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Reston Connection ❖ March 1-7, 2017 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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March 1-7, 2017 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com
RestonRestonWellbeingWellbeingPage 7
From left: Nikki Pughof Germany andLyndsay Nelson ofReston. Nelson wasraised in Germany. “Istudied history. I’mhere because I knowwhere this can lead,”she said, speakingabout immigrationbans and attacks onfree press, amongother issues.
From left: Nikki Pughof Germany andLyndsay Nelson ofReston. Nelson wasraised in Germany. “Istudied history. I’mhere because I knowwhere this can lead,”she said, speakingabout immigrationbans and attacks onfree press, amongother issues.
Musical Good Times atCenterStageEntertainment, Page 8
Homeowners OpposeProposed Transit Area TaxNews, Page 3
Musical Good Times atCenterStageEntertainment, Page 8
Homeowners OpposeProposed Transit Area TaxNews, Page 3
Herndon-Reston IndivisibleGroup Ready For Action
News, Page 3
Herndon-Reston IndivisibleGroup Ready For Action
News, Page 3
2 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ March 1-7, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
bTo Highlightyour Faith
Community,Call Karen at703-917-6468
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703-437-6530www.stannes-reston.org
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Dr. Timothy A. Cohn, U.S. Geological Surveystatistical hydrologist and expert on floodrisks, water quality, and hydrologic trends,
died at his home in Reston, surrounded by his lovedones, on Feb. 20, 2017, a few days short of his 60th
birthday.During his 30 years with the USGS, Cohn devel-
oped innovative tools to help scientists, engineers,and policymakers better understand water qualityand floods in a manner that informs and protectsAmericans. His tools and concepts are used by fed-eral agencies and are incorporated in software usedworldwide. Cohn co-authored groundbreaking ar-ticles about the difficulty of discerning true trendsin temperature, precipitation, and water quality dataand avoiding false “detections” of trends in data sub-ject to natural variation. He focused on climate andnatural hazard issues and demanded rigor in ana-lyzing climate change impacts. Cohn also had a ma-jor impact on how U.S. water quality scientists esti-mate pollutant loading to water bodies like theChesapeake Bay.
Cohn inspired colleagues to identify scientific en-deavors requiring the unique perspectives and capa-bilities of the USGS and mentored others to upholdhigh scientific standards. For his exceptional contri-butions as a civil servant, in April 2016 Cohn wasgranted the Department of the Interior’s highesthonor, the Distinguished Service Award.
During his career Cohn served as the USGS Sci-ence Advisor for Hazards, was president of the Ameri-can Geophysical Union (AGU) focus group on Soci-etal Impacts and Policy Sciences, and served as anAGU Congressional Science Fellow in the office ofU.S. Sen. Bill Bradley (as well as on Bradley’s presi-dential campaign). He also served on the Board ofGovernors and Executive Committee of the Ameri-can Institute of Physics, the National Academy ofScience Disasters Roundtable Steering Committee,and as an associate editor of Water Resources Re-search. Prior to his hydrology career, Cohn workedat the Brookings Institution as a research assistant
to the Director of Economic Studies.Cohn was born in Boston, Mass. on Feb. 26, 1957,
son of Alfred B. Cohn and Barbara P. Norfleet. Hegrew up in Cambridge, attending the Shady HillSchool and the Commonwealth School. He droppedout of high school to go to Colombia and work onIngetec’s Chivor Hydroelectric Project, kindling a life-long love of science and water. He then earned a BAin Mathematics from Swarthmore College, and anMS and Ph.D. in Water Resource Systems Engineer-ing from Cornell University.
Cohn lived in Reston for over 30 years, where heraised his two children with his first wife SarahGerould. He was active in his community, serving onthe board of the Reston Association, and as presi-dent of Reston Runners. He was an avid runner, com-pleting countless shorter races and over 30 mara-thons including New York and Boston several times,many ultramarathons including the Vermont 100miler, JFK 50 miler, Stone Mill 50 miler, and seven50K’s. Since his cancer diagnosis Cohn competed withand coached for the American Cancer SocietyDetermiNation team — a cause which combined hislove of running and desire to support others fightingcancer.
The cause of death was mantle cell lymphoma,which he battled for three years. As a scientist, Cohnwas fascinated by advances in cancer treatment andparticipated in several clinical trials, including CAR-T cell immunotherapy. He hoped his participation inresearch would further scientific advances to ben-efit others, and is especially grateful to the entireteam at Memorial Sloan Kettering for their expertand loving treatment.
Cohn is survived by his wife Sarah S. Humphrey,children Alexander Cohn and Hannah Cohn, motherBarbara P. Norfleet, brothers Frederick Cohn andStephen Cohn, nephews Andrew Cohn, Chase Cohn,Dylan Cohn and niece Caitlin Cohn. The family re-quests that donations be directed to the AmericanCancer Society DetermiNation Team or MemorialSloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Obituary
Timothy A. Cohn
Faith Notes are for announcementsand events in the faith community, in-cluding special holiday services. Send [email protected] is Thursday.
Trinity Presbyterian Church,651 Dranesville Road, Herndon, hasSunday worship services at 10 a.m. dur-ing the summer. Nursery and childcareare provided starting at 8 a.m. until theend of the service. 703-437-5500 or
www.trinityherndon.org.Vajrayogini Buddhist Center,
Unitarian Universalist Church, 1625Wiehle Ave., Reston, holds weeklyclasses starting Sept. 12, Thursdays7:30-8:30 p.m., for the general publicwhich use Buddhist teachings to prac-tice meditation. $12 or $6 for students,seniors and unemployed. 202-986-2257or www.meditation-dc.org.
St. Anne’s Episcopal Church,
1700 Wainwright Drive in Reston, holdsSunday services at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. andcontemporary service at 5 p.m. duringthe summer. Nursery, Sunday schooland adult education available. 703-437-6530 or www.stannes-reston.org.
Washington Plaza BaptistChurch will hold Adult Bible Study at9:30 a.m. Sundays at Lake Anne VillageCenter. The group is studying the Gos-pel of Mark. Services follow at 11 a.m.
Faith Notes
Reston Connection ❖ March 1-7, 2017 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
NewsConnection Editor Kemal Kurspahic
703-778-9414 or [email protected]
See Homeowners, Page 4
See Herndon-Reston, Page 4
By Fallon Forbush
The Connection
Homeowners voiced concernabout paying a proposed ser-vice district tax that is beingproposed in Reston and out-
side the Town of Herndon.The Fairfax County Department of Trans-
portation is seeking permission from theBoard of Supervisors to establish a 40-yearroad fund and a special service district toraise $350 million from people who ownresidential and commercial property nearMetrorail stations.
The FCDOT hosted its second communitymeeting on Thursday, Feb. 23, on the pro-posed Reston Transportation Funding Planat the Lutie Lewis Coates Elementary Schooloutside the Town of Herndon.
Staff members from Supervisor CathyHudgins’ and Supervisor John Foust’s of-fices, who represent the Hunter Mill andDranesville districts respectively, werepresent. The meeting, however, was not wellattended by the public. Only eight commu-nity members showed up, but those whoattended were vocal about their concerns.
FOR THE ROAD FUND, the rates are pro-posed at $2,090 per dwelling unit for resi-dential property and $9.56 per square foot
Andrea Worker
The Connection
The Indivisible movement. It startedas a Google Doc guide. A few pro-gressive former congressional staff-
ers joined forces to provide information onthe workings of government and providepractical advice on how to resist a Trumpadministration that they see as threateningto the core values of America. Since theysent their guide out into the world via Twit-ter, 4,500 local groups have formed aroundthem and around the country, like the onein the Herndon-Reston area.
The first time that the Herndon-RestonIndivisible group met, there were about 80people in attendance and they fit fairly com-fortably into one section of CaféMontmartre at Lake Anne. The next timethey gathered, they filled the eatery. At the
third official meeting of the political actiongroup, the attendees packed the commu-nity room, the classrooms and the hallwayof the Sunset Hills Montessori School in theSouth Lakes Village area in Reston, the fa-cility offered to the cause by school ownerEileen Minarik. “I have the meeting space.It’s a community room and this is a com-munity group, looking for ways to look outfor all Americans, and that’s the way I wasraised.”
