Have Coffee with a Cop — The Herndon Police Department is inviting community members out to Virginia Kitchen (450 Elden St.) on Monday morning for coffee and conversation. [Herndon Police Department/Facebook]
Metro Rate Hikes Get Approval — As expected, the Metro Finance Committee voted Thursday to increase rates and reduce rush-hour service. The Board will make the final vote March 23 on what would be Metro’s first rate hike in three years. [WTOP]
County Seeking Input on New Website — As Fairfax County has plans to update its website, it is inviting feedback from the community in the process. The county has devised four example pages of possible new designs, as well as surveys to find out what is most important to users. [Fairfax County]
Local Artist’s Work Displayed at NYC Gallery — The art of Herndon-based Lisa Tureson is being exhibited at New York’s Touchstone Gallery through April 2. “Scribbles” was inspired by street art in Denmark. [Reston Connection]
Is It Going to Snow This Weekend or Not? — A few snowflakes are possible this weekend, but forecasts seem to indicate a growing chance that a storm previously predicted to hit us will miss the area. [Capital Weather Gang]
RA Focusing on Future of Golf Courses — In the latest “Reston Today” dispatch, Reston Association land-use attorney John McBride breaks down what’s going on with potential threats to Reston National Golf Course and Hidden Creek Country Club. [Reston Association/YouTube]
Seuss To Be Celebrated at Library — Children ages 4 and up are invited to Reston Regional Libary on Monday at 4:30 p.m. for a celebration of the works of Dr. Seuss. Steve Somers will present the stories at the event, co-sponsored by Friends of Reston Regional Library. [Reston Regional Library]
Reston Company Named to CNBC ‘Upstart’ List — Reston-based Cloudistics gives its customers “all the simplicity, elasticity and consumption characteristics of the public cloud, with the predictability of performance, cost and data governance that a private cloud offers.” Its work has been honored by recognition on CNBC’s list of 25 startups that are breaking industry barriers. [CNBC]
Possibly Rabid Fox Bites Woman, Cat — Animal Protection Police officers responded Tuesday to two different scenes in Great Falls where a fox had gone on the attack. A 71-year-old woman suffered serious injuries after being bitten “multiple times” around 3 p.m. in the 600 block of Ad Hoc Road; about an hour later and about three miles away, a 54-year-old woman fought off a fox that had bitten her cat. The fox believed to have been involved in both incidents was euthanized and is being tested for rabies. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Metro Station Work to Affect Toll Road Traffic — Eastbound traffic on the Dulles Airport Access Highway will be diverted onto the Toll Road on Saturday night into Sunday morning. The detours will be to allow workers to set large precast concrete elements for the future Herndon and Reston Town Center Metro stations. [Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project]
Reston-Based Soccer Academy Gets Leader — Tom Torres has been named the head of the Washington Spirit’s U.S. Soccer Girls’ Development Academy, which is scheduled to start play in Reston this fall. Torres has been a coach with the D.C. United’s academy for the past 10 years. [Black and Red United]
With Spring Showers Comes Flooding — With the start of spring less than two weeks away, county officials are reminding residents of tips to keep themselves and their homes safe from potential flooding. [Fairfax County]
Reston School Profiled for Educational Model — The partnership between Berthold Academy (11480 Sunset Hills Road) and educational startup AltSchool is garnering attention. The goal of the revolutionary program is to modernize the Montessori education experience. [Education Dive]
Public Session Planned on Herndon PD Body Cams — Police officers in Herndon recently evaluated the effectiveness of body cameras during a pilot program. The next step for the department, before full deployment of the program in April, will be a public meeting March 30. [Herndon Police Department]
‘Giver’ on Stage at NextStop Through Sunday — NextStop Theatre Company (269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon) is performing “The Giver” through this weekend. A reviewer says the production is “acted by an extremely capable cast” and it “not only lives up to the promise of the book, but also adds another layer of depth to the story for those familiar with it already.” [DC Metro Theater Arts]
