“Ghosts of Great Falls” — The mysterious disappearance of a Great Falls family in 1995 is the subject of Investigation Discovery’s “Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall” this Sunday. [Patch]
Solutions For Olympic-Goers — A Fairfax cyrobank is offering free sperm storage for DC-area men who are heading for Brazil and the 2016 Olympics. According to Fairfax Cryobank, men bitten by a Zika-infected mosquito become infectious and can spread the virus to a sexual partner, even if the man does not have symptoms. The virus can be detected in seminal flied for up to three months after a man is infected, risking serious birth defects. [WTOP]
New Sunday Concert Series — Have you checked out Sundays in the Park with the Shenandoah Conservatory? Reston Community Center is sponsoring these free performances Sundays, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Reston Town Square Park (Reston Town Center) trough July 31. [RCC]
Silver Line Drill Results — Metro’s smoke and fire response still needs some work, report says. [WTOP]
Davelle Clothiers has moved into its new location at 2 Fountain Square at Reston Town Center.
The locally owned men’s shop had been located for 25 years on the other side of the building, facing Fountain Square. Shoppers can now find them in a larger space, facing the RTC parking garages along Freedom Drive.
The new space provides more a shopping experience for men, with stone accent walls, a bar and TVs airing CNN and ESPN while you shop.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission will review next week the latest development plan for more new housing along Sunrise Valley Drive.
RP 11720, LLC, which is part of Rooney Properties, is seeking build 54 townhouses to replace a six-story office building constructed in 1985.
The parcel is at 11720 Sunrise Valley Dr., just west of the Mercer Condos, part of JBG’s Reston Heights, right across Roland Clarke Place, where Sekas Homes is planning to turn the former home of the American Press Institute into a residential development (34 townhouses and 10 condominiums). Rooney Properties also owns the former API building.
Rooney/Sekas Homes’ plan was was sent to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last month with a recommendation for denial of the application after the planning commission was made aware rather late in the process of the historical significance of the 1975 building designed by famed Brutalist architect Marcel Breuer. The Board of Supervisors hearing has not been scheduled.
The property also sits across from Reston National Golf Course, which has fended off redevelopment for now.
The developer is proposing four-story garage townhouses. Interior units would be about 1,00 to 1,450 square feet; end units would be about 1,350 to 1,700 square feet.
As Metro’s Safety Surge No. 5 gets underway Wednesday, it may not just be the Metro riders suffering delays and frustration.
Commuters who opt to drive to work — bypassing the latest Orange, Blue and Silver Line track work — will be impacted too, says a new traffic report.
The report by the regional Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments looked at the first four Safety Surges. The first surge, which affected Silver/Blue/Orange riders and the traffic on the west side of DC (including the Tysons-to-Reston Silver Line stretch) had the greatest effect on traffic so far, it said.
Since June, Metro has been making changes to various stretches of tracks stages in order to do major maintenance and repair work to the system. This 10-month project will enable Metro to complete three years of work in less than a year.
The report says that during the first surge (June 4 to June 16), congestion and travel delays increased, particularly on eastbound Interstate 66 in the mornings inside the Capital Beltway and along Route 50 and the Dulles Toll Road.
Drivers also complained about traffic on the Key Bridge, M Street NW, the Roosevelt Bridge, Constitution Avenue NW and other major commuter routes in Northern Virginia.
Travel times on highways were about 10 percent longer on average during the morning commute than in 2015, and about 15 percent longer during the afternoon commute, the report says. During Surges 2, 3 and 4, the traffic effects were much smaller. The major commuter routes saw an average increase of less than 3 percent.
In the traffic data analyzed in the report, portions of I-66, the Dulles Toll Road and the George Washington Memorial Parkway experienced travel-time increases that were double — sometimes more — than the typical morning commute.
But now we are in mid-summer, and transportation officials are hopeful that less traffic in general will mean an easier commute. This latest safety surge will run through July 31.
