Cornerstones Home Wins New Roof — DryHome Roofing and Siding, a Sterling-based roofing company, has selected Cornerstones (formerly Reston Interfaith) as the recipient of a new roof through its annual Free Roof for the Holidays program. The new roof will replace one on a Cornerstones’ property in Herndon, ensuring the house is ready to become a home for a single mother and her 8 year old child.

Potterville or Reston? — Rescue Reston is trying to gather opposition to the Reston National Golf Course’s rezoning application by comparing the situation to It’s a Wonderful Life. [Restonian]

Herndon Town Council’s Wolf Appointed to Park Authority — Dranesville Supervisor John Foust has appointed a replacement for Park Authority Board Member Richard “Rip” Sullivan, who resigned last week. The new board member is Grace Han Wolf, who assumed the post as of Dec. 12. Sullivan resigned because he was elected to the Virginia General Assembly (48th District). Wolf is in her third term on the council and is active in other Fairfax County civic groups. [Fairfax County]

A Herndon man was arrested by Fairfax County Police Sunday afternoon when he tried to steal prescription medications from the Walgreens Pharmacy located in an office building in the 1800 block of Town Center Drive in Reston.

An employee of the store told police the man entered the business about 1 p.m. and took property.

Police charged Eric R. Basham, 25, with Burglary, Grand Larceny and Destruction of Property.

In other crime news reported this week by the Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station:

LARCENIES

• 2400 block of Colts Neck Road, cash from residence.
• 1800 block of Fountain Drive, wallet from business.
• 2500 block of John Milton Drive, beverage from business.
• 11100 block of South Lakes Drive, beverage from business.
• 11400 block of Washington Plaza, phone from business.
• 12000 block of Bowman Towne Drive, merchandise from business.
• 12500 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, equipment from vehicle.
• 1800 block of Wainwright Drive, equipment from vehicle.
• 1700 block of Wainwright Drive, equipment from vehicle.
• 11700 block of North Shore Drive, equipment from vehicle.
• 1500 block of Farsta Court, equipment from vehicle.
• 2400 block of Centreville Road, property from business.
• 1500 block of Cameron Crescent Drive, property and cash from residence.

STOLEN VEHICLES:

11700 block of Decade Court, 2007 Mazda 6.

12000 block of Waterside View Drive, 2013 Nissan Altima.

As the 114th Congress draws to a close, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va 11th) will hold his 22nd Telephone Town Hall Meeting for constituents Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m.

Thousands of residents of Reston, parts of Fairfax County, Prince William County and Fairfax City will automatically receive calls inviting them to stay on the line as the one-hour meeting is about to begin.

If you want to guarantee you are called, you can let the Congressman’s office know by 2 p.m. Monday on his website.

Connolly will open the session with a short report on the recent actions in Congress, his legislative activities in the House, and other matters affecting Northern Virginia and the nation. The remainder of the hour-long session is dedicated to Connolly responding to questions asked by residents on the call. Constituents can also ask questions via Twitter to @GerryConnolly.

Connolly’s 21 previous tele-town hall meetings have been very popular with constituents, who note that they don’t have to drive to the event, they can participate from the comfort of their homes, and they can bow out quietly when they are ready to leave the discussion. Generally, telephone town halls draw a much higher rate of participation than the turnout at physical town halls and other constituent meetings, Connolly’s office said.

Photo: Gerry Connolly/Reston Now file photo

The bright-yellow aluminum curves have been in place in front of the Hyatt Regency Reston for about six months, however on Monday Reston Rondo was formally dedicated as a part of Reston.

Reston Rondo is the public art work by Baltimore sculptor Mary Ann Mears. Mears was chosen by the Initiative for Public Art Reston to create a sculpture that would, among other things, enhance the visibility of the park, create a sense of whimsey and surprise, and ease the transition from busy Reston Parkway to the serenity of the green space at Hyatt Park and ultimately into the Reston Town Center.

“Successful public art is the convergence of the artist, who has the ideas and a thoughtful and committed client,” Mears said at the dedication. “You also need talented and dedicated craftsman to help realize the vision, as well as public leadership.”

Mears designed the project but some of the metalwork came from Kelco Industrial Contractors of Baltimore.

“What I wanted to do was make Reston Rondo a very welcoming piece,” said Mears. “I love the way it looks in daylight and also at night. I hope it works as a welcome to Reston. … In designing the piece, I was thinking about the scale and modernity of architecture in Reston, but also the respect and love of nature.”

Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins — who joined Del. Ken Plum and Virginia Sen. Janet Howell, as well as other local dignitaries at the dedication — said public art has always been a part of Reston and will continue to be.