The organizers admitted that the turnouton Tuesday evening, Feb. 21, was a bit over-whelming, but “wonderful to see,” saidHeidi Zollo as she made some welcomingremarks. About an hour in — after severalspeakers and words of appreciation to thecrowd for their support — hundreds ofpeople eventually formed working “inter-est groups.”
Sixteen issues were on the agenda, di-vided into two sessions to accommodate thesize of the crowd, and to allow participantsthe opportunity to work on more than onearea of concern, should they so desire.
The “Immigration” work group drew Rob-ert and Jill Garcia of Herndon to attend.
“It’s about caring for ‘the other,’ the ‘peoplewho are not us’ and needing to get involvedto do something about the mayhem ofTrump,” said Robert Garcia. He wasshepherding a line of people to their work-
ing group area with a “Hate Has No HomeHere” placard held above his head.
“Indivisible 101” and “Virginia Elections”
Homeowners Oppose Proposed Transit Area TaxLack of notificationalso criticized.
A map of the Reston Transit Station Areas (TSAs) that would be subject to the funding proposal. The Wiehle-Reston East and Reston Town Center TSAs are located along both sides of the Dulles Airport Access Road andDulles Toll Road (DAAR) from the Virginia Department of Transportation owned storage facility to the east,Hunter Mill Road on the southeast and Fairfax County Parkway on the west. The Herndon TSA is located alongthe south side of the DAAR and is bounded by Fairfax County Parkway on the east, Fox Mill Road and SunriseValley Drive on the south and Centreville Road on the west. Land to the north of the Herndon station is withinthe Town of Herndon.
Movement started asa Google Doc hastaken off.
Herndon-Reston Indivisible Group Ready for Action
Photo by Andrea Worker/The Connection
The Herndon-Reston Indivisible attendees break into interest groups towork on specific issues.
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4 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ March 1-7, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
From Page 3
News
From Page 3
groups were available in both sessions, sinceeducating themselves and others on howto take action and what to do to take it lo-cally, is a cornerstone of the organization.
Tyler Tucker, who was there to representLt. Governor Ralph Northam, a candidatefor governor in the upcoming Novemberstate election, was on hand to offer aninsider’s perspective on effective engage-ment with elected officials. He got thecrowd fired up when he declared “They’vegot to be scared. I have never seen such par-
of commercial property.The service district rate for homeowners
is 21 cents per $100 of assessed value ofthe property. These are not fixed rates, butwould be reviewed annually by the county.
“I’m just a little concerned about the non-developer stakeholders here, the public,”Kelley Westenhoff, of Reston, said duringthe meeting. “Who’s going to be speakingfor them and watch the hen house?”
The FCDOT is recommending an advisorygroup of developers and residents to be es-tablished to review the rates and make rec-ommendations, according to Tom Biesiadny,director of the FCDOT.
“This isn’t a static plan,” Biesiadny saidduring the meeting. “It’s not that the Board[of Supervisors] is going to adopt some-thing, cast it in concrete and not revisit itfor 40 years. It’s a living plan that will bereviewed annually.”
The rates have no restrictions on how theycould fluctuate.
“I think that’s a problem,” Lee Lipsey, ahomeowner living in the Reston Town Cen-ter, said during the meeting. “There is nolimit on how much it can go up at any givenyear and that there is no limit on how muchit could go up during the 40-year life.”
A Herndon resident who declined to pro-vide her name also voiced concern over theimpact the service would have on her homevalue.
“As a property owner … I’m being disad-vantaged, I think, from selling my residen-tial unit to someone just outside [the ser-vice district] that isn’t going to have thisadditional tax burden,” she said during themeeting. “And yet they’ll be using the streets… and yet they have no financial stake inthe game. Just because I’m geographicallywithin [the service district] why am I beingassessed dollars when we have lots moreusers using these roads.”
Biesiadny answered her question by say-ing the lines were drawn in the county’sReston Transit Station Areas Comprehen-sive Plan amendment, which the Board ofSupervisors adopted on Feb. 11, 2014, andnot by his agency.
“There was quite a bit of community out-reach as part of that comprehensive planamendment,” Biesiady said. “That effortwent on for about four years in terms of
looking at not just what the boundaries are,but what the development that could occurin the boundaries in the future.”
Reston is served by three WashingtonMetropolitan Area Transit AuthorityMetrorail stations on the Silver Line: theReston Town Center, Wiehle-Reston Eastand Herndon stations. The county desig-nated the areas around these stations asTransit Station Areas (TSAs).
The proposed road fund would only af-fect commercial property owners who de-velop within the TSAs. By right develop-ment would not be subject to the road fund.
The proposed service district would af-fect all property owners within the TSAs (inbrown on the map).
The money raised by the funding planwould be used to construct transportationinfrastructure projects that were identifiedby the comprehensive plan.
These include roadway improvements,intersection improvements and new road-ways to add to the TSA area’s road networkto improve connectivity to, from and aroundthe transit stations.
The funding plan will use $1.2 billion inpublic funding:
❖ Federal: $155 million❖ State: $174.5 million❖ Regional: $580.55 million❖ Local: $289.95 million
THE BOUNDARIES are no longer up fordeliberation, according to Biesiadny.
“Why weren’t the residential property
owners notified by mail in the special dis-tricts of all of these public meetings anddiscussion?” Hugh Rodell asked during thepublic meeting.
Ray Johnson of the FCDOT responded bysaying that an effort was underway to getmailers out to property owners, less thanfive days before the Board of Supervisorswas scheduled to hold a public hearing andvote on the plan.
He called on Hudgins’ staff members toprovide more details, but the two staff mem-bers who were present could not provideany details about efforts to notify propertyowners through direct mailings.
“I’m fairly involved in my community andthe area and I just found out about it maybea week or two weeks ago, much less someof the activity that went on in the earlystages of these advisory committees andboards, etcetera,” Rodell said. “I would justthink that in these special tax districts …that that would have been a requirement,that all property owners are notified bymail.”
Lipsey agreed, but said that it may be toolate.
“We know that the last hearings wherethese things go before the Board of Super-visors, it’s too late for citizens to really havean impact and really be heard early enoughthat what they’re saying counts,” she said.
The Reston 20/20 Committee came outagainst the service district back in January
during the FCDOT’s first community meet-ing that was held in Reston.
Other groups are voicing opposition toapplying a special tax on residential prop-erty owners.
The Reston Association Board of Direc-tors voted on the same night of this meet-ing — Thursday, Feb. 23 — to take a posi-tion that the service district should not beapplied to any residential properties withinthe Reston TSA. However, they also recog-nized that the improvements should bemade to “keep pace with development” inthe area and that commercial property own-ers should still be taxed.
The Board of Supervisors will hold a pub-lic hearing and vote on the Reston Trans-portation Funding Plan at the FairfaxCounty Government Center on Tuesday, Feb.28, before deadline of this paper.
They will not be voting on the tax dis-trict.
During the hearing, the Board of Super-visors will also decide on whether to hold aseparate hearing on April 4 to vote on theplan’s associated service district.
Homeowners Oppose Proposed Transit Area Tax
Photos by Fallon Forbush/The Connection
Kelley Westenhoff was concernedthat the rates for the road fundand service districts were not fixedand said she did not trust thecounty to adjust them responsiblyor advocate for the interest ofhomeowners.
Hugh Rodell, Jan Visintainer andLee Lipsey told county officialsthat they were not aware of theproposed plan and demanded toknow why property owners withinthe proposed service district werenot notified by mail before theplan was finalized for presentationto the Fairfax County Board ofSupervisors.
Herndon-Reston Indivisible Group Ready for Action
“None of this is OKwith me. I was raisedin Germany. I studiedhistory. I know wherethis can lead.”
— Nikki Pugh
Ray Johnson of the Fairfax CountyDepartment of Transportationexplains the Reston TransportationPlan during a community meetingat the Lutie Lewis Coates Elemen-tary School.
ticipation on our side.”Some of the attendees, like Nikki Pugh
from Germany andLyndsay Nelson fromReston seemed to wantinvolvement in all of theissue groups. “None ofthis, what’s going on [inthis administration] isOK with me,” saidNelson. “I was raised inGermany. I studied his-tory. I know where this
can lead.”Despite the size of each spontaneous com-
mittee, each group wasable to organize them-selves to appoint leader-ship, agree on some ac-tion points, and makeplans for their gatheringoutside of the next gen-eral meeting.
