Ever just want to clear your mind?

The Greater Reston Arts Center and Reston’s Beloved Yoga are teaming up for a meditation workshop among the latest GRACE art installation.

The workshop, Contemplate Art: Thought Experiments, Black Holes & Meditation, will have a session Jan. 28, which has already filled. There will also be a session Monday, Feb. 8 from 7 to 8:30 p.m., as well as one for teens on Thursday, Feb. 11 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Beloved Yoga directors Maryam Ovissi and Jafar Alexander will lead participants through a thoughtful exploration of the ideas presented in Rebecca Kamen’s exhibition Continuum.

From GRACE:

We will sit among the art work and experience first hand the “Thought Experiments” that Einstein used to give birth to the Theory of Relativity. We will also dive deeply into the idea of black holes and expand perceptions that black holes don’t only give birth to stars and planets in other dimensions but that they are very much related to the space within ourselves that gives birth to creativity and ideas.

If you are an artist, this discussion/experience will offer you new tools to approach your work and process. This event is perfect for anyone that is curious.

The session is for ages 18 and up. Free for GRACE members. $5 donation for non-members. Email [email protected] to register.

Meet Indianna Jones, this week’s Pet of the Week. Indianna, a pug, lives in Reston with her people. Melissa and Phil. Here is what Melissa has to say about her:

Indianna Jones , or Indy as she is known to most, is a charismatic 4-year old fawn pug. From a very early age Indy has lived up to her name.

She was born in the Shenandoah mountains on a pug farm with five other brothers and sisters. My husband and I always like to say that we didn’t pick her, she picked us. Within her first few weeks of life she wandered right into a storm drain and had to be rescued through a manhole. Her only sustaining injury is her ongoing fear of any sewer drains she spots while on a walk. She avoids them at all costs! (Can you blame her???)

Indy loves walks around Reston Town Center and Lake Anne Plaza. She has traveled the country and spent time hiking and exploring in Washington State, Colorado, Iowa, and West Virginia. Indy is a pure delight and is loved by everyone who meets her! Her weaknesses are bananas and peanut butter and her strengths are her unconditional love and fetching regular-size tennis balls.

Indianna Jones and her owners will receive $100 in Becky’s Bucks, as well as some treats, from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care.

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.

Fairfax County election officials are concerned that fights and other chaos may ensue when state officials demand Republicans pledge their support in Virginia’s March 1 primaries.

Fairfax County Electoral Board Secretary Katherine K. Hanley, a Reston resident and the former county supervisor chair (1995-2003), asked the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to ask the Fairfax County Public School board to close schools on primary day.

“That’s about as contentious as anything we can possibly be doing in a polling place on Election Day,” she told the supervisors. She said she is concerned about backlash from Donald Trump supporters — and opponents — that could occur at polling places. Read More

Reston Pediatrics, one of Reston’s busiest pediatric practices for more than 20 years, says it will relocate its offices to Loudoun County next week.

Reston Pediatrics — Drs. Ruth Mann, Martin Forman and Judit Sivo — is joining with the doctors from its Sterling location to consolidate into one new office at 44160 Scholar Plaza in Landsdowne.

Dr. Forman said the lease at the Reston office at 11130 Sunrise Valley Dr. was expiring, as was the lease in Sterling.

“It was time to consolidate and have all the doctors in one place,” he said.

Forman has practiced medicine in Reston since 1985, founding Reston Pediatrics with Dr. Mann in 1989. The office had been located on Sunrise Valley for 18 years. Read More

New Digs For Coldwell Banker — Reston’s Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage has moved from 1801 Old Reston Ave. to new space inside Reston Town Center at 11911 Freedom Drive, Suite 520. [Coldwell Banker]

Free Food — Carrabba’s Italian Grill, which has a location in Reston, is giving away one million free dishes to introduce people to its new menu. The first one million people to sign up online receive a free appetizer, small plate or entree. [Carrabba’s]

Teachers Earn Help — Teachers from Lake Anne Elementary and Herndon High School were among the recipients of Apple IMPACT Grants for Schools and Teachers by Apple Federal Credit Union (AFCU). School level grants provide $5,000 to each winning school, and teacher level grants provide up to $2,000 to winning teachers and teams of teachers. [FCPS]

Metro Plans Lacking Bike Space — A biking advocacy group is not pleased with little planning for bicycle parking and storage at the future Reston Town Center Metro station. [Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling]

Photo: Medical helicopter at Reston Hospital Center

Fairfax County Police charged a man with assault and battery, disorderly conduct and animal cruelty after he allegedly assaulted a family and the family dog Saturday morning in Great Falls.

Police were called to the 10600 block of Runaway Lane at 8:19 a.m.

