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There is a new point of pride for the 35,000 Virginia Tech alumni and thousands of students from Northern Virginia: The school on Tuesday was named No. 1 on the Princeton Review’s Best Campus Food list for 2015.

Virginia Tech Dining Services has ranked in Princeton Review’s top four best campus food spots in recent years. The school previously attained the No. 1 designation in 2010 and 2008.

“We are compared with many fine institutions for this distinction, but we also continually challenge ourselves,” Ted Faulkner, director of dining services, said in a news release. “Our dining leadership, chefs, managers, and staff are constantly elevating the program and what we can achieve. To have this announcement come just as we are gearing up for the return of students is truly inspiring for our entire team.”

Staffers from Virginia Tech dining were on Wednesday morning’s Today Show, where they served apple tart and ice cream to hosts Al Roker and Natalie Morales.

Princeton Review editors point out that the school served 7.1 million meals last year.

By the way, Syracuse was named the No.1 party school. To see more from The Princeton Review’s rankings, visit Princetown Review online.

Are you a Virginia Tech student or alum? What do you think of the food? Tell us in the comments.

As Cornerstones and Kids R First team up for their annual back to school drive, the nonprofits have found more need in the community than ever before.

Cornerstones is seeking donations of 3,200 backpacks to give to Reston and Herndon children in need. That’s 1,000 more backpacks than last year, Cornerstones says.

The backpacks, which Kids R First fills with school supplies, are given to Cornerstones’ clients as well as students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, an indicator of poverty.

Here is how to donate:

Visit Cornerstones to pledge the number of backpacks you plan to donate.

Purchase new backpacks (no wheels or corporate logos, please). There is a need backpacks for students at all levels.

Deliver the backpacks to Cornerstones Administrative Office, 11150 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 210, Reston. Drop off backpacks weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Aug. 12.

Backpacks can be purchased through Cornerstones’ Amazon Wish List, and the backpacks will be mailed to Cornerstones.

In addition to backpacks, Cornerstones’ case managers are requesting donations of new underwear for elementary school age children. Payless gift card donations ($25) are also welcome so that Cornerstones’ young clients can get a new pair of shoes.

Close to 20,000 daily trips are starting or ending at the Silver Line’s Wiehle-Reston East station, making the end-of-the-line spot the busiest of the five new stations, Metro says.

The Silver Line is “off to a solid start, with nearly 220,000 trips taken to or from the five new stations during the first week of service (noon Saturday, July 26 through noon Sunday, August 3),” said Metro spokesman Dan Stessel.

Prior to the opening of the Silver Line — Metro’s first new rail line since 1991 — the agency said its goal was to have 25,000 daily boardings after the line had been operating a year. Traffic is two-thirds of the way there already, says Stessel — on average, 15,942 passengers boarded a Silver Line train at one of the five new stations each weekday last week.

Metro says between 8,000 and 9,000 of the boardings at Silver Line stations were existing Metrorail customers who switched from the Orange Line to one of the five new stations. Approximately 6,000 boardings represents new ridership.

Weekday ridership totals (entries/exits) for the five new stations — McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro, Spring Hill and Wiehle-Reston East :

Total Weekday Trips to/from the Five New Silver Line Stations

Monday: 30,846
Tuesday: 33,287
Wednesday: 32, 939
Thursday: 34,364
Friday: 33,118

Weekday Entry/Exit Breakdown by Station

Greensboro
Monday: 1,614
Tuesday: 1,678
Wednesday: 1,773
Thursday: 1,865
Friday: 1,605

McLean
Monday: 2,668
Tuesday: 3,045
Wednesday: 3,012
Thursday: 3,222
Friday: 2,870

Spring Hill
Monday: 2,681
Tuesday: 2,879
Wednesday: 2,862
Thursday: 2,858
Friday: 2,718

Tysons Corner
Monday: 6,658
Tuesday: 6,959
Wednesday: 6,811
Thursday: 6,803
Friday: 7,699

Wiehle-Reston East 
Monday: 17,225
Tuesday: 18,726
Wednesday: 18,481
Thursday: 19,616
Friday: 18,226

How has your Silver Line experience been so far? Tell us in the comments. 