“I am delighted that IPAR has been an example for the rest of the community,” said Hudgins. “I look forward to enjoying [the sculpture] as I sit at that traffic light [on Reston Parkway].”

Added Howell: “This is a happy day for Reston. It is a happy sculpture in a happy color. I am going to bring my grandkids here. I think kids are going to want to move in this space.”

Fairfax County Police are searching for a suspect who robbed the Sun Trust Branch inside a crowded Safeway store on Monday afternoon.

The man got away from Safeway at Hunters Woods Village Center with an undisclosed amount of money just after 5 p.m. — during the busy late afternoon shopping time, said FCPD public information officer Don Gotthardt.

Police cars descended on the shopping center, as did the FCPD helicopter as it searched for the suspect by air.

The suspect was described as a black man, in his mid-20s, wearing a red jacket with black stripes.

This is the third Reston bank robbery in the last month.

Last week, the Wells Fargo branch at Reston Town Center was robbed. The suspect told the teller he has a weapon and demanded money. In late November, the Presidential Bank at Reston Parkway and Baron Cameron was robbed.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says bank robberies rise in December. The FBI says 17 bank robberies occurred in Northern Virginia in December 2013. Thirteen of suspects in the incidents were apprehended.

Police are investigating to see whether the Hunters Woods robbery is related to the other Reston robberies.

Photo by Tim Boone

Updated, 10:40 a.m. — Metro says Silver, Blue and Orange line service between L’Enfant Plaza and Farragut West has been restored, but expect residual delays in both directions.

A water main break in downtown D.C. halted Metro service on the Silver, Blue  and Orange lines and snarled the commute for countless Washington-area residents Tuesday morning.

Thousands of Metro riders will experience major delays Tuesday morning after a water main break stopped service on three of the agency’s six lines.

Service is suspended on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines between Farragut West and L’Enfant Plaza due to water main break at Metro Center.

Water from the break on 12 and F streets entered the Metro Center station and flooded the lower level tracks, said Metro spokesman Dan Stessel.

The Metro Center flooding could take 12 hours to fix, officials said.

DC Water said at 6:45 a.m. that the source of the water has been turned off. Metro is currently working to pump out the water off of the tracks.

Limited shuttle bus service will operate between Farragut West and L’Enfant Plaza. However, bus service will not be able to replicate the capacity of the rail system. Riders should consider alternate travel options (e.g. Red, Yellow or Green lines) and expect significant delays on the Silver, Orange and Blue lines.

Red, Yellow and Green line service is operating normally.

Virginia To Get New Voting Machines — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Monday that he is including $28 million in his budget to provide new voting machines to precincts across Virginia so all polling places will have uniform, state-of-the-art equipment for the 2015 November elections. McAuliffe will also include in his budget $30,000 per fiscal year to update the Department of Elections’ website to ensure reliable reporting for future elections.

Help Children This Christmas — Fairfax County Public Schools say nearly 1,500 children who are homeless are enrolled in FCPS. The Homeless Liaison Office will create gift bags for the students using the assortment of gift cards provided by donors. Purchase as many gift cards as you like, in any amount. (Be sure to mark the value on the back of the card.) All cards should be sent to Homeless Liaison Office, Gatehouse Administration Center, Room 4738, 8115 Gatehouse Road, Falls Church, VA 22042. Gift cards from grocery stores, Target, Walmart and Kmart, or other large department stores are suggested.

Doing the Chicken (Wings) Dance — Jimmy Cirrito, owner of Herndon’s Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern, said he would do a public chicken dance if readers of Northern Virginia Magazine named his wings the best again this year. He was at it Saturday at Reston Town Center. [YouTube]

Bar Crawling With Santa — The 11th annual Santa Claus Bar Crawl at Reston Town Center was Saturday. Did you take part? Find the photo album here. [Shutterfly]

The Herndon outpost of Milwaukee Frozen Custard has closed its doors.

The shop at 300 Elden Street vacated at the end of November — taking its custom flavors and in-store toy train with it. Fans of the frozen treats will be pleased to know the original location, at 13934 Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy. in Chantilly, remains open.

Also, fans of the Outer Banks’ Duck Donuts will also be pleased to know that Duck Donuts will open in the Herndon space in the next few months, as Reston Now reported last week.

Last week’s bank robbery at Reston Town Center was part of a December crime trend, says the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Bank robberies in the area rise sharply in December, but there is no one reason why, the FBI said.

Last December, there were 17 bank robberies in Northern Virginia, the FBI said. The FBI said 13 of those robberies have been solved.

The FBI said last month it  “is proactively working to counteract bank robberies this holiday season.”

