Silver Line Confusion — Metro’s Silver Line opens July 26, but there are still many people who don’t know exactly where the rail can take them. [Washington Post]
Remembering 2012’s Derecho — Two years ago today, many Fairfax County residents were still without power in the aftermath of the June 29 Derecho. What have county agencies and residents learned about emergencies? [Fairfax County]
Backpacks for 2014-15 — School’s out, but Cornerstones is already planning for next year. The nonprofit is starting its backpack drive. Cornerstones will distribute thousands of backpacks to local kids in need. Find out how to donate. [Cornerstones]
New FCPS Calendar Includes Two-Week Winter Break — The FCPS School Board last week approved a master calendar revision that allows more flexibility for snow days and eliminates early release Mondays. The calendar for 2014-15 has now been approved, if you want to pencil in important dates. [FCPS]
Photo: Reston Relay Triathlon finish line/Credit: Kristina Alcorn via RA
Changing Face Of Fairfax County — The demographics of the county are changing at a rapid pace. One known as a predominantly white, middle-class school system, FCPS has fast-growing numbers of poor students and children of immigrants for whom English is a second language. A look at the Class of 2026, which just finished kindergarten, and what challenges the school system faces. [Washington Post]
Metro Ready For July 4 — Heading down to the Mall on July 4? Metro has changes to the schedule to accommodate holiday crowds on Friday. [Metro]
Safety Drill On Silver Line — Metro teamed with public safety officials on Sunday for an emergency drill on the overhead tracks near Silver Line’s Spring Hill Station on Sunday. The Silver Line opens on July 26, and officials want to be prepared for all scenarios. [WTOP]
Metro Fares and Parking Rise Monday — The cost of riding Metro is about to go up. On June 30, Metrorail fares go up around 3 percent — about 5 cents to 15 cents, depending on when and where you’re going. Bus trips and parking will also go up between 10 and 60 cents. [WTOP]
Planning Commission Recommends Block 4 — The Fairfax County Planning Commission on Wednesday recommended for approval Boston Properties’ plans for Block 4, the surface lot at Reston Town Center. The plan calls for two high-rise residential buildings and to turn a three-story retail/office building, part of One Freedom Square, into a 17-story building with 276,788 square feet of office space and 7,800 square feet of ground-floor retail. The building would also have four levels of underground parking. The proposal will now to to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.
Fairfax Tests Emergency Readiness — Fairfax County held a giant emergency drill this week, using a simulated hurricane to test public safety’s readiness. [You Tube]
Photo: Ami Dodd & Glenn Payne practice Paddleboard AcroYoga on Lake Audubon/Credit: Gerard Rugel
Silver Line: The Saga — The Washington Post traces the history of Metro’s Silver Line — from its origins as a Kennedy-era idea to the reality of opening next month — and what would have happened around here and at Tysons Corner had Metro been built years ago. [Washington Post]
Bulova: Meals Tax Referendum Won’t Happen Soon — County Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova says if there is a meals tax referendum for Fairfax County voters, it won’t be until Nov. 2016. A tax force recently completed a list of pros and cons for a meals tax, which could add more than $80 million a year to the county coffers. [Washington Post]
Read With the Fairfax County Public Library Summer Program — The county library system is offering its summer reading program for toddlers through teenagers. The program runs from June 20 to Aug. 30, and if participants turn in their reading log they can get a coupon book, prizes and will be entered into a drawing to win bigger prizes. [Fairfax County Public Library]
Bright Spot — The Virginia Department of Transportation is committed to keeping road markings bright. All 58,000 lane miles. [VDOT]
New Fairfax Alerts Now Running — Fairfax County’s new emergency alert system is now open for registration. Even if you were formerly getting alerts in the old CEAN system, you should re-register and customize your alerts on the new site by Oct. 1. [Fairfax County]
$2 Bill Causes Kerfuffle on Toll Road — Officials at Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates the Dulles Toll Road, are looking into collection policies after a woman was told she could not use a $2 bill to pay her toll. [WTOP]
Governor To Sign Budget, With Vetoes — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said he will sign the two-year state budget, avoiding a government shutdown, but will veto items that prevent expanding Medicaid to uninsured residents. Republicans are gearing up for a fight when the General Assembly reconvenes Monday [Fairfax Times]
Talking About Route 7 Widening — The Virginia Department of Transportation is holding a public hearing Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Forestville Elementary School (1085 Utterback Store Rd.) about the proposed widening of Route 7 from between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive. The $300 million project will widen the road from four lanes to six. [VDOT]
Photo: Huge crowd at Reston Town Center Sunday for USA vs. Portugal in 2014 World Cup.
Bechtel Donates Portables To FCPS — Bechtel, selected as Fairfax County Public Schools’ 2014 Business Partner of the Year for its partnership with Reston’s Lake Anne ES, has donated nine portable classrooms to the school system. The project management company has a large headquarters in Reston. The portables, valued at $120,000, will go to Forestville and Keene Mill Elementary Schools and to Langley High School as those schools are undergoing renovations. [FCPS]
Giving Circle Grants Cycle Open — The Giving Circle of HOPE, which helps people in need in Northern Virginia by awarding grants and conducting service programs, has opened its 2014 grant cycle. Grants up to $7,000 will be awarded to local non-profit organizations through a competitive screening process. Grant applications are due by August 15 and may be accessed at www.givingcircleofhope.org or requested by e-mail at [email protected]. Since its inception the Giving Circle of HOPE has given over $755,000 to organizations in Northern Virginia.
