Temporary Fire Station Nearly Ready
Current Herndon fire station is oldest in the county.
Firefighters at the Spring Street station will be moving to a temporary station in early November. The temporary station will be home base for the crew as the location, currently the oldest operating station in the county, is leveled.
Herndon Elementary’s New Sponsorship Program
PTA asks businesses for money to buy necessities for school.
Herndon Elementary is leaning on local businesses so they can lean on parents less. The school Parent Teacher Association started its new corporate sponsorship program at the beginning of the school year to help raise money for school needs that do not fit in the budget.
Children’s Studio of Great Falls
Students learn about art techniques through history.
In a cabin near Difficult Run Stream, Josie Gillespie paints a pear. She and two other girls are Karen Graham’s art students at Children’s Studio of Great Falls on Fridays, a two-year-old local business that doesn’t just teach children to make art — it teaches children to appreciate art.
350-plus Against Cluster Development
Basheer and Edgemoore rezoning proposal leads to citizen-backed petition.
There is a growing opposition to a cluster development proposal seeking rezoning in the village. After residents found out that the Brooks Farm pasture might be rezoned by developer Basheer and Edgemoore to residential estate to increase the number of homes built on the property, more than 350 of them signed a petition voicing their disapproval.
Lake Anne to Host Multicultural Festival on Sept. 27
Reston residents will be able to travel the globe in their own backyard this weekend. The 14th annual Reston Multicultural Festival will bring the community’s founding principle - to be open to all - to Lake Anne Plaza on Saturday, Sept. 27 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for a celebration of culture.
GRACE, Macintyres to Receive County Art Awards
Arts Council of Fairfax County presenting annual Art Awards in October.
Two Reston art organizations will be recognized by the Arts Council of Fairfax County next month. The council will present their annual Art Awards to Patricia and Steve Macintyre - owners of Reston Art Gallery and Studios - and Greater Reston Arts Center on Oct. 24 for their work with the community.
Beer, Bourbon and BBQ in Tysons
New festival gathers a crowd in Lerner Town Square.
A traveling festival new to Tysons Corner brought people into the urban center from all over the region. The Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival broke new records for Tysons’ festivals this year, attracting more than 4,000 visitors to the new Lerner Town Center on Saturday.
Langley Student Has Voice on School Board
Harris LaTeef ready to represent students on big issues.
Harris LaTeef isn’t used to wearing a suit, but he’s getting good use from the ones he owns this year. The School Board’s student representative, a senior at Langley High School, will provide the board with a unique perspective that represents 187,000 people in the county for important issues this year.
Former Delegate Vince Callahan Dies at 82
Represented McLean, Great Falls in House of Delegates for 40 years.
Former delegate Vincent Callahan Jr., who spent 40 years representing McLean, Great Falls and Tysons Corner in Virginia House of Delegates, died on Sept. 20.
Preparing for the Worst
MCA holds ‘Emergency Preparedness’ panel
McLean residents learned how to prepare themselves for future catastrophes at McLean Citizens Association’s first fall event. MCA held an Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Recovery panel with several county emergency officials on Sept. 17, teaching residents how to be proactive in an emergency.
Local Aikido Studio Reduces PTSD Effects
As a soldier fighting in Iraq, Brian Ericksen thought the idea of martial arts in a war zone was ridiculous. Then, one day, it clicked for him. The owner of Heaven and Earth Aikido used the calming form of martial arts while in the service to center himself in some of the most dangerous places in the world and now wants to help former veterans and sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder to do the same.
Local Group Gives Scholarships to Women
Great Falls Friends and Neighbors gave out $10,000 in scholarships to college women to kick off the start of the school year. Six women from George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College, ranging in ages and opportunities, were presented scholarships during a luncheon at Riverbend Country Club on Friday, Sept 19.
Students, Parents and Teachers Plea for Later Start Times
Students, parents and advocacy groups flooded the School Board’s public comment period with pleas to approve later start times for students next year during Sept. 19 meeting.
Portrait of a Graduate Approved
The Portrait of a Graduate has been drawn. This “portrait” - a part of the plans for the proposed strategic plan - was passed unanimously at Thursday’s Fairfax County School Board meeting after the board discussed it for more than an hour.
Lake Anne Fellowship House Revitalization Halted
Fellowship Square Foundation Board claims county did not support plans.
After two years of stalled plans, Norvus Residences is indefinitely deferring the revitalization of Lake Anne Fellowship House. According to a letter sent from the Fellowship Square Foundation Board of Directors, it was because the proposal did not have county support.