From the FBI:

For the past two years, a quarter of all bank robberies in Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia have taken place in the month of December. Additional analysis shows that the number of bank robberies committed in Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia tripled during this one month of the holiday season.

Law enforcement is actively sharing information with banks and the public to create heightened awareness of this issue and warn individuals who may be inclined to rob or attempt to rob banks of law enforcement’s increased focus.

Still, there have been four bank robberies in Northern Virginia this month, including Wednesday’s at the Wells Fargo Branch on Freedom Drive. There also was a Nov. 26 robbery at the Presidential Bank on Reston Parkway at Baron Cameron.

In the Wells Fargo incident, police said a man entered the bank at 1:52 p.m. and told a teller he had a weapon. He took cash and fled.

Witnesses told police the suspect was a black man, about 6-foot-1 and in his late 20s or early 30s.

Fairfax County Police said they were trying to determine whether the most recent Reston robbery was related to two incidents in the McLean District earlier in December. In a Dec. 5 robbery of a Wells Fargo Branch in the 1100 block of Chain Bridge Road, the suspect wore a rubber Halloween mask, police do not have good description.

Photo: Security camera photo of suspect in Dec. 10 robbery of Wells Fargo Bank on Freedom Drive in Reston/Courtesy of FBI.

 This is a sponsored post by Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate.

Just 10 properties went from PENDING to SOLD this past week in Reston. Not a surprise as we roll into the height of the holiday season.

The average days on market for this group was a whopping 85! The home on the market for the longest period was on for 186 days before securing a contract, while the house on the market for the least amount of time was under contract in just seven days.

It is important to note that the house with 186 days on the market also only sold for 88 percent of its original list price. Listing your home high because “you’re not in a hurry” rarely results in the payoff the seller plans. In general, the longer your home is on the market the greater drop in price it will take to get it sold.

Here are the houses that sold this past week.

1715 BLUE FLINT COURT. 3BR, 3.5 BA. List Price: $549,999. Sold Price: $540,000. Seller Subsidy: $5,000.

11651 STONEVIEW SQ #2-B. 2BR, 2BA. List Price: $179,900. Sold Price: $178,500. Seller Subsidy: $3,570.

1401 GREENMONT CT. 3BR, 2.5BA. List Price: $419,000. Sold Price: $418,000. Seller Subsidy: $9,850.

1536 NORTHGATE SQ #32A. 1BR, 1BA. List Price: $210,000. Sold Price: $210,000. Seller Subsidy: $5,500.

11032 THRUSH RIDGE RD. 4BR, 3.5 BA. List Price: $684,900. Sold Price: $670,000 Seller Subsidy: $0.

1654 BARNSTEAD DR. 3BR, 1FB, 2 HB. List Price: $347,900. Sold Price: $349,000. Seller Subsidy: $9,000.

1162 MEADOWLOOK CT. 5BR 4.5BA. List Price: $1,067,000. Sold Price: $1,032,000. Seller Subsidy: $0.

11632 DEER FOREST RD. 4BR, 3.5 BA. List Price: $699,900. Sold Price: $689,500. Seller Subsidy: $0.

11739D SUMMERCHASE CIR #1739-D. 1BR, 1BA. List Price: $189,900. Sold Price: $189,000. Seller Subsidy: $5,000.

1447 WATERFRONT RD. 5BR, 4BR. List Price: $975,500. Sold Price: $965,000. Seller Subsidy: $0.

The Reston Association Board will discuss at a special Tuesday work session whether to establish an Ethics Advisory Committee or whether oversight of board ethics can be handled with a Governance Committee. The board will also discuss the process of identifying the standards that should be included in a Board Code of Conduct.

No one conflict or situation has led to the discussions, said RA Board President Ken Knueven. He says oversight would add transparency and a review process to the organization in order to avoid conflicts.

“Promoting an ethical culture is a key leadership responsibility in any organization,” said Knueven. “Transparency, commitment, integrity, equity, honor and stewardship, are governance standards for excellence. This board, working with the members, staff and other stakeholders is working to properly define governance roles and responsibilities of the Reston Association Board, CEO, Staff and Committees — separating organizational purpose (ENDS) from organizational administration (MEANS).”

A new board governance committee would be comprised of the RA Vice President; Secretary, two other Board Directors; and, as a non-voting member, the Chief Executive Officer, board documents show.

In addition to leadership and strategic planning, the governance committee would also review board conduct, including regularly reviewing board’s practices regarding director communications and conflict of interest, as well as receiving and investigating formal complaints.

The separate ethics committee is the suggestion of At-Large director Rachel Muir, who says in her board presentation that RA is a $38 million organization and needs independent oversight.

