Snow Shows Big Impact on Small Biz — Four in 10 Virginia businesses say they are impacted by weather issues, including this winter’s snowstorms. A recent survey shows those business say weather costs them up to $25,000 annually. [Washington Business Journal]
National Parks Boosting Virginia Business — Virginia national park sites are drawing millions of visitors a year and are pumping nearly a billion dollars into the state economy. The U.S. Department of the Interior says Virginia’s national park sites yielded nearly $1 billion dollars in economic benefits and attracted 23 million visits in 2012. [WAMU]
Boost The Band — The South Lakes High School and Langston Hughes Middle School Bands are holding an online auction for a sparkly diamond necklace from Aspen Jewelry Designs in Herndon. Proceeds will help the bands replace instruments and other pay other expenses. Tickets are $5 each or $20 for five. The drawing is March 19. [SLHS Band Boosters]
Aiding GRACE — Naked Pizza is honoring March’s Youth Art Month by donating 20 percent of order totals to Greater Reston Arts Center. Offer is good March 7 through April 5. Use code GRACE when ordering.
Photo by Joy Every
Wrong Way Driver — A Reston man was charged with DUI and other charges last week after he drove backwards in Fairfax. [Reston Patch]
Virginia Mental Health Director Resigns — Doug Bevelacqua, director of the state inspector general for behavioral health and developmental services, resigned Saturday citing interference with the final report on the November death of state Sen. Creigh Deeds’ son. In a letter to Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Bevleacqua said wrote that some findings were removed from his report on the incident “because they were considered speculative or too emotional.” [NBC4 Washington]
Remembering Ann Csonka — Herndon resident Ann Csonka, a dedicated environmentalist and supporter of wildlife, died last week at age 77. She worked for the U.S. Geological Survey in Washington, D.C. and in Reston for more than 30 years. [Washington Post]
Peeking at Cherry Blossoms — There may still be snow on the ground, but the National Park Service issued its predictions for peak Cherry Blossom blooms in D.C. The NPS says April 8-12 is their best estimate. [Washington Post]
D.C. Area Among Top For Newbies — The website NerdWallet has ranked the Washington area No.2 for both starting salaries (an average of over $52,000) and job opportunities. NerdWallet ranked among the best overall cities for job seekers based on more than a dozen criteria, including number of job openings, employment growth, industry variety, healthcare coverage, cost of living, taxes and starting salaries. No.1 was Fort Worth. [Washington Business Journal]
Find Snow Shoveling Help Here — Can’t shovel out your steps? New D.C.-area website snowcrew.org matches those who can’t shovel with those willing to pitch in. [WTOP]
Help The SLHS All-Night Grad Party — South Lakes High School is holding a fundraiser Wednesday, March 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Reston Chick-fil-A on Sunset Hills Road. They are donating 25 percent of all proceeds. Mention the ANGP before you place your order.
Photo by Beth Horwatt Marks via Facebook.
Budget Talks — Fairfax County Executive Ed Long was featured in an online chat on Friday. Read what he had to say in response to citizens’ questions about money for Fairfax County Public Schools, a meals tax, and other financial issues [Fairfax County Government]
Flip Through Magazines, Online — Fairfax County Public Library Patrons can now browse through magazines online and for free using the Zino technology provided by the Library of Virginia. More than 50 titles, including The Economist; Newsweek; Forbes; Good Housekeeping; National Geographic; and O, The Oprah Magazine are available. [Fairfax County Government]
Loss For South Lakes — The South Lakes High School boys basketball team ended its postseason on Friday with a 78-61 loss to Lake Braddock in the Virginia 6A North Regional Semifinals. Lake Braddock (23-4) had three players in double figures. SLHS finishes the season 19-9 after winning seven straight leading up to the Lake Braddock game.
Herndon Falls in Overtime — The Herndon High Boys basketball team also ended the 2013-14 season on Friday. The Hornets lost 63-62 to Woodson in an exciting overtime game. Woodson went on to win the region on Saturday. [Washington Post]
Charges For Reston Man in Bomb Scare — The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Reston man after his claims of an explosive device near the sheriff’s Sterling station led police to discover a package nearby. Kenneth Couch, 60, was charged with Drunk in Public band Manufacturing a Hoax Device by the Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office on Thursday [Reston Patch]
World Police And Fire Games An Economic Engine — The World Police and Fire Games are coming to Fairfax County in summer 2015, and are expected to attract more than 30,000 visitors and boost the area economy by about $100 million. [Fairfax Times]
Boosting NoVa Roads — Virginia’s new transportation funding law has delivered $146 million to a regional commission for road and transit projects through the first eight months of this fiscal year. [Washington Business Journal]
Public Art Coming to Silver Line Stations — Metro offers a sneak peek at the public art selections for the Silver Line stations, including stained glass panels for Wiehle-Reston East by New York artist David Wilson [Reston Connection]
Ride The ‘Silver Tsunami’ — Do you know about The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (also known as OLLI)? The partnership with George Mason University offers more than 100 classes for senior citizens at three Northern Virginia locations, including Reston. Popular topics include history, politics, art, current events — pretty much everything you never had the time to take while a full time student way back. [George Mason University]
Is Pot Harmless Or A Gateway Drug? — The Unified Prevention Coalition will help parents separate fact from fiction at a seminar “Marijuana Harmless: Think Again?” on March 27 at 7 p.m. at Providence Presbyterian Church,9019 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax. Register by March 26. [Unified Prevention Coalition]
Who Is Ready To Hit The Barre? — Pure Barre exercise studio is set to open at Reston Town Center soon. A Washingtonian writer recently visited the Bethesda location and described her sore legs as shaking like Jell-O. [Washingtonian]
Reston Association Needs Design Review Volunteers — Interested in keeping up Reston’s design standards? RA’s Design Review Board can use you. Three positions, including two design professionals (architect, land planner, or landscape architect) and one lay member, are needed to serve three-year terms. The DRB interprets, administers, and renders decisions involving the design covenants. Apply by May 2. [Reston Association]
Photo courtesy of Reston Association.
