Fairfax County Public Schools says it is seeing a decline in football injuries because of a concussion and injury prevention program it put in place three years ago.
In 2013, FCPS adopted USA Football’s Heads Up Football, an education-based approach to injury prevention. That has resulted in a significant decline in injuries, said Bill Curran, the school system’s director of student activities and athletic programs. FCPS was the first high school program in the U.S. to adopt Heads Up Football.
FCPS reports that concussions have dropped more than 43 percent since its adoption of Heads Up Football, and that injuries have fallen nearly 24 percent.
The Virginia High School League also endorses Heads Up Football.
Head injuries have become a national issue as many former NFL players have presented with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a brain degenerative brain condition, from repeated tackling and blocking in their careers.
This year, the Pop Warner League — the country’s largest youth football program — settled its first and only concussion-related lawsuit that was brought by the mother of a former player who blamed the sport for her son’s suicide. Read More
Lake Anne Boat Rentals Begin Today — It’s the season for kayaks, canoes and rowboats. You can rent those boats by the hour at Lake Anne Plaza Thursdays through Sundays until Labor Day. Tickets can be purchased at the Reston Used Book Shop for $8/hour.
SLHS Falls in Lacrosse Regionals — South Lakes boys lacrosse’s winning streak ended at 14 in a row on Wednesday. The Seahawks lost to Woodson 13-7 in a Virginia 6A Northern Regional Semifinal game at home. The Seahawks will still play in the state tournament beginning next week.
Memorial Day Traffic to Peak Thursday — Heading out of town for Memorial Day? Try to avoid driving Thursday afternoon or evening, which is expected to have the worst traffic of the holiday period. A better time to leave is between 8 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday. [Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments]
FCPS On Transgender Protections — The Obama Administration earlier this month put into effect new guidelines that say students must be able to use the restroom that matches their gender identity. Here’s a look at where the Fairfax County Public Schools board, which put protections in place in 2015, is on the issue. [Connection]
Lake Fairfax Park’s The Water Mine Family Swimmin’ Hole opens for the season Saturday with some new features as part of it’s recent $5.5 million renovation.
New this year: Private family cabanas and umbrellas that you can reserve in advance. Some of the canopies can accommodate groups of 40-150 people. Rental fees range from $39 for a “funbrella” to $59 for a six-person umbrella to $300 for the 150-person party tent.
Visit The Water Mine’s website to learn more.
The Water Mine, which is run by the Fairfax County Park Authority, completed most of its renovations late last summer. The star attraction is a big, new slide tower with three chutes.
Other improvements include the individual cabanas; improved shaded seating areas in the grass area around the Water Mine; an additional play structure in the spray ground; and space for mobile food vendors.
Old favorites remain. Among them: the Rattlesnake River, a 725-foot lazy river feature, and Tenderfoot Pond, a zero-depth entry water play area for young patrons.
2016 prices:
- $15.95 – Over 48″ tall – weekends and holidays
- $14.85 – Over 48″ tall – Monday through Friday (except holidays)
- $12.25 – Under 48″ tall
- $9 – After 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (except holidays) Not available in August/September
- Free – 2 years old and younger
- Group Rates
- Season Pass
Photo: New slides at The Water Mine
Reston Association has created a dog park working group in an effort to bring compromise to the dog park issue that has been, well, dogging Baron Cameron-area residents and dog park users for several years.
The move comes after citizens on both sides of the issue spent about two hours speaking to the Reston Association Board of Directors at their March meeting.
The problem, say many residents of Longwood Grove, a subdivision located across Wiehle Avenue from the off-leash area at Baron Cameron Park, is noise. The Longwood Grove residents say they can hear dogs barking at the park day and night and it is affecting their quality of life.
Affected Longwood Grove residents have complained to the Fairfax County Park Authority, which runs the park, and filed a lawsuit against FCPA and the nonprofit that formerly administered the dog park.
This spring, the Longwood Grove homeowners asked RA for its help, even though RA does not have jurisdiction over the county park. Residents have told RA that they would like to see the dog park moved to Lake Fairfax Park, another Fairfax County Park Authority park that is farther away from homes; or any available and appropriate Reston Association land and participate in a land swap with the county.
Members of the working group include Longwood Grove residents Carrie Sawicki, Linda Levy and Moira Callaghan; dog park users Barbara & David Okerson, Lee Stokes, Natalie Shanks, Robert Barnett, Heather Lawson, and Gabriel Relva; and former Reston Dogs (the nonprofit that administed the park until last year) members Cary Coryell and Rachel Kranz.
The group will provide the RA Board of Directors by late July a set of community recommendations that the association can convey to the Fairfax County Park Authority on improving the operation of the park.
