Fairfax County Police are investigating a robbery that took place on Saturday.

The victim was walking on Colts Neck Road near Hunters Woods Plaza  at about 8:11 p.m., police said. The victim was approached by two Hispanic males who demanded his wallet. The suspects took property and fled. The victim was not physically injured.

It was the second reported robbery this month in the Hunters Woods area.

In other weekend crime news from FCPD’s Reston District Station:

LARCENIES 

10300 block of Brittenford Drive, power tools from residence.

12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, wallet from business.

1800 block of Wiehle Avenue, merchandise from business.

Gary Cohen, founder of Reston-based Health Care Without Harm, is among 24 people named as a 2015 MacArthur Foundation Fellow.

The fellows will receive what is commonly known as a “genius grant” — a $625,000 grant to aid their work.

Cohen, who is lives in Boston but commutes to Reston, is a “social entrepreneur and activist spurring environmental responsibility in health care both in the United States and abroad,” says The MacArthur Foundation.

According to the foundation:

American hospitals have historically been major contributors to environmental pollution, largely ignoring the damage to local communities and environments caused by extensive use of harmful chemicals in medical devices, toxic cleaning agents, reliance on fossil fuels, and disposal of waste via incineration.

Cohen has led a paradigm shift in the perceived responsibility of health care providers, from a narrow, patient-centered duty of service regarding individual health to a broader obligation to also “do no harm” to surrounding communities, their residents, and the global environment.

Cohen founded Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) in 1996 to bring attention to the problem and to propose practical, economically viable solutions.

It was HCWH’s attention on the use of mercury, once used in thermometers and other medical devices, that helped lead to its virtual elimination in the United States. a global treaty says mercury will be phased out everywhere by 2020.

HCWH is also credited with playing a leading role in reducing the number of carcinogenic-emitting waste incinerators in the United States from 5,600 in the late 1990s to fewer than 70 in 2006.

Cohen is also the founder or co-founder of other organizations aimed at similar environmental results, including the Healthy Hospitals Initiative, a data-driven platform that guides hospitals in purchasing safer chemicals and healthy food and implementing energy efficient technologies, and Practice Greenhealth, a U.S.­-based membership organization for hospital systems to share best practices, information, and tools for environmentally responsible patient safety and care.

Cohen received a B.A. (1978) from Clark University and studied at the University of California at Berkeley (1983-1984). He served as executive director of the National Toxics Campaign Fund (1989-1993) and co-founded the Military Toxics Project (1991-1994), before co-founding Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) in 1996.

Cohen is also a member of the International Advisory Board of the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal, India, which provides free medical care to the survivors of the Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal.

He was awarded the Champion for Change for Climate Change and Public Health by the White House in 2013.

Photo: Gary Cohen/Credit: John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Fairfax County Police have made an arrest in a series of destruction cases in which office buildings were damaged by gunfire.

Matthew Charles Malacarne, 29, of Herndon, was charged with one count of felony Destruction of Property and one count of Shooting into an Occupied Dwelling for an incident that occurred Aug. 3, police said.

He was also charged with one count of felony Destruction of Property for an Aug. 4 incident and Destruction of Property from an incident on Sept. 17.

The investigation included detectives from Fairfax County, as well as the Towns of Herndon and Leesburg. The latter have been investigating similar cases in each jurisdiction.

In each of the two Fairfax County incidents, the suspect discharged a gun, striking a building during the overnight hours. In one incident, there were employees inside the business, police said.

Police were led to Malacarne after a shooting earlier this month. On Monday, Sept. 21. An employee of a business located in the 2200 block of Corporate Drive in Herndon reported to police that several pieces of equipment were damaged during the evening hours of Thursday, Sept. 17.

Detectives investigating the report determined the suspect intentionally damaged a security camera, a key lockbox, a satellite dish and shut down the building’s elevators, costing thousands of dollars in damages. Police received additional information that enabled detectives to identify that suspect.

A felony Destruction of Property warrant was obtained for the destruction case on Sept. 17, and detectives took Malacarne into custody on Friday, Sept. 25. A search warrant was also served at his residence that same day.

Evidence obtained during that search warrant led detectives to also charge Malacarne for the two early-August destruction incidents where buildings were shot in Fairfax County.

Detectives in the Town of Herndon have also pursued charges for the incidents in their jurisdiction. Malacarne is currently being held in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.

FCPD said that anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers electronically by visitingwww.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES(274637)** or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477).

**Text STOP to 274637 to cancel. Text HELP to 274637 for help. Msg & data rates may apply. Go to crimesolvers.net for Terms & Conditions.