USGS Scientist Killed In Plane Crash — Longtime Reston resident and U.S. Geological Survey pioneer in Geospatial Technology, Doug Nebert, 51, died in a private plane crash in Toledo, Ore. on May 31. [Reston Patch]
Kids: Help Design Cornerstones’ T-Shirt — Young artists are invited to take part in Cornerstones’ first Help the Homeless T-shirt Design Contest. The winning design will be on T-shirts for the Help the Homeless Program. The contest ends June 30. [Cornerstones]
Plaza America Sold — Reston’s Plaza America has changed hands. TIAA-CREF bought the property for $97.5 million from a partnership of New York’s Angelo, Gordon & Co. and Atlantic Realty, which has owned it since 2010. Meanwhile, Whole Foods just signed a 15-year lease. [Washington Business Journal]
High Honor For Herndon Band — The Herndon High Wind Ensemble has been invited to perform at the Virginia Music Educators Conference in Norfolk Nov. 20-22. Only three high schools in the Commonwealth are asked to perform each year. There are currently 74 students, representing all high school grade levels, in the Wind Ensemble. Herndon High School has previously performed at the VMEA conference in 1983, 1987, 1995, 2003, and 2007.
Playing For The Children’s Inn — Reston-based Govplace, a reseller and solution provider for the federal information technology (IT) market, raised more than $60,000 at its 7th Annual Federal IT Golf Tournament in May That’s almost double the amount of the 2013 tournament. The money raised goes to the Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
High Walking Score — A report co-authored by George Washington University says that the Washington, D.C., area has the highest walkability score of the nation’s 30 largest urban areas. The report cites 45 walkable places in the metro area, including Reston Town Center. [Washington Business Journal]
Reston Hospital’s Scholarships For Students — Reston Hospital Center recently awarded 17 local high school students with more than $16,000 in college scholarships. Two South Lakes and two Herndon High students were among the honored seniors. [Reston Connection]
Are You A Big Winner? — A $1 million Virginia Lottery ticket was sold in nearby Sterling. The ticket was sold Friday at the 7-Eleven on Woodshire Drive. [WTOP]
Up Back On — The family movie Up will be shown Sunday, June 29 at Lake Anne Plaza’s Outdoor Summer Film Series. The movie was supposed to air June 8, but was cancelled due to bad weather. The movie starts at 8 p.m. Bring lawn chairs, blankets and snacks. Admission is free.
Catch The Passage — The Reston Community Players will stage The Passage, this year’s selection in the New Play Project. The production will be Friday and Saturday, June 20-21, at the Industrial Strength Theatre in Herndon. The Passage, by Donald C. Drake, is about the ways family and friends come together to say goodbye in a world where assisted suicide is the norm. [Reston Community Players]
SLHS Girls Score at Track and Field Nationals — Several Seahawks placed at the Track and Fields National Championship meet in Greensboro, NC: Girls 4 x 400 meter relay team (Grace Gillen, Golden Kumi-Darfour, Claire Nieusma, and Delaney Wickman) placed 10th in the Championship Division with a season best 3:52.65; Kumi-Darfour was sixth in the emerging elite 800 meter run (2:13.65); Wickman placed eighth in the emerging elite 400 meter dash (56.57) and 10th in the emerging elite 200 meter dash with a personal best 24.92; and Devyn Jones placed 9th in the freshman triple jump with a personal best jump of 33’1″. 
Reston Man Sentenced For Illegal Exporting — Vahid Hosseini, 62, of Reston was sentenced on Friday to 30 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for exporting various high-tech unlicensed goods to Iran and for laundering money wired to him from multiple overseas accounts. Hosseini agreed to forfeit $50,000 as part of his guilty plea in this case. [U.S. Department of Justice]
Kaine Wants Students To Know Real College Cost — U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) has co-sponsored a bill that will give students and families a better estimate of college costs before they apply to schools. The Net Price Improvement Act would improve the effectiveness of and access to net price calculators (NPCs) — tools that provide students estimates of higher education costs — by requiring schools to put calculators on webpages where students and families are likely to look for cost and admissions information. [Tim Kaine’s Office]
Virginia ABC Helps The Earth — The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control says it has stepped up its recycling. The agency recycled 425 tons of cardboard, 23 tons of shrink wrap, 75 tons of paper, 21 pounds of aluminum and 54 pounds of plastic bottles last year. [WTOP]
Photo: Taste of Reston at dusk
Restaurant Group: No Fairfax Meals Tax — The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington wants Fairfax County leaders to reject a proposed 4 percent meals tax. The group has collected more than 550 signatures on a petition protesting the tax. County officials have proposed the tax, which would add millions to the county’s coffers. [Washington Business Journal]
Simulated Silver Line Service Setup — The Washington Post takes a look at what the week of simulated Silver Line service just prior to the rail line’s opening, will mean for Blue and Orange line riders. [Washington Post]
What’s The Weather? — New Fairfax County Alert system can give you customized weather alerts. [Fairfax County]
Now Open: Applications For Reston Multicultural Festival Vendors — Reston’s annual Multicultural Festival, to be held this year on Sept. 27, is seeking arts and entertainment performers and vendors for the event. [Reston Community Center]
Honors For SLHS Soccer Player — Junior Sara Vigen, a girls soccer goalkeeper at South Lakes High School, was named Washington Post First Team All-Met. Sara is the first SLHS girls soccer player to be named First Team All-Met since 1987.
