Two Reston residents were badly injured when fire tore through their townhouse early Tuesday morning.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue was called to 12107 Purple Sage Court at 6:40 a.m. When they arrived, there were flames showing from the front of the townhouse, which sits in the middle of a row, said Battalion Chief Willie Bailey.
Firefighters rescued two adults, a man and a woman, from the blaze. The fire started on the first floor and caused $25,000 in damage, officials said. Smoke alarms did deploy.
Four pets — two dogs and two cats — did not survive, officials said.
The victims were taken by ambulance to Reston Hospital Center, then flown to Medstar Washington Hospital Center’s burn unit, Bailey said.
Francisco Ojeda, the couple’s direct neighbor, said he was awakened by the smell of smoke and the the noise from the fire trucks. He said there was no damage to his townhouse.
Officials are investigating the cause of the blaze.
Sneak Peek at Reston Home Tour — Modern Reston gets the story behind this major fundraiser for the Reston Historic Trust. [Modern Reston]
Seniors Learn To Ride — Fairfax County has a program that teaches senior citizens how to navigate the Metro system. [Washington Post]
SLHS Chorus Event Benefits Suicide Prevention Group — The South Lakes High School Chorus will perform its call concert on Oct. 27, 7 p.m., at SLHS. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted benefitting the The Josh Anderson Foundation, whose mission is to spread hope to stop suicide. Anderson was a former SLHS student who died in 2009. [SLHS Chorus Facebook]
Updated, 10:44 p.m. Monday to correct address of gas station.
A man reportedly set himself on fire at the Sunoco at 2150 Centreville Rd. in Herndon on Monday afternoon.
WJLA-TV reports the man, age 50, bought 56 cents worth of gas and then set himself on fire at the gas station near Kohl’s department store. More than a dozen witnesses tried to put the fire out, another witness said.
He was airlifted to Medstar Washington Hospital Center. The man had burns on 80 percent of his body and was pronounced dead at the hospital, reports WJLA.
The man has not been identified.
Man sets himself on fire outside Herndon gas station. http://t.co/tI0zJa2c4X http://t.co/mox81kaYBW
— Van Applegate (@VBagate) October 12, 2015
Witnesses like Adil Ahniche were horrified by the scene this afternoon at a #Herndon Sunoco @ABC7News pic.twitter.com/Wzlw0C3q0V — Van Applegate (@VBagate) October 12, 2015
Items at the scene, including the water bottles used by bystanders attempting to put the flames out, and the gas can. pic.twitter.com/HhV8CemzKA
— Van Applegate (@VBagate) October 12, 2015
March 1, 2016, is “Super Tuesday,” when Virginia and 12 other states will hold primaries or caucuses for the 2016 Presidential election.
The Fairfax County Board of Elections would like to get optimal turnout for the primary, so it has asked the Fairfax County Public Schools board if there can be a delayed start to the school day that day, FCPS said in a statement.
Based on the anticipated numbers of voters who are expected to participate in the presidential primary, and to avoid congestion at the schools during arrival times, the board says it is is considering the delayed opening.
The school calendar cannot change without a school board vote, so the school board will discuss and vote on it at its Oct. 22 business meeting. If the Board does vote for the delayed opening, it will reduce the number of built-in snow days from 13 to 12.7 for the 2015-16 school year.
In Fairfax County, 165 of the 196 schools and centers are used as polling places. FCPS policies and regulations require that parking spaces are to be reserved for voters.
Other states holding primaries on March 1 include Alabama, Alaska (GOP), Arkansas,
Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee,
Texas, Vermont, Virginia.
A Hunter Mill District forum on Tuesday will include candidates for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair, as well as the group of candidates running for At-Large school board seats.
The event is at 7 p.m. at James Madison High Schools, 2500 James Madison Dr., Vienna.
The event will feature a meet-and-greet, as well as a question-and-answer session.
Read more about the candidates by clicking on their names below.
In the Board of Supervisors Chair race, incumbent Sharon Bulova (D), is being challenged by Arthur G. Purves (R),and Glenda Gail Parker (I).
