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Walking to End Alzheimer’s

Reston Town Center Walk draws 1,200-plus participants.

Reston Town Center looked like it was being wrapped in a rainbow as the 1,200-plus participants in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s wound their way through the streets, dressed in a variety of colorful team t-shirts and carrying whirly-wind paper flowers with the names of afflicted loved ones written on the petals. Some 600 communities across the country have joined in the national effort to raise funds and awareness of this devastating disease, and the Alzheimer’s Association’s local National Capital Area Chapter President Susan Kudla Finn reported that more than 112 walks were held just this weekend alone, in addition to the Reston walk Sunday, Sept. 29.

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South Lakes Field Hockey Edges Marshall

Seahawks score in opening minute of second half.

The South Lakes field hockey team improved to 8-3-1.

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A Grand Musical Night

Reston Community Players’ “Tribute to the Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber.”

Reston Community Players present "A Tribute to the Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber" at CenterStage, Reston Community Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Hunters Woods, Reston. Performances: Oct. 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 8 p.m. Matinees at 2 p.m. on Oct. 20 & 27. Tickets: $23. Call 703-476-3500 or visit www.restonplayers.org.


Light the Night at Reston Town Center

Friends, families and co-workers will gather over three Saturday nights in October to raise funds and awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The 2013 Light The Night Walks will take place on Oct. 5 at the Reston Town Center, Oct. 12 in Rockville, Md. at the Rockville Town Square, and Oct. 19 in Washington, D.C. at Freedom Plaza.

RCC Elections Are Now

To the Editor: The Oct. 5 deadline is approaching for the Reston Community Center (RCC) Board election, or Preference Poll. Six candidates are vying for three places. Many voters do not realize that three of the candidates are running in opposition to the Recreation Center as proposed by the current RCC administration. They are Sridhar Ganesan, John Mendonca and Tammi Petrine. When you vote, please keep this issue in mind. Marion Stillson Reston

Commentary

Affordable Care Act

Another phase of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became effective this week. Although controversial among some politicians who refer to the act as “Obamacare,” it is proving extremely beneficial for those who have had limited or no access to health care. As the benefits of the program become more obvious, these same politicians may regret associating the president’s name with a program that is on its way to making huge improvements in health care for Americans.


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Lake Anne Childcare Chalks for Peace

Several children drew a “Say No to Bullying” chalk drawing at Lake Anne Elementary’s School Aged Child Care program, Chalk for Peace, held Monday, Sept. 23. Students were told to draw something happy and peaceful, such as sunshine, happy faces and flowers.

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Local Scout Trains Eagle Eye on Community Pocket Park

Ethan McKnight of Reston needed a project to graduate to Eagle Scout in Troop 1577. His neighborhood pocket park needed some additional work to go along with the renovation-in-progress by the Fairfax County Park Authority. It seemed like a good fit to seventh-grader Ethan, so he got to work. First he had to get the sign-off from his troop leaders. Then came the more intimidating moment—contact with the Park Authority to explain his proposed project and get the necessary approvals. “It went really good,” said the young McKnight. “Mr. Brissey has been really amazing and helpful to work with,” he added, referring to Wayne Brissey, manager, Area 6 with the Park Operation Division. Once the project was outlined and approvals were secured, Ethan took to the streets around the park, soliciting donations of time, as well as money to make the plan come to life. He must have been pretty persuasive, because not only did he come up with the funds, but on Implementation Day he had gathered a small army of locals and a few other troop members to get the work done. Even Brissey was on hand to provide some supplies and assistance. “This is such a great win-win event,” said Brissey. “With our budget down 25 percent, we were able to put in the needed new equipment, do drainage improvements and work on the trees around the tot lot, but there just isn’t the money to work on the surrounding area.” So Evan’s crew got to digging, hauling, raking and mulching the outdoor exercise area. They even built handicap-accessible picnic tables from materials provided by the county. The workers stayed busy from 9 in the morning to late in the afternoon, but were kept refreshed by beverages and snacks provided by the McKnight family. The crew deemed themselves well satisfied with their efforts and with Ethan for getting the community ball rolling. —Andrea Worker

The Taste of Fall

Local chefs and nutritionists offer healthy recipes for tasty fall dishes using seasonal ingredients.