Since Tuesday,Facebook posts for thedifferent sub-groups of
Herndon-Reston Indivisible have been sentacross the internet. There are daily remind-ers to take some specific action with infor-mation on how to contact elected officialsand what to say to best make a point. Thereare updates on legislation, moves from theWhite House, and Town Hall meetings.“We’re in it for the long haul,” said Zollo.“Like they say, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
To find out more about Herndon-RestonIndivisible, visit their Facebook page. The Indivis-ible Guide can be downloaded atwww.indivisibleguide.com.
Reston Connection ❖ March 1-7, 2017 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Fallon Forbush
The Connection
The Reston Association Board ofDirectors voted to kill a proposalby the Reston Soccer Associationto fund the renovation of the
Lake Newport Soccer Park on Reston Park-way.
The RSA has been seeking approval fromthe RA to raise funds to pay for improve-ments to the field since October 2016, whenit first presented its ideas the RA Board ofDirectors during a public meeting.
The RSA proposed to:❖ convert both fields to synthetic turf with
plant-derived infill;❖ install LED lights;❖ install bathroom facilities and an equip-
ment storage area; and❖ add other amenities for the commu-
nity, like a playground and running track.The nonprofit soccer organization does
not own any soccer fields, so it uses countyfacilities and rents out RA parks for its mem-bers to play. The two fields at the Lake New-port Soccer Park are the ones the organiza-tion uses the most.
To allow this, the RA would have neededto hold a community-wide referendum.While RSA offered to manage fundraisingfor the project, RA still would have neededto grant permission for the improvementsbecause the property is on RA land.
After the initial meeting where RSA pre-sented its idea to the RA Board in October2016, the RA board directed staff membersof the association to begin collecting inputfrom its various advisory committees.
While the proposal was on public meet-ing agendas for the RA Board and variouscommittees, mailed letters were not sent toabutting homeowners until this month.
The RA’s original timeline was to vote onwhether to grant a referendum for the pro-posal as soon as this spring. But thatchanged when the RA gathered abuttinghomeowners from Concord Green, ArborGlen and Bayfield Station for a communityinput meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 8.
TEMPERS FLARED during the publicmeeting, with several angry participantsrefusing to provide their names for therecord or speak at the podium. Instead, theystood and shouted from their seats at RACEO Cate Fulkerson, who moderated themeeting.
“I don’t think this is fair,” said, EricMcErlain, president of the Bayfield StationHomeowners Association. “I think we’vebeen ambushed.”
McErlain, whose home is about 50 feetaway from one of the fields, did not hearabout the proposal until the morning onFeb. 4 when he got an email from his next-door neighbor. This neighbor had forwardeda letter that the RA had mailed.
“This project has been signed, sealed anddelivered and these last three or four meet-ings will just be perfunctory,” McErlain said.
“In their minds, they’ve already approvedthis.”
According to McErlain, his letter wasdated Jan. 27 and postmarked on Jan. 30,but he didn’t receive the letter until Feb. 3.
“I have no evidence that this was slow-walked or anything, but optically it’s ter-rible,” he said. “It really feels like we’re sub-ject to a surprise attack here.”
Roberto Anguizola, president of the RSA,was shocked by the reception that he re-ceived at the community meeting. This isbecause his organization has proposed mak-ing the soccer fields better for the commu-nity without asking anyone to pay for thework. The RSA would have taken the re-sponsibility for all the fundraising.
“Many of them were hearing about ourvision for the park for the first time,”Anguizola said. “There are some valid con-cerns.”
In addition to feeling rushed about theproposal, there was concern over addinglights to the fields over fear they would ex-tend play time into late hours and give offan intrusive glow.
Neighbors were also opposed to remov-ing the natural, green grass.
“This proposal changes the character ofthe neighborhood completely, and for some-body to say, ‘Hey, you moved next to a soc-cer field. OK, well I moved next to two grasssoccer fields,’” McErlain said.
However, Anguizola thinks LED technol-ogy and other compromises, such as timerestrictions, could be made that would ad-dress these concerns.
McErlain and others also alleged thatAnguizola’s run for the RA Board is anothersign that the decision to approve the refer-endum has already been baked in prior toengaging with the community.
Anguizola is one of six candidates run-ning for the at-large RA Board seat in theRA’s spring election where voting will takeplace from March 6 to April 3.
“It would be a conflict,” Anguizola said.“I would disclose that and have alreadydone that by the fact my candidate state-
ment includes the fact that I’m the presi-dent of Reston Soccer on it.”
The fact that RA Board members haveconflicts or potential conflicts of interest arenot unusual, he said.
“It’s important to understand that any-body that you would want to be on theboard of the Reston Association is heavilyinvolved in the community or a leadershiprole in some capacity,” he said.
If he wins the election and the RA boardpicks the proposal back up, he said he wouldrecuse himself from making any decisionsor votes on the proposal.
ANOTHER ASPECT of timing that both-ered McErlain and his neighbors was RSA’sannouncement of a partnership hours priorto the community meeting.
On the same day of the community inputmeeting, the RSA announced that it had fi-nalized an agreement to partner with theWashington Spirit, a National Women’s Soc-cer League team based in Germantown, Md.
The two organizations jointly announcedthat it would share resources to base a U.S.Soccer Girls’ Development Academy inReston, beginning this summer.
But Anguizola is adamant that this de-velopment has nothing to do with the pro-posal.
A soccer academy is a method of teach-ing soccer, not a facility, according toAnguizola.
“You might have three or four differentteams and they work together,” he said. “Itlets you leverage the coaching staff and fa-cilitate scrimmages.”
Washington Spirit will not be using theLake Newport field or any RA field any timesoon because they require using syntheticturf fields.
“We’re likely going to work with the Wash-ington Spirit on one of the existing FairfaxCounty turf facilities,” Anguizola said. “It’sreally great for the young girls becausewe’re going to have these great role mod-els and a world-class soccer program fo-cused on girls. That was frankly a weak-
ness for Reston Soccer, so we’re really thank-ful to partner with them.”
When the RA board revisited theproposal’s timeline at its Thursday, Feb. 23,community members flooded the meetingto speak out against the proposal, most ask-ing to get rid of it entirely.
Some of these members were part of agroup of Restonians that McErlain hadformed to oppose the plan, the “PreserveNewport Fields” coalition.
The opponent testimony and public out-bursts were successful.
Julie Bitzer, South Lakes District RA boarddirector, asked the board to remove the pro-posal from consideration indefinitely.
“I don’t want to see the tail wagging thedog,” Bitzer said during the meeting. “It’sour land, it’s our community’s land, every-one who’s a member of Reston Association,it’s your facility, it’s our land and we allshould have input into what happens to ourfacilities.”
While the only board member to voteagainst the motion was At-Large DirectorRay Wedell, other board members hadmixed feelings about shutting the processdown entirely.
“The amenities that were created in 1968are not going to meet the needs of the com-munity in 2025, they’re just not,” said JeffThomas, at-large RA board director, duringthe meeting.
He also told the audience that he wassurprised at how heated the dialogue be-came during the meeting and asked forpeople to reconsider their close-mindedapproach to engaging in conversationsabout innovative ideas.
“We know we’re going to have to makeupgrades to facilities across Reston and weknow that members don’t want to pay new,increased assessments, so we need to bethinking creatively about partnerships thatwe could pursue,” he said.
Eve Thompson, secretary and at-large RAboard director, agreed.
Reston Soccer Field Proposal Kicked Off the TableThe proposalby the RestonSoccer Asso-ciation pre-liminarilyestimated thecosts of theproposedimprovementsto cost morethan $2 mil-lion. Becauseof this, theproject wouldhave likelybeen done inphases.
Foul calls exchanged.
Rendering provided
by Reston Soccer
Association
See Proposal, Page 11
6 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ March 1-7, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Opinion
GOOD THINGSProgress in funding mental health and ad-
dressing the opioid epidemic on multiple lev-els were among the successes of the 2017 Gen-eral Assembly session.
