. and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon.

More information about the pantry is available online.

Photo by Holly Vanderhoof

COVID-19 Case Information Delayed — The latest data from the Virginia Department of Health is not available due to a technical issue with the department’s case site. [Fairfax County Government]

Cognizant to Acquire Reston IT Company — “Reston-based human resources tech company Collaborative Solutions LLC will be acquired by New-Jersey based information technology company Cognizant, the companies announced Tuesday. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed and the deal is expected to close during Q2 2020.” [Virginia Business]

New Chief Marketing Officer for Ellucian — “Reston-based higher education software company Ellucian announced Wednesday it has named Sharon Loeb as its chief marketing officer. She will lead marketing initiatives and digital transformation for the company. Loeb was most recently the executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Cengage Learning, where she led marketing, communications and public affairs for the company.” [Virginia Business]

Photo by Marjorie Copson

The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt on glass recycling in Fairfax County, including the Town of Herndon.

Now, officials are resuming the glass recycling service, also known as the Purple Can Club, according to the county’s website.

The collection of glass dropped off at purple, glass-only containers resumes on Monday, May 11.  

Containers are currently being reset at locations throughout the county. The Reston bin is located at the Reston South Park and Ride (2431 Reston Parkway). Another bin is located at Great Falls Library.

Residents can also bring glass containers at the I-66 transfer station and the I-95 landfill complex. Free mulch service also resumed on Saturday, May 2.

The county suspended glass recycling at the purple bins in mid-March. 

Photo via Fairfax County Government

This year’s Reston Youth Triathlon, an annual event organized by the CORE Foundation, will proceed for its 10th anniversary, but with a twist.

Due to the COVID-19 public health crisis, the nonprofit organization will host a virtual duathlon where races will complete a run-bike-run course. Parents will determine where their children will complete the race using distance requirements set up by the organization.

Racers will select the day and time they wish to complete the race between May 10 and May 17. All times will be reported to the Facebook event page.

All registered racers will receive a race shirt, medal, and a tenth-anniversary commemorative headband, which will be distributed at a date. Registration is open online. The virtual duathlon also includes two new categories: an age bracket for 16-to-19-year-olds and a family team relay that’s open for all ages.

A breakdown of course requirements is below:

The Be AMYazing Reston Youth Triathlon was founded by youth and is coordinated by Amy’s Amigos, a group of 12-year-olds who offered support for their friend, Amy Boyle, as she battled brain cancer. The group, which was founded in 2008, held the first Reston triathlon for children in May 2011 following Boyle’s passing.

To date, the event has raised $125,000 for Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation.

Photo by Paul Thomas

Stay-at-Home Chalk Art Challenge Underway — Public Art Reston is encouraging residents to make chalk drawings on safe, paved spaces. This week’s theme is fantasy. [Public Art Reston]

Local Company Tops ‘Fantastic 50’ List — The Herndon-based B3 Group was named the fastest-growing company in the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s 2020 “Fantastic 50” list. The company saw revenue growth of 3,231 percent from 2015 through 2018. [Virginia Chamber]

Leidos Acquires L3Harris Businesses — Reston-based defense contractor Leidos Holdings Inc. announced Tuesday it has officially completed the acquisition of Massachusetts- and England-based L3Harris’ Security Detection and Automation businesses for approximately $1 billion in cash. [Virginia Business Monthly]

Urgent Need for Election Volunteers — The Virginia Department of Elections is currently looking for election volunteers for the June 23 primaries. The election form is available online. [Fairfax County Government]

The Town of Herndon is proposing to double recycling fees, which are paid quarterly, from $8 to $16.

The Herndon Town Council will consider the proposal at a meeting tonight (Tuesday). The fee was last increased 2019 from $4 to $8 per quarter.

But since then, the recycling industry has suffered dramatic changes.

“Commodity prices are no longer as they once were and processing costs have continued to increase, while tonnages have either remained the same or increased,” Tammy Chastain, deputy director public works, wrote in a memo.

If approved, the increase would offset roughly 83 percent of recycling costs that the town bears. Currently, the recycling fee only covers 42 percent of the cost of recycling.

The fee increase would go into effect on July 1.

Photo via Patricia Valerio/Unsplash

A Herndon man who was the former procurement director for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. pled guilty to a bribery conspiracy yesterday (Monday).

According to court documents, Jeffrey Donahue, 42, received cash payments and other items — including the promise of a job — amounting to $1 million from Nadeem Ansari, a Haymarket resident, in return for steering PBGC contracts to Ansari’s company.

Nearly five years ago, Donahue offered to help Ansari’s new company win a $55 million contract in exchange for a future job with the company. The Herndon resident helped Ansari complete the proposal process, including the disclosure of labor pricing estimates. When the company did not win the contract, Donahue helped Ansari write bid protest.

