Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) took a trip with Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld on the Silver Line today to check on the progress of its construction, WTOP reported.

The senator got on a train at Tysons Corner and rode it to the Wiehle-Reston East station. He then took a bus to Dulles International Airport, which is one of six future Silver Line stops.

“I’m very excited to see it,” Kaine said, according to WTOP. “It’s just a necessary project to keep up with the growth of Northern Virginia.”

Photo via Twitter/Tim Kaine

Here are the crimes reported to the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station between Friday, Dec. 9, and Sunday, Dec. 11:

LARCENIES:

• 2300 block of Paddock Lane, wallet from vehicle.
• 700 block of Springvale Road, packages from residence.

Here are the crimes reported to the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station between Monday, Dec. 5, and Thursday, Dec. 8:

LARCENIES:

• 12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, wallet from residence.
• 12000 block of Sunset Hills Road, wallet from residence.
• 1300 block of Lyons Street, documents from residence.
• 2300 block of Woodland Crossing Drive, liquor from business.
• 1800 block of Wiehle Avenue, bicycle from business.
• 500 block of Springvale Road, packages from house.
• 500 block River Bend Road, property from vehicle.

Cops on Tuesday also randomly picked 10 commercial trucks operating in Reston on Tuesday and inspected them for safety compliance. They found 35 safety violations, and four trucks were taken out of service for “serious safety violations,” according to authorities.

Here are the crimes reported to the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station between Friday, Dec. 2, and Sunday, Dec. 4:

BURGLARY:

• 1500 block of Dranesville Road about 7 p.m. Friday. Someone entered a home and took property.

LARCENIES:

• 1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, property from vehicle.
• 9800 block of Georgetown Pike, laptop computer from vehicle.
• 11900 block of Market Street, merchandise from business.
• 700 block of Leigh Mill Road, property from residence.
• 1500 block of North Gate Square, property from business.
• 11700 block of Sunset Hill Road, beverage from business.

Here are the crimes reported to the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station between Monday, Nov. 28, and Thursday, Dec. 1:

LARCENIES:

• 300 block of Canter Wood Lane, jewelry from residence.
• 10800 block of Park Ridge Boulevard, laptop computer from vehicle.
• 1800 block of Clover Meadow Drive, purse, cell phone and key from vehicle.
• 2300 block of Rolling Fork Circle, property from vehicle.
• 9800 block of Georgetown Pike, keys from vehicle.
• 2200 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, wallet from business.
• 2500 block of John Eppes Road, license plate from vehicle.
• 2700 block of Melchester Drive, property from residence.
• 1400 block of North Point Village Center, electronic device from vehicle
• 6800 block of Mayo Court, cell phone from residence

A man also was arrested outside the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station Monday after police said he assaulted a bus driver and a security officer before biting cops who detained him.

A man armed with a gun robbed the Sunoco gas station at 11190 South Lakes Dr. Monday, too, according to authorities.

Here are the crimes reported to Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station between Thursday, Nov. 24, and Sunday, Nov. 27:

BURGLARY:

• 1600 block of Waterhaven Drive, Nov. 26 between 3 and 3:37 a.m. Someone went into a building through an unlocked door and stole money.

LARCENIES:

• 1100 block of Edward Drive, tools from vehicle
• 1900 block of Reston Metro Plaza, cell phone from business
• 11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, beer from business
• 12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, merchandise from business
• 1800 block of Sycamore Valley Drive, cash from residence
• 12100 block of Walnut Branch Road, packages from residence
• 13300 block of Woodland Park Road, laptop computer and money from residence

STOLEN VEHICLE:

• 1800 block of Explorer Street, 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Metro officials acknowledged last week that slower train speeds and added travel times for riders across the system are the new normal for the foreseeable future.

Since the Silver Line train derailment in July, the transit agency has instituted an increasing number of speed restrictions throughout the system. These mandatory slowdowns have been issued to address a multitude of problems, from worn rail ties to missing fasteners that hold rails in place.

On the Silver Line, trains have reportedly been observed going 75 mph on straightaway stretches from McLean to East Falls Church and from Wiehle-Reston East to Spring Hill. Operators of the Silver Line trains were disciplined for the speeding, according to a Washington Post article. Additionally, new software is being installed on trains that would prevent them from going over 60 mph.

With all this news about trains moving too quickly or slowly, we want to know: How has your Silver Line commute been lately? Weigh in by taking our poll below:

Editor’s Note: The answers to these questions were written by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and do not reflect the opinions of Reston Now.

As Virginians prepare to head to the polls tomorrow, Reston Now had a chance to ask a few questions of Reston’s representative in Congress, Gerry Connolly, who is running unopposed for re-election.

RN: What do you most hope to accomplish in your next term?

