Give A Reston-Themed Gift — Modern Reston has some ideas for “only in Reston” holiday presents. [Modern Reston]
Exercise For a Good Cause — Join the Moms Keeping Fit Bootcamp class at the Reston Town Center Pavilion Saturday at 8:45 a.m. for a great workout for a two great causes. Make a donation to Wounded Warriors to participate or bring a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. Class may be indoors at Athleta depending on weather. Register in advance. [Reston Now]
Tree Sale For Hunger Relief — Vale United Methodist Church of Oakton’s Christmas tree sale is now underway, and proceeds will go to the global relief organization Stop Hunger Now. The proceeds from each sale will feed 120 people, and the church has a goal of raising enough for 50,000 meals. Vale UMC is at 11528 Vale Rd., Oakton. The tree lot is open weeknights from 6 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cash or checks only, please.
Photo courtesy of Potomac River Running via Flickr
Raise For Supervisors? — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 8-2 on Tuesday to look into raising Supervisor salaries. Supervisors currently are paid $75,000 a year, but the county is facing $178 million budget shortfall. Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity (R) said: “The Board of Supervisors showed again that they are completely out of touch with the residents of Fairfax County.”
“Frozen” World at Fair Oaks Mall — Are your kids obsessed with Elsa and all things Frozen? Then head to Fair Oaks Mall this holiday season to visit the Frozen Ice Palace Experience. This interactive display features all the cast members, as well as a 30-foot ice palace and a visit with Santa. [Fair Oaks Mall]
Gifts From The HeART — Mark your calendars for The Holiday Gift Shopping Event at Gifts from the HeART on Saturday. Reston Community Center at Lake Anne will turn into a festive marketplace of food and gifts from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Works of handmade art in many mediums will be for sale. Participating artists donate 10 percent of their proceeds from sales during the Holiday Gift Shopping Event to Cornerstones. [Reston Community Center]
Fairfax Real Estate Lagging — A George Mason University study says Fairfax County real estate values have not fully recovered from the recession. [Washington Post]
Calling All Restaurants — The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce needs donations for its annual First Responders Holiday Celebration at noon on Dec. 16 at the Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station. If you are a restaurant or catering business, please consider donating a dish to honor police, fire and rescue, and EMT personnel in Reston and Herndon for their service. Contact Todd Rhoden at 703-707-9045.
Holiday Show At SLHS — The Sounds of the Holidays dance concert will be presented by South Lakes High dance students and members of the school’s Fusion Dance Company on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at SLHS. This family friendly dance concert will celebrate the sounds of the holidays with performances set to favorites like Winter Wonderland, Carol of the Bells, and Jingle Bells. Suggested admission donation of $5.
Honors For Buzz Aldrin ES — The National PTA has recognized Reston’s Buzz Aldrin Elementary School and the Buzz Aldrin Elementary School PTA as a National PTA School of Excellence for their achievement in building effective family-school partnerships. Being recognized as a National PTA School of Excellence demonstrates Buzz Aldrin and the PTA’s leadership and commitment to partnering to support student success and continuous school improvement. [Reston Connection]
Arrest In Vienna Metro Carjacking — Metro Transit Police (MTPD) arrested 42-year-old man in conjunction with a Nov. 12 carjacking and abduction at the Vienna Metrorail Station. Charges include abduction for the purposes of extorting money; carjacking; use of a firearm in the commission of a felony; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. [Metro]
Amazon Shopping To Help IPAR — Shopping this Cyber Monday? If you click through to shop the site through this Amazon Smile link, the Initiative for Public Art Reston will get 5 percent back from your purchase. [IPAR]
Public Comments on Master Plan Phase II — County planners have released transcripts of community comments from the Nov. 8 Master Plan Phase II meeting. See what some of your neighbors have to say about traffic, development, housing and more. [Fairfax County]
Photo: Volunteers at Reston Holiday Parade try and keep a grip on the big balloons/Credit: Melissa Gifford
Reagan National A Hotspot For Travelers — Though it is smaller in size, Reagan is about to pass Dulles International Airport for the number of travelers that pass through. That could mean an economic impact for the state. [Washington Post]
Santa’s Gone High Tech — Santa’s HQ, the HGTV-sponsored area to see Santa Claus at Tysons Corner, has a host of interactive features. [Fairfax Times]
Tysons Urban Team Ready For Action — It’s Black Friday, and the Fairfax County Police have deployed its specially trained Tysons Urban Team to combat larceny, fraud and other high-shopping season crimes [Fairfax County Police]
Combating Cybercrime at Reston Conference — Fifty percent of data breaches happen to small businesses. How to guard against it wast he main point of a conference in Reston earlier this week. [Reston Times]
Photo: Paddleboarding in Reston’s first snow of 2014-15/Credit: Surf Reston via Facebook
Put Your Input On Parks — Fairfax County Park Authority is seeking your input. Read some of the most popular ideas and vote for your favorites. [Fairfax County Park Authority]
Heroin On The Rise In The County — Fairfax County Police say heroin use is on the rise in the county. There have been 17 so far this year, compared to nine deaths for the same date in 2013. The police held an online chat Monday to discuss the growing problem. [Fairfax County Police]
I Spy Pie — Still need Thanksgiving dessert? Check out this list of where to get the best pies in and around Reston. [Modern Reston]
Is Dulles frustrating? — As holiday travel approaches, take a look at the list of most- and least-frustrating U.S. airports to see where DC-area airports rank. [WTOP]
Chanukah Shop Here — Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation will open its annual Chanukah Shop Dec. 7. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Items for sale include Menorahs; dreidels and games; candles; serving pieces; and candy gelt. NVHC is located at 1441 Wiehle Ave.