“TPB has consistently found that travel delay drops about 15-20 percent during summer months when schools and Congress are out and more people have greater flexibility in their travel schedules,” the report says.
See the full report on MWCOG’s website.
Mayuri, the Indian buffet restaurant at Hunters Woods Village Center, appears to be closed.
The restaurant originally said the shutdown was temporary. But that was more than two months ago and there have been few signs of activity at the business, where mail is piled up inside the front door.
Restaurant management put a sign on the door in May saying the location was closing for maintenance.
The restaurant has been at Hunters Woods for about 10 years.
Meanwhile, a call to Mayuri gets a recording saying the “mailbox is not in service.”
Dog Park Playdates — This is happening every Wednesday night at Reston Town Center this summer. [Modern Reston]
Moved — PR Barbers has moved from Market Street to a new spot on Discovery Street at Reston Town Center. [Instagram]
Peregrine Falcon Mystery — Falcons made a nest in 2015 in Reston. But that’s a rarity, so bird experts are trying to solve it. [Connection]
Fairfax May Hire Independent Auditor For Police Complaints — County is looking into unusual step of hiring a full-time, independent auditor who will “participate in and monitor all Internal Affairs investigations” of police shootings, in-custody deaths and all other police-involved deaths or serious injuries. [Washington Post]
Photo by Jennifer Heffner
The start of school may be more than a month away, but Reston nonprofit Cornerstones is working on ensuring more than 3,500 students have what they need on the first day.
Cornerstones, working with partner Kids R First, has kicked off its annual backpack drive. The organization is seeking new backpacks for Reston and Herndon students who are Cornerstones’ clients or who receive free or reduced lunch.
Cornerstones is urging individuals, corporations and organizations to get involved to make the backpack drive a success
Here is what is needed.
- New backpacks with no logos or wheels.
- High school size: 20″ x 14″ 7″ (the area of greatest need)
- Middle school size: 18″ x 13″ x 6″
- Elementary school size: 16 ” x 12″ x 5″
Backpacks can be purchased online at Walmart or Amazon, with free shipping directly to Cornerstones.
Additionally, Cornerstones is requesting donations of new underwear for elementary age children. Payless Shoes gift cards ($25) are also welcome so Cornerstones’ clients can get a new pair of shoes.
Donors can pledge online the number of backpacks they would like to donate.
Groups planning a collection can email [email protected] to request a personalized flyer to distribute.
Backpacks should be delivered to Cornerstones’ offices, 11150 Sunset Hills Rd., Suite 210, Reston VA 20190 Aug. 8-12, 9 to 5 p.m.
Virginia tax free school shopping on backpacks will also be in effect Aug. 5 to 7.
Questions? Contact Cornerstones at 571-323-9568 or [email protected].
Reston Association and Fairfax County Police are investigating vandalism cases that occurred at two RA pools late Thursday or early Friday.
Vandals hit Glade and Hunters Woods Pools, where damage was found Friday morning, said RA spokesman Mike Leone.
At Glade, feces were found in the skimmer pots of the pool. Unfortunately, the mess was not discovered until after swim team practice, said Leone.
The pool was shut down for most of the day Friday as RA personnel cleaned the pool and followed sanitation procedures, he said.
At Hunters Woods, swim team coaches discovered cigarette butts, a torn hot tub cover, whole beer bottles in the hot tub, and broken bottles on the pool deck and in the pool.
The debris was cleaned up and the pool sanitized. No one was injured by the glass, said Leone.
Leone said all pools have six-foot high fences and locks. But there are cases every summer of people scaling the fences to get into the pool.
Despite the two events on Friday, vandalism case reports are down from last summer, said Leone.
The Fairfax County Public Schools Board has canceled this week’s discussion of new transgender regulations and will temporarily suspend implementation of the protections, FCPS said on Tuesday.
The decision comes after an extensive closed session on Monday, FCPS says.
There was a work session on the proposed regulation scheduled for Thursday night.
