Stories for March 2013

Classified Advertising March 27, 2013

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Editorial: More Obstacles to Transparency

General Assembly puts more information out of public reach, but other factors also limit access.

The first paragraph of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, passed by the General Assembly in 1968, states that all public records "shall be presumed open." It doesn’t add, “except when we don’t want to,” although that provision does seem to be available in many cases. Individual government entities have a variety of ways of making it hard for the public to access public information.

Column: 14.8 Percent

That is the percentage of diagnosed lung cancer patients who survive beyond five years, according to The National Cancer Institute’s SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2009, in a graph published in the Feb. 26, 2013 Washington Post’s weekly Health & Science section. As a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) survivor beginning his fifth year post-diagnosis, charting my prospects in such a cold and impersonal manner is both chilling and arguable. “Chilling” in that facts speak for themselves and are hardly made up of whole cloth, to invoke one of the late Jack Kent Cooke’s more famous quotes. And “arguable” in that charts, statistics, etc., may very well measure the mean, but it sure doesn’t measure the man (this man, anyway). Meaning, from my perspective: sure, the chart is scary as hell, but I’m not sure I’m on it, if you know what I mean? (I know you know what I hope.)

Better Training, More Technology

The bipartisan commission released findings, recommendations regarding long lines on Election Day.

"The commission has identified a variety of improvements and efficiencies to ensure access and convenience for voters in future elections.” —Sharon Bulova

Governor Approves Conditional Budget for Medicaid Expansion

Vote-swapping operation traded transportation votes for Medicaid money.

Half a million uninsured Virginians may be eligible for Medicaid under an agreement now being worked out in Richmond — a deal in which Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell agreed to include Medicaid expansion as part of the budget if Senate Democrats supported a transportation package.

U.S. Geological Survey Tightens Services

U.S. Geological Survey stops hosting science camp, closes visitors center.

The U.S. Geological Survey in Reston is canceling its participation in the annual science camp it hosts in partnership with the Reston Association and closing its visitors center as part of its implementation of the sequester.

Davelle Clothiers' Eisele to Design for Allen Edmonds Shoes

Men's dress shoes manufacturer Allen Edmonds recently got in touch with the CEO and founder of Reston's own Davelle Clothiers, David Eisele Sr., asking him to be one of their shoe designers.

RCA—Voice of Reston

Helping Provide Food for Others

In an area where the median household income is above $100,000, how can there be 47,000 students eligible for free and reduced lunches? But this is the case in Fairfax County, where one in six do not have sufficient resources to meet daily expenses. The Giving Circle of HOPE is making a difference by hosting Empty Bowls, an event that raises funds to fight hunger, on Friday, April 12.

A Voice for the Voiceless

Q&A with SALT Coordinator John Horejsi.

“When there are bills affecting the wealthy the committee rooms are filled to capacity, but when issues affecting the needy, the hearing rooms are empty.” —SALT Coordinator John Horejsi

Local Perspective

Small-business owner tackles the sequester.

Raul Danny Vargas has beaten the odds all his life.

Classified Advertising March 20, 2013

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Reston Home Sales: February, 2013

In February 2013, 71 Reston homes sold between $1,160,000-$170,000.

Reston Home Sales: February, 2013

Editorial: Say Yes to Health Coverage

Governor, state panel must accept coverage for 400,000 Virginians without health insurance.

More than 140,000 residents of Fairfax County have no health insurance. That’s more than 13 percent of the slightly more than 1 million people who live in the wealthiest county in the nation. Arlington and Alexandria have similar percentages of uninsured.

Column: Just Wondering

Having never attended medical school (and not really having had the grades or commitment to do so), and having only completed 10th grade biology and freshman year astronomy, and rarely even driven by a medical school growing up, my understanding and/or instincts regarding how a medical professional plans and/or prepares for his day is as foreign to me as sugar-free chocolate (if I’m going down, I’m going down swinging; in truth however, considering the anti-cancer, alkaline diet I’m following, I do need to swing a little less frequently).

