It’s Still Winter — A little snow may fall here on Sunday, the first day of spring. [Capital Weather Gang]
Best Of Reston Tickets Available — The Best of Reston Gala to benefit Cornerstones is April 7 at the Hyatt Regency Reston. Do you have your tickets? [Cornerstones]
Reston’s Pretty Pics — Modern Reston has a list of Reston-area Instagrammers you should be following. [Modern Reston]
Sensory Friendly Easter Bunny at Fair Oaks — On Sunday, Fair Oaks Mall will create sensory-friendly adaptations to the Bunnyville area to allow for a softer environment with lower lights and sounds for children with special sensory needs. Tickets are free, but space is limited. [EventBrite]
Nearby: New Coffee Truck and Restaurant — Herndon held an official ribbon cutting for veggie-friendly GreenFare, and a new coffee truck has come to town. [Herndon Connection]
Financial Team Gives Back — Reston’s The Wise Investor Group at Robert W. Baird & Co., is donating more $14,000 to Raising Enthusiasm for Science, Engineering and Technology (RESET). RESET is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to use hands-on experiments and classroom activities to introduce the joys of STEM education to pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students.
RCC Meeting Tonight — The community is invited to Reston Community Center’s Board of Governors Community Relations and Program/Policy Joint Committee Meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at RCC Hunters Woods. Come here about RCC’s five-year strategic plan.
Photo: Sunset at Lake Newport/Credit: Nick Dowsett via Twitter
Reston Author’s New Book — Kwame Alexander, Newbery-award winning novelist and Reston resident, has a new book that comes out April 5. Read a preview of “Booked,” which is a companion to award-winner “The Crossover.” [Publishers Weekly]
Metro Gets Grace Period — You now have 15 minutes if you want to leave a Metro station after you have paid to get in. Currently, when riders enter a station and leave that same station, they are charged $1.75 (peak time, $2.15). These same-station entry/exit transactions account for about 0.5 percent of all rail transactions each month, according to WMATA. [DCist]
Spring Flea Market This Weekend — Ready for some deals? Reston Community Center Hunters Woods is hosting its Spring Flea Market tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will be more than 30 vendors. [RCC]
Animal Industry — The Fairfax County Animal Shelter is holding a career day Saturday for youth who are thinking about working in the pet industry, such as a veterinarian, animal control officer, animal trainer or caretaker. The event is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the shelter, 4500 West Ox Rd. in Fairfax. Added bonus: adoption fees half off Saturday. [Fairfax County]
BLVD Bash — Another look at the grand opening party for BLVD at Reston Station. [Washington Business Journal]
Candidates Forum Tonight — Want to hear more about the five people running for Reston Association Board of Directors? Attend the candidates forum at RA Headquarters, 12011 Sunrise Valley Dr., 7 p.m. The forum is also available on RA’s You Tube Channel. [Reston Association]
Nearby: Herndon Hero — An eighth grader from Herndon was honored by Herndon Mayor Lisa Merkel and the Herndon Town Council for calling public safety officials when his family was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning in January. [NBC4 Washington]
Photo: Sunset from BLVD rooftop/Credit: Jennifer Heffner, Vita Images
PassionFish Gets A Nod — A server at Reston Town Center’s PassionFish has been nominated for a RAMMY, the annual honors by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. [Washington Business Journal]
Sitdown At Aslin — The beer column on our sister publication, ARLnow.com, has a video interview with Herndon’s Aslin Beer Company. The Weekend Wine and Beer Guide says Aslin may be new is already on the map by “brewing world class New England style IPAs and a bunch of other tasty brews.” [ARLnow.com]
A Load Of Garbage  — Taking a long look at what lurks inside Fairfax County sewers, and eventually, streams. [Fairfax County]
Photo: First Reston crocuses of 2016/Credit: Ray van Hilst
John Oliver On Special Taxes — Reston is part of a special tax district and new buildings may eventually be part of a new special tax district. HBO’s John Oliver took a (funny, of course) look at the practice Sunday. [Reston 2020]
Metro CEO Has Long ‘To-Do’ List — Metro’s New GM Paul Wiedenfeld said yesterday that the transit has a roadmap to restoring public trust. [Metro]
Basketball Kudos — The Reston Seahawks Boys (sixth graders) won the Division 2 Fairfax County Youth Basketball league championship on Sunday. They defeated Gainesville 61-40 to finish off a very successful playoffs and season (they beat Vienna and Ft. Belvior to get the finals). They are led by Coach Herb Landsowne and Chris Kennedy.