This week’s Reston Pet of the Week is Edie, an older cat looking for a forever home as her owner had to go into assisted living. Here is what the Feline Foundation of Greater Washington has to say about her:
Purrfect companion and videogame partner!
If love could be packaged, it would come wrapped in fur. Brown tabby and white fur, to be exact. And FFGW’s got it! Love = Spice Girl a/k/a Spicey a/k/a Edie, her current and favorite name.
Although her life has been long and rich already, Edie has plenty in reserve to share with you. Edie came into foster care when her dad, a long time FFGW volunteer, had to enter assisted living. She made the adjustment from a multicat household to being an only child as if born for the role.
Her foster mom is a graduate student, and, as you can see from the photo below, Edie is an excellent study partner. She is also a practitioner of meditation (or napping), and an avid player of feline video games. Most of all, Edie is a friendly, loving companion eager to open her heart to you, to climb into your lap and cuddle.
Edie doesn’t believe in calendars, and talk of her age bores her. But we do have to tell you that she has been examined by our vet from the tip of her pink nose to the last hair on the tip of her tail and been pronounced in excellent health.
Are you and Edie a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you $100 in Becky’s Bucks, as well as some treats.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet.
Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has signed an executive directive Wednesday instructing state transportation officials to facilitate the creation and staffing of a Metro Safety Commission.
The commission will have the authority to oversee compliance with safety directives at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
Executive Directive 8 also instructs the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation to review all accident investigations related to the Metrorail system, to inspect public and nonpublic areas of the system, and to assess the state of repair for all trains, tracks and other infrastructure.
“Our administration has been a constant advocate for stronger safety protections for the commuters who use the Metrorail system each day, including more than 300,000 Virginians,” McAuliffe said in a statement. “We concur with the direction of the new leadership at WMATA and its work to ensure that safety is the central goal of the Metrorail system. By establishing the Metro Safety Commission and collaborating with our partners in Maryland and the District of Columbia, we are putting in place the necessary policies and oversight to ensure that safety continues to be the top priority.” Read More
One of Reston Town Center’s longest-running tenants is moving — but just to another location at RTC.
Davelle Clothiers, which has been located at 11904 Market St. for 25 years, will open a new space this summer. The new shop will be just across the lobby of the same building, and will face the parking garage rather than the fountain, Davelle management says.
The locally owned men’s clothing store is currently holding a moving sale, where all merchandise is 30 to 60 percent off.
When the store relocates later this summer, it will be into a larger space with much more offerings, says Davelle’s website. Look for a custom design studio, an expanded shoe department and refreshments, among other changes.
Big Gift to Reston Historic Trust — Reston Residents Shashi and Margaret Gupta have donated $100,000 to the Reston Historic Trust Endowment Fund. This is the largest donation received by the Endowment Fund, which is now up to about $600,000 in gifts and pledges that will go towards providing school outreach programs, history lectures, permanent and temporary exhibits and more.
Intern At Riverbend Park This Summer — Riverbend Park, a Fairfax County Park Authority Park in Great Falls, is looking for a Nature Education Intern and a Fishing Education Intern for 10 to 12 weeks. The positions involve teaching at camps and working with children at a park alongside the Potomac River. [FCPA]
Crabs At Red’s Table — Red’s Table at South Lakes Village Center is hosting a Maryland-style crab feast on June 4. Reserve buckets of crabs ($65 per dozen) by calling (571) 375-7755.
Lax Time — The South Lakes boys lacrosse team, which has won 14 straight games, will play a Virginia Northern Region 6A Semifinal game at home against Woodson tonight at 7 p.m. The Seahawks already qualified for the state tournament with their quarterfinal win last week.
Express buses will be running from Reston to the Pentagon when Metro’s SafeTrack program gets underway early next month.
That’s just one means of mitigating aggravation, delays and traffic during Metro’s accelerated safety program that will condense three years of repairs into one year.
Metro will accomplish this by working nights, weekends, and in 15 “Safety Surges,” which will mean rolling, longterm track outages in various parts of the system.
See the full schedule of Safety Surges.
Reston-area commuters will be affected early in the process. The Silver and Orange Lines will be single tracking from Ballston to East Falls Church June 4 to 16. Then from June 18 to July 3, the Silver/Orange/Blue lines will be closed from Eastern Market to Minnesota Ave/Benning Road in D.C.
Metro officials said Silver Line trains will run about every 18 minutes during the surge. They are also encouraging riders to seek alternate forms of transportation.
Fairfax County Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova said on Tuesday, following a transportation committee board meeting, that the Board of Supervisors is “very supportive of the SafeTrack Plan.”
“We feel the time is more than over for WMATA to put in this kind of safety effort,” she said. “But it will not be easy and convenient for folks.”