❖ In addressing the opioid crisis, the Gen-eral Assembly passed important steps, includ-ing Del. Tim Hugo’s bill to limit opioid pre-scriptions to a seven-day supply in most cases;increased access to naloxone, a drug that in-
stantly reverses an overdose;needle exchange programs (toreduce the spread of HIV, viralhepatitis, and other blood-
borne diseases); focus on infants born withopioid exposure.
❖ Increased funding for mental health in-cluded $7.5 million to facilitate providingsame-day access to mental health screeningservices by July 1, 2019. (The Fairfax-FallsChurch Community Services Board began of-fering same day, in-person screening for men-tal health/and or substance use concerns toadults in July 2015 and extended same dayaccess service to youth. The official launch datefor youth walk-in service was Feb. 1, 2017.)Also supports for discharge planning and ser-vices for people with serious mental illnessbeing released from jail.
❖ The budget included 3 percent raises stateemployees, increase for teachers and a largerincrease for state police.
❖ The Virginia Board of Corrections wasgiven added authority and resources to reviewdeaths in local and regional jails.
❖ Negotiation and legislation will acceler-ate the City of Alexandria’s massive undertak-ing to fix its sewer system that dumps raw sew-
age into the Potomac River whenever it rains.Wendell Berry’s version of the golden rule: “Dounto those downstream as you would havethose upstream do unto you.”
❖ Scott Surovell’s bill requiring Dominionto provide better information on coal ash pol-lution, disaster preparedness, and recycling.
❖ Eileen Filler-Corn’s bill requiring that in-surance cover up to a 12-month supply of hor-monal contraceptives when dispensed or fur-nished at one time.
❖ School boards are required to have anti-bullying policies that includes notifying par-ents that their student was involved in a bully-ing incident.
❖ Use of FaceBook Live allowed members tostream floor discussion, and report to constitu-ents and answer questions directly.
BAD BILLSGov. Terry McAuliffe has already vetoed some
of these, and is expected to veto some others.❖ Expanded access to concealed weapons;
vetoed by Governor. SB1362 would allowsanyone with a military ID card to carry con-cealed weapon; HB2077 would allow guns inemergency shelters and prevents state policeor others from prohibiting them for any rea-son
❖ End funding of Planned Parenthood, ve-toed by Governor.
❖ Anti-Sanctuary City Law HB 2000 says nolocality shall adopt any ordinance, procedure,or policy that restricts the enforcement of fed-eral immigration laws.
❖ As a reality check on the Virginia GeneralAssembly, HB2025 would allow discriminationagainst LGBT community under guise of reli-gious freedom, and passed 21-19 in the Sen-ate and 57-37 in the House of Delegates.
❖ HJ 545 would allow special committeesof the General Assembly to overturn regula-tions, upsetting separation of powers. Consti-tutional amendment (first resolution): “Pro-vides that the General Assembly may suspend
or nullify any or all portions of any adminis-trative rule or regulation.”
❖ Photo identification required for absen-tee ballots.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES❖ The biggest missed opportunity of the
2017 General Assembly session was the fail-ure to advance any redistricting legislation,which passed in the Senate and died in theHouse of Delegates. It’s clear that Virginia vot-ers want an end to gerrymandering, but hopesfor reform before the next census in 2020 arediminished.
❖ Mental Health in Jails: $4.5 million wasremoved from the Governor’s proposed bud-get that would have paid for desperatelyneeded mental health screening in jails.
❖ Legislation to raise Virginia’s thresholdbetween misdemeanors and felonies from $200to $500 failed. Virginia’s threshold has notchanged since 1981, unnecessarily focusing“police and prosecutors on minor crimes in-stead of violent crime while tainting thousandsof Virginia’s suffering from depression or drugaddiction with felony charges for life,” saysSurovell.
❖ Ken Plum’s bill to increase and index theminimum wage never made it out of commit-tee.
❖ Bills to address student debt also died dur-ing the session, as did bills aimed at reducingstudent suspensions and expulsions.
❖ Republicans stripped language that wouldhave brought $6 million in federal funds toprovide Long Acting Reversible Contraception(LARC) to those at risk for unintended preg-nancy at no cost to Virginia voters.
Thanks to Ken Plum, Scott Surovell, Marcus Simon,Jennifer Boysko, Adam Ebbin and others whose columnsand responses helped inform this editorial. We welcomeopinions and additions to this list.
Good, Bad and Missed OpportunitiesResults of the 2017session of theGeneral Assembly.
Editorial
— Mary Kimm
www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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Reston
See Letters, Page 11
Filling in theBlanksTo the Editor:
In her monthly newsletter forFebruary, Hunter Mill SupervisorCathy Hudgins wrote a two-pagearticle stating, “there has been somuch information – and misinfor-mation – about who is paying forwhat regarding the Reston trans-portation (sic).” Of course, themissing word is “tax.”
And although SupervisorHudgins alleges there has been“misinformation,” she makes noattempt to identify any inaccurateinformation, much less correct it.In the absence of other publishedinformation, we assume she isspeaking about our letter in theReston Connection a month ago(Jan. 4-10, 2017, p. 5) discussingthe absurdity of a new Reston roadtax. In fact, all the information
provided in that op-ed is analyti-cally and/or factually accurate.
What Supervisor Hudgins pro-ceeds to do is re-hash the finan-cial presentation repeatedly pre-sented by the Transportation De-partment (FCDOT) to her hand-picked citizens committee as wellas the community. The result is aone-sided Tetra-esque sales pitchfor why the homeowners and busi-nesses in the Reston station areas— from Centerville Road toHunter Mill Road — should pay aspecial property tax starting at$.021/$100 valuation so thecounty can make $350 million instreet improvements over the nextfour decades to accommodate thecoming high-density development.In short, it provides half the story.
The other half of the story fo-cuses on fallacious assumptionsand failure to match benefits tocontributors although there ismuch more that is incomplete or
less than fully accurate in Hudgins’pitch. We’ll just focus on two of themost egregious shortcomings ofher article.
The entire argument for addinga special Reston road tax is basedon the absurd assumption thatthere is a $350 million “fundinggap.” To her credit, SupervisorHudgins does not mention thatphrase in her article, because thereis no gap. It is a creature ofFCDOT’s imagination and phonycounty math.
Why is the assumption phony?Because the board could easilymove the less than $9 million peryear needed from anywhere elsein the county’s $4 billion annualbudget; because the board couldpay for the needed improvementsout of the $11 billion in propertytax revenues it will generate fromdevelopment in these areas; andbecause — in a “worst case” sce-nario — it could infinitesimally
increase any of several existingcounty tax rates to garner thefunds.
In short, there is no “fundinggap.” It was created by FCDOT tojustify adding another special taxon Restonians, the county’s cashcow.
And, of course, SupervisorHudgins letter does not addresshow the new Reston road taxfunds will be spent. Only $45 mil-lion of the total $350 million willbe spent on improving intersec-tions. The remaining 87 percentwill go to fleshing out the “grid ofstreets.” For the most part, thesefunds will be used in building gridstreets at the periphery of theReston station areas nearCentreville Road and beyondReston’s post office. These areasare beyond the transit-orienteddevelopment (TOD) half-milecircle.
Letter to the Editor
Reston Connection ❖ March 1-7, 2017 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Wellbeing
By Marilyn Campbell
The Connection
Those experiencing Itchy, wateryeyes and seemingly endlesssneezing know that spring al-lergy season is getting an early
start this year thanks to this season’s mildwinter weather.
“Everything is blooming early because ofthe warm weather,” said Dr. BarbaraMackie, M.D., allergist, of Privia MedicalGroup in Vienna. “People are spending moretime outside because the weather is lovely,but they’re experiencing allergy symptoms.”
One of the keys to surviving allergy sea-son is staying ahead of it. When thermom-eters are rising above 60 degrees for morethan three consecutive days, pollen fromplants begins to move through the air. Thetree pollen count has reached high concen-tration levels in the Washington, D.C. re-
gion, according to The American Academyof Allergy, Asthma & Immunology’s NationalAllergy Bureau Pollen and Mold Report.
“Most of the time seasonal allergies,whether it is spring or fall, are caused bypollens that are associated with grass, treesand weeds,” said Dr. Victoria A Garrison,M.D. a Student Health Services physicianand a professor in the School of Nursing atGeorge Mason University in Fairfax, “In ar-eas that are damp or humid, mold sporescan also be a factor. When people have al-lergies to these substances, the immunesystem will react and cause symptoms likesneezing, watery, itchy eyes, runny nose,sore or itchy throat, congestion and fa-tigue.”
