Tuesday is May 5, commonly known as Cinco de Mayo.
The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
It’s also a good reason to indulge in some Latin-inspired food and drinks.
Here are some places for a great margarita and guacamole in Reston:
bartaco , Reston Town Center — Reston Town Center’s newest restaurant evokes a trip to the Hamptons. Try the fresh-squeezed juices in your margarita and a wide variety of snack-sized tacos.
Uncle Julio’s, Reston Town Center — This town center standby is always a good place for house-made tortillas and frozen margaritas.
On the Border, Spectrum Center — Avoid the town center crowds and get made-to-order guacamole at the table.
Lake Anne Market — This mini-mart at Lake Anne Plaza has a kitchen that turns out quality pupusas, tacos, and other authentic Latin American specialities.
Jackson’s Mighty Fine Food and Lucky Lounge, Reston Town Center — It’s not technically a Mexican restaurant, but Jackson’s has some of the best margaritas in town.
Photo: Uncle Julio’s swirl margarita/Credit: Uncle Julio’s
All seven Reston elementary schools will be taking part in National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 6.
Bike to School Day is an offshoot of Walk to School Day, says the event sponsor, National Safe Routes to School. The first-ever National Bike to School Day took place in May of 2012 with 950 events in 49 states. In 2014, more than 2,200 schools participated in National Bike to School Day on May 7.
The events are held to encourage children to help the environment, take part in healthy habits and promote safety by getting to school using foot and pedal power.
Local schools each have a Bike to School Day coordinator and special events planned. To see how to get involved at your school, see this list on Bike to School Day’s website.
Photo: Terraset ES students at Bike to School Day 2014
A Las Vegas man who pleaded guilty to prostituting teenage girls in Reston, Herndon and other parts of Northern Virginia, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison, federal authorities said.
Authorities said Lenny Paul “2 Much” Haskins, 34, had been operating in Northern Virginia for nearly a decade. He pleaded guilty to sex trafficking in U.S. District Court in Alexandria in January.
The charge Haskins pleaded to took place in Herndon last summer. Authorities said in June 2014, Haskins encountered two teens at a hotel near Sacramento, Calif. The girls, ages 15 and 17, were runaways from foster care. Haskins provided marijuana and eventually recruited them to prostitute for him. Once he recruited them, Haskins performed sex acts with the victims, officials said.
In August 2014, Haskins instructed the victims to take a bus to Herndon for the purposes of being prostituted there. Haskins arranged for advertisements to be posted on the Internet site www.Backpage.com to obtain sex customers for the juveniles.
The juveniles sent prostitution proceeds to Haskins using various money transfer businesses. The Las Vegas Police Department arrested Haskins in August 2014 but he continued to call the victims and give them directions from jail, authorities said.
Authorities said Haskins frequently provided drugs to the women and girls whom he prostituted. He instructed the women and girls whom he prostituted to call him “Daddy.” Some of the women prostituted by Haskins were tattooed with Haskins’s moniker “2 Much,” according to the FBI.
The FBI said Haskins set a monetary quota that the victims whom he prostituted were required to meet each day. For example, in some places, Haskins required these women and girls to earn $1,000 per day from prostitution, and provide him with these proceeds. After Haskins was incarcerated, he continued to run his prostitution business from jail.
Haskins had faced a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. After his 40-year sentence, he will have a life term of supervised release. The court also ordered Haskins to pay $538,250 in restitution to the victims and to forfeit $738,250 to the United States.
Haskins was also arrested in Nevada in 2012 in connection with the drowning of a child. At the time he had fugitive warrants from California for assault and parole violation, Virginia for assault and prostitution charges, and Texas for larceny charges.
Earlier this week, Haskins’ girlfriend, who was located with her 3-year-old son, was arrested at the Crowne Plaza Herndon. Geidre Ruseckaite, 24, was charged by Fairfax County Police with child neglect, prostitution and keeping a bawdy place. Federal authorities also had been looking for Ruseckaite in connection with the prostitution of the 15-year-old in Herndon.
Photo: Lenny Haskins/Credit: Las Vegas PD
Just 10 months after it began, Reston Master Plan Phase 2 — which will cement guidelines on future development — is sprinting towards approval.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Wednesday (8:15 p.m. at the Fairfax County Government Center) on the document that will organize the rest of the vision for Reston’s future.