Reston History Lesson — Learn how Lake Anne was formed and how it got its name. [You Tube]

New Dogs Headed to Fairfax County — Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department will receive two newly trained search and rescue K-9s this Saturday. The dogs have been trained by the National Search Dog Foundation for a year and have been partnered with two firefighter/dog handlers, working a 24-hour shift with their handlers. The foundation has rescued hundreds of dogs, many on the brink of euthanasia, and turned them into highly skilled rescuers, the county says.

Romney on the Northern Virginia Stump — Former Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney will appear at a fundraiser for Barbara Comstock, who is running for Frank Wolf’s 1oth-District Congressional seat. The fundraiser is Sept. 30 at the home of Northern Virginia Technology Council CEO Bobbie Kilberg. [Washington Post]

The Reston Association Board of Directors decided on Thursday to keep the plan for adding a bocce court at Cabots Point, despite resident pressure to reconsider.

The board voted in December to authorize construction of the lawn bowling court at the area off of South Lakes Drive. The $2,500 cost would be paid for by Friends of Reston, said South Lakes Director Richard Chew, who proposed the amenity.

The design plan was approved by RA’s Design Review Board in June and $1,700 has already been donated to the project, RA documents show.

But the board has recently heard from several Cabots Point residents who were concerned that the new recreational amenity would bring unwanted traffic and noise to the neighborhood off South Lakes Drive.

That led to RA CEO Cate Fulkerson’s proposal to take the plan off the table and come up with an alternate plan that may or may not include bocce for Cabots Point. That proposal was on Thursday night’s RA meeting agenda, but was voted to be thrown out.

Fulkerson had said several RA members who live near Cabots Point have contacted RA “concerned that proper notification and opportunity for public input or a hearing was not made regarding the proposed project and change in use of the recreation area.”

Construction will not begin until funds are in place and final design work has been approved, said Fulkerson.

Photo: Bocce/file photo

The fourth annual Reston Kids Triathlon took place on Sunday in and around Langston Middle School and the Ridge Heights Pool.

Young athletes from ages 6 to 14 swam, biked and ran various distances depending on age group. Full results can be found here.

Proceeds benefit programs at Reston Association and the YMCA Fairfax County Reston.

Photos courtesy of Reston Association, Ken Knueven and the Reston Kids Triathlon

A woman was robbed Sunday night when she was walking in the 12000 block of Bluemont Way at Reston Town Center, Fairfax County Police said.

The woman told police she was approached from behind by a man at about 10:15 p.m. Sunday night.

The suspect pushed the woman and took her wallet, police said. The victim did not require rescue. The suspect was described as black, 20s, and about 6 feet tall.

Tuesday, Aug. 5 is National Night Out, and the Fairfax  County Police and the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office have a full slate of events planned in and around Reston.

National Night Out is an annual event that promotes community involvement in crime prevention activities, establishes partnerships between public safety agencies and the community, fosters neighborhood camaraderie and sends a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for diverse communities in our area to interact with sheriff’s deputies in friendly settings and get to know us better,” Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid said. “It is also a chance for us to listen to community concerns so that we may better serve the public.”

Sheriff’s deputies will visit Reston’s  Southgate Community Center from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesday. Officers from the Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station will also sponsor a free cookout at Southgate from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Fairfax County Police Department is encouraging neighborhoods to turn their lights on and visit outside with their neighbors from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Officers from the FCPD’ Reston District Station will also have planned activities. Some nearby:

• Police and fire display at Hunters Woods Village Center, 2 to 4 p.m.
• Ice Cream Social at Saddler’s Wells neighborhood (Gunsmith Square), 7 to 8 p.m.
• Ice Cream Social at Crescent Apartments, 6 to 9 p.m.
• Cookout and Pot Luck Dinner at West Glade Apartments, 5 to 8 p.m.