A successful independent ethics committee would promote transparency and openness; provide knowledge of ethics for civic organizations; have specific knowledge of Reston Association, including its structure, responsibilities and resources and of the Reston community; and effectively communicate to the RA Board, RA and Reston residents, says Muir.

Muir says the ethics committee should be comprised of four members from Reston civic organizations; two Reston residents recommended by Reston Citizens Association; two persons recommended by the Friends of Reston; one RA Board Member; and one RA employee, (non-voting).

The duties of of the Advisory Committee would include developing a code of ethics for the Board of Directors based on current law, (Property Owners Association Act), the Reston Association Deed and By-Laws and current resolutions by the Board; provide a consolidated code for approval by the Board; periodically review RA Board Actions and report to the board, (for example, conflict of interest statements);and develop process for Reston residents to express concerns before the Committee, (open meetings).

Do you have opinions on either of these proposals? There will be a member comment session at the open meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at Reston Association headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.

Test Run For I-95 Express Lanes — Headed south for the holidays (or just commuting that way)? The new I-95 Express Lanes are partially open now (and free until Dec. 29), but you should know the details before you go. [Washington Post]

Shoveling Season — As we’re halfway through December, Fairfax County has some ideas on rallying (and dividing responsibilities) to keep your neighborhood moving when it snows. [Fairfax County]

Save the Date: Howell/Plum Town Hall — State Sen. Janet Howell and Del. Ken Plum will hold their annual pre-legislative town hall on Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods. It’s your chance to tell them the issues on your mind as they head to Richmond for the 2015 Virginia General Assembly session.

Is a new home on your holiday shopping list? If so, start here.

11086 Saffold Way
3BR, 2.5BA TH
$355,000
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

11401 Gate Hill Place
2 BR, 2 BA Condo
$360,000
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

12195 Chancery Station Circle
3BR, 3BA TH
$749,900
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

12340 Coleraine Court
3BR, 2.5BA SFH
$519,900
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

12107 Sundance Court
3BR, 2.5BA TH
$368,900
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

2027 Swans Neck Way
4BR, 3.5BA TH
$539,900
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

2310 Saint Bedes Court
4BR, 2.5BA SFH
$559,900
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

11423 Summer House Court
3BR, 2FB, 2HB TH
$599,900
Open Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m.

11775 Stratford House Place
2BR, 2BA Condo
$479,900
Open Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m.

The first night of Chanukah — the Jewish festival of lights — will be celebrated Reston-style at Lake Anne Plaza on Tuesday, Dec 16.

Chabad of Reston-Herndon is hosting its annual Chanukah Extravaganza, a free event for the whole family on the first night of Chanukah. The fun begins at 5:30 p.m.

Here is what you need to know:

Bring canned goods (Kosher, please) to the event and help build a giant Menorah of Kindness. The food will later be donated to help those in need.

There will be arts and crafts, Chanukah chocolate making, face painting, dreidel playing, and of course, menorah lighting.

Among the holiday treats: potato latkes, donuts and chocolate gelt.

There will also be a raffle to win a tablet computer.

More Chanukah fun nearby:

Sunday, Dec. 21 — Chanukah on the Green in Herndon at 5:30 p.m. Chabad’s Chanukah on the Green will take place at 730 Lynn St. in Old Town Herndon. The free event will also feature Chanukah food and fun.

Sunday, Dec. 21 — Light up the Night: Community Menorah Lighting at Mosaic District (2910 District Ave. in Fairfax, VA, outside the Angelika theater, 4:30 p.m.

Join the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia for a holiday celebration with a candle lightings, songs, entertainment, eating suganiyot (donuts) and gelt and spinning the dreidel! Free admission and free parking.

Photo: Reston founder Bob Simon lights the Menorah at previous Lake Anne Chanukah celebration/Photo courtesy of Chabad Reston-Herndon

An established Lake Anne restaurant will move into the space at Lake Anne Plaza that housed Jasmine Cafe for more than 20 years.

Singh Thai, currently located at 11424 Washington Plaza, hopes to open Feb. 1 at 1633 Washington Plaza, said co-owner Chai Lerlertkitsakun.

“The space there is a lot bigger,” he said. “The layout is good and we will have good visibility in that space.”

Singh Thai has been in its current spot for nearly five years.

Jasmine Cafe had been a mainstay of Lake Anne since the 1980s. It abruptly closed last April when restaurant owner Eduardo Faubert got into a dispute with the property owner over back rent.

Lerlertkitsakun says he will spend the next few months renovating the former Jasmine space. He will also retain Jasmine’s outdoor seating.