Fairfax County Police have released a description of the suspect in a Monday afternoon bank robbery at the PNC Bank inside the Giant at North Point Village Center.
Police said the suspect is black, around 5 feet 11 inches tall, 170 pounds and unshaven. He wore a red Nike hoodie and the hood was on his head during the crime.
That is very similar to the suspect in a Dec. 15 robbery at the Sun Trust branch inside the Safeway at Hunters Woods Village Center.
In that incident, the suspect was described as a black man, in his mid-20s, wearing a red jacket with black stripes.
Both robberies occurred at 5 p.m. on a weekday at crowded Reston supermarkets. In both incidents, the suspect told the teller he had a weapon and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The PNC robbery was the fourth bank robbery in Reston in the last several weeks.
In addition to the grocery store branches, robberies took place Dec. 10 at the Wells Fargo Branch at Reston Town Center and Nov. 26 at the Presidential Bank at 1675 Reston Parkway.
Detectives and agents are investigating whether or not any of these bank robberies, including last night’s in Reston, are linked.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail atwww.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call police at 703-691-2131.
Monday’s robbery was the seventh bank robbery in Fairfax County in December 2014; and the 19th so far in all of 2014. There were a total of 19 in 2013, 8 in 2012, 27 in 2011 and 20 in 2010, police said.
Photo: Security camera picture from Dec. 15 robbery in Reston/Courtesy of FCPD
Restonians said goodbye to a number of retail businesses in 2014. Some of them, like Lake Anne’s Lakeside Pharmacy, had been around for more than 40 years. The latest closing was Chili’s, which left its Sunrise Valley location after last call on Sunday night.
Here is who closed the doors here in 2014.
For the second time in two weeks, a supermarket bank in Reston was robbed in the late afternoon.
Fairfax County Police said the PNC Bank inside the Giant at North Point Village Center was robbed about 5 p.m. Monday.
The suspect told a teller he had a weapon and then got away with an undisclosed amount of money, police spokesman Lucy Caldwell said. Police did not yet have a description of the suspect Monday evening.
This is the fourth bank robbery in Reston in the last several weeks.
On Dec. 15, the Sun Trust inside the Safeway at Hunters Woods Village Center was robbed.
On Dec. 10, there was a robbery at the Wells Fargo Branch at Reston Town Center.
On Nov. 26, the Presidential Bank at 1675 Reston Parkway was robbed.
Police are working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to see whether the incidents are related, Caldwell said.
The FBI said recently that December is the busiest month for bank robberies.
Driver Charged In Crash That Shut Down Beltway — A Centreville man was killed and a driver charged in a crash at I-495 near I-66 Monday. The accident shut down the Beltway for more than an hour beginning at 10 a.m. [Washington Post]
Lottery Sellout — The Virginia Lottery says all the tickets for the Millionaire Raffle are sold. The winners will be announced on Jan. 1. [WTOP]
Flu On The Rise — The Centers for Disease Control says flu cases are on the rise on our area. [WTOP]
New Electronics? Here’s How To E-Cycle The Old — Did you get some cool new gadgets as gifts? Here is how to e-cycle the old ones and keep them out of landfills. [Fairfax County]
Reston Association and the Reston Community Center are organizing a Day of Service for Jan. 17, where members can honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by giving back to others right here in Reston.
Here is what you need to know.
There will be two sessions: 9 a.m.-noon at Southgate Community Center and 1-3 p.m. at the Closet in Herndon. Breakfast and coffee will be available, and there will be a pizza lunch from noon-1 p.m. for volunteers.
SESSION I
Southgate Community Center, 12125 Pinecrest Road, Reston. All ages welcome for Session I, 9 a.m. to non.
Cornerstones Bagged Lunches:
Volunteers will help prepare bag lunches for the Embry Rucker Community Shelter or families participating in their Supportive Housing program.
Sorting Donated Toys & Clothes:
During this project volunteers will be sorting donated clothes and toy items from the Closet. Loading sorted items onto a truck to go back to the Closet.