WHFS’ Cerphe Remembers — Reston resident Cerphe Colwell chats about his days as a DJ at the alt rock station [Washingtonian]
Another SLHS Athlete Signs — South Lakes senior Natalie Obando has signed an NCAA letter of intent to swim at Towson University.
Metro On Sunday Schedule Thursday — That is just one of several changes for the rail service over the holiday weekend. [Metro]
County Establishes Resident Curator Program — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors passed a new law establishing a Resident Curator program. The program will let people live rent-free in historic properties in exchange for renovating them, but many specifics must be worked out before it goes into effect. [Fairfax County]
Bridging The Americas Through Birds — Seven classes from Lake Anne Elementary are taking part in Bridging the Americas/Unidos por las Aves, is a cross-cultural environmental education program that partners classes in grades 2 through 8 in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, New Hampshire and Vermont with classes in Latin America and the Caribbean. The paired classes learn and exchange information about the migratory birds that winter in Latin America and return to the US and Canada each spring to breed.
Vote For Tech’s Best — Voting is open to choose the Northern Virginia Technology Council’s 2014 Tech Company of The Year. Several Reston firms are in the running, including Cooley LLP, Clarabridge and Hopecam. [NVTC]
Photo: Window of small change consignment at Lake Anne Plaza
Huge Cash Infusion for Sweetgreen — Sweetgreen, the fast-casual salad restaurant local chain with an outpost at Reston Town Center, just got an $18.5 million investment from some big names to expand to the West Coast. [Eater DC]
Teslas For Sale Nearby — In the market for an uber-expensive Tesla car? The automaker has received zoning approval to open up a showroom at 8500 Tyco Road in Tysons Corner. [Fairfax County Board of Supervisors]
Ted’s Has a Thanksgiving Treat — Where can you get all the Thanksgiving foods (turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberries and more) in one pastry? At Ted’s Bulletin (in D.C. and Reston), where they have a special Thanksgiving Pop-Tart. [Washington City Paper]
Talk About Heroin — Fairfax County is holding an Ask Fairfax! online chat about the county’s growing heroin problem in Monday, Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. Join in the discussion with Captain Paul Cleveland from the Fairfax County Police Department’s Office of Organized Crime & Narcotics and Peggy Cook, director of Residential Treatment Services for the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board. [Fairfax County]
Renovations at TJ — New classrooms and labs are now open at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology as part of its $67 million renovation. [Fairfax Times]
Flipping Through Town Center — Ever see a couple of guys vaulting and twisting their way through Reston Town Center? Check out these amazing photos of the Parkour athletes. [Modern Reston]
Silver Line Costs To Rise? — New safety regulations, instilled after the 2009 fatal Metro crash, may cause Silver Line Phase II price tag to rise about $2.7 billion. [WAMU]
Kudos To Police Crime Prevention Program — The Fairfax County Police Department has been approved and re-certified by the Criminal Justice Services Board of the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services as a Crime Prevention Community, one of very few in the Commonwealth. [FCPD]
Curtain Up — South Lakes High School’s Theatre Arts Department presents its fall play, The Man Who Came To Dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tickets available online and at the door. [SLHS Theatre Arts]
Another Sports Letter of Intent — Herndon field hockey’s Sofia Palacios has committed to play at the University of Pennsylvania. Palacios has 24 goals and is top-ranked in the the area with with 30 assists. She joins several other area athletes who have committed to play NCAA sports. [Reston Now]
Wine Event To Support Women — Head to Kalypso’s at Lake Anne Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for a wine event to benefit Artemis House, a local domestic abuse shelter. The event is being hosted by Mary Kay rep Leslie Kane, who will also have samples to try and items to order, with donations of cosmetics also going to the shelter.