The At-Large School Board candidates are:
Ryan L. McElveen (Incumbent)
Ilryong Moon (Incumbent)
Theodore J. “Ted” Velkoff (Incumbent)
This event is sponsored by: the League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area, the American Association of University Women of Virginia, the Fairfax County Council of Parent Teacher Associations, the Voice of Vietnamese Americans, and the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
A similar event with Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (running unopposed) and Hunter Mill School Board candidates Pat Hynes (incumbent) and Mark Wilkinson will take place at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.
A South Lakes High School graduate was shot and killed in Pittsburgh over the weekend.
Police said Justin Granda, 28, was shot multiple times in the Arlington neighborhood of Pittsburgh about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Pittsburgh media reports.
Granda, who authorities said was shot several times in the head and torso, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Violent Crime Unit is investigating Sunday’s shooting.
Granda lived in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Oliver neighborhood. He was a 2005 SLHS graduate. According to his social media profiles, he played basketball for the Seahawks and was most recently working as a car salesman.
Photo: Justin Granda via Twitter
Beer, brats, food trucks and amazing weather were the highlights of the weekend at the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce’s annual Oktoberfest Reston at Reston Town Center.
The event featured craft brews and specialties from local restaurants, as well as the Reston Pumpkin 5K race and live music.
Monday is Columbus Day. If you are off today, enjoy the day.
Here’s a digest of what’s open and closed today:
In observance of the Columbus Day Holiday, Fairfax Connector will be operating holiday weekday service on Monday, Oct. 12, 2015. All routes will operate regular weekday service except:
The federal government, including the U.S. Post Office, is closed.
Fairfax County government, courts, public schools and libraries are closed.
Fairfax County Parks and RECenters are open. See exact hours in this Fairfax County list.
Reston Community Center at both Hunters Woods and Lake Anne is open.
Metro — Trains and buses will operate on a Saturday schedule, with service every 6 to 12 minutes during daytime hours. Parking at all Metro-owned lots and garages will be free, and off-peak fares will be in effect all day.
Fairfax Connector — Routes 335, 393, 394, 395, 432, 494, 495, 585, 599, 724, 734, and 985 will not operate. Route 980 which will run every 12-15 minutes instead of every 6-8 minutes.
Stores are generally open.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
GRACE Race Needs Volunteers — The GRACE Race 5K is coming up on Oct. 24. The race, which starts and ends at Reston Town Center, could use volunteers. The event will benefit Greater Reston Arts Center programs. [GRACE]
Halloween Family Fun — Several events at Frying Pan Park this week, including carnival rides Thursday through Sunday. [Herndon Patch]
SLHS Golf Kudos — South Lakes High School golfer Kurtis Grant shot a 148 at the Virginia 6A North region golf tournament last week to qualify for Tuesday’s Virginia 5A/6A meet in Moseley. [Washington Post]
Crews have been busy clearing trees and brush along Sunset Hills Road near Town Center Parkway and the Dulles Toll Road.
The work is in preparation for Phase 2 of Metro’s Silver Line, says the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.
The area will be the site of two facilities that will support the Silver Line.
The work is the start of the future Traction Power Substation (TPSS) No. 12 adjacent to Sunset Hills Road, near the Town Center Parkway, says the DCMP.
TPSS No. 12 will provide power and communications to the Silver Line. When that area has been cleared, crews will move south across the Dulles International Airport Access Highway and Dulles Toll Road to begin clearing at the site of Stormwater Management facility.
Phase 2 of the Silver Line, which will have stations at Reston Parkway, Herndon, Route 28, Dulles International Airport and Ashburn, is slated to open in early 2019.
Looking for a new home? Take this holiday weekend to check out these open houses in Reston. For complete real estate info and more open houses, visit our Real Estate section.
11114 Lakespray Way
3 BR, 3.5 BA TH
$599,999
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
12316 Coleraine Court
3 BR, 2.5 BA SFH
$545,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
11509 Waterhaven Court
3 BR, 3.5 BA TH
$688,168
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
1520 Point Drive
2 BR, 2 BA Condo
$315,500
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
11134 Saffold Way
4 BR, 3.5 BA TH
$475,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
1514 Poplar Grove Drive
3 BR, 2 FB, 2 HB TH
$430,000
Open Saturday 1 to 4 p.m.
