FCPS Two-Hour Delay — All Fairfax County public schools will open two hours late today. Morning preschool (special education) classes are canceled. Afternoon preschool (special education) classes start on their regular schedule. Morning field trips are canceled. SACC centers will be open by 7:15 a.m. Morning transportation for high school academy classes is canceled. Afternoon academy transportation will be provided.

Help The Fine Arts Festival — The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival returns to Reston May 16-18, and can use many volunteers. Volunteer registration is now open. Can you help? [Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival]

Simon Sings — Reston founder Bob Simon joined the Reston Community Orchestra for Ch. Hubert Parry’s Jerusalem at a performance Sunday dedicated to Simon’s upcoming 100th birthday. The concert was one a series of tribute events in Reston as Simon’s 100th birthday approaches on April 10. [YouTube]

Reston Gymnast Wins Title — Olivia Norman, a South Lakes High School freshman, won the uneven bars medal in the Virginia USA Gymnastics Level 8, 9, and 10 State Championships in Richmond. Norman, Level 9 gymnast, scored 9.425 and won the title for the 15-year-old age group.

Virginia General Assembly members adjourned their 2014 session last week without passing a $98 billion budget.

That also means that expanding Medicaid in Virginia — one of Gov. Terry McAullife’s top priorities — remains in limbo as well.

McAuliffe and other Democrats, including Reston legislators Sen. Janet Howell and Del. Ken Plum, want a budget that includes accepting federal Medicaid funds to expand coverage to close to 500,000 additional residents.

But Republicans control the House of Delegates, and they oppose expansion. They say the federal government can’t be trusted to keep its promise to fully fund the expansion and the bill will eventually be paid by the state.

GOP lawmakers say public opinion backs their position that the budget should be passed immediately and the Medicaid issue should be considered separately.

Howell and Plum are hosting a community conversation on Medicaid expansion at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at South Lakes High School.

The legislators will return to Richmond to resume budget talks next week.

“The refusal of the House Republicans to accept federal money to insure 400,000 working Virginians has brought everything to a halt,” Howell wrote in an email to constituents on Monday. “We are giving up $5 million  a day in funds that we Virginians have paid in fees and taxes intended to provide healthcare coverage in Virginia.

“As a member of the Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission (MIRC) and as a budget conferee, I have been actively involved in trying to find a solution,” Howell wrote, adding that her work on Marketplace Virginia has the support of “most Chambers of Commerce and business groups, hospitals, religious organizations, medical groups and editorial boards, as well as McAuliffe, Senate Democrats, some Senate Republicans, and virtually all House Democrats.

“The House Republicans, standing alone, have said “No!”  They have offered no alternative. Because the funding involved is so significant and ripples through the whole budget, we cannot approve a budget until this is resolved,’ said Howell.

Meanwhile, McAuliffe has been touring the state to promote the benefits of Medicaid expansion.

Virginia ranked 48th in per capita Medicaid spending last year, according to state figures.

“This is too much money,” McAuliffe said at an appearance at a clinic in Wise, Va., last week, according to the Associated Press. He said a state budget estimate projects the Affordable Care Act with expanded Medicaid for 400,000 residents would save Virginia $1 billion by 2022.

If Virginia chooses not to expand Medicaid, thousands of Virginians will fall into a ‘no-coverage ravine’– unable to enroll in Medicaid and barred from getting tax credits to buy coverage in the new health insurance exchange, says a report from The Commonwealth Institute.

It was a rare snowy St. Patrick’s Day in Reston on Monday, but some residents did not let almost a foot of the white stuff interfere with a festive day.

Reston’s future was very much on the mind of the candidates for the 2014 Reston Association Board of Directors at a candidates forum at RA Headquarters on Saturday.

With Metro’s Silver Line expected to open in Reston this year — bringing with it associated development expected to vastly increase jobs, residents, workers and traffic — the theme seemed to be this: how can Reston Association best serve the residents while also sticking to the founding principles that have made Reston a desirable place for the last 50 years?

“The challenges we face will certainly be different than those in the past,” said Andy Sigle, the RA At-large director and vice president who is running against four opponents for a second term.