Help South Lakes’ All Night Grad Party — The ANGP is having a fundraiser Thursday, Feb. 27 from 5-10 p.m. at Gregorio’s Trattoria (formerly Mamma Lucia’s) in the North Point Village Center. Please mention this fundraiser to your server or cashier before ordering.
Silver Line Story — Reston Association is hosting an informational meeting on Metro’s Silver Line Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at RA Headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive. Members of Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins staff will talk about changes for Reston — as well as connector bus schedules — with the first Reston station opening later this year. [Reston Association]
Citizen Firefighters Wanted — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Citizens Academy begins its spring session March 27. Learn about firefighting, emergency medical services and other training in this free, nine-week course. [Fairfax County]
Virginia’s Well Being Index Slips — Where do Virginians rank among all 50 states in terms of physical and emotional health, work life, healthy behaviors and access to health care? According to Gallup, we used to be 14th, but have slipped to 24th. [WTOP]
Photo courtesy of Beth Burns.
Winter’s Back — Remember the nice weather of the last few days? Yeah. Winter is on its way back — with a little SNOW in the forecast [WTOP]
It’s Oscar Week — Do you know the Virginia locations where these Academy Award winners were filmed? [Virginia.org]
Kudos, Chorus Members — Both South Lakes and Herndon High Schools have singers named to the 2014 All-State Honors Choir. [FCPS]
Did Garza’s Tactic Work in Texas? — Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza, who has proposed a $2.5 billion budget for 2015 that features $96 million in proposed cuts and elimination of 731 county staff positions, has used the same budgeting tactic before. As superintendent in Lubbock, Tex., and in Houston, where she served as second-in-command of the state’s largest school district, Garza showed that reducing staff can lead to quick cost savings while giving Garza the ability to dangle higher salaries as she works to attract a new crop of teachers. [Washington Post]
Budget Cuts Hampering FCPS Tech Improvements — Nearly 30 percent of computers in the Fairfax County Public Schools are more than five years old. While the system seeks to upgrade technology must sooner than that, budget cuts make that nearly impossible. One official says to replace all 155,000 computers on that schedule, $21.7 million annually. [Fairfax Times]
Polar Vortex Freezes Out Stink Bugs — Virginia Tech scientists say that 95 percent of the pests were wiped out by this winter’s big chill. [Washington Post]
Taking The Message On The Road — Fairfax County Police have an new look for a police cruiser. The department has outfitted a 2013 Ford Taurus with a road safety message. The cruiser is designed to increase public awareness about impaired driving and other traffic safety issues, police said. [Fairfax County Police]
Photo courtesy of Dave Lepkowski.
It’s Electric Sunday — Have old electronics lying around? Fairfax County residents can recycle televisions, computers and other devices — including keyboards, speakers, printers, external drives and other such materials — as well as unbroken fluorescent light bulbs and tubes at this event. Location: the I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Road, Fairfax. [Fairfax County]
Don’t Get Stranded at Dulles — A recent survey says Dulles International Airport is the worst for layovers. Lack of good food choices, Wi-fi accessibility and cleanliness were among the characteristics ranked by more than 44,000 travelers polled by MissTravel.com, a travel-dating website. [WTOP]
Last Days to Pay — The last day to pay Reston Association annual assessments is March 1. You may be charged a late fee if you pay after that date. [Reston Association]
Paving the Way for Transgender High School Athletes — The Virginia High School League this week approved the participation of transgender athletes in prep sports. The motion passed by 27-0 vote of the league’s executive committee. The VHSL oversees athletics at 313 public high schools in Virginia. [Richmond Times Dispatch]
WBJ Profiles Reston Association CEO — The Washington Business Journal’s Biz Beat devoted some space to new Reston Association Cate Fulkerson. Fulkerson, who has worked at RA her whole career, replaced Milton Matthews last fall. Find out which business leaders she admires and the most interesting part of running Reston. [Washington Business Journal]
Help Wanted at South Lakes High — The South Lakes High School girls lacrosse team needs a varsity coach. The recently hired new coach recently resigned, and the spring season will begin soon. If you have any questions about the position, please email David Woodward. If you are interested in applying, please contact Linda Jones (703-715-4518).
