Fairfax County Fire and Rescue is investigating the cause of a fire that broke out about 1:20 p.m. Tuesday at 11410 Summer House Ct. in Reston.

The fire began in the garage on the townhouse, said FCFD spokesman Jason Jenkins. There were no injuries, he added.

Flames were showing from the garage when firefighters arrived on the scene, he said.

Video of blaze can be found on this CNN iReport.

Children around Reston woke up to several inches of new snow and a day off of school on Tuesday. It was a great chance to play in the snow — the largest snowfall in nearly three years here.

By noon, the snow had tapered off and main roads were generally plowed and clear.

How are you spending your snow day?

A U.S. Congressman was the victim of a Reston financial planner’s scheme that bilked investors out of more than $35 million, according to media reports.

Alan Grayson (D-Florida 9th) lost about $18 million investing with William Dean Chapman. Chapman, the founder of Reston-based Alexander Capital Markets, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in federal court in Alexandria on Friday. Prosecutors say 122 investors lost a collective $36 million over several years.

Grayson was identified in court papers only by the initials A.G.,  but the Congressman on Monday confirmed he is the A.G. in the report. Greyson is a lawyer elected first elected to Congress in 2009.

Officials said that investors would transfer stock holdings to Chapman as collateral for loans. Chapman then sold the stocks, despite promising investors that they would get back the value of their stocks. If the stocks did not perform, borrowers could keep the money they were loaned. If the borrowers’ stocks did well, they would repay the loan with interest, and Chapman was supposed to return the stocks to the investor at their increased value.

According to the court papers, Chapman, who pled guilty to the charges in May, sold the stocks and had no way to fulfill his obligations if a client’s stock portfolio did well.

“That’s why (Chapman) is going to prison for a long, long time,” Grayson told the New York Daily News. “At least in the end, some kind of justice was served.”

More from The Daily News:

Lawyers for Chapman said it was the strength of Grayson’s stocks that caused Chapman’s scheme to crumble. Chapman and Grayson negotiated a payment plan, according to court records, but it was not enough to keep Chapman’s positions from collapsing.

“Because the return on A.G.’s commodities investments were so astronomical, ACM could not meet its obligations under the loan agreements,” defense lawyer Whitney Minter wrote.

In 2007, Grayson had $9.35 million in a stock portfolio that Chapman was supposed to be holding as collateral. In that year alone, the portfolio’s value increased by 147 percent, to $23 million, according to a chart in the court documents.

It is not the first time Grayson, who represents parts of the Orlando area, has lost tens of millions of dollars in a fraud scheme. In 2009, he won a $34 million judgment after filing a lawsuit in South Carolina under federal racketeering laws against a company called Derivium Capital. Derivium’s business plan for hedging an investor’s stock profile was nearly identical to the plan outline by Chapman.

Grayson said he first entered into deals with Chapman in 2003, well before the deal with Derivium went south, so he had no reason to be suspicious the arrangement.

And he said the loans themselves were a perfectly reasonable way to manage his portfolio, but relied on Chapman and Derivium to hold up their end of the bargain. He disputed that the astronomical returns to which he was entitled caused Chapman’s downfall.

“If they had not sold the collateral, it all would have worked,” said Grayson, who is generally listed as one of the 20 wealthiest members of Congress with assets of more than $20 million. His financial disclosure forms list holdings in dozens of stocks. His dealings with Chapman preceded his time in Congress, which began in 2009.

Reston and the rest of the Washington, DC, region are preparing Tuesday for the biggest snow in nearly three years.

Snow began falling in Reston about 6 a.m., right as scheduled by a Winter Storm Warning issued by the National Weather Service. The NWS says 3 to 6 inches may fall between 6 a.m. and noon.

If predictions are on track, it will be the biggest snow since “Carmaggedon,” the Jan. 26, 2011 afternoon rush hour storm that left many motorists around the region stranded in traffic, says NBC4 Meterologist Tom Keirein.

Here are some things to know today:

Federal Government offices are closed.

Fairfax County Public Schools are closed Tuesday for the second day in a row.

Fairfax County Government offices will be open Tuesday. Employees have been granted unscheduled leave. Emergency service personnel should report as scheduled.

Fairfax County Circuit Court, General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court are open on time.

Fairfax 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. Reston Community Center (both locations) have cancelled programming, but the pool is scheduled to open at 9 a.m.

Fairfax Connector bus service may be affected by the inclement weather. Check the Connector Web page at www.fairfaxconnector.com for the current operating status.