Spring Has Sprung? — Yesterday’s mild temps were no fluke: The Capital Weather Gang has officially declared it spring in the DC area. [Capital Weather Gang]
It’s Restaurant Week — Specials abound at Reston restaurants taking part in Northern Virginia Restaurant Week, which begins today. [Reston Now]
Bomb Scare Followup — The bomb threats made to a half-dozen Northern Virginia schools, including Herndon High, on Friday may be part of a multi-state trend. [Washington Post]
Economic Trends Here — Employment and home sales are up, according to latest Fairfax County economic indicators. [Fairfax County]
Easter Eggstravaganza On The Way — Fairfax County Park Authority will hold a series off egg hunts as Easter approaches. Sign up now for one at Frying Pan Park on March 19 or Lake Fairfax Park on March 20. Free. For ages 2 to 8. [Fairfax County Park Authority]
Graduation Day — Mark your calendars if you have a FCPS Class of 2016 student. The graduation schedule has been released. [FCPS]
New At The Top — Fairfax County has appointed Tom Fleetwood as Director of Housing and Community Development. Fleetwood has worked for the county since 2005. [Fairfax County]
Choir Honors — Students from Herndon and South Lakes High Schools are among those selected to represent Fairfax County Public Schools at the 2016 Virginia All State Chorus. [FCPS]
Closing Nearby — The Sports Authority at 21070 Southbank St. in Sterling is on the list of stores the company says it plans to close. Sports Authority says it is closing 140 stores nationally as part of Chapter 11 reorganization. [Washington Business Journal]
Reston’s Not Trump Country — Restonian takes a look at Super Tuesday here. [Restonian]
BLVD’s Grand Opening — Comstock’s BLVD apartments at Reston Station will have a grand opening celebration on March 8. [Facebook]
Cherry Blossom Time — Peak bloom in DC — and on trees in Reston — is March 31 to April 3 this year. [Hill Now]
Governor Vetoes Common Core Bill — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed House Bill 259, which prohibits the state Board of Education from replacing the Standards of Learning with the Common Core Standards. McAulliffe indicated the bill is unnecessary in light of the fact that Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) already exceed the rigor of the Common Core State Standards. [WTOP]
Photo:Â Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences students will be performing in the musical Shrek, Jr. this weekend: Liam D’Souza-Bohannon (Lord Farquaad); Ireland DiBacco (Ogre Princess Fiona); Spencer Line (Shrek); Maya Berry (Donkey); and Randi Willis (Dragon)/Photo by Kimberly Berry
Irish Music Tonight — Lunasa with Tim O’Brien returns to Reston Community Center’s CenterStage at 8 p.m. for a “transatlantic journey exploring the common roots, interplay and mutual influences at the heart of American and Irish music.” Tickets: $25 for Reston residents. [Reston Community Center]
Volunteers Needed — The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival returns to Reston May 20-22 and is looking for volunteers. [Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival]
Kudos, Herndon Sharpshooter — Allison Maxwell, a senior at Herndon High, made Herndon Navy JROTC history by finishing seventh among Navy competitors and 10th among all of the services (Navy, Marines, Army, and Air Force) in the Navy JROTC Service Championship Feb. 18-20. Maxwell earned a personal best 554 points and is now ranked 22nd among all Navy JROTC marksmen in the nation.
Good Showing At States — South Lakes High School indoor track teams finished the season by breaking two school records at the 6A State Championship Feb. 27-28 in Norfolk. Golden Kumi-Darfour, Olivia Beckner, Sarah Wolfe and Sophie Halkett ran a 9:30.27 (fifth place) in the 4×800 meter relay. That broke the school record of 9:32.03 set by the foursome in January. Devyn Jones ran a 8.39 in the finals of the 55 meter hurdles, breaking her own school record of 8.40, also set in January.