The Master Plan Phase 1 took nearly four years of committee meetings before being approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in early 2014.
Phase 1 guides development near Reston’s transit centers, some of which were without previous residential development in the immediate area. Phase 2, which will guide development and redevelopment in neighborhoods and near Reston’s village centers, launched last June. But under the county’s new Fairfax Forward plan, it is already prepared for the planning commission. After that it will go to the Board of Supervisors for final approval on June 2.
Fairfax County officials say the the current comprehensive plan, last updated in 1989, requires revision because Reston no longer has a master developer to update the plan for Reston; the plan for Reston has outdated elements; and with population expected to grow with the arrival of Metro, Reston is evolving as a community.
The Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning completed the draft of the Reston Comprehensive Plan Amendment in early April. Here are some of the highlights:
Village Centers — The amendment establishes general vision and guidelines for redevelopment for any future village center redevelopment proposals. The general vision for Reston’s village centers addresses elements necessary for village centers to achieve the desired goal of becoming a vibrant community gathering space.
The Guidelines for Redevelopment establish a process for developing detailed plans and considering redevelopment proposals.
Redevelopment of Neighborhoods — There is only one active rezoning application, for the St. John’s Woods Apartments near North Point Village Center. While the rezoning application seeks additional density (up to almost 50 dwelling units per acre) and mid-rise residential buildings, the county planning staff’s approach “is consistent with the study’s larger approach, to maintain today’s existing built form, density and overall character. ”
In general, the report says “Reston’s clusters and neighborhoods should be protected from pressure to redevelop, which may be caused by growth and redevelopment elsewhere in Reston.” Read More
Washingtonian magazine’s Neighborhood Guide takes readers to Reston and Herndon in the May issue, released this week.
It divides a visitors time into three segments: 1. Shop Till You Drop; 2. Day of Family Fun; and 3. Plunge Into the Arts.
Shop Till You Drop guides readers to Lake Anne Plaza (Reston Museum, Cafe Montmartre, Reston’s Used Book Shop, Chesapeake Chocolates), a side trip to sushi spot Ariake at Hunters Woods, and then takes a spin through Reston Town Center with advice to stop in at The Tasting Room, Clyde’s, PassionFish and others 
before visiting Herndon.
Family Fun recommends Reston Association’s Walker Nature Education Center and Fairfax County Park Authority’s Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon, as well as back to town center for meals at Jackson’s Mighty Fine Food and Ted’s Bulletin and dessert at Red Velvet. Small Change Consignment and Baby Blossom at Lake Anne get a nod, as do local farmers markets.
Plunge Into the Arts recommends the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, which returns to town May 15-17, as well as ArtSpace Herndon, Herndon’s Friday Night Live , Reston Community Center’s CenterStage and Herndon’s NextStop Theatre Company.
What do the residents say? If you live here, the guide likely featured nothing new, but may have left off your favorite places, off the beaten path or otherwise unknown to Washingtonian’s editors.
If any of your local favorites were not mentioned, tell us in the comments to offer some real insider information.
Top, Nature House at Walker Nature Education Center. Bottom, PassionFish/file photos
A long list of larcenies mark the Fairfax County Police’s Reston Station report for this week.
Among the incidents: several license plate thefts in the 2200 block of Colts Neck Road and two thefts from residences in the 1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive.
2200 block of Colts Neck Road, license plate from vehicle.
2300 block of Colts Neck Road, merchandise from business.
2200 block of Colts Neck Road, license plate from vehicle.
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, items from residence
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, phone from residence.
1800 block of Fountain Drive, cash from business.
1000 block of Harriman Street, wallet from business.
11400 block of Isaac Newton Square, property from residence.
13200 block of Woodland Park, phone from business.
1800 block of Discovery Street, bicycles from residence
12200 block of Laurel Glade Court, ring and credit cards from residence
1800 block of Cranberry Lane, property from residence.
2300 block of Millennium Lane, property from business.
11800 block of Freedom Drive, license plate from vehicle.
11700 block of Briary Branch Court, property from vehicle.
The Fairfax County Park Authority is expected to vote on Wednesday in favor of the land deal that will clear the way for an indoor recreation center and other community space at the area known as Town Center North.
The park authority will hold a public hearing on the subject at 7:30 p.m. at the Herrity Building, at 12055 Government Center Parkway.