Voting is currently open and will run through the end of March. The election results will be announced April 8.

At-large candidate Michael Mackert called development “an 800-lb. gorilla in the room.”

“Development is threatening our way of life,” he said. “The Reston motto is ‘Live, work, play.’ We need to be vigilant as citizens. Not at the kids table, but at the adults table, when decisions are made.” Read More

The good news: Spring officially begins on Thursday.

The bad news: You will have to do some shoveling today.

Northern Virginia was hit with a rare winter storm Sunday night and early Monday. About nine inches of snow fell on Reston.

Here is what you need to know:

• The federal government is closed.
• Fairfax County Government will open at noon Monday.
• Fairfax County Public Schools are closed.
• Fairfax Connector bus service may be affected by the inclement weather. Check the Connector Web page at www.fairfaxconnector.com for the current operating status.
• Fairfax County trash and recycling collection in sanitary districts (15 percent of county households) has been cancelled.
• Reston Community Center is closed.
• The National Zoo and most Smithsonian museums are  closed.
• All runways at Reagan National Airport were closed as of 7:15 a.m. Dulles International Airport is open, but experiencing many delays and cancellations. Check with your airline.

Reston Now will update this story with any additional closings and conditions. Have any great snow photos? Email them to [email protected] or tweet us @Restonnow or post on our Facebook page.

Photo: LAMeetsDC via Twitter

Testing Healthy School Eats — Fairfax County Public Schools are working on a pilot program to expand fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods in schools. The program is in four schools now, with plans to expand to 10 more schools in the 2014-15 school year, then to all high schools in 2015-16. [Fairfax Times]

Herndon Has a Big Winner — A store in Herndon sold a $3 million  Mega Millions ticket on Friday. The ticket sold at Elden Market and Deli matched the first five numbers in the Virginia Lottery’s Mega Millions jackpot — 7, 20, 40, 54, 69. If the ticket had matched the final number (the Mega Ball), the buyer would have won the jackpot, which is now about $400 million. [Washington Post]

Four Deaths Lead to Suicide Awareness in Fairfax County — Parents and educators are working together to raise suicide awareness and prevention in the wake of recent deaths of four students in local schools. Two boys at Woodson High School and two at Langley High School recently took their own lives. [Fairfax Times]

Nominate a Great Volunteer – Fairfax County is now accepting nominations for the Barbara Varon Volunteer Award. The award which recognizes a county resident whose dedication to improving the community through volunteer service honors the memory of Barbara Varon, former chair of the Fairfax County Electoral Board. Nominations must be received by the second week in June. [Fairfax County]

Fairfax County Public Schools will be closed on Monday, March 17 as three to six inches of snow are expected to fall in Northern Virginia Sunday night and Monday morning.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning in effect from 6 p.m. Sunday to 2 p.m. Monday. Snow began falling in Reston about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Monday’s cancellation makes 11 snow days for students this school year. The school system recently announced there will be school on June 23 and 24 to make up previous snow days, as well as on April 7, which was previously a scheduled teacher work day.

From FCPS:

All Fairfax County public schools and offices will be closed on Monday, March 17, 2014. The following activities in schools and on school grounds are canceled:

· extracurricular activities
· interscholastic contests
· team practices
· field trips
· middle school after-school programs
· professional learning and training courses
· all adult and community education classes
· recreation programs and community use by outside groups not affiliated with FCPS

Winter’s not over yet.

The season’s last gasp — hopefully — will begin later on Sunday, when a winter storm is expected to hit Northern Virginia, dropping up to six inches of snow by the time St. Patrick’s Day is over on Monday.

The National Weather Service has issued  Winter Storm Warning for Fairfax County and surrounding areas from 7 p.m. Sunday until 2 p.m. Monday.

From the NWS:

TIMING...A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW EARLY THIS EVENING WILL CHANGE 
TO ALL SNOW BY MID EVENING. 
SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT THROUGH 
EARLY AFTERNOON MONDAY. THE HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED AFTER 
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING. 