When the temperature starts to drop and leaves begin to turn red and orange, you can often find chef Susan Limb meandering through local farmers markets, sorting through rough-textured, knotty sweet potatoes; tough, waxy butternut squash; and dusty, rose-colored apples.


Town Releases Annual Report

Manager reports “exceptional period.”

Herndon Town Manager Art Anselene presented the annual report for Fiscal Year 2013 to the Town Council Tuesday, Sept. 24.

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Multicultural Festival Comes to Reston

Annual multicultural festival held at Lake Anne.

Nearly 50 years ago, Robert Simon founded Reston with several goals, and one of them was diversity. For the past 12 years, the Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association, Reston Community Center and Reston Association have hosted a tribute to that goal, the Reston Multicultural Festival.

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Reston Sport & Health Renovates

Location kicks off new features after $1.5 million renovation.

Sport & Health Clubs celebrated a $1.5 million renovation to their Reston location with a ribbon cutting and casino night Thursday, Sept. 26. The renovation of the club, located at Isaac Newton Sqaure, stretched to almost every aspect of the facility.


Commentary: In Search of Affordable Housing

Challenges for Residential Studio Units and the need to address them.

Fairfax County’s Planning Commission will hold two workshops on Wednesday, Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 to expand the discussion about the proposed residential studio unit (RSU) amendment to the Zoning Ordinance. There will be a staff presentation on Sept. 25, and questions submitted online by citizens to the Planning Department will be answered in the second workshop on Oct 2. The plan is for both workshops to be televised on the county’s cable station.

Editorial: Vote

It will matter who is elected governor.

To vote on Election Day, you must be registered at your current address no later than Oct. 15, 2013. You can check your registration status online by visiting the State Board of Elections website at www.sbe.virginia.gov. There you can also download a voter registration form and mail or fax it to your elections office address.

Column: A Study in Contrasts

The decision for yours truly to participate in a Phase 1 Study at N.I.H. or Johns Hopkins (depending upon availability and qualifications) discussed in last week’s column has been put on hold, temporarily. It seems that my oncologist was thinking about me over the holiday weekend and called me on Wednesday following Labor Day to say he had a diagnostic idea concerning me: a 24-hour urine collection (a “Creatinine Clearance Study”) which would provide a more accurate reading (than the regular lab work I have; from blood) of my kidney function.


Column: A Peculiar Existence

I’m not exactly pretending that I don’t have stage IV lung cancer (non-small cell, to be specific), but ever since my hospital admission on August 2nd, I have been treatment-free; no I.V. chemotherapy, no oral medication, no targeted treatment, no nothing. And during this sabbatical (I use that term loosely; being off chemotherapy has been as much about recovering from surgery and recuperating from my hospital “stay-cation” as it was anything necessarily intended), I have progressed from feeling crappy and being short of breath—while being infused previously, to where I have become relatively asymptomatic, breathing normally and for the nearly eight week treatment-free interval mentioned, have felt mostly OK.

Residential Studios Put on Hold

Supervisors establish committee, plan additional public outreach.

At the recommendation of Chairman Sharon Bulova (D-At-Large) and Supervisor Michael Frey (R-Sully), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Sept. 24 deferred its Nov. 20 public hearing on a proposed residential studios (RSUs) amendment to conduct additional community outreach. The board also established a Planning Commission Residential Studios Committee.

Northern Virginia Supports Day to Serve

The Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), a coalition of 14 counties, cities and towns that work together on regional issues, passed a unanimous resolution endorsing Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell’s call to participate in the 2013 Day to Serve.


New Nosy Recruits ‘Bolt & Silas’ Prepare for Duty

Although they are just a few months old and still in their bonding and training phases, two new bloodhound pups are preparing for the rigors of police work in Fairfax County. Bolt and Silas are the police department’s newest additions to their bloodhound team. The agency purchased the pups in August when they were just 6 weeks old. They join Shnoz and Cody, sisters from the hills of Northern Alabama who joined the agency in 2008 at 19 months old.

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McAuliffe, Cuccinelli Highlight Small Business Summit

Gubernatorial candidates speak at the Mason Inn & Conference Center.

Virginia gubernatorial candidates Terry McAuliffe and Ken Cuccinelli were the keynote speakers at the fourth annual Virginia Small Business Partnership (VASBP) Summit, hosted by Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies LLC at The Mason Inn in Fairfax on Friday, Sept. 20. “We are thrilled to have them join us,” said Paul A. Miller, chairman of the VASBP.