The Sound of Music

Enhancing your child’s music education during Music in Our Schools Month and beyond.

From the powerful sounds of a high school band to the soothing melodies sung in a kindergarten music classroom, local music educators are using the month of March to raise awareness of the benefits of learning music.

Council for the Arts Celebrates Women in Arts

Herndon honorees are Grace Wolf, Karen Cobb and Robin Carroll.

The Council for the Arts of Herndon gave this year's awards celebrating women in the arts to Town Council member Grace Wolf, immediate past president of the CAH, Karen Cobb, past executive director of the CAH, and Robin Carroll, immediate past president of the Herndon Foundation for the Cultural Arts.

Voices of Arts at GRACE

High school students’ artwork on display.

In celebration of the Youth Art Month at the Greater Reston Art Center (GRACE), students from Herndon, Oakton and South Lakes High Schools came together for an exhibition on Friday, March 15. The theme of the exhibition was Emerging Visions: Voices.

Letter: Discussing Internet On Capitol Hill

Commentary: General Assembly to Reconvene

When ‘Everyone is Irish’ at Town Center

Clyde’s of Reston hosts St. Paddy’s Day celebration.

With a decided nip in the air and the threat of rain, you could almost imagine yourself wandering the streets of Galway, Ireland—a fitting atmospheric backdrop for the third annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration in Reston Town Center held on Saturday, March 16.

Reston Hosts Nowruz Festival

2nd Annual Persian New Year Festival in Reston Town

“I’ve been to the Oktoberfest here, the Wine Festival, concerts in the Pavilion, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crowd like this one.” That was Roy Mackey of Reston’s impressions of the throngs that filled the closed-to-cars Market Street in the Reston Town Center on Sunday, March 17.

Bringing Local History to Life

“I wanted the kids to see that this area wasn’t always townhouses and shopping centers.” So answered McNair Elementary School-based Technology Specialist Laura Reasoner Jones, when asked what motivated her to produce a movie and organize a McNair History Night. Jones has authored several well-reviewed books, including “Herndon (Then and Now)” and “The All-Wise Being: A Tale of God and Republicans,” the latter being a fictionalized account of her ancestor Ethan T. Reasoner, based largely on his personal journals.

Farmers Table at Frying Pan Park Offers a Preview of the Market Season

Dreaming of all that farm fresh produce and the treats on offer at the area farmers’ markets? Counting the days until May when most will re-open? Stop dreaming. And stop staring at the calendar. Wander over to Frying Pan Farm Park on Thursdays between 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. and satisfy your cravings for food that hasn’t been flash-frozen or packed with preservatives so that it could make the gazillion mile trip from who-knows-where to your grocery store.

Community Honors Sandy Hook Victim

The gray skies, frigid temperatures, and howling winds were not enough to deter 100 people from coming out to honor the Sandy Hook victims last Sunday, March 3, at Lake Fairfax Park as they ran and walked 26 laps for each of the lost lives.

Bulova Appoints Mary Cortina, Faisal Khan to Park Authority Board

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova (D-at-large) recently appointed two new representatives to the Fairfax County Park Authority Board.

Classified Advertising March 13, 2013

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Decorating for Easter

Easy ideas to welcome spring into your home.

From floral arrangements that burst with pastel blooms to candles that fill one’s home with scents reminiscent of warm weather, local style experts offer suggestions for accents that welcome spring.

Recycle, Reuse, Remodel

Remodeling often affords an opportunity to re-purpose existing materials by donating to those less fortunate. Ask your remodeler if there is a plan or policy for saving materials for re-use rather than sending it to a land fill. Every project is different. And some materials are more easily removed and saved than others. Here are a couple of organizations that accepted used materials.

World’s Fanciest Rummage Sale Coming April 7

Rumor has it that the “world’s fanciest” rummage sale will feature some of the crystal light fixtures and other items recently replaced in the remodeling of the Ritz-Carlton Tysons.

