Clap louder!

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is "optimistic" that Metro's Silver Line will actually happen, extending to Reston, Dulles Airport... and beyond!

After the feds rejected the original plan for being too expensive, or maybe for not including enough blinking lights at the station curbs or latte-detecting dogs to prosecute people who bring food on trains or something, officials cut $300 million from the project and resubmitted it about a month and a half ago. Now they're waiting for a sign:

"We have reason to think we will hear some sign, either, 'Hey, you met [the cost-effective standard]' or, 'You still have some more work to do,' sometime soon. But we feel very good about our submission right now," Kaine says.

Awesome! Let's put on this song while we wait.

This Week in Crime: The least funny Police Academy movie yet

Fairfax County Police had youthful-looking cadets ask 26 adults to buy them beer outside of various Reston businesses last week. Of the 26 people approached, four complied -- and were promptly arrested outside of the Hunters Woods Rite Aid, the South Lakes CVS, the Sunrise Valley Exxon station and the Sunset Hills 7-11.

We wonder if the guy who made the funny noises was one of the undercover cadets.

Another week, another endorsement

Incumbent Hunter Mill supervisor Catherine Hudgins picked up another endorsement, this time from the Connection papers. At the same time, she got as much of a dressing down as a positive endorsement can give:

But Hudgins has no one to blame but herself for the competitiveness in this three-way race. (Independent Green Geraldine Butkus, the third challenger, has had an inactive campaign.)

Independent candidates Marie Huhtala and "Spike" Williams are running because Hudgins has come across as aloof or arrogant during some public meetings where constituents felt they weren’t being listened to — or respected. These meetings — whether the south Reston park-and-ride public-private development proposal or the Lake Anne revitalization efforts — attracted concerned constituents, some of whom, afterward, became angry constituents.

Oh, snap!

The Connection papers also urge Hudgins to support the referendum on Reston's town status, "whether or not she supports Reston as a town." As opposed to what -- as a dessert topping?

Reston Real Estate: The High-Low Game, pt. 2

The bargain of the year? What the real estate listing calls "a fixer upper townhouse" in Southgate Square, which can be had for a mere $179,900. That's a damn cry cheaper than our previous High-Low champ, another foreclosed Southgate Square townhouse with a $234,000 asking price.

So, it's a "handyman's special," according to the listing. How bad could it be, really? I mean, if the ladder in the picture conveys, you'll be halfway there. Right?

Property has substantial mold and water damage in the basement. Cash offers only.

Oh. Never mind. The "cash offers only" must be Realtor-speak for "this house is uninsurable and unmortgageable," we're guessing. Only slumlords with a positive cash flow need apply.

Meanwhile, this stunner on Foxclove Road is under contract for a mere $2.1 million. But before you feel too envious, just bear in mind that even the very affluent must make sacrifices during this difficult time for home sellers: the asking price was reduced by $250,000.

If you're willing to slum it a bit, the "best townhouse in the Reston Twon Center. Period." in the Paramount is available for a mere $1.499 million. What, you may ask, is the difference between the Reston Town Center and Reston Twon Center? According to the listing, "higher seilings."

We've said it before, we'll say it again: You'd think that if you cleared roughly $45,000 in commissions on just one freaking sale, you'd be able to buy a computer with an inline spell-checker.

Hey, gang! Let's become a town!

The Reston Citizens Association has gathered 3,600 signatures in its quest to push state lawmakers into putting the question of whether Reston should be incorporated into a town, complete with awesome landscaped city limit signs and its own police force empowered to taser anyone who violates cluster rules by putting trash out early, on the ballot.

The bid has been called "non-partisan," which maybe explains why only the independent challengers for county supervisor and school board seats--Christine "If I thought Reston was bad, I wouldn't live here" Arakelian, Marie Huhtala, and Spike "I don't live in Reston" Williams -- bothered to show up to the press conference announcing the petition. In the past, elected officials have expressed concern that the town movement hasn't received enough input from the Reston Town Center, the Reston Association, and the Reston Community Center, among other groups. Which would, in fact, be a problem. If Reston incorporated and the Reston Town Center didn't, would we need passports to get to the Macaroni Grill?