Schools Shortfall — The Fairfax County School Board will meet with the Board of Supervisors next week to discuss the $117 million shortfall that will loom on next year’s budget. [Washington Post]
Line Works At GRACE — A new exhibit at Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) Lineworks: Drawing Redefeined explores lines in multimedia works by five artists. The show runs through early January. [GRACE]
Bundle Up — The National Weather Service says the high on Tuesday will be 30 degrees — about 20 degrees less than Monday and way below the average for Nov. 18. Oh, and it will be windy, too, with wind chills making it feel like single digits and teens. [Capital Weather Gang]
Helping Out — Terraset Elementary’s Student Council led a schoolwide food drive last week to collect canned goods for the Herndon-Reston FISH. The students collected 1,215 cans of food to help support their local community. Want to make a similar donation? Cornerstones food drive continues through this week. [Cornerstones]
Alcohol Prices Rise — The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board approved three pricing adjustments Monday as part of Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s plan to plug a $2.4 billion gap in the two-year state budget. Prices will rise on miniature bottles, doubled the $1 case handling fee and agreed to round up the last digit of all prices to 9. The rise is expected to raise about $5 million this fiscal year and $9 million in fiscal year 2016. [WTOP]
A Long Silver Line Ride — A good number of Silver Line riders disembarking for jobs in Tysons Corner and Reston are taking it a long distance — from Prince George’s County and D.C. They say they are fine with the long commute and could not afford to live close to their jobs in Western Fairfax County anyway. [Washington Post]
Metro Police Seek Carjacking Suspect — Metro Police said a woman was carjacked at the Vienna Metro station Thursday at about 12:40 a.m. The suspect displayed a handgun and forced the victim to drive to several ATMs to withdraw cash. The suspect released the victim at the New Carrollton Metrorail Station and left the scene. The suspect is described as approximately 5’10” and walks with a limp to his right side. [Metro]
More Taking Fairfax Connector to Silver Line — Fairfax transportation officials say the Dulles corridor bus routes are transporting more passengers since the July opening Wiehle-Reston East and other Silver Line stations. Ridership is up by 4 percent on weekdays and 7 percent on weekends. [Washington Post]
RA Inspecting Common Areas — Reston Association is making the rounds of common spaces to ensure they are free of invasive plants, yard debris and other unwanted items. Inspections will start in south Reston. [Reston Association]
New Chamber Group Performs This Week — The Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Greater DC will give its inaugural performance on Friday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. at the United Christian Parish, 11058 North Shore Drive, Reston. Conductor Yeong Su Kim will lead the orchestra in works by Mozart, Schubert and Debussy and the Beethoven ‘Emperor” piano concerto featuring Matthew Van Hoose, soloist. Ticket prices are $20 adults, $15 for students and seniors, and free for children. [United Christian Parish]
Photo: Lake Audubon/Reston Pool photo by Busy Bee
Hayfield Honors Tremaine — Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria has renamed its spirit shop in memory of former principal Dave Tremaine. Tremaine, a Reston resident, died earlier this year after battling colon cancer. There was a ceremony that featured a YouTube slideshow of students’ best memories of Tremaine [YouTube]
Finding Winter Shelter — With cold weather settling in, Fairfax County has begun this year’s hypothermia program and six emergency shelters throughout the county. [Fairfax County]
Show ‘Les Miz’ Some Love — The Reston Community Players’ production of Les Miserables is up for a 2014 Broadway World Washington “Best Community Theatre Production” Award. The show, which ran last fall, is competing with — and currently running second to — Kensington Arts Theatre’s production of Les Miz, among others. You can vote online. [Broadway World]
Shop at RCC Saturday — Reston Community Center is holdings its Children’s Flea Market at RCC Hunters Woods Saturday from 9 to noon. Come and shop for gently used books, clothes and toys. [RCC]
Photo: Sunrise Valley ES students sing to veterans and other visitors on Veterans Day/Credit: SVES PTA via Facebook
FCPS Seeking Solutions to Overcrowding — There are 900 trailers in use for Fairfax County Public Schools, and overcrowding may be an issue for years to come, the school system says. [Fairfax Times]
Kids See The Nutcracker For Free — The Classical Ballet Academy has seats available for its free Children’s Series performance of The Nutcracker on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale. This is a shorter performance for little ones. Space is limited, please telephone (703) 742-9395 to reserve a seat. Full-length presentations will take place Nov. 29 and 30. [Classical Ballet Theatre]
Kudos, Herndon High Quiz Kids — Seven students from Herndon High traveled last week to Yale University to compete at the Yale Certamen Invitational Tournament. This is a national level, quiz bowl-type competition featuring classics-themed questions. The intermediate team of Dora Drezga, Christina Ngo, Kyle Nielsen, and Jocelyn Robertson placed third out of 21 team. Herndon’s advanced team of Charlie Shen, Angie Ngo, Grace Bailey, and Shruti Shrivastava placed sixth out of 21 teams.
Bechtel’s A Military Friendly Employer — Bechtel, which has a large Reston headquarters, has been named a Military Friendly Employerby Victory Media, the publisher of G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse magazines. The title is awarded to companies that demonstrate a commitment to transitioning military personnel, veterans, U.S. National Guard members, and military reservists through hiring and training programs as well as company policies. [Bechtel]
