Longtime Restonian Dave Hughes Dies — Dave Hughes, a longtime Restonian who founded newsy gossip blog DCRV.com, died at the age of 63. He moved to North Carolina two years ago after living in Reston for a number of years. [WTOP]
Fire and Rescue Department Adjusts Service — The county’s fire and rescue department is adjusting services after COVID-19 cases surged among staff. Currently, 66 employees have tested positive. An additional 12 are in quarantine. Fire Chief John Butler says service adjustments were made in an effort to minimize the impact of staffing shortages. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]
Oversight Agency Recalls Metro Railcars — The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission has issued an order calling on Metro to remove its 7000 series railcars from service. The move came after the agency found that at least five of the 40 railers did not meet safety criteria. [WMSC]
New COVID-19 Testing Clinic Announced — INOVA has set up a new testing site that opens today on weekdays from Monday through Friday. Appointments are required at the site, which is located in Falls Church. [INOVA]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
County Changes Quarantine Period — Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s revised recommendations, the county is now shortening the recommended isolation period after testing positive from COVID-19 to five days. [Fairfax County Government]
No Word Yet on Herndon Sheetz — The company says that it is too early to provide additional details on when a Sheetz in Herndon is expected to break ground. The project is still in permitting stages, a company representative tells Reston Now. [Sheetz]
Last Few Days for Tacky Christmas Lights — Residents still have the chance to check out tacky Christmas lights in Fairfax County. A local location is 12708 Kettering Drive in Herndon. [Fairfax County VA]
Eastbound Route 7 Traffic Shift to Begin — Beginning Jan. 11, drivers should expect a lane shift to the north between Lyons Street and Lewinsville Road and temporary traffic changes on side streets. All residences and businesses will remain accessible. [Connect Route 7]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Case Surge Prompts Changes to Contact Investigation Process — Case investigators will prioritize contact tracing and investigation for high-risk scenarios, including children who are in school, people infected through an outbreak and people who live and work in settings like group homes or long-term care facilities. The effort is part of an attempt to use staff and resources effectively. [Fairfax County Government]
Reston Student Amps Up Volunteering — Aaron Letteri, a Reston resident who studies at the Lab School of Washington, has been volunteering in many different capacities. His latest effort includes collecting coats for Cornerstones. [Fairfax County Times]
Fire at Townhouse in Reston Under Investigation — Local fire crews are investigating the source of a fire on the porch of a town house on the 3200 block of Autumn Hill Court in Reston. The fire started yesterday evening. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]
Vaccine Clinics Closed Today — Vaccination clinics at the Fairfax County and South County government centers will be closed through Dec. 276. [Fairfax County Government]
County Struggles to Handle Mental Health Issues — With many public school students experiencing high levels of anxiety and depression, some county officials say they’re struggling to maintain staffing to address lingering concerns. [Inside NOVA]
COVID Testing Demand Increases Locally — Testing demand has increased in Herndon and Reston. The county recorded its highest daily testing number on Dec. 15. [Reston Patch]
County Promotes Electric Vehicle Stations — County officials hope to buy more electric vehicles and increase the number of charging stations at governmental sites. [Sun Gazette]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
My Dr.’s Pharmacy is looking to move next year to a bigger space to house its existing setup involving two separate locations in the same plaza.
The business (412 Elden St.) features pharmacists and nutritionists and added a COVID-19 clinic nearby during the pandemic in Herndon Centre (the temporary clinic is at 388 Elden St.).
But it’s hoping to consolidate those two footprints and feature a wellness center under the JunoWellness brand by June, president and pharmacist Omar Shoheiber of the company said in an email.
“The new location will become a retail based wellness hub where a team of pharmacists, nurses, clinical nutritionists, and physical therapist work together,” he wrote. “The focus will not only be on caring for the sick but also to help the healthy stay healthy.”
The business provides nutritional and herbal wellness consultation services, supplements and prescriptions. Its clinic has been delivering COVID-19 vaccines as well as testing, delivering results within two hours or the next day, depending on the type of test.
Shoheiber described the new location as a retail-based wellness hub where a team of pharmacists, nurses, clinical nutritionists and a physical therapist work together. He likened it to a Home Depot for health care services.
