Restonians broke from a 16-year-long tradition of celebrating Founder’s Day at Lake Anne Plaza this year.

With social distancing guidelines and a stay-at-home order in effect, the Reston Historic Trust & Museum encouraged residents to find ways to celebrate the birthday of Reston’s founder Bob Simon and the community’s founding.

Alexandra Campbell, the director of the trust and museum, said she was glad the community was able to find embody one of Reston’s founding principles — to live, work and play in the neighborhood — in a new but truly Restonian way.

“While we are sad we could not hold this event on the plaza and could not connect with the community face to face, it has been a reminder that we can enjoy Reston’s history every day in our own homes. The community reflected and celebrated Reston’s unique history with us in a variety of ways,” Campbell said.

Nonetheless, residents submitted videos uploaded social media posts showing how they celebrated Founder’s Day from home.

Foley Academy of Irish Dance, which was scheduled to perform during Founder’s Day, shared a performance from members at home.

Kristina Alcorn, author of “In His Own Words,” shared memories of her book project and friendship with Simon.

Reston Community Center also encouraged residents to enjoy a film created by Rebekah Wingert of Storycatcher Productions for Simon’s memorial in April 2016. The film was commissioned by Reston Community Center.

Nonprofit organization Cornerstones — which has been on the frontline of offering financial assistance and resources to people affected b yCOVID-10 — also wrote the following about Founder’s Day:

When Robert Simon founded Reston in 1964, his pioneering vision helped create a compassionate, thriving, and equitable community where everyone could live and work. Today, during this unprecedented economic and health crisis, our community’s resiliency and generosity remains a shining example of his legacy. We are proud to join the Reston Museum in celebrating Founder’s Day and thanking the many individuals, faith-based organizations, and community partners who have supported Cornerstones over the past 50 years. Our continued work together will help sustain neighbors hurting today and begin rebuilding stability, empowerment, and hope so everyone has a bright, healthy future in our community If you know someone who needs a hand-up, please encourage them to contact us at 571.323.9555 or visit cornerstonesva.org. We are ready to help!

Chuck Veatch, founding and current band member of the Reston Historic Trust & Museum, described this year’s founder’s day as the “most unusual” in Reston’s history. He encourages Rsetonians to continue to take part in celebrating the day.

“This is our 17th Founder’s Day and marks my 56th year living working playing and or serving in Reston. I will miss welcoming everyone in person to Founder’s Day this year but really want to see how each of us celebrates in this the most unusual Founder’s Day in our history.”

Photo via YouTube

The number of COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County is reaching the 2,000 mark.

According to state health data released this morning, there are now 1,925 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Fairfax County. The county hit a little over 1,000 cases just eight days ago.

For the last three days, the growth rate of cases has hovered between six and ten percent.

The number of cases between Sunday and today (Monday) jumped by roughly six percent, adding a total of 116 new cases. Between Saturday and Sunday, that jump was about 11 percent.

In recent days, the state has released more data on hospitalizations, deaths and outbreaks. So far, there at 8,990 cases of COVID-19 statewide and 300 people have died, including at least 30 Fairfax County residents.

The deadliest of statewide outbreaks have occurred at long term care facilities. According to state data, 915 cases have been linked to outbreaks in these facilities, leading to 77 deaths.

So far, the week of April 5 resulted in the most number of new cases (2,268). The cumulative count of cases continues to increase daily at generally faster rates than the last month.

Data via Virginia Department of Health

Unemployment claims due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic continue to pour in.

Nearly 14,500 Fairfax County residents filed unemployment claims on the week of April 11, according to the latest unemployment data.

Overall, the number of statewide claims between March 21 and April 11 — 410,762 — is only 67,000 fewer than the average of all initial claims filed during the last three economic recessions, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. More than 121,000 Northern Virginia residents have filed claims since business closures began.

The latest claims figure, however, represents a decrease of 42,750 statewide claims and 6,848 countywide claims from the previous week, according to data from the commission.

The commission noted that the overall 29 percent decrease in the number of claims suggests that most people filed unemployment claims during the week of April 4.

Here’s more from the commission:

Initial claims measure emerging unemployment and the recent increase in initial claims in the Commonwealth is clearly attributable to impacts from the COVID-19 virus. The accommodation and food service industries have comprised the majority of these initial claims. Because of their prevalence in those and other affected industries like retail and health care, younger workers and female workers have been disproportionally impacted. The number of initial claims filed during the week ending April 11, 2020 was 45.6 times higher than the comparable 2019 week–an increase of 102,326 claims.