* TEMPERATURES...FALLING INTO THE LOWER 30S BY MID EVENING AND 
THEN DROPPING INTO THE MID TO UPPER 20S LATE TONIGHT. HIGHS 
MONDAY IN THE LOWER 30S. 

* WINDS...NORTHEAST 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH. 

* IMPACTS...ROADS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY. TRAVEL 
WILL BE DANGEROUS...ESPECIALLY TONIGHT THROUGH THE MORNING RUSH 
ON MONDAY.

Reston Now will update this story with any school closings and road conditions.

Fairfax County Police are investigating a burglary in the area around Hidden Creek Country Club.

Police said an employee of a business in the 1700 block of Clubhouse Road reported that someone entered the business and took property on March 7.

In other, unrelated Reston crime news this week:

LARCENIES

11800 block of Baron Cameron Avenue, merchandise from business

2500 block of James Madison Circle, license plate from vehicle

2000 block of Maleady Drive, money from vehicle

2200 block of Astoria Circle, property from residence

11900 block of Bowman Towne Drive, cell phone from business

1800 block of Sycamore Valley Drive, airbags from vehicle

9900 block of Georgetown Pike, merchandise from business

1700 block of Ascot Way, jacket from business

1800 block of Presidents Street, personal items from business

Hundreds of inventors, students, crafters and people who want to learn about them are expected at South Lakes High School and Langston Hughes Middle School Sunday for the inaugural Nova Mini Maker Faire.

The Mini Maker Faire is the idea of Nova Labs, a non-profit Maker Space in Reston. Nova Labs has a regular mission to provide the community a workshop where people can learn, teach, and collaborate on creative and technical works, and to promote the usefulness of competence in the technical arts, says Nova Labs president Brian Jacoby.

Nova Labs regularly hosts learning sessions on robotics, electronics, 3D printing, programming, woodworking, yarn & fabric arts and many other maker topics.  Different memberships level offer opportunities to learn from others and used the lab’s space, tools and equipment.

The Mini Maker Faire expands on that mission.

“All kids — and adults — need more encouragement to follow their curiosity and be innovative problem solvers,” Jacoby said in a press release. “The Mini Maker Faire celebrates working with raw materials, engaging kids’ minds, and helping them to become critical thinkers.”

Here is what you need to know:

* The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

* Tickets are $8 for children and $20 for adults.

* There will be more than 99 booths with all sorts of hands-on activities. Among them:

• Aluminum Aerogami (a combination of origami and model airplane building from aluminum cans)
• 3D scanning and printing of you
• Musical instrument maker
• Snoopy Robot
• Solar- powered Car
• Light-up sewing
• Hand-spinning yarn
• Kinetic, wearable, and electronic art
• Science experiments you can do at home by Gravity is Optional
• Spy gadgets by the International Spy Museum

Visit the Mini Maker Faire website for a full list of makers.

* NOTE: There will be no parking at the schools. Shuttle buses will run from the Herndon Monroe Park and Ride.

More information can be found on this map of the schools or on the Mini Maker Faire website.

Photo: Students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology will have a rocketry exhibit where others can try out stomp rockets at the Nova Mini Maker Faire Saturday. Credit: Nova Mini Maker Faire.

The series of events marking Reston founder Robert E. Simon’s 100th birthday kicks off this weekend with a musical tribute by the Reston Community Orchestra.

Simon will turn 100 on April 10, and Reston is marking the occasion — along with Reston’s 50th anniversary with many celebrations. The full list can be found at Reston Celebrates.

RCO’s show, Innovation! A Tribute to Robert E. Simon, is Sunday at 4 p.m. at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods.

The performance is billed as “music as progressive and inventive as the community we share.”

The orchestra will perform works including Paul Creston’s Concertino for Marimba and Orchestra; Albéric Magnard’s Suite in the Ancient Style, Op. 2; and Bela Bartok’s Suite No. 2 for Orchestra Op. 4. 

Admission is free, but donations are accepted.

Another musical tribute will be held on Sunday, March 23, when the the Reston Chorale presents Reston’s 50th: Celebrating the Vision and the Visionary.

