Duck Donuts is getting closer to opening in the Reston-Herndon area.
The popular Outer Banks doughnut shop is expanding in Virginia. It hopes to have the store at 300 Elden St. (in the former Milwaukee Custard space) open by the end of April, according to its Facebook page.
Crew have been busy renovating the storefront, and over the weekend the big Duck Donuts sign was put in place.
Duck Donuts began as a family-run operation in, of course, Duck, N.C. It later expanded to nearby Kill Devil Hills and Corolla.
Recently, it has been offering franchise opportunities, and Virginia outposts are planned for Williamsburg, Charlottesville, Virginia Beach, as well as Herndon. Duck Donuts announced in December it was heading for the area.
Photo Credit: Duck Donuts via Facebook
The dead man found in the woods near Herndon on Monday has been identified as William Adolfo Rivas Leiva, 22, of Herndon, Fairfax County Police said.
Police preliminarily concluded that this death is a homicide.
Police did not say how Leiva was killed or how long his body had been in the wooded area at Folly Lick Stream.
Leiva’s body was found in the 1500 block of Hiddenbrook Drive on Monday about 12:27 p.m., police said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers electronically by visiting www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES(274637)** or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477).
**Text STOP to 274637 to cancel. Text HELP to 274637 for help. Msg & data rates may apply.
Del. Thomas Davis Rust, who represents Herndon, announced Wednesday that he will not run for another term to Virginia’s House of Delegates.
Rust (R-Herndon), who was mayor of Herndon for almost 20 years, has served 13 years in the House. All seats are up for re-election in 2015.
“I’ve been fortunate in my life to receive some recognition and awards from various groups in both my public life and my professional life. I treasure those, I truly do, but nothing is quite like being a member of this historic body. It’s truly an honor to have served with you,” he said in Richmond on Wednesday.
Rust, 73, received a standing ovation from his colleagues, The Washington Post reports.
Rust narrowly defeated Jennifer Boysko, a Democrat, by 32 votes in 2013. Boysko plans to run for the office again.
“It is always difficult to run against someone you personally respect. I challenged him because I have been troubled by the Republicans in Richmond who have made it more difficult to govern in a moderate, common-sense manner, as Tom Rust so capably did as our mayor,” Boysko said in a statement.
Rust is a Herndon native who has been praised in Richmond for his bipartisan work, particularly on education and transportation issues.
Del. Ken Plum (D-Reston) says Rust will be missed.
“On the [House] floor today, I called him a true statesman,” he said. “Tom worked across the aisle and kept his eye on the goals we were trying to achieve. He had a significant role on transportation committee and was a great friend of education. Often we would be voting and it would be all Democrats and one Republican — Tom. I am sorry to see him go.”
Fairfax County has a new athletic complex that features a dedicated synthetic turf cricket field.
County officials officially opened Sully Highlands Park at 13808 Wall Rd. on Saturday. The park is located off of Centreville Road in unincorporated Herndon.
This park was established through a partnership between the Fairfax County government, athletic organizations and local developer proffers.
Developers Timber Ridge at Discovery Square, Inc. provided $6 million, which covered most of the cost of the 17-acre park, county officials said.
The facilities at Sully Highlands were developed in part to replace multiple diamond and rectangular fields that Chantilly Youth Association (CYA) had developed and maintained for several years on private property close to the park.
New features at Sully Highlands: two side-by-side lighted synthetic rectangular fields with a cricket pitch between them; two lighted and irrigated 60-foot baseball diamonds; one lighted and irrigated 90-foot ball diamond; a trail system, and a 270-space parking lot.
Sully District Fairfax County Park Authority Board rep Harold Strickland said Sully Supervisor Michael Frey played a key role in obtaining the necessary proffers.
“To begin with, Supervisor Michael Frey insisted that proffers be used to ensure replacement of the fields that development took away,” Strickland said in a release. “The folks at Timber Ridge, especially manager Stan Settle and partner Rick Dibella, really worked closely with us.”
Strickland also said that CYA contributed significant money to the project.
More facilities will be built at Sully Highlands. CYA contributed $120,000 and is partnering with the park authority to build two batting cages for the 60-foot diamonds, a fenced pitcher’s warm up area for the 90-foot diamond, a playground, and picnic tables with concrete pads.
The Park Authority Board also approved a $20,000 Mastenbrook matching grant and approximately $35,000 in park proffers for the batting cages and other new amenities.The total project budget for these additions is $174,490.65, the county says.
Sully Highlands is the second Fairfax County park to feature a synthetic cricket field to accommodate the growing sport. The other one is at Oak Marr Rec Center. There is a natural grass cricket field at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston.
Photo: Sully Highlands Park/Credit: Fairfax County Park Authority
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue officials said an off-duty Montgomery County (Md.) firefighter helped rescue residents of a Herndon home when their house was engulfed in flames on Wednesday.
Firefighters were called to the home at 12645 Terrymill Dr. about 1 p.m. and found a heavy fire in the front of the single family home. The fire was brought under control in 40 minutes, fire rescue officials said.
The firefighter is a neighbor of the Terrymill Drive residents. The neighbor, whom fire rescue did not identify, also assisted with evacuating a wheelchair bound occupant.