Photo: Matthew Charles Malacarne/Credit: FCPD

Vocaldente, a German a cappella group, will be performing a free concert Wednesday night at South Lakes High School in Reston.

The concert, presented by the South Lakes High School Parents for Choral Arts, is at 7 p.m. at SLHS’ Little Theatre.

Volcadente will also be conducting workshops with chorus students from Hughes MS, Carson MS and South Lakes HS, as well as IB German students.

Brendan Menuey, principal at Reston’s Lake Anne Elementary for the last three years, is leaving the school to serve as Fairfax County Public Schools’ Executive Principal for School Improvement for Region 2, the school announced.

Lake Anne students sang their goodbyes to Menuey on Friday.

Menuey will supervise and support 44 schools in the Annandale, Falls Church, McLean, Marshall, and Stuart high school pyramids, as well as Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

Prior to leading Lake Anne, he was assistant principal ft the school for three years.

Karen Siple will take over as interim principal at the school.

Siple is a retired FCPS principal. She taught at Herndon’s McNair Elementary and served as principal at Floris Elementary and Coates Elementary, also in Herndon.

Metro has planned more service changes that may affect Silver Line riders beginning tomorrow.

Metro will implement an additional service change — affecting Stadium-Armory Station only — as another step to reduce “stop and go” rush-hour rides and congestion on the Orange, Silver and Blue lines following last week’s transformer fire.

Metro says that during weekday rush hours, Stadium-Armory will be served by Blue Line trains only, while all Orange and Silver line trains will pass through the station without stopping. Customers traveling to or from Stadium-Armory will be able to use Blue Line trains at all times.

Orange and Silver trains will bypass Stadium-Armory weekdays from system opening until 10:00 a.m. and between 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Only Blue Line trains will stop at the station during these times. All trains (Orange, Silver and Blue) will service the station at all other times, including midday hours, evenings and weekends.

The changes come in response to issues last week. On Monday, a transformer fire at a power sub-station near Stadium-Armory disrupted service and caused delays for hours. On Friday, Metro began running Orange and Silver line trains every eight minutes during rush hours, rather than every six minutes, to reduce the number of trains in service at any one time.

Says Metro:

“While the impact of this change is limited to one station, the benefit will be realized by tens of thousands of riders. “

Last week’s fire fire knocked offline a nine-megawatt power substation that converts commercial power to D/C electricity that is used to run trains via the third rail. Metro is currently “feeding” power to the area of Stadium-Armory from smaller substations farther away and that are already at their output capacity. To avoid overloading the system or disrupting service, Metro says it has been forced to reduce train speeds and limit the number of trains passing through the Stadium-Armory area.

Fixes are not going to come quickly though:  Metro’s engineering and power departments are working to demolish and rebuild the damaged substation and replace equipment on an expedited basis — a process that is estimated to take more than six months, says Metro.

To accommodate customers who travel between Stadium-Armory and Orange Line stations east of Stadium-Armory (e.g. Minnesota Avenue- New Carrollton), Metro will offer free shuttle buses between Stadium-Armory and Minnesota Avenue during the hours Stadium-Armory is bypassed.

More than 500 Reston residents and former residents paid their respects to Reston founder Bob Simon at a candlelight vigil at Lake Anne Plaza on Friday night. Simon died last week at age 101.

The Reston Chorale sang, several community members spoke about Simon or reflected on growing up in his “new town, and a guitarist played Amazing Grace as people lined the lake with candles.

The lights stretched from Heron House, where Simon spent his final 23 years, all away around and through the main part of the plaza.

“In my mind I see Bob Simon over 50 years ago, who set out to be different type of civil rights leader, who when it wasn’t yet illegal to practice housing discrimination, stretched out his hands of opportunity, developed a planned community full of rich green trees, that was the first racially integrated community in Virginia, welcoming to all people of color and economic backgrounds,” said former Reston Association board member Amanda Andere.

Simon’s absence was also noted at Saturday’s Reston Multicultural Festival.

“I don’t think I have ever been to an event in Reston and Bob was not here,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va 11th). “We have built a special community here in Reston due to Bob’s prodding.”

Twenty-six  people from 17 countries were sworn in at a naturalization ceremony on the plaza, which was followed by an afternoon of storytelling, music, dance and other cultural performances (and food and crafts) from around the world.

Saturday also was the official unveiling of We Make Reston, a photo exhibition that is part of the international Inside Out Project. Out of 300 entries, 169 portraits — including one of Simon — were selected for the exhibition.

The photos will be on display for the next four weeks at the Lake Anne Sea Wall,
Jo Ann Rose Gallery at RCC Lake Anne (Indoor exhibit, on display through October 2),  Reston Station and South Lakes High School.