Still, 3,600 people is nothing to sneeze at, and not bad for a movement that began two years ago. Town status would allow more local control, backers say, albeit at the cost of additional taxes. Early on in Reston's history, a similar movement failed. But founder Robert E. Simon is on board this time, saying it would make area businesses pay more of their fair share.

There's one other minor detail: The idea probably runs afoul of state law, which prohibits the creation of new towns within counties designated as "urban." But we're Reston! We're not a new town, we're a New Town (tm)! And we don't play by the rules -- except when the rules dictate the color of the trim of our houses!

This week in crime: Here we go again

Just another Saturday night in Reston: Two women were assaulted.

At 10:10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29, a 24-year-old Reston woman walked into the laundry room of an apartment in the 12000 block of Greywing Square. A man followed her in and grabbed her from behind. The suspect pushed the victim to the ground and fled when she screamed.

A short time later a second woman was assaulted at approximately 12:50 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30.

A 19-year-old Reston woman was walking along a path near Colts Neck Road and Sunrise Valley Drive when she noticed a man walking on the path from Greywing Square.

The man began following the woman and trying to engage her in conversation. The woman turned around and saw the man fondling himself. The suspect grabbed the victim but she was able to break free and run away.

Both victims described the suspect as a Hispanic man in his 20s to 30s. He was approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 160 to 170 pounds. He had short brown hair that was slicked back.

The usual snide comments about Reston crime aside, why is it that these fumbling assaults on women are the perennial problem here, and why do they never end in arrests? Remember two summers ago, when some random creep was harassing women near Lake Anne? Apparently no one else does, but that guy was never caught, either.

They paved paradise (or at least the earthly representation thereof)

Coming soon to Hunters Woods Plaza: More roving gangs with sticks! Actually, more likely they'll have canes.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a plan Monday to build 210 condominiums for senior citizens across from the Hunters Woods Shopping Center.

The United Christian Church of Reston currently owns a two-story church building on the property at 2222 Colts Neck Road. The church is consolidating its three Reston properties into one larger facility.

It's not often you see a church get razed, but otherwise, we don't have too much snark for this particular project. It's close to other senior housing and the Reston Community Center, it includes some affordable housing, and the developer is at least saying the right things about things like parking and architecture and... oh, hell, this is getting boring. Insert the obligatory joke about the availability of the Clapper at the Hunters Woods Rite Aid and/or early bird specials at its restaurants and we'll be done with it.

Reston Explained: Loudoun, the Other White Meat

Occasion had it that we had to travel into the wilds of Loudoun County, to a subdivision of elegant brick townhouses surrounded by… piles of dirt.

To be fair, this particular subdivision was nicer than most of the particleboard and vinyl shantytowns that pass for development in eastern Loudoun County. It even borrowed a few stray notes from the whole New Urbanism concept. The garages were relegated to outbuildings in the back, tastefully hidden from sight and leading into alleys that were actually called alleys. (How edgy! How urban!) You could conceivably walk to the massive strip mall under construction a short ways down the road, except that no businesses have opened there yet. A block in the heart of the subdivision had been left undeveloped and adorned with playground equipment, creating an effect vaguely suggestive of a New England village green.

It was a beautiful sunny day, unseasonably warm, and while walking down the narrow streets to the green space, you could almost imagine you were strolling down a tree-lined street of row houses in Georgetown. Except for a) the palpable lack of trees, b) the shabby, indifferent way the electric meters were bolted at eye level to the front of each home, and c) the nonstop sound of earthmovers carving out space for identical townhomes just blocks away. And then there was the complete, utter absence of people. We walked the length of the subdivision and sat in the green space for a half-hour during the late afternoon, and didn’t see a soul. Of course, this being Loudoun County, there were tons of cars parked everywhere in sight.