The 47-acre Reston Town Center North area is bounded by Baron Cameron Avenue, Fountain Drive, Town Center Parkway and Bowman Towne Drive.
The park authority deal involves a land swap between the county, the park authority and Inova.
The deal seeks “Conveyance of the Reston Towne Green property to the Board of Supervisors in consideration for a potential 2.6-acre urban Central Green; commitment to provide approximately 90,000 square feet of density for the indoor facility within one of the new urban blocks; and other items for consideration that may be advantageous to the Park Authority mission.”
The park authority’s plans call for a 90,000-square-foot recreation facility to be built on the same block as the new North County Government Center, which recently opened on Cameron Glen Drive.
The recreation center would be owned and operated by the park authority, however, officials still do not know who would pay to construct the building or how much the facility will cost.
Park Authority Board Chair Bill Bouie says the rec center would primarily be funded with bonds. There are two upcoming bonds to be voted on — an $87.7 million bond to be put to voters in 2016 and an $88 million bond on the ballot in 2020, said Bouie. He added the park authority would seek developer proffers to help pay for the facility. Typical proffers are around $800 per residential unit, he said.
The Town Center North plan means the idea to build a new Reston Community Center at Baron Cameron Park, which had been discussed for more than two years, is pretty much dead. Bouie, who also serves on RCC’s Board of Governors, said he hopes RCC will be involved in the planning in order for Restonians to get top priority for facility use.
RCC officials said last year that Town Center North would be the only other good spot for such a facility because it is located close to other public facilities, is in the center of Reston growth and is easily accessible.
The Town Center North area is still about a mile from the future Reston Town Center Silver Line Metro station, which will open in late 2018.
Bouie said RCC will not be involved in the Town Center North plan “unless the RCC Board decides to partner with the park authority on programs that are needed to supplement offerings, especially swimming.”
If you wish to speak at the hearing you may sign up in advance by calling the Public Information Office at 703-324-8662 or via email at [email protected]. You may also sign up at the hearing. Organizations may have one official speaker for five minutes; individuals may testify for three minutes.
Have a question for the Fairfax County Police Chief about crime in Reston?
Then make plans to attend the FCPD Reston District Station’s Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting on April 16 at 7 p.m.
Chief Ed Roessler will be attending the meeting to talk with the residents of the Reston District.
The meeting is at the new police headquarters building at 1801 Cameron Glen Dr. The new station is located directly next to the old station and parking is available on the street along Cameron Glen Drive.
The CAC is an open forum meeting to enhance communication between residents and the FCPD, police said.
Terraset Elementary School took a big step in its major overhaul when a steel bridge was put into place this week. The bridge centrally connects the school entrance and the parking lot.
The bridge will replace the two aging walkways that formerly connected the parking lot to the school, which is located partially underground. One of the walkways was destroyed last year. One remains in place for the transition.
The school, which opened in 1977 as a unique, energy-saving underground concept, is about a year in to a renovation that is expected to take up to another year. Crews are nearly done with new classrooms on one side of the building. Later this school year, lower grades will move into the new wing while workers get busy with an addition on the other side of the school. Upper grades will be relocated to temporary classroom buildings, which will remain until the project is complete during the 2015-16 school year.
The renovation will change the school from an open concept to having more traditional classrooms, as well as addding space to nearly double the school’s capacity, with room for about 900 students.
Happy Birthday, Reston — you look good for 51. And founder Bob Simon seems to be the heartiest (almost) 101 year old around.
Come and celebrate both birthdays at the annual Reston Founders Day on April 11.
The free events, hosted by the Reston Historic Trust and Museum, run from noon to 3 p.m. at Lake Anne Plaza.
State, local and national elected officials will participate in a game of “Random Reston,” which will be emceed by Chuck Veatch. There will also be musical entertainment, the dedication of the plaza’s newest commemorative bricks, as well as birthday cake.
Simon, who envisioned a “new town” with European-style village centers and high-density housing in what was then a Virginia pasture, turns 101 on April 10.
Founders Day raffle tickets are on sale now, offering an opportunity to support the Reston Historic Trust & Museum Endowment Fund. The RHT is raffling off a pair of “inside out” diamond hoop earrings valued at $2,500. The earrings, donated by Aspen Jewelry Designs, contain 50 diamonds weighing 1.01 carats.