Despite a dip in the number of claims, the commission noted that claims still remain at historically high levels.

On the national level, the number of initial claims has totaled roughly 5.2 million, a decrease of 1.4 million from the previous week. During a comparable week in 2019, only 196,364 claims were filed countrywide.

Around Reston and Herndon, community members are setting up GoFundMe pages to support servers and other workers affected by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reston Now has rounded up GoFundMe pages that are working to support restaurants and staffers who were recently laid off. Some crowdfunding campaigns are run directly by restaurant managers and owners. Others may be run by various community members as well.

Here are the latest fundraisers we found:

Uncle Julio’s of Reston employee relief aims to collect $20,000 to help employees who no longer have jobs or health insurance, according to the page. If people would prefer to support the restaurant in other ways, it is also still open for take-out and delivery, the website said. People can check out the website online.

“Some of you may recognize the friendly faces of our servers, bartenders, and hosts- but the most important part of the Uncle Julio’s family is our dedicated back of house staff,” the page said.

Cooper’s Hawk in Reston has almost already met its fundraising goal of $4,500. Currently, people have donated a total of $4,055 so far, according to the GoFundMe page.

All the proceeds will go to the nine bartenders at the location who rely so heavily on tips, according to the page. “Not just the best bartenders in town, but also our friends,” someone who commented on the page along with a $50 donation said.

Sweet Green created a pack on April 6 and has raised $245 of its $5,000 goal, according to the page, which added that “The funds will be divided equally amongst all 19 workers.”

Edwin Thorpe, a member of Morton’s Steakhouse bar team in Reston, created a page to support himself and his colleagues, the page said, which added he hopes to raise $5,000.

Pica Deli in Reston is also asking for financial support. So far, only one person has donated to the page.

Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern in Herndon is putting together a digital employee tip pool where patrons can help out staff and servers during this time. Of it’s $10,000 goal, 101 people have already donated $9,695 as of this writing.

“Each and every one of our employees is invaluable to us and we care deeply for their safety and their financial well-being,” the page said. “Some of our key employees have voluntarily left the company so that others can continue to work. Sadly, we’ve had no choice but to lay off a handful of our colleagues.”

Crafthouse is also asking for donations. The location’s GoFundMe has raised $6,167 raised of $20,000 goal so far, according to the page. One donor even gave $1,000 to the cause roughly a month ago.

PassionFish decided to join the group and request donations from the community. Since March 21, they have raised $7,340 raised of $10,000 goal, the page said.

Kalypso’s Sports Tavern was forced to lay off employees on March 25, according to owners George and Vicky Hadjikyriakou. Now, the eatery’s GoFundMe page aims to raise $15,000.

“Ensuring the well-being of our guests and staff meant that we could no longer open our doors to the community we have served for 10 years,” the page said, adding that donations will go to bartenders, servers, cooks, dishwashers and managers.

On The Border in Reston is trying to raise $4,000, according to its GoFundMe page, which appears to be organized by the manager at the restaurant who was also laid off due to COVID19.

This week, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam extended restrictions for non-essential businesses,  which were set to expire next week, to May 8.

Small businesses based in the county can also apply for county loans of up to $20,000. The program was approved by the county’s board this week.

Photo via Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern/Facebook

Fatimah Waseem contributed reporting.

Thirty people have died from the novel coronavirus in Fairfax County, according to information the county released yesterday (Thursday).

All of the people who died from the illness were above the age of 50.

Fairfax County is currently leading Virginia in the number of coronavirus cases and outbreaks.

As of this morning, the Fairfax Health District had 1,478 cases — two of which are in the City of Fairfax, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

More data on the Fairfax Health District:

• 268 hospitalizations
• 7,657 tests
• 21 outbreaks — 19 at long term care facilities and one each at correction facility and healthcare setting

The Fairfax Health District includes Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church and towns in the county.

Overall, 7,491 cases, 117 cases and 231 deaths have been reported statewide. More than 48,000 people in Virginia have been tested for the virus.

Data via Virginia Department of Health

Town of Herndon residents and businesses now have more time to file real estate property and transient occupancy taxes.

The Herndon Town Council approved two measures at a meeting earlier this week to extend due dates due to financial hardship created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first installment payment for real estate property taxes is due on August 28 instead of July 28. Transient occupancy taxes shifted based on the following schedule

• March 20 payments are now due on June 20
• April 20 payments are now due on July 20
• May 20 payments are due on August 20
• June 20 payments are due on August 20

If individuals are having trouble filing a meals tax return or paying the meals tax before the 20th day of the month, the town encourages residents to contact the county’s finance director at [email protected] for help.