National Night Out began in 1984,when  2.5 million Americans across 400 communities in 23 states took part in the event, introduced by the National Association of Town Watch. Today, the event involves over 37.8 million people in 16,000 communities from all 50 states, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office says.

Photo courtesy of Fairfax County Police

Oscar Haynes, a longtime area resident, civil rights movement leader and husband of United Christian Parish Pastor Joan Bell-Haynes, died on July 31 at his home in Herndon. He was 98.

Haynes was the only child of Oscar Haynes and Nannie Bradley Haynes. He was born in Rogersville, Tenn., on Jan. 18, 1916. He moved to Washington, DC upon graduation from Swift Memorial Junior College and became a member of Twelfth Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He attended Howard University and Tuskegee Institute before being drafted into service for World War II (1941-45), serving in Tampa, Fla, India-Burma and Kearns, Utah.

Upon leaving the military, Haynes became a journalist with the Afro American Newspapers. During his tenure, he was part of a team of journalist that did investigative reporting on the Martinsville 7 Trail in Virginia. He was active in the Civil Rights Movement in Washington, DC. He joined Mary Church Terrell and other activist in “sit-ins at the bus station and local restaurants. He was among the thousands at the March on Washington when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech, according to a death notice published in The Washington Post.

Haynes served as president of the Capital Press Club in Washington, DC; the National Convocation, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); and the Board of Managers of Greenwood Cemeteries, Nashville, TN. During his tenure as president of the Capital Press Club, he gave President Harry S Truman an award for desegregating the military.

As a businessman and State & Regional Manager for Fromm & Sichel/Christian Brothers Wines & Brandy, Oscar forged partnerships with the State Department to increase the sale of American wines abroad. When he retired in 1984, Christian Brothers Wines and Brandy were being sold in 28 nations.

Haynes served on numerous boards including: Thurgood Marshall Community Center, Washington, DC; National City Christian Church Foundation; Christian Church – Capital Area Region; Disciples of Christ Historical Society, Nashville, Tenn.; Trustee, Lexington Theological Seminary, Lexington, Ky.; United Campus Ministry Board, University of Maryland, College Park Campus; and the Reston Community Orchestra.

Haynes received honors that included: John James Audubon Medal, Audubon Naturalist Society; Public Service Award YMCA, Washington, DC; The College Park Lions Club; Diplomate, National City Christian Church Foundation, Washington, DC; Liberation Award, National Convocation, Christian Church 1998; Tribute of Appreciation, Secretary of State, American Businessmen Abroad Committee, July 31, 1967.

In 2008, the Disciples Historical Society of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nashville, TN, named an Exhibit Hall in his honor.

Haynes married his first wife, Lula Mae Smith, in 1949 and they raised five children together. She preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife, Rev. Joan Bell-Haynes, his children: Toni Ross, Oscar Sherwood Haynes (Robyn); Kim A. Atwater (Jay); Donna N. Taylor, and Christina H. Haynes; as well as nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; son-in-law Rev. LeBaron Taylor.

In addition to being a member of United Christian Parish, Haynes was a member of the Herndon Rotary Club.

Funeral Services will be held at United Christian Parish, 11508 North Shore Dr., Reston, on Aug. 9. Viewing will be at 10 a.m. followed by a Homegoing Service at 11 a.m. A Service of Inurnment will be held at National City Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to United Christian Parish, The Christian Church Foundation, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 130 E. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46206 and Capital Caring Hospice. Information and condolences at www.adamsgreen.com.