‘How to Fall in Love’

Hopkins & Porter, Inc. will be offering "How to Fall in Love with Your Home Again,” a free design and remodeling seminar on Thursday, March 21, 6-8 p.m. This seminar will include a complimentary supper with opportunity to discuss one's own project with professional staff.

Virginia Garden Week to Feature NoVa Gardens

80th Historic Garden Week, April 20-27, 2013

Historic Garden Week 2013 will feature approximately 200 private homes and gardens open on 32 separate tours throughout the state of Virginia over eight consecutive days. It is the largest ongoing volunteer effort in Virginia and represents the coordinated efforts of 3,400 club members. One hundred percent of tour proceeds are used to enhance Virginia’s landscape. For 80 years, the grounds of the commonwealth’s most cherished historic landmarks have been restored or preserved with help from proceeds from Historic Garden Week including Mount Vernon, Monticello and the grounds of the Executive Mansion in Richmond.

Column: Writing What Four

As far as anniversaries go–and I hope this one “goes” a lot further; acknowledging, dare I say celebrating my four-year survival anniversary from “terminal” stage IV (inoperable, metastasized) non-small cell lung cancer, a diagnosis I initially received on Feb. 27, 2009, along with a “13-month to two-year prognosis” from my oncologist, is certainly column-worthy.

Editorial: Hybrid Hijinks

Discouraging innovation in high-tech Virginia.

Consider this as a possible scenario (although perhaps we should have saved this for April 1): Fewer people are smoking, and many of those who do are smoking less. Virginia’s cigarette tax, the lowest of any state at 30 cents a pack, is a declining revenue source. Higher cigarette taxes are proven to reduce smoking. Under current logic in the commonwealth, there would be two courses of action to raise revenue: a) cut the cigarette tax, and b) charge non-smokers a fee to make up the difference and to compensate for the fact that they don’t pay cigarette taxes.

EPA Will Not Appeal Court Decision on Accotink Watershed

EPA regulations could have cost county $300 million.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) effectively ended a two-year legal battle with Fairfax County when the agency announced last week it will not appeal a federal court decision favoring Fairfax County’s handling of the Accotink Creek watershed.

Bicyclists Pedal Onward, Despite Legislative Losses

FABB promotes extended hours on W&OD Trail.

As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, Northern Virginia bicyclists are back on the roads and trails, despite the Virginia General Assembly’s antipathy for bike safety bills this session.

Metrorail Makes Progress

Wiehle-Reston East Station 82 percent completed.

Construction of the five stations in Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail stations is now focusing on interior finishes, installation of elevators and systems. The Wiehle-Reston East Station, the temporary end of the Phase 1 alignment, is now 82 percent done and is the most complete of all the stations.

Week in Reston

The Object Management Group (OMG®) Technical Meeting at the Hyatt Regency in Reston takes place Monday, March 18, through Friday, March 22, and is open to both OMG members and all interested nonmembers. Besides the meeting itself (which is made up of individual working meetings), OMG is hosting a plethora of special events throughout the week.

Music to Love

American Contemporary Music Ensemble at Reston's CenterStage.

The advance guard in contemporary string and percussion music is arriving courtesy of Reston's CenterStage Professional Touring Artist Series. It is certain to be an evening that will provide handsome renditions of masterworks ranging from exhilarating to Zen-like, serene to dissonant, from the new and perhaps rarely heard, to classics and Grammy-nominated composers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

>Aldrin Elementary Reads With America

Aldrin Elementary students and staff celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday on Read Across America Day, Friday, March 1.

Column: No Place Like Home

A couple of weeks ago dozens of volunteers fanned out across Fairfax County and Falls Church City to interview those who are living under bridges and in the woods because they are homeless. As difficult as the task was to find the homeless, 462 individuals were surveyed.

Column: Reston Loses Community Builder

Patrick Kane: March 5, 1936 to March 5, 2013.

On Saturday, March 9, St. Thomas a Becket Catholic Church on Wiehle Avenue was filled to overflowing to pay a final tribute to Patrick Kane. Patrick died on March 5, his 77th birthday and just five days before the 50th anniversary of his marriage to his beloved wife Susan. He fought long, hard battles with devastating strokes and finally cancer before leaving us.