The business is currently looking to get signage for the new location approved through the town. The existing locations will be vacated.
Photo via Google Maps
Brx American Bistro Robbed — The restaurant, which is located at 1025 Seneca Road in Great Falls, was robbed. The incident happened on Dec. 6 at around 9:30 a.m. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Boosters Now Available for Teens — Teens between the ages of 16 and 17 can now receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot. Appoints in the county can be made online through the state’s vaccine administration management system. [Fairfax County Government]
Search for Schools Superintendent Underway — The school system has recruited GR Recruiting to help hire a new superintendent. Community engagement opportunities are planned for this month, including a school board work session today to discuss the process and timeline moving forward. [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Photo by Marjorie Copson
Reston Company Adds New Domains — Public Interest Registry is adding .giving, .charity, and .foundation to its network. The Reston-based company hopes to give more options for nonprofits, mission-driven organizations, and other entities. [Technical.ly]
Where to Find the Best Holiday Trees — There are many options to find the biggest and brightest trees in Northern Virginia. One local option is Reston Town Center, which is also hosting horse-drawn carriage rides and min train rides. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
County Issues Guidance on COVID-19 — The county is encouraging residents to maintain social distancing as the holidays draw near. Cases of COVID-19 are increasing. Northern Virginia has returned to a high transmission level this week, although the Omicron variant has not been identified locally. [Fairfax County Government]
Photo by Marjorie Copson
This is an opinion column by Del. Ken Plum (D), who represents Reston in Virginia’s House of Delegates. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.
Last week I attended the Virginia Education Summit 2021 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. I could hardly recognize the location where I attended undergraduate school in the early 1960s when it was the Norfolk College of William and Mary. Unfortunately, I could recognize many of the topics on the agenda for they were the same topics discussed during my 30-year career in public education that ended with my retirement from Fairfax County Public Schools in 1996.
The Summit was designed to educate legislators on current education issues, but it was not organized by the Virginia education establishment. It was organized by the Hunt Institute, a non-profit institute named for former four-term North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt who has been described as America’s first education governor. Governor Hunt was known for saying, “Education can’t be just another thing we do. It’s the most important thing we do!”
The Summit was held at a critical time in the Commonwealth’s history. The last two years have seen amazing advances in early childhood education that a whole body of research has shown to be critical to an individual’s future success in schooling and in life. Presently fewer than half of Virginia’s three and four year olds attend preschool. Under legislation passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor the multiple programs related to preschool education have been brought together creating a unified public-private early childhood system that needs continuing financing and monitoring in order to ensure that all children have access to programs and services.
Not surprisingly a major theme permeating the Summit was the impact of COVID on our schools. The increased stress of teaching in an often changing environment that included virtual learning has resulted in many retirements and in increased difficulty recruiting teachers to teacher-training programs and to employment as teachers. There are about 106,000 teachers in Virginia whose average pay is 34th lowest in the country. There is a serious need to recruit more men and more persons of color into teaching positions.
Every school system faces the challenge of dealing with learning losses among children as a result of interruptions in their schooling from the pandemic. I was so impressed with the teachers and school administrators at the Summit and their stories of heroic efforts to continue to deliver schooling to their students during a time of unprecedented challenges. They deserve our commendation and support as we move forward with schooling that has been changed in many ways during the pandemic. Some of those changes are worthy of continuation.
Virginia has made progress in the last several years in reducing excessive testing that limits time for instruction and provides little useful information. We can measure how our schools are doing without the large number of high stakes tests that have been given in the past. A study of our educational system for children with special needs has been shown to have major deficiencies that are now being addressed.
We are about to move to a new administration of state government. The rhetoric I hear about cutting taxes indicates that a sizable chunk would come from education and that charter schools would divert public monies to private schools. These issues cause me a great deal of concern as does the call to strip libraries of books. The new administration and legislators need to heed Governor Hunt’s admonition that education is the most important thing we do!