What was lacking in human activity was made up for by For Sale signs--dozens of them, each more desperate looking than the next. “Buy Me!” one said plaintively. Many added the ominous word “Foreclosure” to the cat-bird spot at the top of the sign usually reserved for such teasers as “I’m Beautiful Inside!” or, in happier times, “Under Contract.” A sign taped to the window of one home for sale warned that it had already been winterproofed, urging Realtors not to turn on the water or flush the toilet on the off chance they had someone to show the home to before spring rolls around.

Then, as we were sitting in the deserted green space, we finally saw movement. Two Loudoun County sheriff department cars pulling up to a townhouse whose furniture had been disgorged to the curb. An honest to goodness foreclosure! Of course, neither the foreclosers nor the foreclosees were anywhere to be seen, so the deputies settled for getting out of their cars and milling around for a few minutes before driving away. No lights, no sirens. Just another day as part of Loudoun’s Special Foreclosures Unit, we guess.

Then it was time to walk back through the deserted, faux-urban streets to our car and drive home. For some reason, the phrase “nuclear winter” kept flitting through our heads. Somehow, it fit.

It’s true: There are worse things than mauve earth tones and DRB regulations.

Only in Reston...

Could someone with free time on their hands trying to improve a pedestrian crossing near Reston Town Center be the inspiration for a Pulitzer-worthy, 1,100-word story.

While there won't be a shiny new traffic light, complete with state of the art anti-encroachment lasers on loan from Haliburton and a speaker blaring the Macarena for the hearing impaired at the intersection of Market Street and Town Center Parkway, a new light and crosswalk are about to go into service on Reston Parkway, linking Fake Downtown to the expensive condos directly across the way -- and sparing the residents there the approximately 2.6 minutes it takes to walk to existing traffic light-guarded crosswalks 100 yards from their homes. Which is all good, because Reston Parkway never gets congested as it is.

We're all for keeping Reston a walkable community, especially given the challenges of high-density development. But we're also all for asking people to actually--what's the word?--oh, right. Walk.

Sorry, Spike

The Washington Post has endorsed incumbent Cathy Hudgins for the Hunter Mill district seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Apparently with Herndon's day laborer center closed and problems with illegal immigration therefore completely solved forever, they didn't see the need for one-trick-pony third-party candidates jumping into the fray. The Post also gets bonus points for snark for calling Spike a "customer-service representative." Well played, Post. Well played.

As for the Fairfax County School Board, the Post also endorsed incumbent Stuart Gibson for the Hunter Mill seat. In a pointed comment about the hay challengers have tried to make out of the current redistricting battle, they credited him for being "forthright in saying students need to be moved to under-enrolled South Lakes High School, a brave stance given some community sentiments."

We wouldn't exactly call that a profile in courage, but as political stances go, it's a damn sight better than "If I thought things in Reston was bad, I wouldn't live here."

Not to alarm anyone...

... but one of the cases of the nasty staph infections that are giving local TV newscasts something to cover besides corn mazes and car crashes was reported at Herndon High School.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled panicking.

Reston's vibrant economy, pt. 4

Sprint Nextel has now definitively said they're not moving to the hinterlands of Kansas. Of course, they said this on a new "internal company blog," and we all know how accurate those can be.

Reston-based Homebuilder Comstock reported that it sold 81 houses during the 3rd quarter. Yay! So much for the collapsing housing market! Oh, wait. In the same breath, they added that 78 of those home sales were summarily canceled. If our math is correct, that leaves a grand total of.... 3 houses sold. That's one a month -- not bad if you're a Realtor showing people around Reston's finer stucco and plasterboard creations, but not so much if you're a major homebuilder.