For additional pictures, visit Modern Reston.

There are dozens of homes to check out in Reston this weekend. Here are a few. For more open houses and complete real estate information, visit Reston Now’s Real Estate section.

1327 Wedgewood Manor Way
3 BR, 3.5 BA TH
$562,500
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

1962 Villaridge Drive
2 BR, 1 BA Condo
$265,000
Open Sunday noon to 3 p.m.

11547 Pine Cone Court
3 BR, 2 FB, 2 HB TH
$463,500
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

2216 Lofty Heights Place
2 BR, 2 BA TH
$315,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

1449 Greenmont Court
3 BR, 2.5 BA TH
$450,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

1278 Lamplighter Way
3 BR, 2.5 BA SFH
$719,900
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

1520 Northgate Square
2 BR, 1 BA Condo
$219,900
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

1245 Wild Hawthorn Way
4 BR, 2 FB, 2 HB TH
$529,900
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

One of the major gifts President Obama presented to Pope Francis during his visit to Washington this week was a stainless steel sculpture of a dove that incorporated an iron bar from the Statue of Liberty’s original structure.

The sculpture was created by Zachary Oxman, a Reston native who also created the “Bronze Bob” statue at Lake Anne Plaza.

Oxman, 47, told The Washington Post he received a call from the State Department’s office of protocol in August asking if he would be interested in creating a gift for the Pope when he made his first visit to the United States.

The State Department had the idea of using a three-foot long iron bar that was removed from the Statue of Liberty during its centennial restoration, Oxman told the Post. The bar was originally part of the statue’s supporting structure, which was designed by Gustav Eiffel, he of Parisian tower fame.

“It’s just the thought of the hands that created this bar,” Oxman told the Post. “Frédéric Auguste] Bartholdi did the Statue of Liberty and Gustav Eiffel [designed the armature]. They were involved with it personally. And here is a sculptor given the opportunity to, not change it or melt it down, but to add to it, to give it this other life.”

Oxman said he did not cut the bar or rework it in any way. He also said he did not want to change the patina the bar has acquired over 130 years.

He positioned the bar vertically, which reminded Oxman of the path a bird might take when taking flight. He told the Post he adorned the bar with a stylized dove, a motif that has figured in some of his works and represents peace.

This is not the first time Oxman, a graduate of South Lakes High School and Carnegie Mellon University, has called upon by Washington officials. In 2013, he created Sabbath wine goblets that Obama presented to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Before that, Oxman, who is Jewish, created menorahs that President Bill Clinton and his family gave as gifts.

He has also created sculptures given by the White House and State Department to leaders of Mexico, China, India and Germany.

Oxman’s mother, Laney, was also an accomplished artist who taught lessons in her home studio near Lake Anne for years. Zachary Oxman lives and works in Bethesda, Md., now. He is nationally recognized for his large-scale works, which have been been commissioned by synagogues and museums nationwide.

Bronze Bob, meanwhile, is the life-sized model of Reston’s founder, who died this week at age 101. A gift from the Reston Historic Trust, it was installed on 2004 to mark Simon’s 90th birthday.

Read more about Zachary Oxman on his website.

Photo of Zachary Oxman courtesy of Oxman Studios

A transformer fire earlier this week near the Stadium-Armory Metro Station will temporarily affect service on the Silver, Orange and Blue lines, Metro announced Friday.

Metro said this in a statement:

Metro today announced a temporary service change to help ease delays and “stop and go” train rides for Orange, Blue and Silver line customers whose trips have been impacted by operating restrictions following Monday’s transformer fire outside Stadium-Armory Station.

During rush hours, Orange and Silver line trains will run every 8 minutes, rather than every 6 minutes, to reduce the number of trains in service at any one time. The move is intended to create more time and distance between trains and prevent them from bunching up in the area of Stadium-Armory, where operating restrictions are in place due to lower electrical capacity.

The fire knocked offline a 9-megawatt power substation that converts commercial power to 750 volts of D/C electricity that is used to run trains via the third rail.

Metro is currently “feeding” power to the area of Stadium-Armory from smaller substations farther away and that are already at their output capacity. To avoid overloading the system, Metro must reduce train speeds and limit the number of trains passing through the Stadium-Armory area to one train at a time on each track. This, in turn, has caused stop-and-go travel conditions for many riders, especially during rush hours this week.

Metro plans to increase the number of 8-car trains on the Orange and Silver lines during this time by using cars made available by the reduced number of trains in service.

Metro’s power and engineering departments are working to rebuild the damaged power substation and replace equipment on an expedited basis – a process that will take months. Metro will provide updates on the repair process as additional information is known.