2480 Freetown Drive
4 BR, 4.5 BA SFH
$679,900
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
11007 Howland Drive
4 BR, 2.5 BA SFH
$619,900
Open Sunday 2 to 5 p.m.
Fairway Drive between South Shore and Shagbark is closed while crews fix a large water main break.
The water main break occurred about 1:30 a.m. Friday, officials from Fairfax Water said. The break caused a large hole in the pavement.
Water service was restored to homes in the neighborhood about noon, Fairfax Water said.
As of 2 p.m., crews had stopped the leak and were working on putting pavement back in place. The road will be closed at least until this evening, Fairfax Water said.
Reston Station is taking summer into fall with its ‘Watch Under Our Stars’ movie series Saturdays through Nov. 1.
Favorite 1980s movies will be shown on the plaza at 11389 Reston Station Boulevard, Reston, Virginia.
This weekend’s movie: Sixteen Candles.
Here’s the rest of the schedule:
Oct. 17 – Beetle Juice (PG)
Oct. 24 – Hocus Pocus (PG)
Nov. 1 – Ghost Busters (PG)
Admission is free. Movie time is at sunset, but viewers will start gathering at 7 p.m. for food, music, picnicking, and fun for all ages.
The plaza area is lined with concrete pavers, so Comstock, the series’ sponsor, is encouraging attendees to bring low chairs or cushions.
Lake Audubon is looking a little green.
A Reston Now reader asked about the lake condition, so we inquired with Reston Association’s Senior Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources, and Nikki Bellazza, RA’s Watershed Manager.
The green is blue-green algae, says Butler.
“It will disappear once two things happen, which may or may not be simultaneous — when the water temps cool or their nutrient source (recently buffeted by the rain) runs out,” said Butler.
Bellazza said samples have been taken.
Blue-green algae (or cyanobacteria) are single-celled organisms that naturally exist in fresh or salt waters. They use sunlight to make their food. When there are a lot of nutrients available in the water, the bacteria can grow rapidly or “bloom” to form a visible film or scum on the surface of the water, says this information page from the Virginia Department of Health.
The algae can cause illness if ingested.
The issue is not from the summer sewage pipe break, which leaked briefly leaked sewage into Lake Audubon and kept people off the lake, officials said. It is also not the same flotsam that has recently been identified at Lake Newport.
South Lakes High School is among 11 Fairfax County High Schools that made gains in all three SAT areas this year.
FCPS released SAT results for the class of 2015 last week. South Lakes had average scores of 561 (reading), 565 (math) and 543 (writing). That is up from 550, 554 and 530 for the class of 2014.
Herndon High’s averages were 543 (reading), 553 (math) and 532 (writing). Those numbers were down in all three subject areas as the class of 2014 averages were 557 (R), 565 (M), and 542 (W).
Overall, students in the FCPS’ class of 2015 continued to post SAT scores above state and national averages, according to results released by the Virginia Department of Education.
FCPS scores are 41 points above the state’s average in Critical Reading, 58 points above the state’s average in Mathematics, and 47 points above the state’s average in Writing.
SAT results compiled by the College Board show that FCPS students posted average scores of 556 in Critical Reading, 571 in Mathematics, and 542 in Writing. That equals an overall composite score of 1669, up one point from last year’s overall composite score of 1668, FCPS said in a release.
National SAT averages are 492 (R), 503 (M) and 480 (W).
FCPS average scores increased 1 point in Mathematics and remained the same in Critical Reading and Writing when compared to 2014 results. See how the schools compare in this FCPS chart.
Among the other schools showing gains in all three areas: Annandale, Centreville, Chantilly, Edison, Fairfax, McLean, Stuart, West Springfield, and Woodson High Schools and Robinson Secondary School.
Of the 25 high schools in FCPS, 13 saw an increase in their Critical Reading average, 15 saw an increase in their Mathematics average, and 13 saw an increase in their Writing average over last year, FCPS says.
FCPS has broken down results in various categories. See more on the FCPS website.
The SAT test will undergo major changes in 2016, says The College Board. The test wil revert back from a total possible score of 2400 to a total of 1600. The format of some questions will change, and the essay portion, added in 2005, will become optional.