Redistricting: A Tale of Two High Schools

If it's fall, it's time to broach the ever-touchy subject of school redistricting once more. From our in-depth reporting (flipping through a nearly week-old copy of the Connection we found on the sidewalk), here's the crux of the situation:

South Lakes, which is continuing a never-ending renovation, is under capacity. Herndon High School, which is just under capacity, currently takes in the students from Reston's so-called "good schools" -- you know, the ones named after astronauts, in North Reston, and they'd rather take on more students than lose their Restonites. Here's how one Herndon High School parent describes the situation:

Areas served by Aldrin and Armstrong account for 750 seats in Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors classes at Herndon. Losing those students could have a tremendous impact on Herndon’s ability to offer AP and Honors classes to its students in the future.

And band, too! Meanwhile, South Lakes' PTSA is talking up their school's diversity and its excellent, if still unconventional, IB program.

""We are just happy to have an opportunity to tell our story of what a great school South Lakes is," said Vandenburg.

So, what to do? One solution posited by Herndon parents involves putting a voluntary magnet program at South Lakes, so people who want their kids to go there can. That's an approach that's worked before in both Reston (Hunters Woods Elementary's magnet program) and Herndon (Herndon Elementary's French-immersion program).

Of course, what no one's bothering to point out is that the IB/AP programs already unwittingly serve that same purpose -- kids who live within South Lakes' boundaries who want to take AP classes can apply to go to Herndon, and Herndon kids who want IB classes can do the same.

Confused? Well, let's bring the Westfield kids into the mix:

Aside from not wanting to move their children from their respective schools to South Lakes, some parents in the affected communities have also brought up South Lakes' reputation as a reason to not move their children to the Reston high school.

Here we go again. Christine Arakelian, who's running for the Hunter Mill seat on the Fairfax County School Board, was criticized at a forum at South Lakes High School for perpetuating that reputation as part of her campaigning. Her response?

"If I thought things in Reston were bad I would not live here," she said.

Wow. As sound bites go, that ranks up there with some other Churchillian political statements.

That's a lot of light bulbs

As part of a $500 million effort to reduce energy consumption and refreeze the polar ice caps and cure global warming forever, the Reston International Center will be getting... new light bulbs. And maybe a new air conditioning system. And a few "Please be kind: Rewind" signs for good measure.

It's the thought that counts, right? Plus, it's free to the building's owners, as an investment firm will foot the bill for all those CFLs in return for the resulting energy savings. As another free-market devotee once famously said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world -- provided you can recoup your initial fixed investment costs by collecting the economic rent from the reduced energy consumption."

At least he probably meant to say that second part.

Art Sort of For Art's Sake

The Reston arts scene makes its way onto the pages of the Washington Post, which provides an in-depth review of an interactive exhibit called "Flow" at the Greater Reston Arts Center.

The experience was "awe-inspiring," said Vandenburg, who noted that "sometimes art in a museum can seem so lofty." Sham's piece is more enjoyable, she added, because "there's an artist who's telling you, 'Let's create something together.' "

Yay! Fun! This being in the Washington Post, however, there must be a Deeper Meaning. How 'bout it, Post?

But even more important, Sham said, "Flow" gives him the chance to make a statement about immigration: When the public contributes to the piece, it's a metaphor for the contributions that immigrants have made to this country.

"We all contribute pieces to the culture and to the land," said Sham, 53, who was born and raised in China. "Flow" is about "creating a common dialogue on the things we immigrants do."

See? If you don't get it, you don't get it. Just don't tell the folks down Baron Cameron Avenue a piece.

Meet Your Neighbors: Spending More Time With the Chips

There's nothing we can say about this guy that the folks at Business Wire didn't already get paid to write:

SUNRISE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On April 17, 35-year-old Reston, VA native Lee Childs enrolled in a WPT® Boot Camp after leaving his job as a VP in applications development to take time off and focus on poker. Just two months later, Childs took his poker education to Las Vegas and played in the 38th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event—which boasts one of the largest fields in the world—and bested 6,348 players and world-class pros to make the final table, premiering tomorrow night on ESPN. Viewers tuning in will watch as Lee goes head-to-head with nine other top players to win a piece of the $59,784,954 pot, with over $8 million going to the winner.