They said a man, believed to be experiencing emotional distress, approached a couple and their children as they were attempting to get into their car. The suspect allegedly yelled obscenities and assaulted the husband and the family’s dog, and verbally threatened the wife, police said.

Responding officers witnessed some of the erratic behavior and took the suspect into custody immediately. He was charged with assault and battery, disorderly conduct, and animal cruelty. He will undergo a psychological evaluation Monday, police said. His identity is being withheld due to the sensitive nature of this case.

There were no injuries.

In other crime news reported by FCPD’s Reston District Station:

UNLAWFUL ENTRY

A resident reported that an unidentified female entered a residence in the 1100 block of Amanda Drive in Great Falls through an unlocked door Friday at about 8:06 p.m.

The suspect spoke briefly to the resident and then left without taking anything. She was described as white, about 30 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall and around 130 pounds. She had short, straight, reddish-blonde hair. She was wearing a black dress, a black coat and black heels. She was carrying a black purse.

LARCENIES

•  1800 block of Explorer, credit card from business
• 2200 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, clothing from business
• 1400 block of North Gate Square, cash from residence
• 11700 block of North Shore Drive, property from vehicle
•  1400 block of Parkdale Court, driver’s license from residence
• 1600 block of Wiehle Avenue, briefcase from vehicle

Fairfax County Police said Fox Mill Road between Lawyers Road and Steeplechase Road in Reston is closed as of 3:45 p.m. Tuesday because a power pole fell across the roadway.

Traffic will be affected for an undetermined amount of time, police said.

Tuesday’s commute home could be kind of slippery. Snow showers — the first of the season — are expected to hit about 4 p.m., followed by a steep drop in temperatures.

Here is the latest (as of about 2 p.m.) from the National Weather Service:

…SNOW SHOWERS AND STRONG WINDS EXPECTED TO IMPACT RUSH HOUR THIS EVENING…

A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE REGION THIS EVENING DURING RUSH HOUR. THE FRONT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THE SNOW SHOWERS WILL START TO MOVE INTO THE METRO AREA BY 4 PM AND SHOULD CLEAR THE REGION BY 8 PM.

THE SNOW SHOWERS MAY BE LOCALLY HEAVY AND COULD DROP A QUICK COATING OF SNOW IN SOME AREAS. WHILE ROAD TEMPERATURES ARE WARM AT PRESENT…GUSTY WINDS AND COLDER AIR MOVING INTO THE AREA MAY RESULT IN PATCHES OF ICE ON UNTREATED ROADWAYS THIS EVENING. THE GUSTY WINDS MAY ALSO REACH 50 MPH WHICH COULD CAUSE SPOTTY MINOR DAMAGE.

EVENING COMMUTERS SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION AND TAKE THEIR TIME. VISIBILITY COULD DROP RAPIDLY FOR A BRIEF PERIOD DURING HEAVIER SNOW SHOWERS…AND ROADS WHICH APPEAR WET LATER THIS EVENING COULD IN FACT BE ICY.

file photo

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved a $1.7 million plan to bring a bikeshare network to Reston and Tysons.

The approval, at the supervisors’ regular meeting on Tuesday, was the final step in getting financing in place for the project, which could be operational by late 2016.

In October, the supervisors OKed the county’s application for the Virginia Department of Transportation’s FY 2017 Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Grant Application. The grant will give the bike program $400,000 as seed money for bike share program. The money will go to pay for needed equipment such as bicycles and station hardware.

Sharon Bulova, chair of the Board of Supervisors says the county’s investment will help get cars off the road, boost local economy and contribute to a healthier community. Read More

General Dynamics Corporation is planning to build a large office building on Sunset Hills Road near Hunter Mill Road.

The aerospace and defense company has filed plans with Fairfax County for development on the 21.7-acre parcel at 11011 Sunset Hills Rd., which is currently a vacant lot between Hunter Mill Road and Wiehle Avenue.

The lot has previously been approved by the county for three buildings totaling 357,694 square feet. General Dynamics’ plans for Phase I of the project are for one 190,000-square-foot building with underground parking.

The headquarters would have about 200 employees, county officials said. General Dynamics currently leases several floors of a building in Falls Church. That lease will expire in 2019, the firm says.

While the development is planned for the commercial/industrial lot, it is located across from Dressage Lane, the entrance to a residential development. The county has sent letters to residents informing them of General Dynamics plans.

Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins has also scheduled a community meeting for next week to discuss with residents the impact the office building will have on traffic and other community concerns.

“While this development will go through the standard Reston Planning and Zoning Committee review process, I wanted to also give the community an early opportunity to talk about the development and address any concerns,” said Hudgins. “The owner and developer involved will be present and available for questions. My hope is that by engaging the community at the onset everyone can be fully informed as the review process proceeds.”

The meeting is at 7 p.m on Jan. 20 at South Lakes High School.