FASTRAN: Call 703-222-9764, press 8; TTY 711, or check online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ncs/fastran.htm for the latest updates about potential service interruptions.

Libraries: Library hours may be affected; call your local branch before visiting. For branch phone numbers, call 703-324-3100 or go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library.

Roads: Residents can see the status of plowing in northern Virginia neighborhoods at www.vdotplows.org. Once it snows more than two inches Fairfax residents can enter their address and a color-coded map shows whether plowing is underway, completed, or not yet started in their neighborhood.

Report road problems to 1-800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623) or [email protected].

Power:  Check out Dominion Virginia Power’s outage map. To report an outage, visit Dominion Virginia Power  or call 866-DOM-HELP (366-4357)

Somewhere that you have to be? Read these tips from The Weather Channel on driving on ice.

This story will be updated as developments warrant. Have any great weather photos? Tweet us at@RestonNow, post them on our Facebook Page or email to [email protected].

Photo of Dulles Toll Road via WJLA traffic cam.

Update, Monday, 2:45 p.m. — The National Weather Service has canceled its earlier Winter Storm Watch for Tuesday in Northern Virginia.

The forecast has been downgraded to a Winter Weather Advisory, in which snow — heavy at times — could accumulate from 3 to 5 inches in Reston and nearby areas.

The snow should start Tuesday at dawn and continue through early afternoon. There is the potential for 1 to 2 inches per hour coinciding with morning rush hour, the NWS advisory says.

Update, Monday noon — The icicles from Sunday continued to melt for much of Monday morning, but keep your shovels handy as the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the Reston area for Tuesday.

NWS says the entire Northern Virginia region is under the watch from Monday night into Tuesday afternoon.

Precipitation could start with sleet Monday night — but could result in accumulations of 5 inches or more of snow to fall on Tuesday,

Temperatures Tuesday are expected to be in the upper 20s and lower 30s. Morning snow could fall at rates between 1-2 inches per hour for two to four hours, the NWS says.

Also, Dominion Virginia Power reported that as of mid-day, about 4,000 customers in Reston are without power. The majority of them are in neighborhoods off Lawyers Road.

Original story, Monday 8 a.m. — Reston residents woke up to slick roads and ice-covered trees on Monday as Sunday’s snow, sleet and rain refroze into a crystal mess.

Temperatures should warm up throughout the day. The high is 42, so much of the ice should melt and additional precipitation later be rain, according to The Weather Channel.

However, the forecast calls for two to four inches of snow on Tuesday.

Fairfax County Public Schools are closed on Monday, and the Federal Government is on a two-hour delay. Fairfax County Government is open with unscheduled leave granted to employees. Fairfax County Circuit Court, General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court will be closed.

Dominion Virginia Power says more than 46,000 customers are without power, 23,000 of them in Fairfax County. To see more specifics, check out Dominion’s Outage Map. To report an outage call 1-866-DOM-HELP.

A tractor trailer filled with tires overturned early Monday morning on the outer loop of the Beltway near Tysons Corner, causing delays for drivers. Virginia State Police said they could not determine if the accident near Chain Bridge Road was caused by weather-related problems. The incident occurred just before 3 a.m. near Chain Bridge Road. By 7 a.m., two lanes were getting by, but backups are still significant.

Somewhere you have to be? Read these tips from The Weather Channel on driving on ice.

This story will be updated as developments warrant. Have any great weather photos? Tweet us at @RestonNow, post them on our Facebook Page or email to [email protected].

(Photo of ice-covered tree in Reston courtesy of  Mary Dominiak via Twitter)

Update, 6 p.m. Sunday: Fairfax County Public Schools have announced all schools will be closed Monday due to the weather conditions.

On Monday, Dec. 9, all Fairfax County public schools will be closed, and administrative offices will open at 12 noon. The following activities in schools and on school grounds are canceled.

Snow and freezing rain that fell all day Sunday have resulted in dangerous road conditions.

When FCPS is closed so are  extracurricular activities, interscholastic contests, team practices, field trips, middle school after-school programs, professional learning and training courses, all adult and community education classes, recreation programs and community use by outside groups not affiliated with FCPS. School Age Child Care (SACC) centers are also closed.

Update, 5:42 p.m. Sunday – Reagan National Airport is at a ground stop as of 5:45 p.m. while ground crews clear freezing rain. All airlines are reporting many cancellations from all three DC-area airports, so call and plan ahead if you have travel plans late Sunday.

As the snow turned into freezing rain Sunday afternoon, Virginia Department of Transportation officials advised  citizens to stay off roads.