Author Tells Tales of Rail

David Guillaudeu’s new book focuses on W & OD Railroad.

For a majority of the 1900s the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad provided transportation from the city of Washington, D.C., out to Loudoun County. Though it carried people, mail and other supplies along its route, the railroad faced difficulties throughout its history, eventually closing in August 1968.

RCA Names Citizen of Year

Cate Fulkerson of RA, Leadership Fairfax, recognized.

The Reston Citizens Association named their Citizen of the Year Thursday, March 7, at the Reston Community Center. Cate Fulkerson, Reston Association’s director of administration and member services, is this year’s recipient.

Passover—Exodus From Slavery or Holiday of Bondage?

Chabad Community Passover Seder This year, join friends and family at the Chabad Community Passover Seder. Relive the exodus, discover the eternal meaning of the Haggadah, and enjoy a community Seder complete with hand-baked Matzah, win and a wonderful dinner spiced with songs and insights. First Seder Night Monday, March 25, at 7:15 p.m. Couvert: $40 per person, $20 for children ages 4 through 12 and $180 for an Evening Sponsorship. For more information call 703-476-1829, email rabbi@chabadrh.org or visit www.chabadrh.org.

Revelations and Redemptions Await

“The Seafarer” next for Elden Street Players.

Where and When Elden Street Players present "The Seafarer" at Industrial Strength Theater, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon. Performances March 15-April 6: Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinee, March 24, at 3 p.m.; Sunday evening, March 31, at 7 p.m.; and Thursday evening, April 4, at 8 p.m. Tickets: $20. Call 703-481-5930 or visit www.eldenstreetplayers.org.

Herndon High Cadets Finish Eighth in National Orienteering Championship

Herndon High School's Navy Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NJROTC) cadets defeated 19 of the best orienteering programs in the nation to finish eighth.

Senior Takes STEM Challenges Head On

Mayank Mahajan earns Siemens Foundation scholarship.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology senior Mayank Mahajan enjoys taking on tough challenges.

Classified Advertising March 6, 2013

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Lions Club Offers Vision Screenings

The eight Lions Clubs serving Loudoun County and Northwestern Fairfax County, with funds raised in their various communities in addition to grants from United Way, Lions of Virginia Foundation and Cardinal Bank, have obtained two PediaVision “Spot” Screening devices for the purpose of screening the vision of children starting at six months of age. The PediaVision “Spot” is a breakthrough vision-screening device that will help identify children with vision issues. Using this innovative new technology “Spot” can assess a child's vision with a very quick capture time of less than one second, which makes eye care screening efficient in a large-scale public environment such as a day care center.

‘Thurston’ Wins More Acclaim at Indie Soap Awards

Kathryn O’Sullivan and Paul Awad of Reston picked up more awards for their Web series “Thurston” at the Fourth Annual Indie Soap Awards ceremony Feb. 19 in New York City.

UnitedHealthcare’s Reston Office Donates Patient-Care Kits to March of Dimes

This February, UnitedHealthcare’s Reston office employees assembled care packages for March of Dimes, National Capital Chapter and other local organizations. The care packages for March of Dimes, National Capital Chapter provide support and comfort for families with newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Young Artists Exhibit at GRACE

The Greater Reston Arts Center celebrates Youth Art Month.

Little Jackson Baker, Morgan Milman and seven other children from North Springfield Elementary School might be first-graders, but they have reproduced the work of Wassily Kandinsky. Their school was one of the 16 elementary schools in the area that exhibited their works at the GRACE Art Center in Reston on Saturday, March 2, to mark Youth Art Month.

Letter: Protecting Open Spaces

I am writing to express my concern regarding the current proposal to build a new indoor recreation center at Baron Cameron Park. Our open spaces and parkland are limited. Once our open spaces and parkland are replaced with buildings and parking areas, cement and asphalt, they are gone for good.