“Mild winter temperatures cause plantsto pollinate early,” added Maureen Moriarty,
DNP, assistant professor of Nursing atMarymount University in Arlington. “Thisproblem may be compounded by a rainyspring season, leading to increased moldlevels that can drive allergy symptoms insufferers through fall months.”
Instead of waiting for full-blown symp-toms, Mackie recommends beginning medi-cations early. “What I usually tell patientswho normally have seasonal allergies is totake their maintenance medications earlyso they’re covered when allergy seasonhits,” she said.
“Being prepared can often help slowdown symptoms of allergies,” added KathyGrilliot, director of Clinical Education Res-piratory Therapy Program at Northern Vir-ginia Community College’s Medical Educa-tion Campus in Springfield.
“Before the season starts, it is a good ideato start taking a nasal steroid. This medica-tion takes a few weeks to gain full effect sostarting before the allergens are everywherecan really help to control symptoms. Eyescan also have allergic reactions, so see aspecialist to have a good eye drop for aller-gen control.”
For those who might be perplexed by thedistinction between allergies and a commoncold: “If it’s lasting more than three dayswith no fever, it’s probably not a cold,” said
Mild Winter Means Early Allergy SeasonExperts offersuggestions toprevent and treatallergy symptoms.
Allergist Dr.Barbara Mackie,M.D advisespatients whonormally haveseasonal aller-gies to begintaking medica-tion early.
Photo courtesy of
Barbara Mackie
Mackie.Some precautions that allergy sufferers
can take to decrease their exposure to al-lergens include wearing a face mask whenoutside during times when the pollen countis high and resisting the urge to open carand house windows when the weather iswarm, especially if the wind is blowing.“Take off your shoes when you enter yourhouse so that allergens don’t get spreadaround the house,” said Grilliot. “Be awarewhere you place clothing that has beenoutside when you enter your house to pre-vent allergens from entering your home.”
“I advise patients to rinse their hair andtake a shower to get the pollen off beforegoing to bed at night,” added Mackie. “Oth-erwise you’re getting pollen on your pillow-case and sheets and breathing it in allnight.”
There are certain times of day when al-lergy sufferers should avoid being outside.“Mid-morning, afternoon and early eveningare peak times for pollen,” continuedMackie. “When it’s windy, don’t go out be-cause of the pollen.”
Pets can spread pollen as well. “Dogs getspring fever too and want to be outside, butthey can bring pollen into the house,” saidMackie. “Wipe off their coats and pawswhen them come inside.”
Reston Association Elections: Time for Real Change?By John Lovaas
Reston Impact Producer/Host
Shortly after this column appears inyour Reston Connection, you willbe getting your very own ballots
in the mail for the Reston AssociationBoard of Directors election. Voting bymail or online will begin March 6 andend April 3 for four of the nine seats onthe Board.
These are volunteer jobs. None-theless, the work thedirectors do has realimpact on living inReston from the ap-pearance of our
community; the condition of our lakes,pools, sports fields, pathways; standardsfor our homes design and maintenancestandards; and, the assessments we payto make it all work. Directors set policyand a budget currently over $17 million.They oversee a large staff, managed at
the top by a CEO who makes over $200,000per year and five senior staff making over$100,000 each.
The current board has a mixed record.RA continues to do some things very well.Summer camps for kids are well done. Fa-cilities are generally well maintained — e.g.,pools, tennis courts, and pathways. We lovewalking Reston pathways after it snows. Weare amazed at how quickly RA crews clearthem under tough conditions. Athletic fieldsare generally OK, but could be better.
But, there are also significant problems.The Tetra purchase and renovation, and theLake Anne land swap come to mind as boarddecisions that were questionable, hardlyserving the best interests of RA members.Those decisions had things in common —lack of transparency and lack of early com-munity participation. The board majoritymade, and continues to make excessive useof executive sessions, effectively hiding partof what should be public record. Under law,executive sessions are to be used exclusively
for discussion of personnel matters and con-tract negotiations. Also, basic ethics proce-dures and practices are flawed, sometimesignored.
Elections are vehicles for changing orga-nizational direction. This RA election pro-vides such an opportunity. Seats for threeof six persons serving as the majority vot-ing block are being vacated. And qualityreplacements are available.
Here are the three I recommend:❖ Eric Carr for the At-Large position. Eric
led the community pressure to get the boardto accept independent review of the Tetradebacle. A longtime Reston resident, Eric isan extraordinary community-oriented per-son who has already demonstrated his com-mitment to transparency and accountabil-ity.
❖ Victoria White for the Hunters Woods/Dogwood seat. Victoria is an accomplishedcontracts manager and a rising businessexecutive. The board desperately needs herskills.
Independent
Progressive
❖ Newcomer John Mooney for NorthPoint director. John comes from a plan-ning background in Arlington Countygovernment. Reston faces growing de-velopment pressures. John will be astrong asset in going toe-to-toe withFairfax County for sensible growth. IfCarr, White and Mooney are elected, youwill see positive change at RA.
The fourth opening is an ApartmentOwners Rep, voted upon by only a hand-ful of apartment complex owners. It tra-ditionally goes to a candidate backed bythe Hunter Mill District supervisor. Thisyear is no exception. The supervisor’schoice candidate is David Bobzien, long-time Fairfax County Attorney who re-tired in the aftermath of the controver-sial handling of the police killing of anunarmed civilian. Two other candidatesdropped out when the supervisor’schoice became clear. The question iswhat is the supervisor’s agenda for Mr.Bobzien at RA?
To have community events listed in theConnection, send to connectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/ by noon Friday.
SATURDAY/MARCH 4Hunter Mill Community Summit.
8:30 a.m.-noon at Frying Pan FarmPark 2739 West Ox Road, Herndon.Join Supervisor Hudgins and Countyleaders for presentations and
discussions on this year’s budgetproposals. Email [email protected] for more.
8th Annual Men’s Conference. 8:30a.m.–2:45 p.m. at St. Joseph CatholicChurch, 750 Peachtree St., Herndon.Keynote speakers include Dr. ScottHahn, Dr. Ralph Martin & Fr. JamesSearby. Mass will be celebrated byBishop Michael F. Burbidge. Visit
https://sjcherndon.org/ or call 571-215-8731 for more.
TUESDAY/MARCH 7Application Deadline. The U.S. Small
Business Administration is remindingbusinesses in Virginia that workingcapital loans are still available tosmall businesses, small agricultural
cooperatives, small businessesengaged in aquaculture and privatenonprofit organizations affected bythe severe storms and tornadoes onFeb. 24, 2016. Visitdisasterloan.sba.gov/ela..
WEDNESDAY/MARCH 8Saturday Night in the Suburbs. 7
p.m. at South Lakes High School,
11400 South Lakes Dr., Reston. Apanel of high school seniors will befeatured, talking openly aboutalcohol and drug use, teen parties,social media, parent supervision andenabling, and communication withparents. Middle school and highschool parents are encouraged toattend. Visit www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org/ for more.
Bulletin Board
8 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ March 1-7, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
By David Siegel
The Connection
Return to the glorious days of1980s’ rock. It was a time of bigrock bands, big electric guitarsolos and plenty of big hair
matched with big egos. It is all coming backcourtesy of the Reston Community Playerswith “Rock of Ages,” a musical nominatedfor Tony Awards including Best Musical.
What can audiences expect? “Rock ofAges” director Joshua Redford said, “Asthe song goes, ‘Nothin’ but a good time.’The music is the best of ’80s rock. It isone big concert with scenes thrown in forgood measure.”
With 15 cast members anda five-piece band led by mu-sic director Matt Jeffrey righton stage, CenterStage willhave a rock concert atmo-sphere. “The band is as mucha part of the show as anymusical I’ve seen.” saidRedford. Favorite songs fromStyx, Whitesnake, REOSpeedwagon, Pat Benatar,Twisted Sister and otherswill be heard.
“Choreographer ChrisDore, has put together very energetic andfun routines. The choreography is unlikeanything you’ve seen at RCP before. Each
member of the ensemble isan exceptional dancer,” saidRedford.