Universal Expectations Canvas Paintings:
Volunteers will have the opportunity to paint Universal Expectations quotes on canvases — Be Ready, Be Responsible, Be Respectful and Be Safe will be painted on canvases.
Cleanup surrounding Southgate Community Center (weather permitting):
Pruning, picking up litter and clearing debris in the natural areas, basketball court, pathways around Southgate Community Center. Gloves, grabbers and trash bags will be provided.
SESSION II
The Closet, 845 Station Street, Herndon, Va. (downtown Herndon). Must be 14 or older to volunteer. 1 to 3 p.m.
The Closet is a nonprofit thrift shop in the heart of historic downtown Herndon. The Closet donates clothing without charge to needy persons, after referral by an authorized social service agency, the homeless shelter, or by a sponsoring congregation. Most important to their mission is utilization of their profits for projects that will directly or indirectly benefit low income families.
Volunteers will help unload sorted donated toys and clothes bins.Replace plastic hangers with velvet hangers throughout the thrift store. Changing them out will take at least an hour. Organize donated picture frames & paintings and hanging them and putting them out in the thrift store.
To volunteer go to this SignUp Genius or contact Ha Brock, Reston Association volunteer and community outreach coordinator, at 703-435-7986 or[email protected].
Photo: Volunteers at MLK Day of Service 2014/Courtesy of Reston Association
All week long, Reston Now will take a look at some of the top stories of 2014.
A good number of retail operations set up shop in Reston in 2014, including three new gyms, a veterinarian office serving only our feline friends, a swim school for just kids and, of course, more frozen yogurt.
New in 2014:
Look for new places in Reston in early 2015. Among them: Glory Days North Point, Hand and Stone Massage, Red’s Table restaurant, Barcelona Wine Bar and Bartaco.
Sen. Janet Howell (D-Reston) and Del. Ken Plum (D-Reston) will hold their annual pre-session Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods.
This is a chance for Restonians to tell their state representatives what issues matter to them prior to the 2015 Virginia General Assembly session. The 45-day session begins Jan. 14 in Richmond.
Plum is a co-sponsor on several bills this session. Among them:
HB 1288 and 1289 Same-sex marriages; civil unions. Repeals the statutory prohibitions on same-sex marriages and civil unions or other arrangements between persons of the same sex purporting to bestow the privileges and obligations of marriage. The bill does not affect the prohibition on these relationships contained in Article I, Section 15-A of the Constitution of Virginia.
HB 1343 Campus police departments; sexual assault reporting. Requires that mutual aid agreements between campus police force and law-enforcement agencies contain provisions requiring either the campus police force or an agency with which it has established a mutual aid agreement to notify the local attorney for the Commonwealth of any investigation involving felony criminal sexual assault occurring on property owned or controlled by the institution of higher education within 48 hours of beginning such investigation.
HJ 493, SJ 214 Constitutional amendment (first resolution); marriage. Proposes the repeal of the constitutional amendment dealing with marriage that was approved by referendum at the November 2006 election.
Howell is the chief patron on several bills. Among them:
SB 677 Elections; absentee voting; no-excuse, in-person. Allows qualified voters to vote absentee in person without providing an excuse for not being able to vote in person on election day. The bill retains the statutory list of specific reasons allowing a voter to cast an absentee ballot by mail.
SB 679 Adoption; person other than spouse of birth or adoptive parent may adopt child. Provides that a person other than the spouse of a parent may adopt a child if the child has only one parent, the adoption would not terminate the parental rights of the parent, and the parent joins in the petition for the purpose of indicating his consent.
SB 734 Higher education; reporting of sexual assault; penalty. Requires any administrator or professor employed by a public institution of higher education who through the course of his employment obtains information alleging that a criminal sexual assault has occurred to report within 24 hours such information to law enforcement. The bill provides that a person in violation of the reporting requirement is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
SJ 213 Constitutional amendment (first resolution); marriage. Proposes the repeal of the constitutional amendment dealing with marriage that was approved by referendum at the November 2006 election.
The recent closure of Romano’s Macaroni Grill at Reston’s Spectrum Center took many residents by surprise
While the shutdown was sudden — the employees have said they received no notice — the plans for the future of the area stretching from the Macaroni Grill to Harris Teeter have been in the works for more than a decade.