“We are urging folks to stay off the road today and to delay travel in the morning until conditions improve,” Branco Vlacich, head of maintenance for VDOT in northern Virginia, said in a press release. “While crews are keeping up with the storm for now, we expect conditions to deteriorate as the snow turns into freezing rain.”

More than 2,000 salt trucks and plows are working to keep roads passable in northern Virginia, said VDOT, adding that while roads are passable, ramps, bridges and underpasses are treacherous and are likely to remain so until temperatures rise sometime Monday morning.

Original story: Snow began falling in Reston early Sunday, right on schedule. As of noon, the area has received less than an inch and main roads are generally clear.

However, changing weather this afternoon poses a challenge for residents. Sleet and freezing rain are predicted, the National Weather Service says. Some of the most troublesome issues in the area are expected North and West of D.C.

What you need to know:

The winter storm watch issued by the National Weather Service has been upgraded to a winter storm warning through 10 a.m. Monday.

The NWS predicts “one to three inches of snow and sleet, followed by a quarter inch of ice. Snow and sleet will begin Sunday morning, then will change to freezing rain Sunday afternoon. Freezing rain will continue Sunday night, eventually changing to rain late Monday morning. The greatest accumulation of ice will take place on Sunday night.”

All Fairfax County Public Schools activities scheduled for Sunday have been cancelled.

Reston Community Center  Hunters Woods and Lake Anne  will both close at 5 p.m. today due to the weather.

Icy power lines can mean power outages. Dominion’s outage map can be found here.

Virginia Department of Transportation has a road conditions website to keep you up to date.

Have any great snow photos? Tweet us at @restonnow or email to [email protected].

This story will be updated as conditions change and any closings are announced.

Looking for a new home? Check out these open houses in Reston this weekend. For complete real estate information, visit Reston Now’s Real Estate section.

12197 Sanibel Court
3 BR, 1.5 BA
$300,000
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.
Keller Williams Capital Properties

11900 Market Street
2 BR, 2 BA
$770,000
Open Sunday, 1 to 3 p.m.
Terry Belt, Keller Williams Realty

11262 Silentwood Lane
3 BR, 3.5 BA
$367,500
Open Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m.
Diane Hansen, Keller Williams Fairfax Gateway

11100 Tommye Lane
5 BR, 5 BA
$1.2 million
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.
Robert Nelson, Keller Williams Realty

1754 Sundance Drive
3 BR, 2.5 BA
$369,900
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.
William Gaskins, Keller Williams Realty

2073 Weathersfield Court
4 BR, 2 FB, 2 HB
$499,00
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.
Paddy Murphy, Keller Williams Realty

1704 Lake Shore Crest
2 BR, 1.5 BA
$299,900
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.
Wayne Evans, Keller Williams Realty

Holiday shopping season is in full swing, but two Reston events this weekend give opportunities to purchase gifts that will make a difference.

Reston Community Center Lake Anne will be a marketplace of food and gifts during the Gifts from the HeART Holiday Gift-Shopping Event on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event is in conjunction with the 15th AnnualGifts from the HeART Exhibition, which showcases original works of art in a variety of media, including oil, acrylic, watercolor, collage, stained glass, ceramic, sculpture, and mixed media, in a wide range of sizes and prices. The holiday reception on December 7 will offer the community a chance to purchase artwork and get into the holiday spirit with gift shopping and holiday refreshments.

Proceeds will help Cornerstones (Formerly Reston Interfaith) to help programs at Embry Rucker Community Shelter, the Laurel Learning Center and their Community Services Outreach, which includes job counseling, emergency food, and youth programs. Since the annual exhibit was first held in 1999, Gifts from the HeART has raised approximately $6,000 for the organization.

Also on Saturday, Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston (UUC) will hold its 13th annual Alternative Gift Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will more more than 30 booths featuring socially conscious gift ideas from local and international charitable organizations such as Heifer International and Amazon Adopt-a School Project. Check out the “Shopping List” on the church’s website to see a full list.

Donations are tax deductible. Cash and checks accepted.

UUC is located at 1625 Wiehle Avenue.

Photo of Gifts from the Heart 2012 Courtesy of Reston Community Center.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) has joined the chorus of dissatisfaction over additional delays for Metro’s Silver Line opening.

Earlier this week, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is building Phase I the rail extension that will run from Tysons Corner to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue, said this week it needs additional time to test and modify the software for the Automatic Train Control System.

That is a the second delay announced in several months, pushing the rail opening perhaps several months into 2014.