Photo: Future site of General Dynamics on Sunset Hills Road

It’s been a mild winter in Reston so far. Remember wearing shorts on Christmas Day? Or that we’ve already set a record for the latest date with no measurable snow?

That could change on Tuesday. Maybe.

Meteorologists say an Alberta clipper will be dropping down across the Great Lakes and heading here today, bringing blustery conditions and snow showers to Northern Virginia.

But they also say temperatures may hover in the 40s, making it too warm for any significant snow. After sundown, though, temperatures will drop and the snow may pick up.

Still, they for calling “conversational” snow around here. Possibly enough to whiten the ground; not nearly enough to impact driving, school schedules or snowman making.

FCPS Superintendent Is Listening — Fairfax County Schools Superintendent Karen Garza will be stop at five county schools to listen to what is on residents’ minds as the 2017 budget process ensues. The closest stop near Reston is at Madison High School on Feb. 9. [FCPS]

Help Moms In Need — The Naomi Project, a program of Our Daily Bread, is seeking volunteers to mentor at-risk pregnant or newly parenting women who live throughout Northern Virginia. A training session will be held on Saturday, Feb. 20 in Fairfax. information available at: [Our Daily Bread]

Skip The Emissions Line — Some drivers in Fairfax County may now be eligible for RapidPass emissions testing. If a driver goes through a selected area, their car will automatically be tested while driving, and the driver will be billed $28. [WTOP]

Google Cardboard Takes Kids Around The World — Students at Reston’s Ideaventions Academy took a recent field trip using Google Cardboard. [WUSA9]

Reston Town Center at night/Courtesy Reston Town Center via Facebook

When the Virginia General Assembly’s 2016 session gets underway this week, one prefiled bill to be discussed is the way for new cities to be established in the Commonwealth.

Del. Randy Minchew of (R-Loudoun) has filed a bill that would lift a longtime moratorium on towns and jurisdictions with populations of more than 40,000 transforming into cities. The law was enacted in 1987 and is set to expire in 2018.

Minchew’s bill is mostly aimed at Leesburg, which has town status and whose residents often complain they are double-billed by county and town taxes.

So what does this have to do with Reston? Passage of Minchew’s bill into law could resurrect the movement to make Reston a town.

That movement has been dormant the last several years, but was a hot topic — particularly among members of the Reston Citizens Association — about a decade ago.

With about 60,000 residents Reston, which is a Census-designated place but neither a town nor a city — would be among the largest towns in Virginia.

In 2005, RCA held a series of community meetings and collected more than 600 signatures asking for a state referendum on becoming a town. There were also similar citizen efforts in 1980 and 1988.

Since some Reston residents pay Fairfax County taxes, Reston Association assessments, cluster dues and Small Tax District 5 taxes, town status would save Restonians money, RCA said at the time.

The most recent effort did not receive broad support from Reston Association, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors or Del. Ken Plum or Sen. Janet Howell. Read More

Corrected 4 p.m. to show Harper’s Square is near South Lakes Village Center, not Hunters Woods.

Fairfax County Police are investigating an animal cruelty case after a pet owner found one of his cats with a dart shot through his eye.

Police said they were called to the 10900 block of Harper’s Square Court near South Lakes Village Center about 6:10 p.m. on Saturday.

The resident reported that one of their cats was found with a metal projectile, described as a dart, in one eye. The cat was immediately taken for medical treatment.

There is no specific suspect information at this time. The public is strongly encouraged to call the police department with any information regarding this case.

This is a sponsored post by Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate.

There seems to be some momentum returning to the market as local agents report increase traffic in listings. No doubt the anticipation of increasing interest rates is also motivating some buyers to get off of the fence and get back into the market.

Whatever the drivers, we’ve started the first days of 2016 with fairly strong sales. Current inventory is still under 200 properties and we settled 20 transactions in the first 11 days of 2016 keeping the supply of homes for sale at around three months.

Hopefully this return of activity will begin to shorten Days on Market which is still very high at 68 days — a painfully long time to keep your house is showing condition.

Here are a few of the houses that sold this week.

12087 EDGEMERE CIR. 3BR, 2.5BA.List Price: $484,000. Sold Price: $476,000. Seller Subsidy: $2,000.

2056 BEACON HEIGHTS DR. 3BR 3.5BA. List Price: $925,000. Sold Price: $920,000. Seller Subsidy: $1,500.

11924 ESCALANTE CT. 3BR, 2.5BA. List Price: $368,750. Sold Price: $371,750> Seller Subsidy: $11,200.

12000 MARKET ST #470. 2BR, 2.5BA. List Price: $525,000. Sold Price: $525,000. Seller Subsidy: $2,500

Visit Reston Real Estate for more information on the market.