No Increase to Property Tax Rate — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday to advertise a property tax rate for FY2018 that is equal to the FY2017 rate. [Washington Post]
‘Epiphany’ Returning to NextStop — Herndon native and South Lakes High School graduate Derek Jasper is a magician, mentalist and deception expert. His show, “Epiphany,” returns to NextStop Theatre in Herndon (269 Sunset Park Drive) next weekend. [Connection Newspapers]
Herndon Police Led on High-Speed Chase — A traffic stop Sunday near the intersection of Crestview Drive and Herndon Parkway turned into chase when the driver fled. Herndon Police later found the vehicle, but not the driver. [Herndon Patch]
FCPD Gang Unit Involved in Search for Remains — Acting on recently received information, Fairfax County Police Department homicide, gang unit and crime scene detectives have been looking for human remains in Holmes Run Park and Lemon Road Park, near Falls Church. This follows an earlier investigation in which 10 people (including a Reston woman) were charged with gang activity in connection with the killing of a 15-year-old whose body was found near Lake Accotink Park in Springfield. [Fairfax County Police Department/WTOP]
Officer’s Name to Be Made Public — The Fairfax County Police Department has been informed by the FBI that there is no credible threat to the officer who shot and killed a Herndon man Jan. 16, ending a chaotic barricade/hostage situation. Police Chief Edwin Roessler says the officer’s name will be released. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Community Council on Land Use Meets Tonight — The group, chaired by former county planning commissioner Walter Alcorn, aims to produce a set of recommendations that would improve Fairfax County’s public outreach and community engagement in the land use and development process. It plans to meet every other Monday at 7:30 p.m., through April 24, at the Fairfax County Government Center. [Fairfax County]
Police Say Man Bites Another’s Face in ‘Bias-Related’ Attack — Robin McGreer (pictured), 35, of McLean, faces a charge of maliciously causing bodily injury after police say he used racial slurs while threatening a man before biting him, resulting in a “significant facial wound.” The incident took place in a Tysons Corner Center parking lot. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Australian Company Takes Full Ownership of Greenway — Macquarie Atlas Roads last week became full owner of the Dulles Greenway. The company’s chief executive said he hopes to boost revenues by improving entry and exit points. [Australian Financial Review]
Reston Native Working to Defend Against Cyber Threats — Cmdr. Nick Shur is serving in the U.S. Navy Reserves as a member of Space and Warfare Systems Command, which works to improve cyber war-fighting capability and enhances technology on surface ships, aircraft and submarines. [Fairfax Times]
Herndon High Grad Is a Diamond Star — Ky Parrott, of the Herndon High School Class of 2013, has been named to the preseason first-team all-conference baseball team in the Colonial Athletic Association. A senior at James Madison University, Parrott has started the season strong as well. [JMU Breeze]
Lake House/Tetra Review On Schedule: Michael Sanio, RA Board of Directors vice president, said at Thursday night’s meeting that the independent review of the Tetra/Lake House purchase remains on track to be submitted by StoneTurn Group by midnight Tuesday. Sanio said RA’s Tetra Review Committee is “very pleased with the progress” that has been made, and that the review will be made public once it has been seen by all board members. [Reston Association]
South Lakes High Student Government Honored — The South Lakes High School SGA is one of 21 statewide that have been recognized with the Virginia Student Councils Achievement Award for 2016-17. [Fairfax County Public Schools]
SLHS Sophomore Selected for IT Award — Anika Kumar has been selected as a 2017 Virginia affiliate winner of the National Center for Women and Information Technology Award for Aspirations in Computing. Kumar, who became interested in computers when she took a class in middle school, has produced her own video game. [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Teen Job Fairs Slated for March, April — The 2017 Fairfax County Teen Job Fairs and Resume Building Workshops will be held at Chantilly High School, Oakton High School, West Springfield High School and South County Secondary School. [Fairfax County]
Photo of Lake Anne sunrise this morning via Instagram user @annemusicmarkets