In May of 2015, the School Board voted to extend the FCPS non-discrimination policy (Policy 1450) to include gender identity. The purpose of the regulation is to establish procedures and guidelines for schools to support gender non-conforming and transgender students that are in-line with the policy and legal requirements, the school system said.
The board determined this week it needs more time to evaluate the legal issues surrounding the regulation, including a case now pending before the Supreme Court on this topic from a Virginia school district.
“While the regulation is temporarily on hold, Policy 1450 remains in effect, and the Board remains committed to this policy of nondiscrimination,” new school board chair Sandy Evans said in a statement.
“Consistent with the policy, and current practice, FCPS continues to accommodate the needs of transgender and gender non-conforming students in a way that protects the dignity and privacy of all students.”
FCPS’ board says it will continue to closely evaluate and monitor the legal implications, as well as the community’s questions, through the start of the 2016-17 school year. Prior to any implementation, or formal adoption of the regulation, the school board will provide additional information and further opportunity for public comment on the topic.
A new restaurant has signed a lease and is seeking permits for space at Hunters Woods Village Center.
King Pollo, a local Peruvian chicken chainlet, is renovating space at 2254G Hunters Woods Plaza, according to Fairfax County records.
King Pollo also has stores in Woodbridge, Alexandria, Sterling, Chantilly and Silver Spring.
The restaurant specializes in Peruvian-style wood charcoal broiled chicken. Chicken meals come with sides, including yuca, plantains, vegetables and fries. There are other South American specialities too, including beef and pork dishes and pupusas. See the menu on King Pollo’s website.
No opening date has been announced. Also, two other restaurants that signed leases for space at Hunters Woods in recent years never opened. Chinto’s Burritos was scheduled to open in 2014, but scrapped plans due to financing issues.
A Pho restaurant signed a lease for the former Cold Spoon frozen yogurt spot in September 2015. However, work has not begun and a sign on the window says the space is still for rent.
The Fairfax County Police have released a new report detailing use of force incidents — and the potential racial disparities in those incidents — in the county last year.
The report shows there were 539 use of force incidents investigated county supervisors in 2015. Of those, 57 proceeded to administrative investigations. In one of the cases, a use of force violation was found, and a reprimand was issued, the report shows.
Fifty-two percent (282 of the incidents) involved persons police identified as white; 222 subjects identified as black (41 percent); 18 identified as Hispanic (4 percent); and 17 identified as Asian (3 percent).
How that compares to Fairfax County’s population: Only 8 percent of Fairfax County’s 1.1 million residents are black; 16 percent Hispanic; and 63 percent are to be white.
The officers involved in the incidents were largely white men, the report shows (740 of the 985 officers involved). The department’s racial breakdown: 83 percent of officers are white; 7 percent are black; and 5 percent are Hispanic.
The report shows 98 percent of the time, civilians in the use of force complaints were unarmed. The most common type of use of force used by police was physical contact, followed by stun gun and pointed gun, the report states. A gun was discharged by an officer just once in 2015.
Meanwhile, on the Board of Supervisors’ Public Safety Committee will review recommendations on Tuesday for increased civilian oversight of the police department issued by a commission formed after the 2013 police shooting of an unarmed man in Springfield.
Police Games Donation — The World Police and Fire Games, which held its 2015 competition in Fairfax County last June and July, last week donated donated $40,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). Surplus funds from the 2015 World Police and Fire Games were used to make the donation. The NFF honors fallen firefighters and provides resources to assist their survivors. The Foundation also works within the fire community to reduce firefighter deaths and injuries.
Expansion For Cafesano — Cafesano, the locally owned Mediterranean restaurant located at South Lakes Village Center since 2005, has announced plans to expand near Dulles Town Center. No word on exact address or opening date.