Raffle tickets are $10 each, 3 for $25 or 7 for $50. They can be purchased at the Reston Museum at Lake Anne Plaza, online at restonmuseum.org or at the Wine Cabinet at North Point Village Center. The drawing will follow the celebration. You do not have to be present to win.
Photo: Reston founder Bob Simon at his 100th birthday at 2014 Founders Day.
Willie Hudgins, the husband of Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, is recovering at Inova Fairfax Hospital after he was badly injured in a fall on Friday.
Hudgins suffered serious injuries in the incident at his gym, aides to Hudgins said.
The Hudgins family has been residents of Reston since 1969. Hudgins has been the Hunter Mill Supervisor since 1999.
A statement from Cathy Hudgins’ office:
On Friday, March 27, Supervisor Cathy Hudgins’ husband, Willie Hudgins, suffered serious injuries related to a fall. He was rushed to INOVA hospital where he was stabilized and is continuing to undergo treatment.
Supervisor Hudgins wishes to extend her thanks to Fairfax County first responders and hospital staff for their assistance in this difficult time.
Additionally, we want to thank the community for their outpouring of prayers and support for the Hudgins family.
The Hunter Mill District Office continues to conduct business as usual and will update the Hunter Mill District website and Facebook page as further information is available.
We appreciate your concern and cooperation in this very private family matter. Thank you for respecting the family’s privacy during this difficult period.
Cathy Hudgins/File photo
Replacement of the Embry Rucker Community Shelter and several Reston-area fire stations are on Fairfax County’s list of projects to tackle in the five-year advertised Capital Improvement Program.
County Executive Ed Long recently released the CIP to show the county’s priorities during the next budget cycle and enable the county to plan for the future.
Long has proposed a $3.8 billion overall advertised budget, with $22.04 million from the general fund going to support capital improvements. Tens of millions more will come from bond referendums in the future.
Long says county staff is “currently working to prioritize all county projects to develop specific recommendations for the next two county referenda scheduled for fall 2016 (FY 2017) and fall 2018 (FY 2019). An amount between $200 and $250 million is included in the CIP for planning purposes.
Meanwhile, Long has also predicted a budget gap of more than $90 million as the county gets ready to plan for 2017. The real estate tax rate in the county will stay the same as in 2014 — $1.09 per $100 of assessed value.
“We have turned over every rock for cost-saving opportunities,” he wrote in the introduction to the CIP.
There will be public hearings on the budget in general on April 7 (4 p.m.), 8 and 9 (both 1 p.m.) at the Fairfax County Government Center. The budget markup will happen on April 21, and the Board of Supervisors will vote on it on April 28.
Meanwhile, here are the Reston-area projects mentioned in the Capital Improvement Program through 2020:
Reston Town Center North: This project currently includes $700,000 to develop an overall master plan that reconfigures and provides integrated redevelopment of various Fairfax County and Inova properties at Reston Town Center North (south of Baron Cameron Avenue between Town Center Parkway and Fountain Drive).
Three facilities impacted by the redevelopment are the Reston Library, the Embry Rucker Shelter, and the North County Human Services Center. Fairfax County plans to solicit an initial Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure (PPEA) for two County-owned parcels, known as Blocks 7 and 8, on which the library and shelter are currently located. The County will solicit a future PPEA for the remaining parcels, including the parcel containing the North County Human Services Center, after a Development Agreement is signed by Fairfax County and Inova.
The entire project is expected to cost $20 million.
South Lakes High School: $14,650,406 for capacity enhancements. Construction funds are unfunded.
Herndon High School: $102,139,918 for the renovation of this facility. Construction funds are unfunded.
Synthetic Turf Maintenance: Funding in the amount of $6,735,338 has been included for the countywide athletic field maintenance and sports program in FY 2016. This level of funding is supported by an increased General Fund transfer.
Reston Community Center Improvements: $647,000 is required for the replacement of the RCC backstage HVAC unit, replacement of the CenterStage theatre roof sections, replacement of the Hunters Woods front building area, and replacement of light fixtures. Read More
Fairfax County Park Authority Chair Bill Bouie says the process to build — particularly amassing the funding for — a 90,000-square-foot indoor recreation center in Reston will not be a quick one.