Take A Break Concerts Return — Reston Community Center’s Take A Break Concert series returns to Lake Anne Plaza tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. The Barretones (Bluegrass) will perform on the Plaza. The free concert series will continue each Thursday through Aug. 28 with a variety of Jazz, Blues, Latin and other entertainment. [Reston Community Center]
Celebrate Sizanani — Reston-based Global Camps Africa will host Sizanani Family Fun Day from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Counselors from Camp Sizanani, a residential camp in South Africa for children who have been affected by HIV and AIDS, will be here to celebrate with founder Phil Lilienthal and other Restonians who have volunteered at the camp. [Camp Sizanani Facebook Page]
Gibson Official Files To Take On Connolly — Independent Mark Gibson, seeking the VA 11th Congressional spot, officially filed his Declaration of Candidacy and Petitions of Qualified Voters with the Virginia State Board of Elections (SBE). Gibson will challenge incumbent Democrat Gerry Connolly in the Nov. 4 general election. [Gibson for Congress]
Photo: Surf Reston SUP via Flickr
Two Reston Companies Among Fortune 500 — Reston-based Leidos and NII Holdings were among the 10 Fairfax County firms chosen as part of the 2014 Fortune 500 list. NII Holdings, a mobile communications company, is ranked 495. Leidos, technology consulting, is 442. [Fairfax County Economic Development Authority]
Montgomery Schools Chief Urges No Bell Change — Fairfax County Public Schools are looking at changing high school start times in order for students to get more sleep. A similar measure is on the books across the Potomac in Maryland’s Montgomery County, but the MCPS Superintendent said Tuesday he does not recommend the change because it would be too costly at about $21 million. There is also considerable pushback from elementary school parents. [Bethesda Now]
Local High Schools Shut Out Of Cappies — Students from Herndon and South Lakes High Schools were not among the winners at Sunday’s 2014 Cappies Awards. The awards, voted on by student critics, honor high school theatre students. [Reston Patch]
FCPS and Potential Business Partners Meet Up — Fairfax County Public Schools are looking for support from the business community. The Foundation for FCPS brought companies and school administrators together to talk about potential partnerships last week at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner. [Fairfax Times]
More Sleep For Students — Fairfax County Public Schools administrators are in the midst of gathering community feedback about proposals to alter school bell times in order for high school students to get more sleep. Across the river in Montgomery County, Md., the school board is getting ready to vote on a similar measure. [Washington Post]
Sunny Days — It is not your imagination. The last 10 weekends in the D.C. area have been free of rain. [Capital Weather Gang]
This Month in Reston Today — Reston Association’s monthly video looks at the RA yard sale, public art at Lake Thoreau and the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival. [YouTube]
Student Helping Students — South Lakes High School junior Sahana Arkalgud, raised $5,000 for the second straight year to fund the school’s Avidity Scholarship. Arkalgud began the Avidity Scholarship last year as part of her International Baccalaureate Middle Years Project. The award is given to a SLHS senior with high academic standing, a drive to learn and capacity to excel. The 2014 award was given to Tyler Liboro, who will be attending Virginia Tech in the fall.
Bathroom Break — Metro’s new Silver Line stations will have something that existing stations do not: easy-to-find bathrooms. [Washington Post]
Number Of Homeless People Declining In Virginia — Virginia Gov. Terry McAullife says the number of homeless people in the commonwealth has declined 8 percent in the last year. [WTOP]
Say Hello To The Connolly Trail — At a Saturday ceremony in Lorton, the Fairfax County Park Authority officially renamed the 40-mile Cross County Trail the “Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail.” The name change was in recognition of Rep. Connolly’s strong support for open space and parkland during his tenure on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors took action last year to rename the trail after Connolly.
Herndon Police Return Stolen Signs — Officers from the Herndon Police took a trip to Connecticut to return stolen playground signs to the families of children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting. A Herndon man was arrested in connection with the thefts last month. [NBC4 Washington]
Silver Line’s Impact On The Rest Of Metro — When Metro’s Silver Line opens this summer, it will change the pattern of other commuters on Blue, Orange, Yellow lines. [WJLA]
Finding God In Jail — Inmates at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center have been taking a college-level theology course. [Fairfax Times]
June ExtravaCATza At Animal Shelter — The entire month of June will be “ExtravaCATza” at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, where adoption fees on all cats and kittens are just $10. Visit any Saturday in June to meet with a cat expert. [Fairfax County]