When Reston Town Center was planned in the late 1980s, the plan was for a town center-like area to expand all the way down Reston Parkway to Baron Cameron Avenue. However, the development climate was not ripe for such a project in the early 1990s, so The Spectrum was developed in a strip-mall fashion and leased to big box stores such as Barnes & Noble and Best Buy.
“It was underdevelopment in respect to the property zoning,” Mark Looney, the land use lawyer representing Lerner, said at a public hearing on the project in 2013. “Reston Town Center was intended to be a grand downtown. This was developed in transition [due to the economy of the early 1990s]. In the interim, it became a big box-development.”
By 2008 — with the Metro’s Silver Line looking like a reality for Reston Parkway — Lerner Enterprises was focusing on securing a higher density future for the 24-acre site. In May of that year, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a plan for nearly 800,000 square feet of non residential (retail, hotel and office) space and a maximum of 1,442 residential units.
The plan sought to connect The Spectrum to the Reston Town Center in a walkable urban core.
In 2010, Lerner sued the county to obtain additional density for the project.
In early 2013, the Board of Supervisors approved changes to the plans for the Spectrum. Some of the details:
- 774,879 square feet of non-residential use; 1,422 multifamily residential units (with 12 percent set aside for affordable housing) in seven new residential buildings
- 38 percent open space. At least 12 percent set aside for affordable and workforce housing.
- Underground and structure parking; LEED certifications
- Two new east-west streets and expanded bike trails and pedestrian access.
The development will be divided this way:
Land Bay A (where Best Buy and Barnes & Noble are located) is planned for 546 dwelling units, 255 hotel rooms, 172,000 square feet of office, and 62,500 square feet of retail uses.
Land Bay B (where PetSmart and On the Border are located) is planned for 643 dwelling units, 270 hotel rooms, and 48,650 square feet of retail uses. Read More
New Rules For Senior Drivers — Anew Virginia law goes into effect Jan. 1 that requires drivers to renew their license in person starting at age 75 instead of 80. Drivers 75 and older will also not be able to renew electronically or by mail. [NBC29.com]
Christmas Tree Recycling — If you have Fairfax County trash collection, you can recycle your live Christmas tree (less than 8 feet) on your normal collection date. The cost is included as part of your regular, paid collection service. For larger trees, contact your collector for recycling instructions. Christmas trees may also be recycled during the first two weeks in January at either the I-66 Transfer Station or the I-95 Landfill Complex. There is a small processing fee of $1 per tree. If you have private trash service, check with your trash company.
Reston Association Pool Earns Kudos — The Virginia Recreation and Parks Society recently named Reston Association the winner in the Best New Renovation/Addition — Bricks and Mortar category for its renovation of Dogwood Pool. [Reston Association]
Who is ready to run?
Get 2015 off to a healthy start with the New Year’s Day 5k at Reston Town Center.
Online registration for the 10 a.m. race is still open. Entry fee is $35 through Dec. 30. All ages are welcome.
The flat course starts and finishes at the Reston Town Center. The race goes through several streets of RTC as well as the W & OD Trail.
See a course map on PR Racing’s website.
Christmas may be over, but we are still giving gifts away at Reston Now.
Today is the last day of our Gift Local sweepstakes.
To enter the contest, free of charge, all you need to do is sign up for our daily email newsletter. The newsletter delivers Reston Now headlines to your inbox on weekday (and some weekend) afternoons. No spam, we promise.
If you’re one of our more than 1,000 existing newsletter subscribers, you’re automatically eligible to win. See our official contest rules for an alternate means of entry and other sweepstakes details.
We’ve drawn winners each Friday through December. Winners of our prizes, including an Apple iPad Air 16GB from RestonNow.com, one month of free swim lessons from Goldfish Swim School, a gift card for artisan flower arrangements from Bloompop and two seats on a public winery tour from Reston Limousine, have been notified via email.