As for the show‘s plot togo along with the live mu-sic; an aspiring rock star,Drew, and aspiring actress,Sherrie, are trying to pre-vent developers from turn-ing the Sunset Strip into astrip mall.
Claire O’Brien Jeffreyplays Sherrie. She describedSherrie as “a small town girl,living in a lonely world.” Shehas come to L.A. from Kan-sas to pursue her dream ofbeing an actress, despite herparents’ objections. She’s
sweet and ambitious and probably a littletoo trusting of other people. She is deter-mined to make her dreams come true.
Musical Good Times at CenterStage“Rock of Ages” produced byReston Community Players.
Entertainment
Where & WhenReston Community Players present “Rock of
Ages” at CenterStage, Reston Community Center,2310 Colts Neck Road, Hunters Woods VillageCenter, Reston. Performances: March 10, 11, 17,18, 24, 25, 31 and April 1, 2017 at 8 p.m.,March 19 and March 26 at 2 p.m. Tickets: $21-$25. Call 703-476-4500 or visitwww.restonplayers.com
For Melrose Pyne who plays a groupie-like waitress, “There is just something spe-cial about a jukebox musical. The audienceis already familiar with the music so it’s likeyou can feel them breathing and experienc-ing the material with you in a way that’sdifferent than most musicals.
“You don’t need to be an ’80s baby to lovethis show. The music is amazing, the danc-ing will blow your mind, and you’ll be updancing and singing with us by the end ofthis show. The wigs alone are enough rea-son to come,” said Pyne.
Photo courtesy of Reston
Community Players
Joshua Redford, direc-tor, “Rock of Ages” atCenterStage, RestonCommunity Center
Send entertainment announcements towww.connectionnewspapers.com/Calen-dar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.Photos/artwork encouraged.
ONGOINGDiva Central Dress Drive with
Reston Community CenterThrough Friday, February 24,collection in building lobbies 11911Freedom Drive & 11921 FreedomDrive, Reston Town Center Helppromote confidence and self-esteemby providing high school studentswith new or lightly used formaldresses, shoes, jewelry, handbags &accessories, collected on behalf ofReston Community Center.restontowncenter.com
Poets and Painters. Through Feb. 26,various times at ArtSpace Herndon,750 Center St., Herndon. Exhibit is“Springtime in Winter: An EkphrasticStudy in Art, Poetry and Music.” Areception on Wednesday, Feb. 22from 7-9 p.m., will feature readingsand music created to complement theworks of eight fine artists. Visitwww.artspaceherndon.com or call703-956-9560 for more.
FPA Television Series. Through Feb.28, various times on Verizon FiOS TVand Cox Communications in FairfaxCounty, and by Comcast in Reston.The specials will air on FPACHANNEL 10, FPA INTERNATIONALCABLE 30, and FPA SPIRITUAL TV36. Fairfax Public Access (FPA), willpremiere a special series of newmovies and documentariesthroughout February, in recognitionof Black History Month.
Painted Passion at ArtInsights.Through March 5, various times atthe ArtInsights Gallery of Film andContemporary Art, 11921 Market St.,Reston Town Center. An exhibit ofromantic couples from Disney andStar Wars as created by officialstudio artists. Call 703-478-0778 formore.
Photography Competition. ThroughMarch 11, various times at ArtSpaceHerndon, 750 Center St., Herndon.Showcase the works of localphotographers, with cash award tothe winner. Awards reception onSaturday, Feb. 27, 7-9 p.m. Visitwww.artspaceherndon.com or call703-956-9560 for more.
Slave Life Exhibit. Through March
31, various times at the Sully HistoricSite, 3650 Historic Sully Way,Chantilly. $7 adults, $6 students, and$5 seniors and children age 5-15.Artifacts excavated from aroundSully’s 18th-century slave cabins.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully-historic-site/ or call 703-437-1794 for more.
Ice Skating in the Pavilion 8 a.m.-11 p.m. open daily through March.
College Night Skate, Rock N Skate,Cartoon Skate at the Ice SkatingPavilion
Every Thursday, 6-9 p.m.; every Friday,8-10 p.m. Skate Shop, 1818Discovery Street, Reston TownCenter. 11900 Market Street. Receive$2 off admission with valid collegeID. Live DJ & music, games & prizes;skating continues until 11 pm. Sharethe ice with Scooby-Doo, Cat in theHat and more. [email protected]/skating
All-comers’ Group Fun Run atPotomac River Running.Tuesdays and Thursdays. RestonTown Center, 11900 Market Street,Reston. For beginners or competitiverunners, come out for a fun, low-keyrun that is safe and social. Call 703-689-0999 potomacriverrunning.com.
Over-40 Softball League. A Fairfax-based league is looking for enoughplayers to form another team. Playersmust be at last 40 years of age to beeligible. All games are doubleheaders- played on Sundays at Bready Parkin Herndon between 11 a.m. and 6p.m. If interested, [email protected] for moreinformation.
“A Bird in the Hand” through spring2017 Reston Town Square Park,11990 Market Street, Reston TownCenter. See and explore PatrickDougherty’s monumental public artsculpture made from tree saplings.Presented by GRACE in collaborationwith IPAR. 703-471-9242restonarts.org
Teen and Adult Art ClassesArtSpace Herndon Every Mondayfrom 5:30-8:30 p.m. 750 CenterStreet, Herndon. Drawing and MixedMedia with Melanie Stanley - DuringFall and Winter of 2016. Cost: $45/class. The class will use a variety oftechniques for drawing, painting,mark making, and collage using finearts tools and materials. Students willbe taken down a creative path to
learn to use drawing tools andbrushes more effectively. Register byemailing Melanie, and she will sendyou the supply list and paymentoptions/information:[email protected]. 703-956-9560. www.artspaceherndon.com.
FRIDAY/MARCH 3Songwriter’s Competition. 7:30
p.m. at Bethesda Blues & Jazz SupperClub, 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda.Luke Brindley, of Reston, made thecut in the Folk/Acoustic category ofthe the third annual Bernard/EbbSongwriting competition and is nowa finalist to perform in a live concertperformed by the competition’sfinalists. Tickets are $10 and $15, atwww.bethesda.org.
MARCH 3-11GRACE Art: Celebrating Creativity.
Various times at the Greater RestonArts Center (GRACE), 12001 MarketSt., Suite 103. celebrates Youth ArtMonth with two exhibitionsdedicated to the artistic achievementsof the area’s youth. Openingreception and family day, March 4,12-4 p.m. Visit restonarts.org or call703-471-9242 for more.
SATURDAY/MARCH 4Family Fun Saturdays. Throughout
the day at Fountain Square, RestonTown Center, 11900 Market Street,Reston. Activities include:
❖ Carousel Rides, noon-5 p.m.❖ Free S’Mores and Hot Chocolate, 1
p.m., while supplies last❖ Fairfax Jubil-aires Performance, 1-3
p.m.❖ Free Ice Skating, 1-4 p.m.Visit cornerstonesva.org/rest-on, email
[email protected], or callCornerstones at 571-323- 9555 formore.
Children’s Cooking Class. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Il Fornaio, 11990Market St., Reston Town Center.Pizza-making cooking class for kids.$18.95, includes pizza, soft drinksand gelato. For reservations, [email protected] or call703-437-5544 for more.
Silver Line 55+. 6 p.m. at theNorthern Virginia HebrewCongregation, 1441 Wiehle Avenue,Reston. Dinner and “An Evening ofMemories” honoring NVHC’s Jubilee.
$20 for members/$25 fornonmembers. Reservation deadlineWednesday, March 1. Call 540-521-
Calendar
On March 17-19 Herndon High School Theater presents“From the Mouths of Monsters”, various times atHerndon High School Auditorium, 700 Bennett St.,Herndon. $5 for students, $15 for adults, appropriate forstudents in grades 7-12. Visitherndonhighschooltheatre.ticketleap.com for more.
1692 or [email protected] for more.
Atlas Intersections Festival. 8 p.m.
Reston Connection ❖ March 1-7, 2017 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Entertainment
at the Atlas Performing Arts Center –Lang Theater, 1818 Library St., Ste.500, Reston. Northern Virginia basedperforming arts modern dancecompany performs. Visitwww.gindance.org.