Girl Scout to Help Repair Bridge — Sathiya Kannan of Reston plans to work on a bridge on Alexandria’s Mount Vernon Trail as a Silver Award Project. She will be part of a team of National Park Service volunteers on March 25. Additional help is sought. [Connection Newspapers]
Questions on County Budget Proposal Being Accepted — County Executive Ed Long will participate in an online discussion about his proposed FY 2018 budget at 3 p.m. Friday. Residents are being invited to submit questions in advance. [Fairfax County]
Reston Woman Named Humanitarian Group’s Director — Cecilia Capece (pictured) is the new executive director of the INMED Opportunity Center. According to a press release, her role with the Sterling-based organization will be to “focus on developing partnerships to expand INMED’s ability to serve low-income communities in Loudoun County to protect children from the immediate and irreversible harm of abuse, neglect, violence, homelessness and instability and to equip them for self-sufficiency and success.” [INMED Opportunity Center]
Herndon Reston Softball Seeks Players, Coaches, Umps — The girls’ fast-pitch softball league season begins March 3-4 with player tryouts and evaluations. Practices start in mid-March, and opening day is April 1. [Herndon Reston Youth Softball]
Bao Bao Passed Through Reston on Journey Home — The famed panda born at the National Zoo left D.C. for good Tuesday, heading off to live her life in China. She was transported by truck from Washington up the Dulles Toll Road to the airport, where she left on a FedEx 777. [Reston Patch]
SLHS Girls’ Basketball Team Falls in Playoffs — The South Lakes Seahawks girls’ hoops team was defeated Tuesday night in the first round of the 6A North Region championship, falling to T.C. Williams by a score of 51-43. [Alexandria News]
Qur’an Spiritual Retreat Slated for March — The Al-Madina Institute is readying to hold its annual conference, bringing leading scholars to examine both the external and internal dimensions of the Qur’an. The event will be held March 3-5 at the Hyatt Regency (1800 Presidents St.) in Reston. [Al-Madina Institute]
Bills Targeting Student Debt Fail in Richmond — A number of bills designed to help students refinance student loans or increase oversight of lenders have died in the General Assembly. One such bill, which would have created a “Borrower’s Bill of Rights,” was sponsored by Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) of Reston. It failed to advance out of a legislative committee. [Virginia Gazette]
(Updated 2:15 p.m. after the victim in Route 28 crash was identified by authorities.)
Crash Leaves Woman Dead on Route 28 — A fatal single-car collision at about 2 a.m. in the northbound lanes near the Dulles Toll Road interchange left the road closed for several hours. Gabrielle Perry, a 22-year-old from Leesburg who was a passenger in the vehicle, was killed. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said the driver, 26-year-old Andre Glenn of Sterling, is facing a DUI charge. [Washington Post]
Reston Woman Fights Gender Bias in Clothes — Eva Everett is co-founder of Svaha, a clothing line that aims to break stereotypes in children’s and women’s apparel. [NBC Washington]
SLHS Swimmers Break Records at States — Gianmichel D’Allesandro, Michael George and Anna Redican (pictured) all set individual Seahawks records last week at the state championships. The boys’ 200-yard medley relay team, consisting of Hunter Ellis and Tyler Ellis along with D’Allesandro and George, also set a record. The event also marked the end of coach Scott Brown’s 23rd and final season with the team. [South Lakes High School]
‘Sisterhood’ Event Promotes Togetherness Among Cultures — The Reston Chapter of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom recently co-hosted a unity vigil for Muslim and Jewish women. The event took place in McLean last week. [McLean Connection]
Photo of sunrise this morning at Reston National Golf Course via Twitter user @JonnyMacGolf
Member Assessment is Due March 1 — In case you’ve forgotten, there is only a week and a half left to pay member assessments. Reston Association’s Member Services office will be open additional hours (Saturday, Feb. 25, from 9 a.m.-noon; and Wednesday, March 1, from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.) if you need to take advantage of them. Fees can also be paid online. [Reston Association]
South Lakes High Track & Field Stars Advance to States — Olivia Beckner, Sean Casey, Ronak Cuthill, Mary Gregory, Sophie Halkett, Devyn Jones, Alex Loukili, Timiebi Ogobri, Aly Rayle, Peter Sepulveda, Jack Watkins and Dont’a Whitley will all represent the Seahawks at the state Indoor Track and Field Championships next weekend in Hampton. [Reston Patch]
