Officers from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station report four stolen cars in the area this week.
Three Honda Civics and a Nissan Maxima were reported stolen at the following locations since Tuesday:
1900 block of Belmont Ridge Court, 1994 Honda Civic
1500 block of Northgate Square, Honda Civic
2300 block of Branleigh Park Court, 1995 Honda Civic
12900 block of Wood Crescent Circle, 2005 Nissan Maxima
There have been several other auto-related crimes reported this week as well, including a car door taken on Beaver Trail Court and air bags stolen from a car on Salt Kettle Way. See full list of reported larcenies below.
11900 block of Market Street, backpack stolen from business
2400 block of Thomas Jefferson Drive, viola stolen from school
11100 block of Beaver Trail Court, door from vehicle
11100 block of Beaver Trail Court, tires from vehicle
2100 block of Salt Kettle Way, airbags from vehicle
11600 block of Vantage Hill Road, purse from business
900 block of Locust Street, cell phones from location
2200 block of Southgate Square, license plates from vehicle
9400 block of Arnon Chapel Road, electronic device from residence
700 block of Bennett Street, cell phone from school
12100 block of Sunset Hills road, purse from vehicle
(Update, 3 p.m. Friday)
Fairfax County Police say that Hunter Mill Road between Hunter Station and Lawyers Roads will be closed for several days as flood waters have damaged the road.
Earlier, county officials said there were 10 water rescues on Friday as people tried to drive through standing water.
(Original story, 8 a.m. Friday)
Close to three inches of rain fell overnight in the Reston area, and a flash flood warning remains in effect for until 10:15 a.m. Friday.
The National Weather Service says streams are rising extremely rapidly from the rain.
As of 7:30 a.m., the following area roads have closures, according to Fairfax County:
11400 South Lakes Drive (tree down)
Flooding:
- Hunter Mill Road between Hunter Station and Cedar Pond
- Browns Mill Road between Rosewood Hill and Windstone Drive
- Leigh Mill Rd at Kelso Road
- Shaker Drive near Wiehle Avenue
- 675 Utterback Store Road
- Beach Mill Road at Olympia
- Walker Road/Manning Street
- Leesburg Pike/Colvin Run Road
See full list of closures on Fairfax County’s blog.
Photo courtesy Fairfax County
This story will be updated as weather news occurs.
Fairfax County Public Schools will drastically overhaul its structure, according to an internal memo sent to staff members from Superintendent Karen Garza.
Effective July 1, FCPS will no longer have eight clusters. Instead, it will have five regions, each with about 36,000 students.
In the Reston area, South Lakes High School and Herndon High School pyramids will be in Region 1 with Langley, Madison and Oakton High Schools. One regional superintendent and one executive principal will oversee 40 schools.
The new structure also reduces the number of assistant superintendents to five from eight and adds an executive principal for school improvement in two of the regions (regions 2 and 3). FCPS will also eliminate staff that concentrated on professional learning and accountability.
Other regions:
- 2: McLean, Marshall, Stuart, Falls Church, TJ
- 3: Edison, Lee, Hayfield, Mount Vernon, West Potomac
- 4: Robinson, Lake Braddock, West Springfield, South County, Centreville
- 5: Woodson, Fairfax, Westfield, Chantilly
Garza did not elaborate whether administrators would lose their jobs under the new structure.
“The future of FCPS is up to us and it begins with how we design ourselves to move our important work forward,” Garza said in the memo. “Today, I am pleased to share with you our new organizational structure. After one year of evaluating our current situation, we have developed a new structure that I know will serve to better align our systems, improve our decision making and facilitate stronger and more differentiated support of our schools.”
Garza said FCPS took into account conversations with administrators, surveys and looking at other school systems of a similar size since she took office nine months ago. FCPS is one of the largest school systems in the country with more than 180,000 students.
The superintendent said the new structure will create “significant” budgetary savings. FCPS received less than the $98 million requested from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for Fiscal Year 2105, but FCPS will also receive additional money from the state.
Garza warned in January there may need to be more than 700 layoffs, some by attrition, if the system’s monetary needs were not met.
“All of this information was used to shape our new organizational structure,” Garza said. “There were a number of reasons for considering a new organizational structure primarily to help us to be more effective and responsive to our schools. I am pleased to report that this new design is also cost effective and will create significant budgetary savings, once fully implemented.”