Unfortunately, Childs didn't win -- or at least so we gather from this writeup of the tourney:

In what surely will be one of the most talked-about face-offs this year, Yang quickly declared an all-in reraise on the ninth hand of play, and Lee Childs, a 35-year-old software engineer from Reston, Va., folded pocket queens, face up, on a board with a seven, four and deuce.

We're definitely going to be talking about it, at least as soon as our understanding of card games goes beyond "Go Fish." Joke's on us, though -- a 7th place finish still netted Childs a cool $700,000-plus.

Hope you like corn fritters...

Sprint Nextel continues to deny rumors its headquarters will move from Reston to Kansas, disturbing lack of Macaroni Grills notwithstanding. Of course, in these enlightened days of corporate disclosure, that can mean only one thing.

Sprint Nextel employees with teenage children may find it instructive to rent the educational documentary Footloose.

Get thee to a distillery!

Saturday's Reston Homes Tour features, among other things, a South Lakes townhome once featured on a HGTV program (let's hope it's not this show), a "collector's world of antique tramp art" (whatever that means), a Town Center penthouse (hope it has a view of the Macaroni Grill!), two North Point homes, and a book signing by former White House chef Walter Scheib at the Linden Springs Manor House, better known as the ole' Virginia Gentleman distillery -- a name and a metier which were both apparently too undignified, too old-fashioned for the New Town (tm) of Reston. So now they're using the site to -- surprise! -- build more condos, a truly Restonian endeavor.

More details on the event are here.

Beware the Alan Parsons Project

Vandals armed with BB guns shot out windows of more than 75 cars in Reston and McLean last weekend.

This is a disturbing development -- just yesterday, Reston was shocked to its stucco and plaster foundations by a brazen robbery using sticks. Now Reston's criminal element has apparently upgraded to BB guns. What's next? Numchucks and ninja stars? Sharks with frickin' laser beams on their heads?

The mind reels.

This week in crime: When sticks are outlawed...

Quite possibly the most pathetic attempted robbery at Hunters Woods Plaza to date:

HUNTERS WOODS PLAZA,2300 block, 6 p.m. Sept. 30. A 32-year-old man on a bicycle passed a group of three males and a female on a path, and one pushed him against a utility box. The males, armed with sticks, robbed the bicyclist of his cellphone. The bicyclist obtained a stick of his own, and they fled.

Just remember: When sticks are outlawed, only outlaws will have sticks.

This is the rare opportunity to have... something

...like landlording duties for two Lake Anne businesses (but not the successful one). Read this breathless, and nearly gramatically correct, Realtor copy:

This is the rare Opportunity to have the Commercial Condo in Lake Anne of Reston in VA. However, the condo sales for only Hair salon and jewerly shop. Total 3000SF BUT NOT includes restaurant (CAFE)(1200SF).

Does not include restaurant (CAFE). You cannot buy the restaurant (CAFE). Do not even look at the restaurant (CAFE). Funny, the last time I was at Lake Anne, I didn't see a place called "restaurant (CAFE)," though I think the au courant lowercase name with the winking tautological self-reference would go over as well as faux tapas. But there's more! (Just not the restaurant (CAFE).)

Profitable income with strong tenants. The current tenants are Hair salon and Jewerly repair shop. More info, please e-mail me. I will send the Rent roll.

Rent roll? Is that something like this?

Restonite: Six months behind web memes since 2007 (tm).

Reston's vibrant economy, pt. 3

As expected, Sprint Nextel CEO Gary D. Forsee has been shown the door. But don't feel too bad for the guy -- he stands to fill his golden parachute with as much as $57 million. Not bad for a guy that lost more than 700,000 customers this year.

Not as well-known is the fact that Forsee had been agitating for Sprint to move its headquarters from Reston to Kansas, where most of its employees work. Now that's just ridiculous -- does Kansas have a Macaroni Grill? And if Sprint moves to nowheresville, it'll lose its close symbiotic ties to other tech juggernauts like... well, AOL.

Oh, right. Never mind.