The performance, 4 p.m. at South Lakes High School, will feature the premiere of The Essential Life by acclaimed composer Donald McCullough.

Simon was a founding member of the chorale in 1967.

For more information, call 703-834-0079, email [email protected] and visit www.RestonChorale.org.

Tickets are now on sale online for $30/adult; $25/Seniors (62+) and Students (13 – 17).

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-Va 11th) is expected to begin his 2014 campaign for re-election at his 20th annual St. Patrick’s Day Fete in Fairfax on Monday, March 17.

Connolly’s party, which begins at 7 p.m at the Kena Shriners’ Temple, 9001 Arlington Blvd., is expected to draw Democratic supporters, officials and candidates from all over Northern Virginia, his office said.

Connolly is serving his third Congressional term and is expected to run for a fourth. The 11th District encompasses Reston and most of Fairfax County, as well as part of Prince William County. The 11th District Republicans will announce a nominee to challenge Connolly after its May 10 convention. Also running is Independent Mark Gibson.

Monday’s event will feature two straw polls to assess the strength of the candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 8th and 10th Congressional Districts, where incumbents Jim Moran and Frank Wolf will not be running for re-election.

There is a large field of candidates seeking Moran’s spot. Among them:  Democrats Mark Levine, Dels. Alfonso Lopez, Patrick Hope and Charniele Herring; state Sen. Adam Ebbin, Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille; former Lt. Gov. Don Beyer and Lavern Chatman, Bruce Shuttleworth and Derek Hyra. Republican Micah Edmond is also vying for the seat.

In the 10th District, which includes Herndon, Wolf is retiring after 17 terms. Dranesville Supervisor John Foust is running for the Democratic nod.  For the Republicans, State Del. Barbara Comstock is considered the frontrunner.

Connolly began hosting the annual event when he was first elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 1995 and has continued the tradition through his 10 elections.

Tickets to the fundraiser start at $40. For questions or to RSVP and pay at the door: [email protected] or call (703) 375-9374.

Dulles Transit Partners, the contractor building Metro’s Silver Line Phase 1, is working to complete the rail extension by early April or face substantial fines.

Reston 2020 co-chair Terry Maynard has an idea of what to do with those fines — put them toward alleviating the burden on Dulles Toll Road users, who face mounting costs that will help pay for Silver Line Phase 2.

“I believe that every last cent of those fines should go to stabilizing DTR tolls,” Maynard recently wrote in a letter to Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11th).  “Although the projected sums of the fines are not large compared with the multi-billion dollar price tag of Phase 1 of the line’s construction, we are at the point where every dollar counts.”

DTR told the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Feb. 7 that it had “reached substantial completion” on the rail extension, which will run from East Falls Church to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue. However, after a two-week review period, MWAA found issues with 7 of 12 areas, ranging from leaks to problems with the automatic train control system.

The contractor is currently fixing the issues. Then there will be another review period. If the work passes, the project will be turned over to Metro, which has 90 days to complete its own testing before opening the long-awaited Silver Line.

However, The Washington Post reported that DTP’s contract states the contractor must finish the work within seven months of the agreed upon completion date of Sept. 9, 2013 — or face fines in the millions.If the work is not finished within that time, starting roughly April 10, DTP would face a $25,000-a-day penalty until the work is done. If the project is not completed 92 days after that April date, the contractor would have to pay roughly $2.3 million in fines, plus an additional $75,000 a day.

Ultimately, if the project is delayed more than six months from that April date, DTP could be required to pay more than $9 million total. Under the terms of the contract, the payments are capped at $60 million.

Meanwhile,  tolls on the toll road  may rise substantially to help build Silver Line’s Phase 2, which will run from from Wiehle Avenue to Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County. The $2.7 billion Phase 2 is being built without federal funding, though it is now expected to get federal TIFIA loans, which are expected to keep tolls at a more reasonable level.

Early last year, MWAA said that toll rates may be as high as $6.75 by 2018 in order to keep pace with Silver Line costs. Independent estimates say the tolls could rise even higher.