Garza said in the memo that “this is an administrative change and will not affect teachers and most other employees throughout this organization.”
Photo: FCPS Superintendent Karan Garza/File photo
Kaine’s Bill Could Cut College Cost — Sen. Tim Kaine (D) has co-sponsored the Supporting College Access and Success Through Dual Enrollment Act, legislation to help students earn college credits in high school in order to cut the cost of earning a college diploma. [Office of Tim Kaine]
County Air Gets An ‘F’ — Poor marks for Fairfax County in the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2014 report. [Fairfax Times]
Shop Saturday — Reston Association will be holding its Community Yard Sale Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nearly 100 families will be selling furniture, clothing and household goods. The sale will be in the parking lot of 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr. [Reston Association]
Almost Half Of Fairfax County Homicides Are Domestic — Seven (about 45 percent) of the 16 homicides that occurred in Fairfax County in 2010 were domestic-violence related, according to a study released May 6 by the Fairfax County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team. [Fairfax Times]
Special RELAC Meeting June 12 — Reston Association’s Board of Directors will hold a special meeting June 12 to discuss RELAC exemptions. [Reston Association]
On Fridays we take a moment to thank Reston Now’s advertisers and sponsors.
Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, the business community for the vibrant region.
Reston Association, Reston’s homeowner’s association.
Reston Station, Comstock’s mixed-use development and parking garage at the Wiehle-Reston East Metro stop.
The Avant, new luxury rentals in the heart of Reston Town Center.
Berry & Berry, PLLC, Reston law firm specializing in federal employment, retirement, labor union, and security clearance matters.
Just Cats Clinic, Reston’s first cats-only vet practice.
Reston Real Estate, Eve Thompson of Long & Foster Real Estate specializes in Reston homes.
Taste of Arlington festival on May 18.
Mike Burns, Realtor with ReMax Allegiance
Greater Reston Arts Center/Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, top local festival that returns to Reston Town Center May 16-18.
Aspen Jewelry Designs, jewelry sales and design serving the Reston area since 1993.
Reston Facial Plastics, Dr. Suzanne Kim Doud Galli is a specialist in facial procedures.
Reston Community Center, Serving Reston’s recreational and cultural needs.
What should the Reston of the future look like?
That’s the question as Fairfax County planners are beginning Phase II of the Reston Master Plan Special Study — about two years behind schedule.
Phase I, which looked at the how development should proceed in the areas surrounding Reston’s upcoming Metro stations, was completed late last year and approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in January.
County officials say the the current comprehensive plans, last updated in 1989, requires revision for three primary reasons: Reston no longer has a master developer to update the plan for Reston; the plan for Reston has outdated elements; and with population expected to grow with the arrival of Metro later this year, Reston is evolving as a community.
Phase II will look at what kind of changes — if any — should happen to Reston’s neighborhoods, village centers and convenience centers, as well as some areas adjacent to Reston. Lake Anne Plaza, which underwent is own rezoning and revitalization process from 2006-09, will not be part of the study.
Planners will pay particular attention to the commercial area just north of Reston Town Center and Baron Cameron Avenue.
This area contains retailers such as Home Depot, Silver Diner, Trader Joes and others. The county says this area is part of the original 1987 460-acre Reston Town Center rezoning, but developed with a different character than the surrounding residential areas and the retail area south of Baron Cameron Avenue. The comprehensive plan will provide framework on how this commercial area should develop over the mid-to-distant future.
Also up for discussion — Tall Oaks Village Center, which has been losing tenants for years and remains mostly empty.
Phase II will also:
Create a New Reston Land Use Map
The current Master Plan for Reston is comprised of three black and white maps (last approved in 1989) that depict a land use plan, community facilities plan, and a transportation plan. While the transportation plans now contain the latest transportation information, the land use and community facilities plans need to be updated. Read More
Sunrise Valley Elementary School has a new principal.
Kevin West of George Mason Elementary School in Alexandria will take over beginning July 1, Fairfax County Public Schools Cluster 8 Superintendent Fabio Zuluaga said in an e-mail to SVES parents.