Letter: ‘Green’ Tax

You have to laugh. You know how our liberal friends love to raise "revenue" for a variety of self-defined beneficent causes: Rail to Dulles, "transportation," school facilitators, "green" projects, and such. Plunging in to save the world, some folks purchased, at a price, hybrid vehicles. Now no sooner have these environmentally worthy folks been slapped with a small tax directly (with Democrat votes), they are rushing to the microphones at warp speed.

Editorial: Helping to Build a School in Ghana

Reston resident appeals for support in building a school.

My name is Gayle Robinson and I am a Reston resident currently working in Ghana as a health, water and sanitation educator with the Peace Corps. In addition to my primary health projects, I am working with my community to build a new school. I am writing to request support from the Reston Connection in order to spread the word about my project.

Footsteps of Reston is Leaving South Lakes Center

The oldest existing running specialty store in Northern Virginia is leaving South Lakes Shopping Center in Reston to look for a new home. Footsteps owner Paul Zink started the business in 1987, opening his first store in Springfield on April 15, 1988, as a Fleet Feet franchise. In 1995 he started independently owned Footsteps of Reston at South Lakes Center and along with Safeway and CVS, Footsteps has been the longest existing business in the center.

Reston Character Counts! Coalition Receives Donation From Reston Town Center Ice Skating Pavilion

Reston Town Center’s ice skating pavilion presented a check for $2,966 to Reston Character Counts! Coalition. As an annual tradition, the coalition has received 50 percent of the opening weekend proceeds from the Reston Town Center ice skating pavilion for many years. This contribution helps fund the coalition’s development programs, including the annual Essay and Poster Contest, and sponsorship of Ethics Day at South Lakes High School.

Commentary: Back Home

With the adjournment of the General Assembly session on Feb. 23 I am back home in Reston, but my legislative duties for the year are far from being over. Following the Saturday conclusion of the annual session, on Sunday morning I moved from the furnished apartment I had leased for most of January and February. I was living in Richmond in an apartment house that was built at the edge of the falls of the James River and was there long enough to develop a daily routine.

Reston Man to Walk Across America for Charity

Cody Thompson of Reston, 36, is going to walk coast-to-coast, approximately 2,728 miles.

“One step at a time.” That’s his standard reply when anyone asks 36-year-old Cody Thompson of Reston how he is going to walk coast-to-coast, approximately 2,728 miles, from Wrightsville Beach, N.C., to Redondo Beach, Calif., starting on March 10. The answers get a bit more complicated when you ask “Why?”

Column: E-male

My oncologist is a man. He has e-mail. He works for an HMO that encourages/advertises its connectivity and responsiveness – electronically, to its members. If I want to get medical answers in a reasonable amount of time – save for an emergency, typing, “mousing” and clicking is the recommended methodology. No more phone calls, preferably. Though pressing keys on a keyboard rather than pressing buttons on a phone might have felt counter-intuitive at first as a means of receiving prompt replies, it has proven over these past few years to be a fairly reliable and predictable information loop. Not in minutes necessarily, but more often than not during the same day – and almost always by the very next day. In fact, I’ve received e-mails from my oncologist as late as 9:18 p.m. (time-stamped) after a sometime-during-the-day e-mail had been sent.

Putting a Face on Homelessness

462 homeless interviewed during Registry Week, an intense effort to document Fairfax County’s chronic homeless.

"We have to step up to this question. … Are we going to walk away from this tonight and say, 'That's just the way people live?’ Well, it's not the way people should live." —Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill)

The Snowquester Hits the Area

Snowstorm’s impact downgraded, but slushy roads still a problem.

The National Weather Service Wednesday downgraded its Snowquester forecast from 8-10 inches to about 4-6 inches in the region. At 3:18 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, the NWS predicted total snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches in Fairfax County before the storm fizzles out later that night, and north winds with gusts up to 45 mph in some areas, making driving hazardous.

South Lakes Girls’ Basketball Ends Season at State Playoffs

Seahawks fall to Stonewall Jackson, 55-53, in quarterfinals.

The South Lakes girls' basketball team will lose two seniors from a team that finished 23-6.