GC: Protecting and growing Northern Virginia’s economy has always been my top priority. In my next term, I will continue working to end sequestration, get better pay and benefits for federal employees, and give commuters more transportation choices.

Our local economy is a delicate partnership between the federal government and the private sector. My job is to foster that partnership so that both succeed. The good news is our local economy continues to be strong, with an unemployment rate under 4 percent and solid growth.

Over the next two years, I’ll continue working to ensure we attract the good-paying jobs of the future by building on our success in technology to become a national hub for cyber-security investment.

RN: What effect does the winner of the presidential election have on those priorities? Will they change at all depending on whether Clinton or Trump wins?

GC: For the first time in history, one of the two major parties has nominated someone who doesn’t respect the basic norms of our democratic system. He has sought to delegitimize the election results by claiming the vote-counting process is “rigged” and, in an unprecedented manner, signaled that Hillary Clinton’s presidency is illegitimate before it has even begun. Read More

Locals who want to get rid of some of their leftover Halloween candy will have a chance to do so while earning a little bit of extra cash next week.

The office of Reston orthodontist Stephan Tisseront plans to hold its annual Halloween Candy Buy-Back event at 11720 Plaza America Drive.on Monday, Nov. 7, from 12-4 p.m.

For every pound of candy the office collects, $1 will be paid to the donor and another $1 will be donated to Children’s National Medical Center. Then, nonprofit Operation Shoebox will ship all donated candy to U.S. military troops overseas.

The event will also include hot apple cider, a raffle and a station where attendees can write letters of gratitude and draw pictures to send to soldiers overseas.

This is the 11th annual Halloween candy buy-back event at Dr. Tisseront’s office.

Previous Tisseront Candy Buy-Back/ Reston Now file photo

This is an op-ed submitted by Terry Maynard, co-chair of the Reston 2020 committee. It does not reflect the opinions of Reston Now.

The Transportation Service District (TSD) proposed for Reston’s station areas calls for homeowners there to subsidize developers as they build private roads on their property. With a projected balance in residential and non-residential development in the station areas, that means residents there would be paying between $55-$88 million in 2016 TSD tax dollars to developers to build roads on their properties over the next forty years depending on the initial TSD tax rate and if it remains constant (which it won’t).

In an incomprehensible move, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) has identified a phony $350 million “funding gap” for Reston road improvements requiring the creation of a TSD. As laid out in its September 30, 2016, presentation to station area developers, the so-called RNAG “stakeholders,” $305 million of the funding shortfall is to pay for the construction of their “grid of streets.” That’s 87% of the total TSD funds and some 30 percent of the grid’s $1 billion total cost.

This “grid of streets” is the network of privately built roads on developer-owned property. They may be turned over to the state upon completion, but that is not at all clear. Station area residents–present and future–just get to pay developers to build them if this TSD proposal is approved. In contrast, the Tysons “grid of streets” is being paid for in its entirety by developers through financial contributions ($304 million) or in-kind contributions ($561 million); not a penny of Tysons TSD tax revenues.

This subsidy to the for-profit endeavors of developers of scores of millions of residential tax dollars suggests that the developers’ effort really won’t be that successful. However, our analysis of scope of profits for developers across the station areas over the next forty years, based on Boston Properties 2015 annual report, indicates they will have a net operating income averaging in excess of $1.1 billion per year in 2015 dollars. That’s $45 billion in profits over the next four decades. And yet the proposed tax suggests developers’ need residents’ financial help for some reason to build their roads themselves. We don’t think so.

The economic question above only accentuates the unfairness, even immorality, of forcing residents to to pay taxes to support commercial for-profit development. We don’t think the idea comes remotely close to passing a decency test, especially in light of developers’ anticipated profits. We recognize we are dealing with politics here, but it still leaves a strong stench.

As we have said here and elsewhere, there is no need for a new Reston road tax of any kind. This is especially so when a large chunk of it is intended to go into the pockets of developers. Moreover, the so-called “funding gap” is a mirage, even a fraud, created by the County to justify creating a new tax gimmick to afflict Restonians.

You can help stop this dangerous Reston road tax idea. First, Reston 20/20 has posted a petition on Change.org calling for a stop to passing this new tax that you can sign. Second, attend and participate in the RNAG community meeting on Nov.  7 at 7 p.m. in the South Lakes High School lecture hall. Third, let Supervisor Cathy Hudgins know about your concerns over the Reston TSD proposal.

Finally, attend and testify at the Board of Supervisor’s hearing on the matter, which has yet to be scheduled.

If we all work together, we have a chance to stop this unfair, unneeded County tax boondoggle.

Terry Maynard, Co-Chair

Reston 20/20 Committee

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