Councilmember Cesar del Aguila voted against the extension for transient occupancy taxes, the financial burden of which he said would likely be absorbed by the parent companies of local hotels at the expense of delayed revenue for the town.

Image via Town of Herndon

Fairfax County school board members expressed major dismay over the botched rollout of the school system’s first week of distance learning, including security issues and technical problems with Blackboard’s system.

At an online meeting today (Thursday), school officials acknowledged the school’s leadership failed to ensure adequate security measures were in place when students and teachers logged on to online sessions.

Teacher-led distance learning was canceled this week due to technical issues the school system is working to resolve.

FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand told the school board today that the issues have been two-fold: capacity and load issues on Blackboard’s end and failures to implement and monitor security protocol by FCPS.

Security Issues

Sloan Presidio, the school system’s assistant superintendent for instructional services, described security issues as a “leadership failure.”

“We failed to properly train the staff,” Presidio said, adding that the school’s leadership did not communicate how teachers should properly set up online sessions and make sure security settings were in place.

In some cases, students were able to set up and run unmonitored chat sessions that were not seen by moderators. Some students were able to log on with fake names and upload inappropriate photos.

“We absolutely share the concern and the dismay at some of the behavior that was reported,” Tim Tomlinson, Blackboard’s chief product officer, said. “It’s unconscionable.”

Although instructors were given guidance on how to maintain security and set up online sessions, school officials said the information was not properly disseminated. Once school officials were made aware of security issues, additional guidance on security was provided.

School board member Megan McLaughlin said she was “shocked” the 10th largest school system in the country did not conduct load testing prior to the launch of the system.

“There is no getting around it,” McLaughlin said.

Blackboard Problems 

In addition to security challenges, the system experience log-in issues on the first day of learning, following by problems associated with Blackboard’s servers. The Reston-based company is working on upgrades to the system to resolve ongoing issues.

Tomlinson said that Blackboard “had no indication that these problems would occur” and shared a statement from the company apologizing for the disruption.

“We are working with FCPS to require students to log in to the FCPS 24-7 site and authenticate their identity before they are permitted to join a virtual classroom,” according to the Blackboard statement.

Tomlinson also noted that FCPS chose not to update its software for three years to the latest system. Seven updates were publicly available but not applied, he said.

But Maribeth Luftglass, assistant superintendent of the school system’s department of information technology, noted that the school system was never told those upgrades were required for performance purposes, especially prior to the launch of distance learning. She also added that the system was due for a planned upgrade this June.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic hit locally, the school system had plans in place to replace Blackboard Learn, a virtual learning environment, with Schoology, another distance learning tool operated by PowerSchool Unified Classroom, over the next two years.

The school system hopes to pilot the system in the fall.

School Board Responds   

School board members also questioned why distance learning proceeded if there was indication there were technical problems prior the launch. Several of the members urged FCPS to consider learning alternatives, like resources from Google.

“If Blackboard can’t handle this, lets try Google” Laura Jane Cohen, who represents the Springfield District. “Everyone has worked too hard to make this happen.”

According to the presentation, less than half of the teachers have Google Classroom sites, which could be used as a learning supplement.

“There would be significant teacher training required and additional workload on teachers to create these sites,” the presentation said. “Additionally, Google Classroom is not linked to the student information system and teachers would have to manually create courses.”

The presentation notes that students and teachers have equal permissions on Google Meet, which could let students override teacher content, and that guest access is allowed.

“Additionally, Google engineers expressed concern about handling the volume of FCPS users,” the presentation said.

Other school board members said a two-hour delay in instructor-led learning on Wednesday was not communicated effectively to the school community.

Brabrand apologized for not making the “right call” when he called for the two-hour delay.

“We could have communicated it better,” Brabrand said, adding that his mistake “caused undue confusion for our teachers and our principals.”

Next Steps 

Blackboard is currently working on software patches this week to address the capacity issues behind the login difficulties, Luftglass said.

On April 14, Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, a real-time video conferencing tool, were linked with a new feature that will only allow students enrolled in a class to join the class session and ban guest access, school officials said. Additionally, a back-up plan is being developed using Collaborate Ultra, they said.

FCPS aims to resume its synchronous learning on April 20.

Catherine Douglas Moran contributed reporting

Image via FCPS

The first week of distance learning for roughly 189,000 Fairfax County Public School students has been off to a rough start.