Longfellow Principal Wins State Award
Carole Kihm named Outstanding Middle School Principal by VASSP.
Carole Kihm, principal at Longfellow Middle School, remembers her love for educating children and pre-teens when she was in high school. Her lifelong love for education paid off when she was named Outstanding Middle School Principal of Virginia by the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals earlier this year.
Great Falls Honors 9/11 Victims
Candles lit, names read during memorial ceremony.
Still 13 years later, it is a date no American can forget. The annual Great Falls 9/11 Memorial Ceremony was held on Thursday at the Freedom Memorial to remember the six village citizens who died when a plane hit the Pentagon more than a decade ago.
Reston Master Plan Debated
Residents discuss neighborhoods and convenience centers.
Reston residents met with Fairfax County officials Saturday morning to discuss the future of their neighborhoods.
Town Council Promotes Bike and Pedestrian Safety
100 cyclists and pedestrians killed on the roads in Virginia every year.
Herndon is promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety this month. The Town Council passed a proclamation recognizing Virginia Bicyclist and Pedestrian Awareness Month to make drivers aware of their less protected counterparts on the road.
Silver Line Music and Food Truck Fest
A little rain didn’t deter hundreds of locals from trekking out to Tysons for a new festival last weekend. The Silver Line Music and Food Truck Fest became more crowded when the downpour turned into a drizzle.
Full Day Monday Challenges Discussed
The implementation of “full day Mondays” has been anything but easy for area elementary schools. The challenges that Fairfax County Public Schools faced to bring more hours to elementary students’ school year was addressed by Superintendent Karen Garza and several board members during a school board meeting on Sept. 4 at Jackson Middle School.
Neighbors Feeding Neighbors 5k
Approximately 5 percent of the people who live within Northern Virginia’s boundaries, 90,000 people, struggle with poverty. This is according to local nonprofit Food for Others. Food for Others is creating a 5K to bring Tysons together as a community and raise money through the Neighbors Feeding Neighbors Tysons 5k Race held Oct. 19.
Sustainability Fair Saturday
Children and parents alike can learn how to keep the planet healthy on Saturday. The second annual Northern Virginia Sustainability Fair, an event to get children excited about the Earth’s future, will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 13 at Frying Pan Park.
Portrait of a Graduate Discussed
The heart of the school system’s new strategic plan is closer to being approved. The Fairfax County School Board discussed the five component Portrait of a Graduate - with some asking for a component emphasizing a caring quality - at Monday’s work session.
Teen Center Preps for Fall
The McLean Teen Center held their Back-to-School Night on Friday to gear students up for fall - and a host of fall activities.
Reston Triathlon Attracts Hundreds
Despite having spent the morning swimming, biking and running, Neil Medoff wasn’t impressed with himself. The Reston resident is one of two triathletes who has competed in the Reston Triathlon all 31 years it has been an event, but he said Sunday’s race was not a personal best.
Deadly Potomac
Drownings near Great falls Park are visitors, say experts.
Every year, a handful of people fall victim to the surging, powerful waters of the Potomac Gorge. According to experts, most accidents on the white waters near Great Falls Park are from visitors rather than experts kayaking or rafting the rapids.
Herndon Holds Labor Day Festival
Never-ending wine. Dramatic cooking demonstrations. Endless food vendors. Herndon’s Labor Day Festival attracted people from all over the region Monday, Sept. 1, to the town square for a food and libation-centric hoorah for the unofficial end of summer.
BrightView Opening Soon
A new assisted living community will be opening soon in Great Falls. When BrightView Assisted Living opens this month, it will already be half full with residents.
Tysons to Host Silver Line Music and Food Truck Festival
Next week, Tysons Partnership will ring in another inaugural festival with music and D.C.’s tastiest food trucks. The first Silver Line Music and Food Truck Fest will take place on Saturday, Sept. 13 in Lerner Town Square, bringing people together with a day of bands and more than 20 food trucks from the area.
Lake Anne Hosts Jazz and Blues Festival
New Orleans came to Reston on Saturday. The 8th annual Lake Anne Jazz and Blues festival raked in some of the biggest crowds it’s seen yet on Saturday, Aug. 30, as people came in from all over the D.C. metropolitan region for a taste of the area’s best music.
Making change: Some DTR Lanes Converting to E-ZPass
Nineteen exact change lanes on the Dulles Toll Road are going to be converted to E-ZPass lanes over the next year.