New School Vaccine Clinics in Reston — The county and the school system have added new school-based clinics for COVID-19 vaccines in the area. A school-based vaccine clinic is scheduled for Dec. 11 and Jan. 6 at Hunters Woods Elementary School. [Fairfax County Government]
County Adopts New Redistricting Plan — The county has adopted a new redistricting plan. Seven precincts were shifted to new districts. The Virginia Attorney General will certify the new map. [Fairfax County Government]
A Reminder to Decorate Safely — With the holiday season quickly approaching, local fire and rescue personnel are reminding risks to decorate with safety in mind. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]
Photo by Marjorie Copson
Fairfax County Sees Record Tax Haul — Fairfax County saw a record tax haul in 2021. The assessed value of taxable property in the county rose by roughly $10 billion between fiscal years 2020 and 2021. [Washington Business Journal]
Booster Shots Encouraged — The Fairfax County Health Department is encouraging residents to get their booster shots, particularly as the Omicron variant emerges. [Fairfax County Government]
County Considers Big Pay Increases — The county is considering giving county and school staff big pay raises to make up for staff lost last year due to the pandemic. [Sun Gazette]
Tennis Courts to Close in Reston Next Week — Beginning Monday, tennis courts at Glade and North Hills will be closed for the season. The courts are expected to reopen in early April. Hard courts remain open year-round. [Reston Association]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
COVID-19 vaccines mean volunteers are coming back to help a warming shelter in Reston.
The nonprofit Cornerstones had a moratorium on volunteers for safety, but it’s been welcoming them back incrementally since August. They’re a key part of the hypothermia shelter at the North County Human Services Center (1850 Cameron Glen Drive), which assists the county’s hypothermia prevention program.
“Our volunteers are coming back. And we’re so happy to have them back because we haven’t had them in over a year,” said Khristina Koontz, who heads homeless services for the nonprofit Cornerstones.
Cornerstones started with volunteers last year, but due to COVID-19, and many of its volunteers being older, the organization clamped down on using volunteers unless it was holding an outdoor event.
Volunteers can now return to facilities if they’re vaccinated and wear masks indoors, and they’ve already been trickling in, according to the organization.
That’s not the only change for Cornerstones as its service organization and others seek to move past the pandemic. In addition, Koontz said they’re doubling their hypothermia case managers from two to four to help find long-term housing for as many people as they can.
While the hypothermia prevention program officially begins Tuesday, running from Dec. 1 until March 31, Cornerstones accepts people starting in November and has already done so this year.
But 24/7 coverage last winter will change for several sites. For the North County Human Services Center, it will return back to operating during overnight hours, from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., reverting to a pre-pandemic schedule. Several other county sites are mirroring that: County spokesperson Ben Boxer said in an email that the extended coverage was because most businesses and public facilities were closed or had limited public access due to COVID-19.
“We did it [for] 24 hours because we didn’t want people to go somewhere, contract COVID and come back, give it to people,” said Koontz, noting declines in COVID-19 numbers this year have led to changes.
For Cornerstones, the organization began its annual “no turn away” policy beginning Nov. 15, officials said, meaning people needing a place to weather the cold could visit the Embry Rucker Community Shelter (11975 Bowman Towne Drive) during the day, an additional area of coverage beyond its normal overnight hours.
The hypothermia shelter has a capacity of 25 people for single adults, and the Embry Rucker shelter has a capacity of 47, which provides for individuals and families, according to the organization.
“As the time progresses, we’re almost full — at capacity — like every night,” said Milton Rodriguez, an outreach worker with Cornerstones.
The organization is encouraging people to donate to help those in need with basic supplies ranging from socks to boots and other clothing, said Missy Norquest, supervisor for the hypothermia program and an outreach worker for Cornerstones.
Confederate Names Task Force to Meet — The task force, which was established by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, will meet today to recommend whether or not to rename Lee and Lee-Jackson highways. [Fairfax County Government]
Reston Association’s Holiday Fest Returns — Holiday Fest will return to Walker Nature Center on Sunday. Guests can enjoy live music, hot cocoa, and a gingerbread contest. [Reston Association]
Libraries to Offer COVID-19 Test Kits — Fairfax County Public Library branches will begin distributing free COVID-19 rapid antigen at-home test kits as part of pilot program that begins Dec. 3. Quantities are limited. Tests should be taken at home, not in a library branch. [Fairfax County Government]
Photo by Marjorie Copson
When Herndon mayor-elect Sheila Olem was sworn in last December, the traditional ceremony was much different than usual: It took place as a private affair with attendee limits due to COVID-19.