Technical issues with the Blackboard 24/7 system prompted FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand to cancel the online learning through tomorrow (Friday). The system encountered log-in problems and other issues since distance learning kicked off on Tuesday (April 14).

Brabrand made the decision after hiccups on Wednesday morning prompted a two-hour delay in teacher-led instruction. Online learning was later canceled due to ongoing technical issues that day.

“We sincerely appreciate your patience and share your frustration related to our distance learning challenges this week. FCPS had worked closely with Blackboard’s technical team for several weeks prior to the launch of distance learning and there was no indication that the system would be unable to handle the volume of participating users or would be susceptible to the security issues that many of our schools encountered,” Brabrand wrote.

Blackboard Inc., a Reston-based company that contracts with school systems nationwide, says it believes it has identified the root cause of connectivity problems. The company expects updates to the system will take until at least Friday to complete.

“As a Fairfax County-based company, we are deeply committed to providing Fairfax students and parents the robust and secure learning environment that they want and need. We apologize for the disruption this has caused to instruction and we appreciate patience as we all work together as an education community to ensure continuity of learning for students.”

Brabrand noted that the school system will provide an update on the status of distance learning tomorrow (Friday).

Teachers will contact students over the email and phone to make sure third-quarter work assigned before March 13 is submitted. Students can live stream instructional programs on local cable channels and other resources are available on the school’s website.

Some local schools are offering additional guidance for instruction online. Coates Elementary School has pre-recorded lessons posted on its Facebook and Twitter.

“We offer this because we know how much you value your child’s learning, we are excited to get back to regular teaching, and a scheduled lesson provides kids with structure,” wrote Principal Jesse Kraft in an email.

The school system’s distance learning plan is scheduled to run through June 8. High school and middle school students will receive no marks for the fourth quarter, although fourth-quarter assignments can be used to lift a student’s final grade. Elementary school students will not receive any fourth-quarter grades.

Image via Blackboard

Reston Association Hosts Virtual Pet Fashion Show — Dress up your pets for the virtual fashion show. Voting is open online tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday. A winner will be selected each day with the highest number of likes on posts. The show is only open to RA members. [Reston Association]

Fairfax Connector Passengers Urged to Wear Face Masks — The county’s transportation department is now asking all. Passengers to use non-medical f ace coverings or cloth masks in order to slow the spread o f COVID-19. Although masks are strongly encouraging, no one without a covering will be denied entry to Fairfax Connector buses.  [Fairfax County Government]

Maintain Clear Access to Exits — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department urges businesses to maintain clear access to all exits. The department has received several messages voicing concerns about blocked, locked or otherwise restricted exits. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]

Photo by Marjorie Copson

(Updated 3 p.m.) As the number of coronavirus cases grows in Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam has extended restrictions on non-essential businesses.

In a press briefing today (Wednesday), Northam announced that he is extending his previous order affecting schools and non-essential businesses.

Now, his order that closed recreational and entertainment businesses, along with non-essential businesses that cannot limit patrons to 10 people or less, will expire on May 8 instead of next week.

Virginia is also under a stay at home order, which will last until June 10.

“I don’t have any intentions as of today extending that,” Northam said about the stay at home order, adding that he may considering moving the June 10 deadline back.

“This is such a dynamic situation. It is fluid. It literally changes every day — the data that are being put into these models,” he said. “For me to stand here almost two months before June 10 and say what we’re going to do at that time is really difficult to say.”

Northam said that social distancing — staying at least six feet apart from people — “is working” and that Virginians’ recent efforts are slowing the spread of the virus.

“Our entire sense of normal life is out the window,” Northam said, adding that once the order expire, people will still need to take precautions.

The “new normal” will likely include wearing wearing face coverings, teleworking if possible, social distancing, staying away from large gatherings and spending more time in homes, Northam said.

“Things are not going back exactly the way they were before,” he said.

Image via Governor of Virginia/Facebook

While Reston’s annual Founder’s Day celebration will not take place in person, the Reston Historic Trust & Museum is still finding ways to make the community milestone and birthday of Reston’s founder Bob Simon special.

Founder’s Day will take place on Saturday, April 18. The museum, which organizes the annual celebration is asking Restonians to submit videos of up to 30 seconds showcasing how Founder’s Day is being celebrated in their home.

The museum suggests some ways to celebrate at home on its website.

Residents should tag the museum via Twitter or Facebook. Everyone who tags the museum will be entered tow in a personalized commemorative brick to be installed at Lake Anne Plaza next year. A winner will be selected on April 20.

Founder’s day is presented by Reston Historic Trust and Museum with support from Reston Community Center and Public Art Reston. It is hosted by Lake Anne Plaza.