Photo: Metro file photo

A little more than a year ago, Tim Cohn was an athlete who had completed 40 marathons.

Cohn, a scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey, was training for the Boston Marathon when he found himself “feeling terrible” at about mile 19 on a 25-mile run.

“That was sort of a surprise,’ he said. “My doctor laughed about it. Nineteen miles? What are you complaining about?’ ” he said.

But the fatigue was not normal. Neither was Cohn’s bloodwork, which eventually showed Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL), a rare blood cancer.

Knowing he would be fighting a big fight, Cohn resigned from his spot on the Reston Association Board, where he was one year into a three-year term representing North Point. During his tenure, Cohn served on the CEO Selection Committee and as board liaison to the Pedestrian & Bicycling, Transportation and Tennis advisory committees.

After the diagnosis in June 2014, Cohn had six rounds of chemotherapy. He says he is feeling pretty good now. He still takes oral medication daily, but says he has almost no side effects.

After losing large amounts of weight and strength, he is also returning to athletic form. He will participate in Sunday’s Lymphoma Research Ride, a cycling event in Montgomery County, Md., that will raise funds for lymphoma research.

“Biking’s not really my thing,” said Cohn. “But the ride is organized by my oncologist, Bruce Cheson, at Georgetown. I actually rode 25 miles in it last year too.”

Cohn says he was unable to do much exercise all through the summer and fall of 2014, but started training again by early 2015. He’s up to completing about a half-marathon distance again. He says that speed-wise, he is way off of peak form — but that it also doesn’t matter as much to him anymore.

“I’ve slowed down and enjoyed my runs more,” he said.

He says that starting out in good shape has helped him with the physical and mental effects of lymphoma.

“I think it has allowed doctors to give me whatever will work medically,” he said.

It was not running — which he did almost daily on Reston’s paths — that was a hard part of treatment, he added.

“I have been running all my life,” said Cohn. “Not running was a shock, and that really made me feel sort of unhealthy.”

Cohn says he is glad to be moving again since he is getting ready for another tough battle. The only full cure for MCL is a stem cell transplant, and Cohn plans to have one later this fall.

Specialists at Memorial Sloan Kettering, a top cancer center in New York City, have identified two people who are matches for Cohn. He will be in New York for weeks, where doctors will essentially kill his immune system. But if all goes well, in six months to a year the process — and the illness — will be over for good.

Cohn says friends from Reston Runners, particularly fellow RA Board member Donna Rostant, have been extremely helpful and supportive. Friends have delivered food, accompanied him to doctor’s appointments and chemo and done other things to make his road easier.

“One thing about having cancer is lots of people I did not know who survived [cancer] have come forward and offered to do any number of things,” he said. “Having someone with me at doctor’s appointments has been good.”

Photo: Tim Cohn/Courtesy Reston Association

Fairfax County Police report two break-ins in the Reston District in the last week.

The first, being classified as an unlawful entry, was in the 13100 block of Park Crescent Circle, on Saturday. A resident reported an unknown person entered the residence through an unsecured door.

The second was a burglary in the 11500 block of Southington Lane in unincorporated Herndon on Wednesday. A resident told police an unknown person entered the residence about 2 p.m. and took property.

In other crime news:

STOLEN VEHICLES

10500 block of Leesburg Pike, 2005 Nissan Altima.

11900 block of Freedom Drive, 2012 BMW 528i.

LARCENIES

12900 block of Centre Park Circle, property from residence

11600 block of Stoneview Square, phone from business.

• 1800 block of Stratford, wallet from vehicle.
• 11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, property from vehicle.
• 2100 block of Colts Neck Court, property from residence
• 11400 block of Fairway Drive, property from vehicle
• 2400 block of Centreville Road, purse from vehicle
• 11900 block of Escalante Court, property from vehicle
• 2300 block of Woodland Crossing Drive, property from residence
• 2400 block of Centreville Road, property from business

Shutdown Looming? — Fairfax County leaders talk about what a government shutdown may mean for Fairfax County. [Washington Business Journal]

Football Friday — South Lakes (2-1)is home against McLean. Herndon (2-1) hosts Chantilly. Games begin at 7 p.m.

Artificial Turf Getting A Second Look, But Not In Fairfax — Crumb rubber turf fields are getting some backlash for potential cancer connection, but Fairfax officials say fields will stay as is until more research is done. [Washington Post]

Get On The Bus — To celebrate its 30th birthday, Fairfax Connector is offering free bus rides on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Connector officials say they want to encourage more residents to take the bus instead of driving. [Fairfax County]

Photo: Morning sky in Reston/Credit: Ken Plum