Earlier in the month, we gave away a $50 gift certificate to Kalypso’s Sports Tavern, a $50 gift card to Michael’s from Cindy Beyer Design, an Adult Sonicare toothbrush from Reston Serenity Smiles and a personal training session from Storm Fitness.
This Friday we are giving away:
- Exercise class from The Harrison Apartments
- $150 donation to Cornerstones on your behalf from Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate
Thanks to all our advertisers and sponsors for such great gifts. Please join us in supporting them all year round.
It Takes a Village — Modern Reston takes us behind the scenes of the Gingerbread Village at the Hyatt Regency Reston, which this year took on a Frozen theme. [Modern Reston]
Reston Chorale Auditions — The esteemed musical group is holding auditions by appointment at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods. Join the Chorale in singing music of French composers Duruflé, Faure, Franck, Vierne and Widor (March 22), as well as the annual Pops Concert (May 9) featuring songs that celebrate America and honor those that keep it free. [Reston Chorale]
Change to Virginia’s Redistricting? — The government integrity panel created by Gov. Terry McAuliffe has adopted recommendations for an overhaul of Virginia’s redistricting process. The panel wants to amend the Virginia Constitution to create an independent commission to redraw lawmakers’ districts, and pass a law prohibiting that commission from considering election results when setting district boundaries. [Washington Post]
Feel like going out for a little Christmas Day cheer? A selection of Reston-area restaurants will be open Thursday, Dec. 25.
Among them:
Amphora Restaurant (Herndon and Vienna)
Generally, many Asian and Indian restaurants are open Christmas, so check with your favorites or try:
Mama Wok at Tall Oaks
Lakeside Asia at South Lakes
Great China at North Point
Mayuri at Hunters Woods
Know of any others? Add them in the comments.
Virtually all facets of Fairfax County and federal government are closed on Thursday, which is Christmas Day. Friday has been declared a day off for federal workers, and many Fairfax County agencies have followed suit.
A quick review of the holiday schedules:
County Government
- Dec. 24 – Closed at noon.
- Dec. 25 – Closed.
- Dec. 26 – Closed.
- Jan. 1 – Closed.
- Jan. 2 – Closed.
Courts
- Dec. 24-26 – Closed.
- Dec. 31 – Closed at noon.
- Jan. 1 – Closed.
- Jan. 2 – Closed.
Fairfax County Public Libraries
- Dec. 24 – Closed at 1 p.m.
- Dec. 25-26 – Closed.
- Dec. 31 – Closed at 5 p.m.
- Jan. 1-2 – Closed.
Reston Community Center Hunters Woods
- Dec. 24 – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Dec. 25 – Closed.
- Dec. 31 – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Jan. 1 – Noon to 5 p.m.
Reston Community Center Lake Anne
- Dec. 24-25 – Closed.
- Dec. 31-Jan. 1 – Closed.
For a complete list of Fairfax County resources and their holiday schedules, visit the Fairfax County website.
Reston Association
- Dec. 24 – RA offices, Nature House closed at noon.
- Dec. 25 – Closed.
- Dec. 26 – Closed.
Reston resident Glenn Gore has recreated Lake Anne Plaza — in gingerbread, lollipops and gumdrops.
Gore, a business consultant by day, says he is carrying on a tradition of elaborate gingerbread construction begun by his mother, Elizabeth Gore, in the 1970s. Elizabeth Gore announced two years ago she was ended the tradition. That’s when Glenn took over.
Said Glenn Gore:
“Last year, I picked up the tradition and built the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. I used techniques I learned over the years and a few techniques I learned along the way.”
I make the gingerbread using a family recipe, and royal icing holds everything together. Last year’s, as well as this year’s, houses are made of entirely edible ingredients and candy.
This year’s Lake Anne Village Center was constructed using 17 batches of dough (one batch will cover a typical cookie sheet). I build the gingerbread structure; my wife does the decorating.”
Gore even added a touch to show this is Lake Anne in 2014 — a gingerbread Santa paddleboarder.
Gore and his wife have worked with the Lake Anne Merchant’s Association, which is letting them display the project in the old Lakeside Pharmacy space through the holidays.
Photo courtesy of Glenn Gore