Webb’s Last Race — Restonian Alan Webb ran his last pro track race last weekend at the Milrose Games in New York City. The former high school national mile record holder, now 31, finished in 11th out of 12 with a time of 4:06.11. [The Atlantic]
Count Howell Among the Millionaires — A review of the financial records of members of the Virginia General Assembly shows a handful, including Sen. Janet Howell (D-Reston) are millionaires. [Richmond Times Dispatch]
Snow Day Decisions — Still wondering who makes the call to close school in Fairfax County Public Schools when snow falls? FCPS has this video to show you the process and the criteria. [FCPS]
Reston-Based Leidos Looking At Sports Deal? — Major League Soccer’s D.C. United is finalizing a deal with Leidos Inc., the government contracting giant based in Reston, to replace Volkswagen as the club’s primary sponsor. United officials have been aiming to secure a sponsor before the season opener March 8 against the Columbus Crew at RFK Stadium. [The Washington Post’s Soccer Insider]
More Power For Virginia Homeowners Associations — Virginia’s General Assembly may pass a bill giving homeowners association’s more power. On Monday, a Senate committee approved a bill that would allow fines for violations of an association’s rules. [Washington Post]
Kudos to Reston Association Volunteers — RA has awarded some of its best volunteers wit the 2013 Volunteer Service Awards. The award recognizes an outstanding individual, group volunteer and community partner. The following recipients will be honored at the 2014 Annual Members’ Meeting on April 8. [Reston Association]
Farewell, Hybrid Tax? — Virginia’s hybrid car tax looks like it is on its way to being repealed. The state senate voted 37-1 last week to repeal the $64 annual fee. The fee formerly was $100, by previous Gov. Bob McDonnell reduced it. The house has already voted in favor of getting rid of the tax. It now goes to Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s desk. He has indicted he will sign the repeal. [WTOP]
On Why The Silver Line Must Make Stops — When Metro’s Silver Line opens later this year, a trip from Reston to downtown is expected to take 40 minutes. That led a reader to ask The Washington Post’s Dr. Gridlock why no express service from the new line to D.C.? He explains the reasons why. Among them: the cost of adding a second track on the $2.3 billion project. [Washington Post]
Meet Johnny Ray And His Soul Food — Herndon has a new restaurant, Johnny Ray’s Sultry Soul Food. Johnny Ray is a former Fairfax County Public Schools employee who is sharing his love of BBQ, greens and other southern food on Elden Street [Fairfax Times]
Photo courtesy of Carole Burnett.
Webb’s Last Race — Reston’s Alan Webb will run his final race at this weekend’s Millrose Games in New York City. Webb, a South Lakes High School grad and 2004 U.S. Olympian, is best known for breaking Jim Ryun’s longstanding mile record as a high schooler. [Flotrack]
STEM Expo Saturday — Fairfax County Public Schools will give middle- and high-schoolers a look at Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Health Sciences professions at the STEM-H Expo Saturday at Chantilly High School. The event is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Advance registration is advised. [FCPS]
Southgate Saturday School Gives Kids a Boost — For nearly five years, Southgate Community Center in Reston has been holding “Saturday School.” The collaboration with Hunters Woods Elementary and George Mason University’s Potomac Arts Academy provides weekly sessions in visual arts, music, theater, and science to students in grades 4-6. [Reston Connection]
Photo by Mistermatt2u via Twitter
Mystics Support South Lakes — Washington Mystics Coach Mike Thibault will be attending and live tweeting (@WashMystics) about the South Lakes’ girls basketball game against McLean on Friday at 5:45 p.m. at SLHS. Team mascot Pax will also be at the game. Fans attending the game will have a chance to win tickets for the 2014 Mystics season as well as other prizes. SLHS Girls varsity coach Christy Winters Scott is also a color analyst for Mystics games. [Washington Mystics]
Plum Fights For Virginia’s Uninsured — Del. Ken Plum took to the floor of the Virginia General Assembly on Tuesday to make an impassioned speech on the commonwealth’s uninsured citizens and the importance of expanding Medicaid. [YouTube]
Dressing Down For Pay To Go Up — Staffers at one Fairfax County High School have been dressing casually to show solidarity in their frustration that FCPS teachers have gone several years without a raise. Superintendent Karen Garza has said giving teachers a raise in the upcoming fiscal year is among a top priority. [Washington Post]
New Public Info Chief For Fairfax County — The county announced it has hired Tony Castrelli as director of the office of public affairs. Castrelli comes from the City of Alexandria, where he was director of communications and public information. He replaces Merni Fitzgerald, who is retiring. [Fairfax County]