Metro Call Center Hours Reduced Starting Next Month — Citing a five-year decline in call volume, Metro’s Customer Information Call Center will cut its hours of availability beginning March 1. Metro says fewer customers are using the call center as they rely more on sources of information including mobile apps and social media. [WMATA]
Washington’s Day Holiday Will Alter Public Transportation — Both Metro and Fairfax Connector schedules will be different Monday because of the federal holiday. [WMATA/Fairfax Connector]
Trump Wine Flying Out the Door — As grocery chain Wegmans faces scrutiny for selling Trump Winery products, wine stores around D.C. are reporting booming sales. In Reston, The Wine Cabinet (1416 North Point Village Center) says they’ve sold more than 10 cases since Election Day — and they could have sold more, co-owner Mike Mackie said, if they hadn’t run out. [The Hill]
CrossFit Gym to Open in Herndon — CrossFit 286 (293 Sunset Park Drive) has a grand opening slated for Saturday, Feb. 25. [Herndon Patch]
Area Couple on the Road Performing Show — Sam and Susan Simon are presenting “The Actual Dance,” the true story of their journey through Susan’s breast cancer diagnosis, this weekend in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Susan Simon is the former marketing director at Tall Oaks of Reston. [Elmira Star-Gazette]
ArtSpace Herndon Kicks Off Concert Series — Guitarist-songwriter Parthenon Huxley played with indie rocker and violinist Ben Hoyt as Herndon’s arts district began its 2017 concert series last weekend. In addition to original music, the performers played love songs from ELO and the Beatles. [Reston Connection]
Roads in Good Shape for Morning Commute — The Virginia Department of Transportation says overnight winds assisted road crews by drying most of the region, but low pavement temperatures will quickly refreeze any additional moisture. [VDOT]
Animal Protection Police Come to the Rescue — The Fairfax County Police Department shared a photo Thursday of a raccoon that got tangled up while trying to get into a bird feeder in Reston. Police said “No harm, no fowl!” — [Fairfax County Police Department/Twitter]
RA Committees to Meet Next Week — The Reston Association meeting schedule for the week of Feb. 13-17 includes meetings of the Board Governance, Elections, 55+ Advisory, Covenants and Multimodal Transportation Advisory committees. [Reston Association]
Snow Forecast Disappoints — Snow that was predicted to fall overnight didn’t amount to much of anything in Fairfax County, but it will remain windy and cold today. Warmth is expected to return soon, with 60s or even low 70s possible again Sunday. [Capital Weather Gang]
Three Divas Readying for Upcoming Show — Reston’s three divas (Beverly Cosham, Menda Ahart and Felicia Kessel-Crawley) will perform Friday, Feb. 17 at Reston Community Center, Lake Anne. Though the concert is free, seating is limited and reservations are encouraged. [Reston Museum]
Notable Death: Ralph Edward Groening — Groening, a longtime Reston resident, died earlier this week at the age of 97. Groening was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, and worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for several decades. [Reston Patch]
(Edited 12:45 p.m. after the postponement of a previously announced event.)
VW’s Electric Vehicle Work to Be Done Locally — As part of a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency, Volkswagen AG has been required to spend $2 billion over the next decade in support of zero-emission vehicles in the United States. The company announced Tuesday that under the subsidiary Electrify America LLC, that work will be headquartered in Reston. [Bloomberg]
Name of Officer in Standoff Shooting Still Not Released — The identity of the Fairfax County Police Department officer who shot and killed Mohammad Azim Doudzai last month, ending a chaotic hostage/barricade situation in Herndon, is still not being released. Police Chief Edwin Roessler, who says an assessment of potential threats to the officer is not complete, will appear in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday for a preliminary injunction hearing regarding the matter. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Police to Teens: Pay Attention When Behind the Wheel — According to information provided by the Fairfax County Police Department, an estimated 571 crashes involving teenage drivers in 2016 were attributed to various distracted driving actions. At this week’s Student Advisory Committee meeting, officers are promoting the #PhonesDownTouchdown campaign to try to lower that number. [Fairfax County Police Department]