Winter Is Not Over — It may snow Thursday night. [Capital Weather Gang]
Honor For Duck Donuts — Duck Donuts, which has an outlet on Elden Street in Herndon, made Thrillist’s list of the “Best Donut Shops in America.” [Thrillist]
No School Today — Just a reminder, it is a student holiday for Fairfax County Public Schools Tuesday for the 2016 Presidential Primary. [Reston Now]
County Executive Talks Budget — Fairfax County Executive Ed Long was online Thursday to answer questions from citizens about the FY 2017 budget. [Fairfax County]
Silver Line Phase 2’s Costly Delay — The 13-month delay for Metro’s Silver Line Phase 2, has cost Metro $40 million so far — and may climb much higher. [Washington Post]
Books For Kids — HoneyBaked Ham at North Point is hosting a book drive for students at Aldrin Elementary. Drop of gently used children’s books at the store, 1480 North Point Village Center. [Facebook]
Drink With Your Dog — Aslin Beer Company in Herndon is hosting “Yappy Hour” on Wednesday, noon to 3 p.m. Bring your dog for a free meetup at the brewery at 257 Sunset Park Dr. [Facebook]
Photo: Ice Sculpture of Mercury Fountain/Courtesy Reston Town CenterÂ
New Date For VDOT Route 7 Meeting —Â The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will hold a “pardon our dust” meeting for construction starting soon on the Route 7 bridges over the Dulles Airport Toll Road and Airport Access Highway on March 9, 6 p.m. at Colvin Run Elementary, 1400 Trap Rd. in Vienna. This project will replace and widen the bridges, as well widen the section of Route 7 from four to six lanes from Jarrett Valley Drive to just west of Tyco Road. A new 14-foot shared-use path will be added. [VDOT]
Piano Concerto Tonight — The Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington presents a Schumann Piano Concerto Friday at 6:30 p.m. at United Christian Parish, 11508 North Shore Drive. [Reston Now]
Have You Paid RA? — Reston Association Member Services will extend its hours for residents to pay their annual assessment on the following days Saturday, Feb. 27 (9 a.m.-12 p.m.), Monday, Feb. 29 (8:30 a.m.- 6 p.m.) and Tuesday, March 1 (8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.)  Assessments are due March 1.
Oak Marr Gets Environmental Honor — Oak Marr RECenter has earned LEED Silver Certification from the US Green Building Council for its 10,000-square-foot addition, completed last year [Fairfax County Park Authority]
Photo: Rainy RTC by Twitter user B
Nearby: New Website — The Town of Herndon has a new website. [Town of Herndon]
Meet The Weather Supercomputer — The new Cray supercomputer — designed, owned and operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and located in Reston — processes 3 quadrillion calculations per second to help weather forecast’s become more accurate. [USA Today]
A Boost To Schools’ Bottom Line — The Virginia House budget plan includes $272 million for schools. That could help fill in the gap Fairfax County Schools may have for FY 2017. The school has requested $2.6 billion from the county. The county executive is proposing a $2 billion transfer to the schools. [Richmond.com]
New Space For Reston Base — SOS International LLC will double its footprint in Reston. The defense contractor announced it has signed a lease to expand its headquarters at 1881 Campus Commons Drive to 50,000 square feet from 29,000 square feet.
Soccer Honors — Kim Crabbe, an top girls soccer player at South Lakes High in the 1980s, was inducted into the Virginia-DC Soccer Hall of Fame last week. Crabbe also played for the Reston Rowdies, won state honors while playing at South Lakes and was a member of the NCAA Championship team at George Mason University in 1985. [VA-DC Soccer Hall of Fame]
Rally For Schools — After last week’s Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting, where County Executive Ed Long presented the 2017 proposed budget, hundreds of parents, students and other concerned parties filled the government center lobby to encourage officials to “Invest in Kids.” [Reston Connection]
Language Immersion Lottery Now Open — Interested in one of Fairfax County Public Schools’ foreign language immersion programs for your child? The enrollment lottery for 2016-17 is now open. [FCPS]