“We all got individually sworn in,” she said Monday, reflecting on her time in office. “It’s been a year.”
Olem previously listed COVID-19 as her top priority for her term, which lasts for two years. Since starting her new role, the town has scaled back from the staggering of schedules for public works crews, which began in 2020, to mitigate and help control the spread of the virus.
With vaccines now readily available and Olem fully vaccinated with a booster, all Pfizer-BioNTech shots for COVID-19, some pre-pandemic routines are returning. In June, meetings went back to in person. And in August 2020, the Herndon Community Center reopened.
Much has changed, but the pandemic’s effects still linger in this town of nearly 25,000 people. The Town Council is back to meeting in person, but face-mask-required signs still cover government buildings.
About 75% of the town’s costs are personnel, and town leaders, including the mayor, have sought to help keep their morale up, Olem said. The vacancy rate for the town’s 200-plus positions is 10% or higher, she said, noting that she and town Manager Bill Ashton will deliver meals to town departments to thank them for their service, although a holiday celebration with awards will have to be done virtually.
The town is also getting $25.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act money, so staff are reviewing how the funding could help with one-time expenses that they’re allowed to be used for, such as infrastructure costs. Olem noted money could be used for a pool-cleaning system at the Herndon Community Center.
The pandemic’s uncertainty comes as the town is still waiting for the Herndon Metrorail Station to begin serving the yet-to-open Silver Line Phase II extension, which would include service to the Dulles airport.
Olem noted one of her accomplishments has been maintaining trash service in a time when staffing issues with private haulers has led to delays nearby and nationwide.
Mayor discusses development, parking and future
During Olem’s time as mayor, the town has begun moving forward with a proposal for three developers to pay $500,000 to help study an area for redevelopment. The review, within 1/4 to 1/2 miles of the Metro station, would cover an area mostly north of Herndon Parkway. A committee that will include a representative for each developer has not yet formed, but Olem said the town is in no way bound to the committee’s recommendations.
However, there is still no firm groundbreaking date on the delayed redevelopment of downtown Herndon by Comstock.
Meanwhile, the town considered in August whether rules should be changed to address off-street parking, which isn’t metered. Olem said other areas have done so and noted how commercial trucks can sit in areas in the town.
“We’ve got to bring this back,” she said. “If we don’t have anything on the books, there’s nothing we can do.”
The Town Council considered a proposal to allow $50 fines against drivers who park within 10 feet of driveways to help with safety due to traffic visibility and to help with access for trash pickup, but it decided during an Aug. 10 meeting that it would hold off on the matter. Council members asked for more information on neighborhoods affected and possible consequences.
For the remainder of her term, Olem, who has been on council since 2010, said she’s interested in maintaining Herndon’s sense of place and historical homes where possible.
Seed Money Dedicated to Clean Up Lake Anne Plaza — A local foundation has donated $25,000 in seed money to help clean up Lake Anne Plaza. The beautification project is called “Lake Anne Rising.” [Reston Patch]
Reduced Metro Service to Remain — Metro plans to continue reducing service through Dec. 31 because it has not established a timeline to return the 7000-series fleet in the interest of safety. Nearly 75 percent of Metrorail stations have trains arriving at least every 10-12 minutes. Testing to determine if new inspection intervals are sufficient to safely return trains to service is underway this month. [Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]
Updates to County COVID-19 Dashboard Expected — The Fairfax County Health Department has updated its COVID-19 dashboard after it discovered that roughly 200 reported cases — mostly from last year — were incorrectly marked as hospitalized. While the individuals were seen at emergency department, they were not hospitalized. [Fairfax County Government]
Photo by David Taube
All Adults Eligible for Booster Shot — Any adult who received a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least six months earlier is eligible to receive a booster dose. The recommendations come after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded the eligibility criteria for both vaccines. [Fairfax County Government]
Reston Board Adopts New Budget — Reston Association’s Board of Directors has approved a $19.8 million budget for 2022. The assessment was set at $740. [RA]
Local Ways to Give This Holiday Season — Local residents can embrace the spirit of giving this holiday season by donating toys, clothes, gift cards, and more. Options in the county include toys for tots by the fire and rescue department and the Reston Winter Coat Closet. [Fairfax County Government]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