Tim Stanley, a retired FCPS administrator, had been serving as the school’s interim principal for 2013-14 after former principal Beth English retired last year.
From Zuluaga:
It gives me great pleasure to inform you that Mr. Kevin West has been selected as principal of Sunrise Valley Elementary School beginning July 1st 2014. Mr. West comes to us from the City of Alexandria, where he is currently the principal of George Mason Elementary School and where he served with distinction.
Mr. West brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the principalship. Under his leadership, his current school earned a three-year waiver from annual accreditation due to “achievement of SOL passing rates of 95% or higher in all four tested SOL content areas for two consecutive years” — only 5% of schools in the state earned this waiver.
His school also received the Virginia Board of Education Excellence Award for advanced learning and achievement, and was recognized as “Best Elementary School” in Northern Virginia Magazine. In Alexandria, Mr. West served as the Lead Principal for Curriculum and Instruction for the city’s schools.
Mr. West began his career in the Fairfax County Public Schools, serving as a 5thgrade teacher at Crossfield Elementary School and 8th grade social studies teacher at Robinson Secondary School.
In 2004 he moved to Arizona where he taught, served as an instructional and technology coach and instruction specialist. In 2005, Mr. West was promoted to assistant principal and then principal of Canyon Ridge School. Canyon Ridge is the division’s Math, Science & Technology Concept School and also includes the District Gifted Program. Under Mr. West’s leadership Canyon Ridge emphasized 21st century learning and instructional innovation, including problem-based learning, content and technology integration across all grade levels. Mr. West was recognized as a “Visionary Administrator” at Canyon Ridge.
Mr. West earned his B.S. at James Madison University, his Masters of Education at Marymount University, and his Certificate in Ed. Administration at Arizona State University West.
Photo: Kevin West (right) and George Mason ES student/Credit: ACPS
Friday, May 16 is Bike to Work Day, and Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association invite Reston residents to join more than 10,000 area commuters who are expected to get to work on two wheels that day.
Here is what you need to know:
There will be 79 pit stops, where there will be refreshments and chances to win prizes for all registered participants. To register, visit Bike to Work Day’s website.
Reston-area pit stops include Reston Station, 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. (at the upcoming Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station); Fairfax City Downtown, 6 to 9 a.m. (at Main Street Marketplace); Tysons Corner, 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. (in front of Capital Grille, 1861 International Dr.). For a complete list of Pit Stops, visit the Bike to Work Day website.
The event will be held rain or shine.
Biking all the way to the District? There are commuter convoys from Northern Virginia.
All participants registered for Bike to Work Day will be entered into a raffle to win a free bike. Six bicycles donated by REI will be raffled.
Need more questions answered? Check out Bike to Work Day’s FAQs.
The National Weather Service says Northern Virginia residents should prepare for heavy rain and possible flooding Thursday and Friday.
The NWS has issued a flash flood watch from Thursday afternoon through Friday for Fairfax County and most of Northern Virginia.
The NWS says showers and thunderstorms with periods of heavy rain will begin this afternoon and continue through Friday morning. Two to three inches of rainfall is expected. Flash flooding is possible, especially along small rivers and streams.
A flash flood watch means that conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding.
File Photo Credit: Ed Schudel
Close to 5,000 Dominion Virginia Power customers in Reston were without power overnight as a large tree at Soapstone Drive and Lawyers Road fell on a light pole late Wednesday.
Dominion spokesman Chuck Penn said the tree took down wires and damaged the pole.
Penn says 4,816 Dominion customers were affected. Most of the affected customers are in homes off of Lawyers Road.
As of 8:30 a.m., about half of the customers had power restored.
Penn said power should be back on for the majority of customers by mid-morning.
Credit: file photo
Lottery Prize Still Unclaimed — The Virginia lottery says a $1 million jackpot winner from January has not come forward, and if they do not by June 30 the prize will expire. The ticket was sold in Woodbridge. [WTOP]
Lights explanation — Noticed that the timing of traffic lights at Lawyers Road and Reston Parkway has changed? Here’s why. [Washington Post]
Bounce House Safety — After two boys in New York were injured when their inflatable bounce house flew 20 feet in the air, Fairfax County wants residents to brush up on safety tips for those party favorites. [YouTube]
Reston Association Still Needs Covenants Volunteers — RA has extended the deadline for applications for two three-year terms on its covenants committee. [Reston Association]
Families visiting the 23rd annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival this weekend will have a place to cool their heels and create at the Family Art Park.