Bulova said she encourages Fairfax County commuters to carpool, take buses and and telework during Safety Surges.
The Pentagon bus service will cost $4 per trip. It will depart from the Reston North Park and Ride (11300 Sunset Hills Rd., opposite the Wiehle-Reston East Metro) every 30 minutes from 5:05 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. The one-way trip is expected to take 35 minutes.
In the evening, the buses will depart Pentagon Bay L7 every 10 minutes from 3:40 p.m. to 6:05 p.m.
See more information and more alternative transportation resources on Fairfax County’s website.
Photo: Sharon Bulova, chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, after Tuesday’s transportation committee meeting.
A former Fairfax County Police officer and public information spokesman pleaded guilty Monday to 10 counts of possessing child pornography.
William M. “Bud” Walker, 50, was a FCPD officer for 15 years, the last six years spent as a spokesman in the police public information unit where he handled inquiries from the news media. He also was a former school resource officer at Fairfax County Public Schools’ South County High School. Read More
A Reston woman said she was the target of local abduction scammers — a trend Fairfax County Police warned residents about last week. Quick thinking and following advice from police helped thwart the would-be scammers, she said.
In the last two months, scammers have been calling people and telling them they have their children and demanding money, police said.
The woman, who works in human resources for a Herndon company, said she received a call at 3:30 p.m. Friday from an unknown caller who had a female on the line who sounded “exactly like my [23-year-old] daughter. She was crying and speaking incoherently.”
Here’s what happened next:
“I wrote a note to my co-worker to call 911,” said the woman, who asked her name not be used. “The caller said he kidnapped my daughter and was demanding that I pay a ransom. His instructions were not to hang up, not put the phone on speaker or mute and to go directly to my car and then to a bank. He made demands that I call him ‘son’ that I not try to call the police or contact anyone else.
“My co-workers jumped into action,” she said. “They called and met the police, kept me calm and called family members trying to confirm that my daughter was in fact okay. This lasted about 25 minutes until my daughter answered the call from the Fairfax County police.” Read More
Bikeable = Likable? — Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB) has a look at how more bicycle connectivity will improve suburban areas such as Reston and Tysons. [FABB]
So Long, Window Stickers — The Town of Herndon is doing away with vehicle registration stickers. [Town of Herndon]
Development At Horse Therapy Site? — A rezoning application for property near Frying Pan Park, where disabled children take part in the SPIRIT Open Equestrian program, may mean the program will have to move. A developer wants to open a school for the arts on the property on West Ox Road. [WJLA]
Police Community Meeting Tuesday — Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station will host a community meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Come hear from the crime scene technician at police HQ, 1801 Cameron Glen Dr.
McAuliffe Under Investigation — The FBI and U.S. Justice Department say they are investigating Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe for possible campaign donation violations. [CNN]
Reston Association says the Lake House property is facing a nearly $500,000 cost overrun and is seeking the Board of Directors’ approval to move $430,000 from the 2016 Operating Fund to cover some of the costs.
There are several reasons for the big gap. Among them: Former tenant Tetra commercial real estate was expected to rent back the property through 2016.
Instead, the company, which had its offices in the building since 2003, left at the end of 2015. That means RA did not receive about $107,000 in payments and was also responsible for paying $20,000 in property taxes. Tetra did not break a contract — the contract ended at the end of 2015. It did, however, unexpectedly opt not to sign two six-month renewals, said RA CEO Cate Fulkerson.
“When [Tetra president] Bill Lauer died [in 2015], it was his intention to rent back through 2016,” said Fulkerson. “His wife, Rosemary, said the company just could not stay — it held too many memories. So we said OK, but it accelerated our plan by a whole year.” Read More
It has finally stopped. For now.
“It” is the rain and it has interfered with everything from baseball games to last weekend’s Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival to the general mood of the people of Reston.
The Capital Weather Gang says so far this May, D.C. has had a record number of rainy days (19 of 23) and the coolest high temperatures since 1882. This May’s afternoon highs are running 15 degrees cooler than last May. It is nearly Memorial Day weekend and we still haven’t hit 80 degrees. Read More
Several concerned citizens — as well as members of the county Architectural Review Board — want Fairfax County to take another look at the historical significance of the former American Press Institute Building in Reston before giving the go-ahead for a residential neighborhood to be constructed there.
Developer Sekas is looking to rezone the 4.6-acres of land from industrial to residential in order to build 34 townhouses and 10 condominiums at 11690 Sunrise Valley Dr.
The Brutalist-style building, designed by noted architect Marcel Breuer housed the API from 1974 until API merged with the Newspaper Association of America in 2012. The building has been vacant since.
The Fairfax County Architectural Review Board will hold a meeting on the subject at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax.