Here’s more from the U.S. Department of Justice on the case:

In 2016, Donahue proposed a second arrangement with Ansari in which Donahue would receive up to $125,000 from Ansari and his company in exchange for steering a contract to Ansari’s company. PBGC awarded the contract to Ansari’s company, which resulted in payments to the company totaling approximately $3.29 million. Donahue steered the contract by, among other things, providing sensitive, non-public information and work product to Ansari; providing guidance for contract pricing; and adjusting the terms of the contract to align with the qualifications of the company’s personnel. Donahue received at least $48,000 in cash, plus additional gifts. Donahue and Ansari also took steps to conceal the scheme and their communications with each other, including using separate, dedicated cellular telephones and e-mail accounts and communicating through encrypted software.

Ansari also pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to bribe a public official. Sentencing for both men is set for Sept. 11.

The PBGC is a federally-chartered corporation that aims to protect retirement security through single-employer and multi-employer plans.

Photo via PBGC/Facebook

At a time when most restaurants are struggling, Taco Zocalo — formerly known as the food truck Chef on Wheels — has taken another leap at expansion.

The Reston-based restaurant, which is located at 1810 Michael Faraday Drive, opened its second location in Ashburn (44927 George Washington Boulevard) on May 1.

Although state-mandated restrictions on restaurants due to the COVID-19 crisis create less than ideal conditions for a restaurant opening, chef and owner Basir Ahadi says he is confident the business will do well, thanks to his loyal customer base.

“The Reston location is doing well considering our limitations and the current situation. We are hopeful taco Zocalo will come out this pandemic stronger than we were before it began,” Ahadi said.

The business hired eight new employees for the new locations. Ahadi said he was motivated to employ people who lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Currently, Taco Zocalo offers takeout and delivery via third-party operators.

A loan from the Small Business Administration has helped the business finance payroll, Ahadi said. The landlord of the Ashburn location has also been flexible in working with the business on a monthly basis.

Taco Zocalo started as a food truck under the name Chef on Wheels in 2011. The business opened its first brick-and-mortar location in 2017.

Photos via Basir Ahadi

A Tribute at Reston Hospital Center — Local officers and first responders gathered yesterday (Monday) for a tribute at Reston Hospital Center. The emergency responders turned on their sirens as they drove around the center. [WJLA]

Longtime Reston Citizens Association Board Member Dies — John Hanley, who joined RCA in 2009, played a vital role in considering nominations and planning for RCA’s Citizen of the Year award. He also helped shape RCA’s position on the issues of land use and planning. [Reston Citizens Association]

Easing of Business Closures in Sight — “Gov. Ralph Northam held a press conference this afternoon in which he announced that “Phase 1” of the Commonwealth’s easing of restrictions is likely to start on Friday, May 15 — in about a week and a half. In the meantime, Northam extended the closure of non-essential businesses through May 14, and said his stay-at-home order will become a “safer at home” recommendation.” [ARLnow]

Local Student Wins 2020 College Board Opportunity Scholarship — “Imani Irons, a senior at South Lakes High School, has been named one of 25 winners nationwide of a 2020 College Board Opportunity Scholarship.  The $40,000 scholarship was awarded to Irons for completing all six college planning steps laid out in the College Board Opportunity Scholarships program. Research shows that completing specific steps helps clarify the complex college planning process, especially for low-income and first-generation students.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Oversight Body Shoots Down Sale of Reston-based .org Operator — “The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has rejected the $1.13 billion sale of the Reston operator of the .org domain to private equity firm Ethos Capital. As the domain system’s nonprofit governing body, ICANN had to approve the deal.” [Washington Business Journal]

Photo via Walter Alcorn/Twitter

Reston Farmers Marke will open this weekend with new social distancing rules in place at Lake Anne Plaza.

But it may be a while before other farmers markets in the county, including the Herndon Farmers Market, welcome customers.

The Fairfax County Park Authority says that it will determine when and if it is safe to open other markets after it evaluates operations, staffing needs, volunteer resources and other conditions.

The Reston Farmers Market kicked off the 2020 season on May 9 and will continue to take place on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. The Mount Vernon/McCutcheon Farmers Market is set to begin on Wednesday, May 13 while the Burke Farmers Market is set to begin on Saturday, May 16.

Market shoppers should comply with safety guidelines and social distancing orders, including limiting no more than two family members in the market, wearing a face covering, and avoiding touching surfaces. No pets are allowed.

The town's Farmers' Market is not ready to open but three FFx Co. markets will open in May. The markets will be decidedly different than in the past as the county complies with VA Governor Northam’s social distancing orders & safety guidelines. https://t.co/Ya2KMXecO5 pic.twitter.com/KVTB5LHX5u

— Herndon Parks & Recreation (@herndonparks) April 30, 2020

Photo via Photo by Anne Preble/Unsplash

Prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Town of Herndon’s revised budget for the next fiscal year proposes a half-a-million-dollar cut from the original proposal.

The $38 million proposal eliminates a planned one-cent increase in the real estate tax, a projected increase of $100,000 in revenues from the Business, Professional ad Occupational License tax, and pay increases for town staff.