Fundraising For Central Park Explosion Victim — A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help Connor Golden, who lost part of his leg in a freak explosion in New York’s Central Park earlier this month. Golden, a 2015 Oakton High grad who attends University of Miami, was playing in the park with friends on July 3 when he stepped on the homemade explosive. The campaign hopes to raise $50,000. [Fairfax Times]
It has not been 100 degrees in the Washington area since July of 2012.
We may see the century mark later this week — and maybe more than once.
The Capital Weather Gang says forecasting models are “fairly uniform in forecasting high temperatures near or above 100 degrees this weekend. Temperatures could approach 100 on Friday and Monday too, models suggest.”
The combination of heat and humidity could be particularly brutal. The National Weather Service predicts a heat index of 106 degrees Saturday and says there’s a 28 percent it could exceed 110.
And don’t get scared — but do check your air conditioning system. The European model predicts a high of 106 degrees on Sunday, which would tie D.C.’s highest recorded temperature (established Aug. 6, 1918, and matched July 20, 1930).
Another model, the GFS model, says it will a high of 105 degrees in D.C. Sunday.
The CWG says “it is premature to confidently call for temperatures this high since the exact intensity of the heat wave is uncertain and will evolve.” But know this: it will be the hottest stretch of 2016.
Photo by Fabio Rossi via Flickr
Metro is about to undertake Safety Surge No. 5, and that will affect Silver Line riders until the end of the month.
The Safety Surge — part of Metro’s 10-month Safe Track project to make much-needed safety improvements in a short time span — has involved the shutdown, single tracking or other changes that impact riders on various lines at various times.
Here is what starts this week:
- From July 20 until July 31, Orange and Silver line trains will continuously single track between East Falls Church and Ballston.
- On weekdays, Orange Line trains between Vienna and Ballston will operate every 18 minutes.
- Additional Orange Line trains will operate between Ballston and New Carrollton only
- Silver Line trains will operate every 18 minutes
- At 10:00 p.m. all trains will operate every 20 minutes
Trains from Vienna to Ballston and Wiehle-Reston East to Ballston are likely to be extremely crowded, especially during rush-hour periods, says Metro.
Customers at Ballston should consider using the additional train service that originates at Ballston and will board on the opposite platform from through-train service. This may lengthen departure time, but will give riders the best opportunity to find space, says Metro.
And again, Metro riders who have the ability to do so should consider alternate travel options and avoid traveling during rush hour if possible, Metro says.
Carpooling, slugging, biking and the use of Fairfax Connector express bus service to Arlington, with connections to Washington D.C., is strongly encouraged.
Thinking of biking to work? Consult these maps.
Orange Line Connections I Map (PDF)
Silver Line Connections I Map (PDF)
Surge No. 5 Key Express Bus Connections
- Herndon & Reston > Pentagon > Washington D.C.
- Vienna Metrorail Station > Pentagon
- East Falls Church > Rosslyn > Washington D.C.
There are more than 4,000 parking spaces available at various Park-and-Ride facilities across Fairfax County that are open to carpoolers and sluggers, and provide convenient express or regular bus service to Arlington and Washington, D.C. Most Park-and-Ride facilities also offer bike lockers and rooms, and all Fairfax Connector buses feature bike racks for easy transfer from trails to transit. For details on these facilities and a list of bus connections and schedules, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/safetrack.
Lake Anne Plaza’s Kalypso’s Sports Tavern is jumping into the Pokemon Go craze.
The restaurant is sponsoring a “King of the Lake” Pokegym contest — for adults only.
The contest goes through Thursday. Here is how to play:
- Have your Pokemon at the top level of the “Lake Anne Fountain” PokeGym by the end of the round.
- Name your Pokemon “Kalypso”
- Take a screenshot of your pokemon in the PokeGym and show it to either your server or bartender for confirmation.
- Then post your screenshot on either Facebook or Twitter, and tag Kalypso’s in the post.
- Winners (21 and over please) get a Kalypso’s Sports Tavern $25 gift card.
(Editor’s note: Kalypso’s is a Reston Now sponsor)