Top Issues Facing McLean Community
As Tysons Corner booms and the new Silver Line stations become more successful, McLean will be undergoing changes over the next few years. The McLean Citizens Association and other community leaders will be working to ensure the new Metro stations are successful, Tysons becomes a community, traffic reduces on Route 7 and update Mclean itself.
100 Books of Summer
To say Alina Bujnowski loves to read is an understatement. With more than 130 books under her belt in the past three months, the 5-year-old super reader has out-read every other child during Great Falls Library’s summer reading program.
The Closet Turns 40
Aaron Sawyer tours around the back of a small Herndon thrift store, pointing out the volunteers who have dedicated years upon years to sifting through piles of trash-turned-treasures to sell or give away to other communities. The Closet of the Greater Herndon Area manager said the nonprofit, which started as a way for five local congregations to combine their clothing closets, is now town institution.
Hometown Hero
Lesley Pappalardo, a slender brunette, stopped her car in front of a home with smoke billowing out of its windows in late June. Worried that someone was still inside, she opened the door to find an elderly man lying on the ground of the burning building and his dogs waiting for help.
Afternoon with the Madisons
Interactive play “An Afternoon with the Madisons” was shown exactly 200 years from the date that British soldiers set Washington D.C. ablaze to give locals a history lesson at the free event at McLean Community Center’s Alden Theater Sunday.
Celebrate Great Falls searching for volunteers
In an effort to drum up volunteers, Celebrate Great Falls is making some changes soon. A more membership driven service and a new event under its wing - the Turner Farm Independence Day fireworks - it hopes to drive the number of people willing to donate their time to make CGF’s events happen.
Hot Issues Facing Great Falls
Great Falls, a unique village just outside of D.C., will be undergoing major changes in the next five years and beyond. Great Falls Citizens Association and Fairfax County will be working on range of issues like deer management, land use, historical preservation and water purification, among others to create a better quality of life for citizens.
Town Council Tackling Herndon Hot Issues
Herndon will be undergoing changes in the next five years to stay on top of the progression around it. As a town that will have a working metro station running through in the next four years, business growth, community cultural and diversity awareness and increasing the walkability and bikeability of the town will become focus for the Herndon Town Council to tackle.
Top Issues Facing McLean Community
As Tysons Corner booms and the new Silver Line stations become more successful, McLean will be undergoing changes over the next few years. The McLean Citizens Association and other community leaders will be working to ensure the new Metro stations are successful, Tysons becomes a community, traffic reduces on Route 7 and update Mclean itself.
Community Leaders Tackle Reston’s Hot Issues
In the next five years, community leaders hope to ensure the Wiehle-Reston East Station is successful, build and endorse a system of trails to get people there, build the Soapstone Connector, update the community - including the plazas - and work on keeping housing affordable in the rising economic market.
A Summer Snow Day at Town Center
Hundreds of happy pups got to frolic in the snow last weekend at Reston Town Center. Petco hauled 20 tons of snow to the town center plaza to give local pets and pet owners a Summer Snow Day to give back to the community and raise awareness for local animal shelters.
Town Council Considers Zoning Amendment
It may be easier for businesses to open their dream office space in the future near Herndon’s impending Silver Line Metro station. The Herndon Town Council unanimously approved to consider an amendment to the Landmark Business Overlay District to change the requirements and regulations at the Aug. 12 meeting.
Freezing for a Good Cause
Cold water or cash? That was the question about 20 residents were forced to make Saturday for a charity challenge making its rounds through the nation.
Lake Anne Jazz Festival on Aug. 30
Lake Anne’s Jazz and Blues festival has grown a lot since it started eight years ago. The free festival, which features D.C. - area world class musicians, local wine and beer as well as temporary public art, will take place Aug. 30 from 2 to 8 p.m.
Super H 5K Funds Paraplegic Rehabilitation
Harry Freedman wear his baseball cap low over his eyes. He speaks quietly, recounting the accident that made him start a 5K eleven years ago. It was just another day of work for him at Auto Recyclers of Leesburg until an 18 ton front loader backed up onto him, crushing his leg.
‘Happy’ Books Come to Neighborhood
Terraset Elementary school book mobile gives out free books.
Several times this summer, a blue Mazda brimming with books has circled Reston’s neighborhoods.
Spring Hill Recreation Center to Expand
Center will close on Sept. 18 for major renovations.
Spring Hill’s Recreation Center will be undergoing a $10 million facelift.
Raising Hens in Herndon
More homeowners embracing hens as pets.
The Herndon resident is a member of Hens for Herndon, an advocacy group supporting suburban agriculture in the town.