Herndon Town Manager Bill Ashton II is also calling on the Herndon Town Council to immediately sequester $5.5 million that can be spent when the town achieves revenues targets int he next fiscal year.

Overall, however, the budget is not materially different from the original proposal. 

Ashton noted that the uncertain pace of economic recovery and lack of data on projected revenues creates an “extremely fluid” economic environment. If revenues fall below projections, the town will consider exploring reductions in personnel costs, the town’s largest spending category by far.

Here’s more from Ashton II on the updated plan:

“The shortcoming of this proposal is that it does not directly consider how significant changes to the economy will affect the town’s revenues moving into, and through, FY 2021. The problem with creating such a forecast is that we have limited data to support creating assumptions on which to build these projections. If we were to establish projections based on the small data sampling we have today, we would be forced into significant personnel reductions in this budget. Such reductions would cause the town to incur additional costs and would be difficult to unwind should the revenue situation materialize better than expected. “

He also noted that the town’s budgeting approach will keep the town from “over-committing in its response to a worst-case scenario,” allowing the town to adapt to a changing economic climate in the post-COVID-19 world.

A work session on the budget is set for May 5, followed by public hearings on May 12 and May 26. All meetings, which begin at 7 p.m., will be held online. In addition to comments at meetings, residents can submit comments online or by emailing [email protected].

Although the groundbreaking of the Town of Herndon’s downtown redevelopment project has not been formally announced, Comstock Companies is offering a peek at what the new $85 million Historic Herndon District will look like.

A fence in front of the former Subaru dealership on 770 Elden Street now bears promotional signage about the project, which has been delayed by several months.

“The revision of Herndon’s historic downtown will bring heart, life, and opportunity back to the neighborhood,” according to a recently released sales brochure.

The project, which is financed through a public-private partnership with the town, features 273 residential units, a new arts center, public space, and new retail options. An eight-level parking garage and 18,000 square feet of boutique, restaurant, and cafe space are also planned.

Comstock says that its apartments — which include studio, one, and two-bedroom apartments — “marry classical elegance with a bohemian twist.”  The company also described the community as a “lifestyle destination that appeals to everyone, from foodie to dog walkers.” Promotional material states the Herndon Metro Station will open in 2020, although it is likely the new station will open next year.

Officials for the Town of Herndon and Comstock have declined to provide specific reasons for why the project has been delayed.

Environmental remediation on the site is currently underway in order to prepare the site for redevelopment. Although a development agreement between the town and Comstock has been signed, the stakeholders have not yet closed on the property.

Images via Comstock

State officials say that social distancing has prevented nearly 36,602 cases in Fairfax County so far. By June 10, that number is expected to balloon to nearly 134,681, according to the new data released by the Virginia Department of Health.

The department estimates that community mitigation strategies have prevented 203,669 confirmed cases statewide — with nearly one million cases prevented by June 10. Virginia State Gov. Ralph Northam’s stay-at-home order is expected to expire that day.

Still, the number of cases continues to rise. As of today (Monday), there are roughly 19,492 cases of COVID-19 statewide, resulting in 684 deaths.

In Fairfax County, 4,615 cases are confirmed and 771 people are hospitalized. According to the county, 204 people have died from the disease. Although the county has the highest numbers of cases, the incidence of the disease — when measured by rates per 100,000 — is relatively low. The case rate is 401 with a fatality rate of 17 and a hospitalization rate of 67.

The health department also released a new online tool for testing sites across the state. According to the locator, there are no testing sites in Herndon and Reston.

Photo via CDC/Unsplash

Women Robbed at Bus Stop — Three men displayed a firearm and demanded money from a woman at a bus stop on the intersection of Town Center Parkway and Baron Cameron Avenue. The men ran away after the woman flagged down a passing motorist. The incident happened on April 30 at around 10:35 p.m. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Deposit Dispute at Sheraton Reston Resolved — The Fairfax Genealogical Society says that a disagreement between Sheraton Reston regarding a $13,000 deposit for an event has been resolved “in our favor.” [Fairfax Genealogical Society]

Petition: Keep Big Bowl Open — Lovers of Big Bowl, a restaurant in Reston Town Center, have launched a petition to keep the business open. The restaurant shuttered permanently last week after 19 years of business. [Change]

Free Seminar for Family Caregivers — The county is hosting a free online seminar for caregivers of older adults. The first seminar begins on Friday (May 8) and covers the topic of yoga. [Fairfax County Government]

Registration for Kindergarten Immersion Lottery Ends — The deadline to apply for Fairfax County Public Schools’ Kindergarten Immersion Lottery and Magnet School Lottery programs close today (Monday). [Fairfax County Public Schools]

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. Fairfax County Localizes COVID-19 Data With New Dashboard
2. Big Bowl in Reston Town Center Shutters After Two Decades of Business
3. Town of Herndon Mourns Death of Darryl ‘Smitty’ Smith, First African American Officer
4. COVID-19 Deaths in Fairfax County Surpass 100
5. Reston Farmers Market to Open in May with Coronavirus Restrictions

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