File photo

Fairfax County’s top official says new demographic data is expected to get shared publicly soon as the county continues to lead the increase of COVID-19 cases statewide.

Fairfax County now has two more coronavirus outbreaks since yesterday, bringing the total to 19, according to the Virginia Department of Health. There are 17 outbreaks at long term care facilities, one at a correction facility and one at a “healthcare setting.”

Virginia has 108 total outbreaks, with more than half at long term care facilities.

In a Twitter Q&A yesterday, Jeff McKay, the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, said that demographic case data is expected to get posted online “shortly.”

At this point, the Health Dept is not providing case data on less than a county level. Thankfully, I know this will change soon. The Health Dept will have a dashboard online shortly with demographic case data. https://t.co/OOwdy7v5EQ

— Jeff McKay (@JeffreyCMcKay) April 14, 2020

Overall, 6,500 cases and 195 deaths have been reported statewide. More than 44,000 people in Virginia have been tested for the virus.

As of this morning, the Fairfax Health District had 1,298 cases — 91 more cases than yesterday’s count.

The Fairfax Health District includes Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church and towns in the county.

In the Fairfax Health District, 256 people have been hospitalized, while 6,827 have been tested.

Yesterday, Fairfax County reported 21 deaths. All of the individuals who died from the illness were age 50 or older, with 18 of the people age 65 or older.

Data via Virginia Department of Health

Fitness studios in Reston and Herndon are among the locally-owned businesses struggling with the loss of revenue after they were forced to shut down because of the pandemic.

Several studio owners told Reston Now that they saw a dramatic decrease in revenue after they decided to offer a membership service payment freeze — even though they also began offering classes that can be streamed from someone’s living room.

For example, take New Trail Cycling Studio owned by Liz Kamp. Opening in late 2018, the studio is a somewhat recent addition to the Reston area.

One of her biggest challenges so far has been managing to keep her staffers on payroll so she can reopen when this is all over, she said.

“The revenue isn’t there,” Kamp said, adding that larger companies like Peloton are taking away their business by offering free classes.

Though she said she understands the benefit of the free classes, especially for people who have been laid off or had pay cuts, she admitted it is detrimental to her business in the long-run.

For preexisting New Trail Cycling members, Kamp said the studio froze in-person memberships or packages until non-essential businesses are able to reopen.

New Trail Cycling does offer a few free classes on Zoom as well as a new paid digital membership, but Kamp said she will never be able to compete with companies like Peloton when it comes to the production value of the videos.

For $15 per week, people can sign up online for unlimited classes through Zoom. The studio also offers a digital nutritional coaching session for $10, which is led by medical professionals. People can rent equipment from the studio depending on the circumstances, the website said.

“I have to hold onto the hope that the community values what we do here and understand that their support now is what will help me open my doors again,” Kamp said.

She said she understands it will be a difficult path forward, hearing from her members and receiving positive feedback on the new digital classes keeps her afloat personally.

“Right now it’s about trying to keep people connected and supporting our participants however we can from a distance,” Kamp said. “We are all missing the in-person connection and community.”

New Trail Fitness decided to start a Facebook group for members who missed seeing each other at the studio, according to Kamp. The group features daily challenges that include things like meditation and self-care tips.

Meanwhile, Homegrown Power Yoga in Herndon is yet another small fitness studio affected by the pandemic.

Owner Alison Adams told Reston Now in an email that the yoga studio was quick to adapt after the mandate to close non-essential businesses. Within 12 hours, they were able to offer online Zoom yoga classes, she said.

“As incredibly hard as it has been to close our doors, and work with the unpredictability of the sustainability of our business,” she said. “This is nothing compared to what each person who is working the frontline is contributing during this crisis.”

The studio is also offering free classes to medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Adams.

Photo courtesy Liz Kamp/Charlotte Geary Photography

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department says that seven of its members have tested positive for the coronavirus, two of which have recovered. Five personnel are currently battling the illness.

The information about the cases was released yesterday (April 14).

The department said that a nurse at Fairfax County’s Occupational Health Center is monitoring all personnel. If there are any concerns about exposure to the public or specific individuals, the department will provide notifications accordingly.

In addition to the number of confirmed cases, seven members remain in quarantine due to possible exposure. Known cases were tested at a site for first responders or through a private physician.

Despite impacts on personnel, the department “continues to fully staff all stations and apparatus,” according to a statement.

The department has not disclosed the assigned work locations of the members under quarantine.

Photo via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department