The money to build the facility in the Town Center North area will primarily come from bonds. There are two upcoming bonds to be voted on — an $87.7 million bond to be put to voters in 2016 and an $88 million bond on the ballot in 2020, said Bouie.
“The projects and bond categories for those bonds have not been determined at this time,” he said on Tuesday. “Those discussions will take place later on this year and early next year. The eventual rec center will have to be built with a combination of bonds and proffers within these confines.”
The cost of the facility, which would probably include a 50-meter indoor pool, is not yet known. Previous estimates for a smaller facility at Baron Cameron Park were $30-40 million. Those estimates came from a feasibility study done by Brailsford & Dunlavey for Reston Community Center, which looked into a partnership with FCPA to build a rec center at Baron Cameron Park.
Baron Cameron Park is also a FCPA park. RCC, whose 25-meter indoor pool at the Hunters Woods location is more than 35 years old, spent two years discussing and obtaining community feedback on constructing a new rec center on land at Baron Cameron donated by the park authority. Last year’s Master Plan update for Baron Cameron Park includes an indoor rec center option.
That proposal was met with mixed community reaction. Some of the concerns: traffic, whether there is really demand for a new facility and unfair costs to Small Tax District 5 (Reston) residents.
Bouie says the FCPA will be seeking developer proffers to help pay for the Town Center North facility. Typical proffers are around $800 per residential unit, he said. Read More
It’s Frozen Friday.
If you are venturing out to shovel — or go to work — here is what you need to know:
It’s 10 degrees at 7:30 a.m. in Reston — but the high today is 27. Good news: It will be in the 50s next week.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is asking residents to delay trips today. Said VDOT: “Many icy patches out there, even on interstates. Crews are treating but extremely low road temps and rapid refreeze.
Fairfax County Public Schools are closed.
Wiehle-Reston East is operating on a normal schedule after being closed last night due to a small fire and flooding.
Fairfax County Government offices will open at 10 a.m. today. Employees have been granted unscheduled leave. Emergency service personnel should report as scheduled.
he Fairfax County Circuit Court, General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court will open on time.
Parks, Community and Recreation and Community Centers — If you have questions about Park Authority facilities, contact the site directly, call the Parks inclement weather line at 703-324-8661<, TTY 711, or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks.
The Reston Community Center may be affected by the inclement weather. Call RCC at 703-476-4500, TTY 711, www.restoncommunitycenter.com.
Fairfax Connector bus service is operating on a normal schedule, however, check the Connector Web page at www.fairfaxconnector.com for the current operating status and updates.
Fairfax County Public Libraries are closed today.
Reston Association offices will open at 10 a.m.
Area airports are open, but there are cancelations, so check with your airlines.
File photo of frozen Lake Audubon
Updated, 6:35 p.m. Thursday: Fairfax County Public Schools have announced there will be no school Friday.
After nearly 12 hours of snow in Northern Virginia, roads remain “treacherous” Thursday night, says the Virginia Department of Transportation.
VDOT says there are multiple road closures throughout the county as snow began falling at 7 a.m. and was still falling at 5 p.m. The National Weather Service said Reston had received 7.5 inches of snow through 5 p.m.
Fairfax County 911 said it received calls from drivers asking about abandoning their vehicles. The county says vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense.
From Fairfax County Emergency Services:
If you can safely move your vehicle out of travel lanes you can call a tow truck to get the vehicle home; any vehicle left for more than 12 hours or deemed a road hazard by the police will be towed.
Abandoned vehicles may also contribute to accidents and the owner will be ticketed in this event. Exiting your vehicle puts you and other drivers in danger. If your vehicle is stuck and you are in danger, call 9-1-1, but otherwise you should have it towed.
Please remain off the roads if possible. Visibility is limited, temperatures are dropping and conditions are further deteriorating.
More than 3,800 trucks continue to plow roads in Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Arlington counties according to VDOT. Staying off the roads allows crews to work safely. Crews are spreading salt and abrasives, as appropriate, concentrating their response efforts on the most heavily traveled routes. VDOT’s goal is to have all state-maintained roads passable within 48 hours after a storm ends.
This storm; however, may deliver a second punch as temperatures drop to record levels and icy conditions remain likely into Friday.
A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 9 p.m. Thursday.
Reston Now will update this story with any school and government closings for Friday.
Photo: Plow on Reston Parkway during Thursday’s snow/Credit: Eddie via Twitter