Reston Town Square Park (at Market and Explorer Streets in Reston Town Center) will be transformed into a Family Art Park that will include a Children’s Art Tent, a Public Art project, face painting, and a family “Chill-Out” tent, among other activities.
The theme in the Children’s Art Tent is “Art and Science STEAMing Along Together. The theme combines art with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Children of all ages can explore the intersection of art and science, and learn how the two can work together to create exciting art, organizers say.
Among the art activities: Magnetic Painting, Wacky Mobile, Fun Architecture and Spinny Tops.
Also in the park, a Public Art project sponsored by the Initiative for Public Art-Reston (IPAR) and the Reston Town Center Association. Visitors of all ages are welcome to participate.
The Family Art Park is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and is free to the public.
Festival entry is a suggested $5 donation on Saturday and Sunday, which will entitle patrons to a program, featuring over $50 in discount coupons to Reston Town Center restaurants. Children 18 and under are free.
Pre-sale Festival entry can be purchased online at a 20 percent discount.
For complete Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival details, visit the festival website.
Photo: Kids create at Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival/Credit: GRACE file
Nine of Reston Now’s Best Reston Business Award polls are still open. Have you voted yet?
In April, Reston Now asked readers to nominate their favorite businesses in 15 categories. The top vote-getters in each category became finalists for the award.
To vote, click on the categories below, which will take you to polls where you can cast your vote.
The remaining polls will be open until midnight on the days listed. Reston Now will announce the winners next week.
Open through May 14:
Open through May 15:
Open through May 16:
A spokesman for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) says that the Silver Line bobbing track issue officials had expressed concern with earlier this week has been determined to be a component issue rather than a systemic one.
That means the faulty component will be replaced, and Metro will likely announce the rail extension’s operational readiness date on Monday, said Metro’s Dan Stessel.
“That news alleviates the concern we had with MWAA’s progress towards an operational readiness date,” he said.
Operational readiness means the outstanding issues have been addressed and Phase 1 of the $5.6 billion project is ready to be turned over to Metro. Metro will then have up to 90 days to conduct its own testing and training.
The opening of the Silver Line, which will run from East Falls Church to Tysons Corner to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue, is more than six months behind schedule.
In a call with reporters on Monday, Rob Troup, Metro’s Deputy GM of Operations, said there was an issue with the bobbing track circuit, which connects the Silver and Orange lines east of the East Falls Church Station. When there is an issue, a circuit will read a false sense of occupancy and the approaching train will go into a braking mode, said Troup.
The April 23 agreement between Metro and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is building the Silver Line, called for adding four blocking capacitors to address the issue. The fixes fared well in testing, but over the weekend one failed, said Troup.
Even with the outstanding issues — Metro had a list of 33 items in 13 categories that MWAA needed to fix — Troup said this week he was “encouraged by the progress and projected ridership “sometime this summer.”
Graphic: Metro file
Classic Reston is a biweekly feature sponsored by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce that highlights businesses, places and people with deep roots in Reston.
For Reston’s first 25 years or so, the space now occupied by Reston Town Center was mostly woods and fields.
The location was always planned to be a downtown for Reston, but it took many years to figure out just what exactly that meant.
Reston was originally envisioned by founder Bob Simon as a series of villages with walkable amenities. But after Lake Anne and Hunters Woods were built in the 1960s, the project lost money. It was sold to Gulf Oil and Simon was fired. The vision was then amended, and the remaining “villages” took on a more typical suburban look.
Based on that history, if the planners of Reston Town Center wanted to be different they had better get it right.
By the late 1970s, Mobil Oil Corporation owned the remaining undeveloped land. It formed Reston Land Corporation to continue as the master developer of Reston.
Reston Land Corporation hired Himmel/Miller-Klutznick-Davis-Gray as its development partner for Phase I of Reston Town Center. The two groups then hired RTKL, a Baltimore-based architecture firm, and landscape architects Sasaki in 1984.
The first designs for town center looked more like a typical suburban mall. The mid-1980s, were, after all, still the golden age of malls. Read More