TUESDAY/MARCH 7Color Me Happy. 7 p.m. at Reston
Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Adult coloringsession. Coloring pages, pens andpencils provided. Free. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/library formore.
WEDNESDAY/MARCH 8Healthy Diet Ideas for Diabetes. 7
p.m. at Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. Nutritionist Natalie Kannanpresents ways you can help controlyour diabetes and pre-diabetesthrough managing diets andchanging eating lifestyles. Free. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/library formore.
MARCH 8-9Farm Animals Bedtime. 7-8 p.m. at
Frying Pan Farm Park, 2709 West OxRoad, Herndon. Learn how animalssuch as cows, pigs and goats getready for some shut-eye. Bring aflashlight or lantern along, andplease dress for the weather. Call703-437-9101 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/fryingpanpark/.
SATURDAY/MARCH 11Family Fun Saturdays. Throughout
the day at Fountain Square, RestonTown Center, 11900 Market St.,Reston. Activities include:
❖ Dog Adoptions with Lucky Dog AnimalRescue, 11-3 p.m.
❖ Free Sweet Treats, 1 p.m., whilesupplies last
❖ Balloon Artist, 1-4 p.m.❖ Live Music, 2-4 p.m.Visit cornerstonesva.org/rest-on, email
[email protected], or callCornerstones at 571-323-9555 formore.
Children’s Cooking Class. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Il Fornaio, 11990Market St., Reston Town Center.
Calendar
Pizza-making cooking class for kids.$18.95, includes pizza, soft drinksand gelato. For reservations, [email protected] or call703-437-5544 for more.
Lecture about County Borders. 7p.m. at Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. Local historian Jim Lewistells the story behind the evolution ofthe Fairfax and Loudoun Countyboundary line. Free. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/library formore.
Purim Comedy Night. 7:30 p.m. atthe Northern Virginia HebrewCongregation, 1441 Wiehle Ave.,Reston. Featuring comedians BengtWashburn and Matty Litwak and theShticklets. $36. Call 540-521-1692 orvisit www.nvhcreston.org/ for more.
SUNDAY/MARCH 12Lucky Leprechaun 5K. 8:30 a.m. at
the Fountain Square and StreetsRace, 11900 Market St., RestonTown Center. 3.1 mile race and kidfun run. Register at prraces.com/luckyleprechaun or call 703-689-0999.
Nonprofit Event. 1-5 p.m. at TheAvant at Reston Town Center, 12025Town Square St., Reston. CTaBois,founder of the InternationalAssociation for Self-ProclaimedArtists and Writers, is holding herfirst art exhibition to benefit theeffort in Thailand. Visitwww.ctabois.com for more.
Opening Reception. 2-4 p.m. atReston Art Gallery & Studios, LakeAnne Village Center, 11400Washington Plaza W # B, Reston.Joan Kelly’s new show called “NewDirections,” which continues throughMarch 29. Visitwww.restonartgallery.com/ for more.
MARCH 12-29“New Directions” Exhibit. 2-4 p.m.
at Reston Art Gallery & Studios, LakeAnne Village Center, 11400Washington Plaza W # B, Reston.Joan Kelly is the artist behind thisshow. Visitwww.restonartgallery.com/ for more.
TUESDAY/MARCH 14Farm Animals Bedtime. 7-8 p.m. at
Frying Pan Farm Park, 2709 West OxRoad, Herndon. Learn how animalssuch as cows, pigs and goats getready for some shut-eye. Bring aflashlight or lantern along, andplease dress for the weather. Call703-437-9101 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/fryingpanpark/.
THURSDAY/MARCH 16Farm Animals Bedtime. 7-8 p.m. at
Frying Pan Farm Park, 2709 West OxRoad, Herndon. Learn how animalssuch as cows, pigs and goats get
ready for some shut-eye. Bring aflashlight or lantern along, andplease dress for the weather. Call703-437-9101 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/fryingpanpark/.
MARCH 17-19From the Mouths of Monsters.
Various times at Herndon HighSchool Auditorium, 700 Bennett St.,Herndon. $5 for students, $15 foradults, appropriate for students ingrades 7-12. Visitherndonhighschooltheatre.ticketleap.com
for more.
MARCH 17-APRIL 1Emerging Visions: Interactions.
Various times at the Greater RestonArts Center (GRACE), 12001 MarketStreet, Suite 103, Reston. Afterviewing Shih Chieh Huang: SyntheticTransformations, students wereasked to explore differentinterpretations and aspects ofinteractions. The final selections willbe on view in the gallery. Openingreception, March 18, 6-8 p.m. Visitrestonarts.org or call 703-471-9242.
By David Siegel
The Connection
Local audience demand has beenso robust that Evan Hoffmann,NextStop Theatre’s artistic direc-tor, said he “had to bring back
Derek Jasper to the NextStop stage for athird time. It will be an evening of live en-tertainment like no other.”
Jasper is a magician, mentalist, deceptionexpert, and Herndon native. “Jasper wowsNextStop audiences each time he performs.He is very impressive, so I am thrilled tobring him back.”
A South Lakes High School graduate, Jas-per gives performances that combine sleightof hand, psychology, and confidence games.Add in magic, comedy, mystery, and his el-egant style and the evening is meant to be
a wondrous one. The audience becomespart of the show as he brings the magic closeto them, along with surprises.
Jasper has performed for over 15 years.It all started when he “read the original sto-ries of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and fell in lovewith this idea of being able to look at some-one and seemingly know everything I couldpossibly need to know about them,” saidJasper.
“Then I started to develop my skills in ob-servation, psychology, and other various
skill sets such as hypno-sis and memory develop-ment,” added Jasper. Af-ter more than 1,500 liveperformances and shows,Jasper indicated hisshows are not about“fooling people but con-necting with them.”
At the Dulles Corridor’sNextStop Theatre, Jasperwill perform his“Epiphany” show. He willbe a solo performer closeto the audience with notonly a beautiful set, but“some interesting propchoices” meant to capti-vate, he said.
The “Epiphany” showitself will be “sculpted around the idea ofobservation,” said Jasper. “As a mentalist, Iam trained to notice all of the ‘little details’
Where & WhenNextStop Theatre presents “Epiphany” with
Derek Jasper at 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon.Performance Friday, March 10 at 8 p.m. andSaturday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.Tickets $25. Call Ovationtix at 866-811-4111 orvisit www.nextstoptheatre.org
An evening of mind reading and the unusual.
Derek Jasper’s ‘Epiphany’ at NextStopthat people would nor-mally not notice.‘Epiphany’ is all about metaking the audience be-hind the curtain andshowing them the worldthrough the eyes of amentalist.”
Jasper wants to inviteaudiences who have seenhim before or are new tohis special kind of magic,mind reading, and atouch of the unusual andthe bizarre. “I would likethe audience to leave thetheater with a better un-derstanding of the worldaround them. I wantthem to have their minds
challenged and experience something theywouldn’t be able to anywhere else in theworld,” said Jasper.
Derek Jasper performing“Epiphany” at NextStopTheater.
Trout Fishing DayKids’ Trout Fishing Day, Saturday, March 18 from 8 a.m.–noon at Snakeden BranchStream between Soapstone Drive and Lake Audubon. Snakeden Branch will be wellstocked with hundreds of trout. All necessary equipment will be provided and TroutUnlimited members will help clean the fish. Registration is required. Ages 2-12. Toregister, reserve a fishing rod go to http://bit.ly/2017TroutFishingDay. To volunteer,contact Ha Brock at 703-435-7986 or [email protected].
10 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ March 1-7, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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Reston Connection ❖ March 1-7, 2017 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
OBITUARYMary Rust Sutphin
Born: January 4, 1936
Died February 22, 2017
Mary R. Sutphin, 81, passed away peacefully at home in the company of her faithful companion Gizmo. She was a long-time Leesburg resident and a graduate of Herndon High School. She was predeceased by her husband Delbert Sutphin, her parents, Claude and Mary Rust, and her sister Martha Hummer. Mary is survived by brother Robert Rust; her children Mary Keith Cramer (Bo Herrman) and Lin Sutphin (Jacquelynn); eight grandchildren Janice Muldoon (Matt), John Cramer (Leslie), Trae Sutphin, Robert Cramer (Liz), Tyler Peacher, Luke Herrman, Lincoln Sutphin and Grant Sutphin; and eight great grandchildren Marcus Sutphin, Emmie Cramer, Eva Cramer, Madison Muldoon, Malachi Cramer, Brantley Bur-lingame, Obidiah Cramer, and Anna Cramer.