“My greatest fear is that fines paid to MWAA will not be used in a manner that advances the Silver Line, much less eases the financial burden on DTR users,” Maynard said in his letter to Connolly.  “I also do not think that the ‘funding partners’ allocation of these funds is an equitable or fair way to handle any forthcoming fine revenue.

“As you know well, DTR users are now stuck with about half of the cost of Phase 1 of the Silver Line under the “funding partners” agreement — and most of them won’t be able to use the Silver Line to get to their destinations.  Assuring that any fine revenue is directed at easing their growing toll burden would be one small step toward correcting this inequitable arrangement.”

The full text of the letter is below:

Dear Congressman Connolly,

As a Restonian and fellow advocate of the Silver Line, I would like to ask you—as a leader in advancing the Silver Line’s completion—to pursue further financial assistance in alleviating the terrible toll increase burden Dulles Toll Road users are paying for its construction.  It appears that an opening is available:  If, as reported by the Washington Post, Dulles Transit Partners (DTP) faces substantial fines for further delays in completing the line, I believe that every last cent of those fines should go to stabilizing DTR tolls.  Although the projected sums of the fines are not large compared with the multi-billion dollar price tag of Phase 1 of the line’s construction, we are at the point where every dollar counts.

My greatest fear is that fines paid to MWAA will not be used in a manner that advances the Silver Line, much less eases the financial burden on DTR users.  I also do not think that the “funding partners” allocation of these funds is an equitable or fair way to handle any forthcoming fine revenue.  As you know well, DTR users are now stuck with about half of the cost of Phase 1 of the Silver Line under the “funding partners” agreement—and most of them won’t be able to use the Silver Line to get to their destinations.  Assuring that any fine revenue is directed at easing their growing toll burden would be one small step toward correcting this inequitable arrangement.

I hope that you can make sure that the $30 million or so in fines that the Post suggests may be forthcoming will be directly applied to the share of the construction cost borne by DTR users.

In the meantime, thank you for all that you have done to advance the Silver Line’s construction.  I certainly hope that its completion is near at hand and we can begin riding the rails soon.

Sincerely,

Terry Maynard

Board of Directors, Reston Citizen Association

Co-Chair, RCA Reston 2020 Committee

Boost The Seahawks — The South Lakes High School Athletic Boosters’ Casino Night is Friday at 7 p.m. at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods. Come by for casino games and a silent auction. Proceeds will benefit the Seahawk Athletic Boosters. [Reston Now]

Stay Safe on the W & OD — The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is conducting a safety survey. Take a few minutes to answer it so future topics can be adequately addressed at an upcoming safety seminar. [Survey Monkey]

Kudos For Hornets — The Herndon High Navy JROTC Varsity Orienteering Team recently placed third among 22 schools at the two-day Navy National Championship competition held recently in Georgia.  Individual standouts were Virginia Murphy, who finished third out of 17 female varsity competitors; Marshall Wilkins, who finished sixth out of 76 male varsity competitors; Joe Jackson, who finished 14^th out of 69 yellow course competitors; and Joe LaRosa, who finished 18^th out of 88 orange course competitors.

Taxes Up, But Are Services? — In Northern Virginia, where property taxes are rising, but services such as libraries and schools seem to always be playing catch-up. [Washington Post]

St. Patrick’s Day is Monday, March 17. But Saturday is the time to celebrate in Reston, where there is holiday fun planned for all day at Reston Town Center.

The Lucky Leprechaun 5K begins at 8:30 a.m. at Reston Town Center. Come dressed in your St. Paddy’s Day outfit, or just your running clothes to take part in this race for all ages.

There is a 100-yard kids fun run at 9:30 a.m.

Entry fee ($40) includes a meal ticket for Clyde’s of Reston’s St. Patrick’s Day menu, featuring corned beef and cabbage, green nachos and other Irish favorites.

Clyde’s of Reston’s St. Patrick’s Day Party begins at 9 a.m. and runs till 11 p.m. in the Pavilion at Reston Town Center.

There will be music, food and beer, as well as family friendly activities such as a moonbounce and face painting.

The party will be held rain or shine.