“MWAA’s announcement earlier this week of a three-month delay due to testing of the automatic control system follows an unsettling pattern of delays,” Warner wrote in a letter Wednesday to MWAA CEO Jack Potter. “This recent announcement follows the delay announced in June that pushed project completion from 2013 into 2014. I agree with your assessment that safety should be the utmost priority in guiding your efforts, but I believe that can responsibly be achieved while also adhering to an agreed-upon project schedule.”

Warner says the delays are not only an inconvenience for eager commuters, it is costing the commonwealth money.

“With every additional month of delay, the traveling public suffers and millions of dollars in fare-box revenue are lost. I urge you to do everything in your power to complete the work as quickly and responsibly as possible and avoid further delays,” he wrote.

See full Warner letter.

Throughout the process, thee Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project has not set a firm date. Officials have said all along that testing — and glitches found during testing — could make the opening date a moving target,

“This is why we test,” Pat Nowakowski, project executive director for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project in press release. “Our guiding principle throughout this process has been ‘safety first’ and we remain committed to that principal. We will not do anything that might compromise safety or create unsafe conditions for the traveling public.”

Officials have said the Silver Line would likely open three months after being turned over to Metro. The original turnover date was slated for August. Then after the June delay it was expected to be November. That date has now come and gone, with more delays now expected.

Want to feel like you are celebrating the holidays in Bavaria without traveling far? Then stop by the German Armed Forces annual Christkindlmarket Thursday evening.

The German Armed Forces, which has an office in Reston (where you can also see a piece of the Berlin Wall on display), turns over the parking lot of 11150 Sunrise Valley Dr. into a traditional German outdoor Christmas fair.

The festival is fun for the whole family. There are games, crafts to purchase, entertainment and food and beer. The event is free, but some of the food, beer and merchandise costs money. Proceeds from the event benefit local charities. Last year, the armed forces raised more than $12,000 for Reston Interfaith.

The Christkindlmarket runs from 4 to 9 p.m.

Thea Kreinik, president of Reston Environmental Action (REACT) was chosen as an Excellence in Volunteerism winner by her employer, Northrop Grumman.  Northrop Grumman recognizes employees who have demonstrated consistent dedication through volunteerism at local non-profit organizations.  To honor her service, Northrop Grumman presented REACT with a check for $5,000.

Selected nominees demonstrated that they build sustainable and stronger communities and make a difference within their organization, Northrop Grumman said in a press release.

Kreinik is a founding member of REACT and has served as its president since its incorporation. She was one of a handful of residents who envisioned a strategy to answer a common concern among her friends, neighbors and co-workers.  Kreinik worked with fellow residents to form an organization to engage residents in steps that make a real difference for the planet in their home, neighborhood and community.

Mary Brown, REACT’s Director, says Kreinik is dedicated to the mission and to producing results.

“When members suggest ideas, Thea is able to envision how the idea matches the mission and works to address the topic in a manner that aligns with our goals and objectives,” she said.  “Her historical knowledge of the organization, and holistic, big-picture view keeping the organization on focus is invaluable to REACT.”

This is a sponsored post by Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate. She writes twice weekly on Reston Now.

I love Thanksgiving in Reston. Everyday, I am truly grateful to live in such an amazing  place. In fact, my love of Reston had much to do with my decision to become a real estate agent, and everything to do with my decision to focus only on Reston Real Estate.

Helping people find a dream home in the place I call home really can’t be called work

As I’m getting ready for Thanksgiving this year, I’ve been reflecting on some of the things about Reston I especially love.

1. I love looking out of my office window at Lake Anne and watching the model boat regattas or couples paddling toward the fountain in a paddle boat.

2. I love going to the Farmer’s Market every weekend and buying fresh produce and meats from local farmers.

3. I love walking on the Reston Association paths—whether I have a destination like Reston Town Center in mind, or I’m just wandering.

4. I love running into friends at the grocery store or when I’m out to dinner.

5. I love the civic activism, and how people in Reston care about this place and want it to flourish; even when we’re disagreeing on how that should look.

There is more that I love about Reston, but those five things sum it up for me. Reston is a fabulous place not only to live, but to have a full life. Today, I feel very grateful.

I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with laughter, love, and gratitude.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue crews were called to the 11600 block of Generation Court in Reston about 5:20 p.m. on Tuesday when smoke was showing from the second-floor of a townhome.

Neighbor Kelley Relyea said she was watching her children play when she noticed thick smoke. She called 911. Crews arrived and quickly got the fire under control.

No one was home at the time and there were no injuries, fire officials said. The cause is under investigation.