<sh>False Report on SLHS Robbery
<bt>Fairfax County Police detectives revealed that the robbery on the path near South Lakes High School did not occur. The SLHS student involved made a false report, police said. The matter will be resolved through the Juvenile Court's Informal Hearing Process.
The student filed a report on March 5 before 7 a.m., stating that a man approached the student from behind demanding money. The student said he relinquished his wallet and walked away. The suspect in the report was described as a black man approximately 30-years-old. The police used a helicopter in an attempt to locate the suspect on the trail.
<sh>Operation Safe Crossing
<bt>Fairfax County Police Department officers from the Reston District will conduct an educational and enforcement campaign aimed at promoting the safety of school children walking to and from school. Officers will provide high visibility enforcement efforts at school crossing zones. Crossing guards, school officials and patrol officers identified the problem locations as having a high number of traffic violations during the time children are walking to and from school.
Operation Safe Crossing will take place from Monday, March 19 to Friday, March 30. The following locations will be the focus of the operation:
* Armstrong ES, speeding on Lake Newport Road in front of school,
* Dogwood ES, running stop signs at Glade Drive and Rosedown Drive,
* Dranesville ES, running stop signs at Hiddenbrook Drive and Milikens Bend Road,
* Fox Mill ES, running stop signs at Pinecrest Road and Viking Drive,
* Hughes MS, speeding on Soapstone Drive near Ridge Heights Road,
* Hunters Woods ES, speeding on Colts Neck Road near Paddock Lane,
* McNair Farms ES, running stop signs at Thomas Jefferson Drive and Coppermine Road.
<sh>Reston Metro Meeting
<bt>The Reston Metrorail Access Group (RMAG), a citizen advisory panel appointed by Supervisor Catherine Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill), will host a public meeting at Langston Hughes Middle School on March 27 at 7 p.m. The group will discuss issues involved in planning for access to the proposed new Wiehle Avenue and Reston Parkway Metrorail stations. The meeting will include a presentation on the proposed rail station design by the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, a discussion of the objectives of the transportation consultant, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) and a discussion of the ways the public will be involved by The Perspectives Group, the public participation consultant. Members of the public will have an opportunity to comment.
<sh>Party To Benefit Rwandan Orphans
<bt>The Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods will host "A Taste of Rwanda," a party to raise awareness of and raise funds for college tuition for orphans of the Rwandan genocide. It will take place on April 7 — National Reconciliation Day in Rwanda — from 6:30 to 10 p.m.
The benefit is open to the public with free admission. Funds will be raised through donations, a raffle of gift certificates donated by local restaurants and purchase of foods and African cloth and handcrafts. A variety of foods for sale will be prepared by Ridgewells Caterers, using recipes from different parts of Africa. Recipes from Rwanda will include chicken, beef curry stew, peanut and sweet potato soup, fried plantains and North African lamb tagine and cous cous.
Activities will include dancing, making beaded necklaces, a dance presentation and a video of contemporary Rwandan life. Information will be provided on Rwandan students who aspire to work in medically-related fields.
The money raised will go to Orphans of Rwanda, a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, Mass. Local organizers include members of the United Christian Parish of Reston. For more information call Marilyn Silvey at 703-860-5141 or Jim Vollmer at 703-860-8587.
<sh>Children's Center Wins County Award
<bt>The Reston Children's Center, a not-for-profit parent-owned child care center, recently received the 2007 Best in Fairfax Award in the category of child care centers. In the past two years the center celebrated its 40th anniversary and completed a building addition to its site on Olde Crafts Drive. Throughout its 40-year history, Reston Children's Center has earned a number of national and state accreditations. These include being one of the first centers in Northern Virginia to achieve the qualifications for the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which sets standards in early child programs that require continuing staff training.
<sh>More Robbery Arrests
<bt>Two robberies occurred in the Reston area approximately 30 minutes apart on Monday, March 19. The first robbery happened in the parking lot off of Freedom Drive in Reston Town Center at 10 p.m. A 27-year-old man was walking to his car when two men grabbed him. One of them held a knife to the victim's throat as the two suspects demanded money. The victim gave them cash and they fled. The victim was not injured.
The second robbery occurred in the area of 11400 North Shore Drive. A 26-year-old man walking on the sidewalk was approached by two men. He attempted to walk past them when they grabbed him. He struggled to get away when one of the suspects pulled out a knife. The victim screamed for help. The suspects took the victim's headphones and fled in a truck driven by a third suspect. The victim was not injured.
At approximately 1:15 a.m., officers made a traffic stop on a truck that matched the description of the suspect vehicle. Three suspects were taken into custody after an investigation. Pedro Gorzolo Perez Vasquez, 26, of no fixed address, Elmer Antonio Sorto-Ortiz, 19, of the 1400 block of Coat Ridge Road in Herndon and Jose Vladimir Platero Guadron, 20, of the 300 block of Holly Court in Herndon were each charged with one count of gang participation and two counts of robbery. They were taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
<sh>Calendar
<bt>Reston Association Board of Directors meeting, Thursday, March 22, 7 p.m., RA Headquarters, 1930 Isaac Newton Square
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting, Public Hearing on PRC Ordinance amendment, Monday, March 26, 4:30 p.m. 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax
Lake Anne Revitalization Concepts public meeting, Wednesday, March 28, 7:30 p.m., Lake Anne Elementary School, 11510 North Shore Drive