The family will be receiving visitors at Colonial Funeral Home in Leesburg, VA on Monday February 27 from 6-8PM and on Tuesday February 28 from 11AM to 12PM. Services will be held at 12PM at Colonial followed by interment at Union Cemetery in Leesburg.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Loudoun County Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 1178, Leesburg, VA 20177 in gratitude for their kindness and service.
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Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
By KENNETH B. LOURIEIt’s not as if I haven’t written about this date:
2/27, before (try last week, Ken), but as I sit atmy desk and stare at the calendar hanging onthe wall to my front right, the date jumps out atme. Not that I approach it with any fear ortrepidation, but I do approach it for days,weeks and even months, calculating my pastand contemplating my future. Cancer has a wayof marking time, and leaving marks —figuratively and literally.
Mostly I have weathered the cancer storm,eight years and counting/hoping. And as muchas I don’t want to define myself as a cancerpatient/survivor and live my life waiting for theother shoe to drop, it’s difficult not to whenyour feet are so swollen from years of chemo-therapy that you’re now forced to wear yoursneakers without laces. What I lose in support, Igain in comfort. Shoes I can’t wear any more.The leather soles don’t cushion my feet enoughto not fatigue my legs. The shoe can’t drop ifI’m not wearing it, right? Hardly. It can drop atany time. Certainly it can drop after my quar-terly scans, hearing that tumor and/or fluidgrowth has recurred or anytime in betweenwhen new symptoms appear and persist (fortwo to three weeks, my oncologist has advised).The trick is; heck, there is no trick.
And as much as I’d like to live this date asany other, the date on which one is diagnosedwith non-small cell lung cancer, stage IV andgiven a “13-month to two-year” prognosis byan oncologist, is a date that cannot be livednormally. February 27, 2009 is a date, to invokeFranklin Delano Roosevelt, that will live in myinfamy. February 27, 2009 was a Friday. Wehad scheduled a mid-morning appointment.My brother, Richard (my one surviving immedi-ate family member), met my wife, Dina and I(Team Lourie as I’ve become accustomed tocalling us) in the lobby of the HMO andtogether we took the elevator up to the thirdfloor (can you say somber?) where we were tomeet an oncologist — a man whom I hadnever met or heard of before, to learn exactlywhat the previous week’s biopsy being malig-nant, meant.
After the awkward introductions, theoncologist spent the next 10 minutes or soexamining me in an adjacent room. Uponcompleting the examination, we all reassem-bled in the doctor’s office where he proceededto review/read the results/assessments from theprevious seven weeks of tests/examinationsfrom the pulmonologist, the radiologist, thethoracic surgeon and the associated diagnosticprocedures completed: X-Rays, CT Scan, P.E.T.Scan, and of course, the biopsy. The medicalopinions started off bad and got worse: stage IV,non small cell lung cancer, a “terminal” disease.In listening to the reports, there seemed tobe little doubt as to the diagnosis. And so itwas clear to my oncologist how to proceed:chemotherapy infusions to begin as soon aspossible; to occur every three weeks for sixcycles with face-to-face appointments and CTScans to follow. And though it wasn’t, and ithasn’t been pretty, generally it has — presuma-bly, kept me alive and in reasonably good spir-its, all things considered, and some of thosethings considered have included some non-Western alternatives.
So here I am, nearly eight years to the datewhen my old life (pre-diagnosis) ended and mynew life — as a cancer patient, began. I would-n’t call it a metamorphosis, more like anupheaval. Somehow though, as the time, treat-ment and routine passed, I began to assimilateand integrate my new reality into my age 54and a half head and figure a way forward. Ican’t say it’s been fun, but the more I can laughand find humor in my less-than-ideal circum-stances, the more positive I can be about thenegative. A negative which has already doneenough damage on its own.
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Commentary
Letter to the Editor
From Page 4
These roads — and the development thatwill go with them — would not be built inthe absence of the tax because developersdo not think developing the surroundingproperty would otherwise be profitable.From your pocket to developers’ profits.Worse, the tax-subsidized development willgenerate more traffic, not relieve conges-tion as Hudgins and FCDOT claim is thepurpose of the tax. In fact, worse trafficcongestion is the explicit goal of the plan
as the level of service standard is lowered.So, if you want the full story, please make
sure you read our earlier op-ed in the RestonConnection or take a look at the Reston 20/20 blog.
If you think the proposed Reston road taxis another Reston rip-off, let SupervisorHudgins know. Also, please sign our peti-tion to stop the road tax on Change.org.
Thank you for considering the wholeReston road tax picture.
Terry Maynard,Co-Chair, Reston 20/20 Committee
By Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum
State Delegate (D-36)
The General Assembly has adjournedits annual session. In future col-umns I will write about bills that
survived the Governor’s veto pen and thosethat did not. In the final days of the sessionwe honored once again a then youngwoman named Barbara Johns who contrib-uted so much to the history of Virginia. OnFeb. 23 Gov. Terry McAuliffe dedicated therenovated former Richmond Hotel and nowOffice of the Attorney General as the Bar-bara Johns Building. Barbara is also hon-ored on the grounds of the State Capitolwith a statue of her, prominently part of theVirginia Civil Rights Memorial.
Her story is a very meaningful one in thecivil rights movement in Virginia, and herexample of leadership is one that must beemulated today. Barbara attended RobertRussa Moton High School. While the whitechildren in the community went to a brickschool, her school was an overcrowded, di-lapidated tar paper shanty. She was frus-trated with the conditions of the facility. Shedreamed of a school where the students didnot have to keep their coats on all day tostay warm and where classes were not heldin the auditorium.
In April 1951, (before Rosa Parks or Mar-tin Luther King Jr.’s movements), Ms. Johns,at 16 years old, organized a strike at herschool. She felt her idea to strike was di-vinely inspired and sought no outside vali-dation for her actions. She was just a jun-ior in high school when she met with sev-eral of her classmates to organize. On April23, 1951, more than 450 Moton High
School students walked out of their schooland marched to the courthouse and to thehomes of local school officials to protest theconditions of their school. A few days intothe strike, the students contacted theNAACP for legal counsel. Civil rights law-yers from the NAACP filed a lawsuit askingfor full integration of the county’s publicschools. The students who wished to file suitcombined their names into a list, and Dor-othy E. Davis, the daughter of a local farmer,was the first to add her name to the list.One month later, the NAACP filed “Davisvs. County School Board of Prince EdwardCounty” (named after Dorothy Davis) infederal court. The case was appealed to theUnited States Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court combined its rulingin the Davis case with four other similarcases to form the landmark 1954 Brown vs.Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas thatdeclared the segregation of public schoolsunconstitutional.
Although the Davis case did not result inthe desegregation of Prince EdwardCounty’s public schools — it took 10 yearsand 40 lawsuits to overcome Massive Re-sistance — Ms. John’s actions were vital forthe future of the civil rights movements.
In the words of Gov. McAuliffe, “Ms.Johns’ history is a lasting reminder to in-spire men and women to fight for justiceand equality and reminds us of the enor-mous impact one person can have whenthey fearlessly stand up for what they be-lieve is right.”
Barbara Johns stood up to what she knewwas wrong. Her example is one that thosewho ask “what can I do?” must follow to-day.
Time to Stand Up
“While I appreciate the passion that peoplehave for their neighborhoods, I think thatit’s really kind of horrifying to hear peopleaccuse our CEO of underhanded activities,”she said during the meeting. “I’m glad tosee [the proposal] move off the table, butagree … we do need to be able to talk aboutthings.”
The park has existed at its current loca-tion since before 1980, according to MikeLeone, an RA spokesperson.
According to the RA’s latest reserve study,which was published in 2014, the LakeNewport Soccer fields have many years leftbefore the study recommends their replace-ment. In 2014, the upper field had 27 yearsleft of useful life and the lower field had 11years left of useful life before maintenancewas required.
The study also recommended for RA tobe prepared to allocate $487,186 of reservefunding for the replacement of both grassfields.
Proposal Kicked Off the TableNews
From Page 5
12 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ March 1-7, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com