Photo of Oscar Haynes/Credit: Family photo

Fairfax Unemployment Rises — The unemployment rate in Fairfax County increased from 3.6 percent in April to 4.3 percent in May. The number of unemployed residents increased over the month from 22,896 to 27,781. The County’s unemployment rate was unchanged compared to last May. The rise could be because of new graduates looking for work. [Fairfax County]

Silver Line’s Historic Impact — The Washington Post’s Dr. Gridlock says “creating train access for shoppers to gigantic malls at Tysons is like telling 16th century European merchants that they have a sea route to the spice islands. They’ll figure out the rest.” [Washington Post]

Northern Virginia Service Offers Hospice For Pets — Pets are members of the family, that is why Lap of Love offers compassionate end-of-life care for animals. [Fairfax Times]

Day For Siblings Of Special Needs Kids — A workshop at George Meson University today will hold a daylong free workshop for parents, educators, social workers, clinicians and service providers presented by Sibshops creator Don Meyer. [FCPS]

Photo: Athletes get ready for the 2014 Reston Kids Triathlon/Credit: Ken Knueven

The Reston Association Board of Directors on Thursday selected Dannielle LaRosa to fill the remained of the North Point Director term.

The seat became vacant when North Point Director Tim Cohn resigned in May for personal reasons.

LaRose will represent North Point until the next RA election in Spring 2015. An election for a new North Point director will then be held to finish the rest of Cohn’s term, which expires in Spring 2016.

Under RA rules, the board can interview and select a replacement when a director leaves before a term is finished.

LaRosa is a financial analyst who said she will bring a critical eye to RA expenses, reserves and revenue generation. She is also a mother of four whose children have taken part in a wide variety of RA activities and camps over the years.

Other candidates were IT business owner Walter Constantine; Former Fairfax County Planning Commission member Walter Alcorn; and retired attorney and 40-year Reston resident Mike Shaw.

Boston Properties’ plans to build on Reston Town Center’s last remaining undeveloped parcel have been given the go-ahead by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

The Supervisors on Tuesday approved Boston Properties’ plans, which include include two high-rise residential buildings with up to 549 units and nine levels of underground parking.

The plans also call for a park with a yoga area, public art and picnic areas. The 6.35-acre site, called Block 4, is currently a 251-space surface parking lot zoned for office development.

Reston Citizens Group Reston 2020 expressed disapproval last spring when it was determined that the Presidents Park area near Blocks 4 and 5 could lose 60 feet of green space to the new development.

Boston Properties purchased the site at Fountain Drive and New Dominion parkway in 2013 for a reported $27 million. At that time, Boston Property executives said they planned to change the zoning from office space to residential

According to the county planning staff report, which recommended approval of the project, the 250,000 square feet of office density represents the last remaining non-residential density available under the proffered maximum 3.465 million square feet of non-residential development approved within Reston’s urban core.

Boston Properties will move the office part of the development to Block 5, where the current FedEx/Kinkos and Ann Taylor are now located, with additional office space above.

The plan calls for turning that three-story retail/office building into a 17-story building with 276,788 square feet of office space and 7,800 square feet of ground-floor retail. The building would also have four levels of underground parking.

The board also approved a reduction in parking of 22 percent (up to 192 fewer spaces) because of its proximity to future mass transit. The planned Reston Parkway Silver Line Metro Station is a half-mile away.

Photo: Block 4/5 Residential Development Proposal/Credit: Fairfax County

Metro Sued For Unfair Background Checks — A class action suit alleges that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s criminal background screening policies for employees unfairly discriminate against black workers. The suit, filed in D.C. this week, alleges that Metro and three of its contractors discriminated against job applicants and employees through an “overly broad and unnecessarily punitive” screening. [City Paper]

New At The Top For RA — Reston Association has hired a new  Director of Covenants Administration and a new Director of Human Resources & Administrative Services. [Reston Association]

Send Pony Barn Ideas — A working group has now been formed to consider the future of Reston Association’s Pony Barn Pavilion. Follow the link to send them your ideas. [Reston Association]

Silver Line Errands — Thinking of ditching your car to run basic errands via Metro? One local woman blogs how it went going from Wiehle-Reston East to the Tysons Walmart. [Herndon Mom]

Photo: Food Truck Wednesday at Reston Town Center/Credit: RTC