A total of six adult occupants and a dog have been displaced. One person was treated on the scene for a non-life threatening injury.
Fire officials say improperly discarded smoking materials caused the blaze. Damage is estimated at $350,000.
Photo: Northern Virginia Fire Buffs via Facebook
A man living in Herndon has been arrested after signs memorializing victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings were found in his possession.
The signs had recently been reported stolen from a playground in Mantoloking, N.J., and from Mystic, Conn.
The signs were each dedicated to victims of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School: 7-year-old Chase Kowalski and 7-year-old Grace McDonnell.
Andrew David Truelove, 28, was charged with possession of stolen property, Herndon Police said. Additional charges are pending in the other two states, they added. Truelove is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
The memorial signs were recovered at a home in the 400 block of Fillmore Street in Herndon where Truelove rented a room, police said. The Herndon investigation began after a tip from the Stonington (Conn.) Police Department.
Twenty children and six adults were killed in the December 2012 shooting in Newtown, Conn.
NBC Connecticut reported earlier this month that, after a 50-pound vinyl peace sign was stolen from a Mystic playground honoring the memory of McDonnell, a man called her mother to tell her that he believed the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax and that her “daughter never existed.”
Photo: Sign memorializing Grace McDonnell/Credit: WTNH.com
When Herndon’s NextStop Theatre presents its production of Into the Woods May 1 to June 1, Today Show co-host Kathie Lee Gifford will be providing the voice of the Giant’s Wife in the staging of the Stephen Sondheim musical.
Gifford is an old friend of NextStop Artistic Director Evan Hoffman.
“I have known Evan since he was in an early production of Saving Aimee at Signature Theatre back in 2007, So I was happy when he asked me to record the voice of the Giant’s Wife,” Gifford said in a statement. “I love the DC theatre community, I adore Stephen Sondheim, and I am always thrilled to help a friend who is working to achieve his dreams.”
Into the Woods combines the iconic stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Jack (the giant killer), plus the new tale of a childless baker and wife.
Their intertwining quests into the woods result in a twistedly funny, but sobering musical about the cost and consequences of “happily ever after,” says NextStop. The original Broadway production earned three Tony Awards and a Grammy. It also inspired an upcoming Hollywood movie starring Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, and Anna Kendrick.
NextStop was formerly known as the Elden Street Players. It changed its name last year after hiring Hoffmann, a 2000 graduate of Herndon High School and who has worked extensively in Washington-area theater. Hoffmann says Gifford’s addition to the production is a significant achievement for the theater company.
Visit NextStop’s website for show times and to purchase tickets.
Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Va. 10th), represents nearby parts of Fairfax and Loudoun County in the U.S. House since 1980, announced on Tuesday he will not seek an 18th term next year.
Wolf released the info in a statement:
“I have decided not to seek re-election to the U.S. Congress in 2014. It has been an honor to serve the people of northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. I thank my constituents for giving me the privilege of representing them in Congress for 34 years.
“As a follower of Jesus, I am called to work for justice and reconciliation, and to be an advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves. I plan to focus my future work on human rights and religious freedom – both domestic and international – as well as matters of the culture and the American family. My passion for these issues has been influenced by the examples of President Ronald Reagan, former Congressmen Jack Kemp and Tony Hall, Chuck Colson, and the life of 18th century Member of Parliament William Wilberforce.
“I want to thank the many excellent former and current members of my staff who have helped me serve the people of the 10th District. I am also grateful to my wife, Carolyn, and my family, who have faithfully stood by me all these many years.”
Local Democrats had already been talking about Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust running against Wolf in 2014. It would have been a hard race though — Wolf has earned less than 57 percent of the vote since 1982, The Washington Post says.
Wolf is the eighth House Republican to announce his retirement in 2014.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner called “a true friend, and a great partner, both when I served as Virginia Governor and since I’ve joined Congress.”
“We have worked closely together on Northern Virginia transportation issues, and partnered in consecutive sessions of Congress on bipartisan legislation that would encourage the on-shoring of jobs back to Virginia which have moved overseas in recent years,” Warner said in a statement.
“Frank has also been a passionate advocate and reliable ally in my ongoing efforts to find common ground on issues surrounding our nation’s deficits and debt. He is a tireless and leading advocate for religious freedom around the world. We will miss his delegation leadership.”
Since his first election in 1980, Wolf has represented all or parts of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Fauquier, Clarke, Frederick, Warren, Shenandoah, Rockingham, Rappahannock, Page, Winchester, Manassas and Manassas Park.
As the Virginia Governor’s race heats up, so does the star power. Former president Bill Clinton will be on hand to stump for Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe at a Virginia Votes event at Herndon Middle School Monday evening.
Free tickets have been available from McAuliffe headquarters since late last week. Click here to inquire whether any are still available or stop by Democratic Party of Virginia offices at 384 Elden St. in Herndon.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and entrance is first-come, first-served, so plan on arriving early. Herndon Middle is located at 901 Locust St. in Herndon.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will campaign in Fairfax Monday for Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli, in a “Get Out the Vote Rally.”
The rally will take place at The Waterford, 12025 Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy. Interested in attending the rally? RSVP on Cuccinelli’s website.
Election Day is Nov.5.