Meanwhile, Sallie Mae is suing its one-time suitor for refusing to buy it, to the tune of $900 million. But there's a silver lining -- if the investment group decides to go through with the merger after all, all is forgiven!

Then they just have to run Sallie Mae.

Man Bites (or at least gives chest compressions to) Dog

Even heartless cynics like us can't help be moved by a good dog rescue story.

During a visit to Lake Anne near Reston, Va., with his family, police officer Lance Hamilton administered mouth-to-snout resuscitation to his dog, Bailey, after the dog was injured near a dock. The dog was injured while in the water as he fetched a ball.

So, all those warnings about not drinking, wading, swimming, or even looking too closely at the algae-clogged water are true! But back to the canine drama unfolding as we speak:

Hamilton held the dog's mouth closed and breathed rescue breaths through the snout while uncle Greg Dunphy gave chest compressions, reviving Bailey after about a minute.

Of course, you realize the actions described in the above paragraph are illegal in 23 states. But that's not important right now! We need to get back to the Tale -- or is it the Tail? -- of Hope!

An electrical problem on the dock was found soon after and fixed before anyone else could be injured... Russell Porter, chairman of the Citizen's Advisory Committee, said Hamilton "indirectly saved humans and that's why we thought it'd be nice to give him an award from us."

We've said it before, we'll say it again: Everyone loves puppies.

Who the heck is 'Spike,' anyway?

In November, voters -- or at least the handful of folks aware enough to vote in an off-year or whipped into a premature frenzy to vote against Hillary Clinton -- will chose the supervisor for the Hunter Mill district, which includes Reston, Herndon, and Vienna.

Incumbent Cathy Hudgins, a Democrat, is facing a challenge from three independent candidates: Marie Huhtala, Mike "Spike" Williams and Geraldine Butkus. Based on a cursory skim of a week-old issue of the Connection, here's what we know about the challengers so far:

Huthala was one of the leaders of the group that opposed development near the South Reston Park & Ride lot, and is pro-referendum.

Butkus, who's running as the Green Party candidate, apparently didn't want to contribute to the piles of bagged, unread Connections littering Reston, because she declined to be interviewed.

Spike's big issue is apparently illegal immigration, and his big selling point, according to one of his supporters, is that he walks "in lock-step with Gary Baise," the Republican running for supervisor chairman. Still, he doesn't want people to think all he worries about is shipping people off to Panama.

"I don’t want people to think I’m a one issue candidate," said Williams.

So, for the record, Spike apparently hates traffic congestion and redistricting. Also, he likes puppies. Lots and lots of puppies!

We're just guessing on that last part.

Time to polish those resumes

Sprint-Nextel is apparently looking for a new CEO. Just don't bring your iPhone to the interview.

Meet Your Neighbors: Weird Animals

One benefit of all that green space: bizarre freaky animals.

This, apparently, is an emaciated coyote that someone photographed wandering around their backyard. Of course, Reston being Reston, here's what one person had to share about the experience:

Whatever it is ... it leaves droppings on my sidewalk and I have to scoop it up so my neighbors won't think it's my dog!

First things first! Another contributor had this to share:

Maybe you should contact the Reston Zoo and see if they've had any "escapees" lately.

And speaking of escapees, here's a cute 'lil critter that was discovered wandering around Reston a few months back. Owning alligators has been illegal in Virginia since 1991 (except for "educational purposes" -- whatever that means), but you can still buy 'em in Pennsylvania. That, and fireworks, too. Plus, they've got outlet malls!

Maybe we should do the Keystone state's tourism commercials.

You heard it here second

Shocking, but true: In an interview, Robert E. Simon revealed that Reston was inspired by a town in New Jersey.

Yes, even North Reston.

Reston's vibrant economy, pt. 2

A group of buyers are reducing their offer for Sallie Mae by 17 percent. I dunno -- if you were a homebuyer who bought a Reston condo at the peak of the market, that might not sound too bad.

And that was before he rented 'Gigli': This week in crime

A man was robbed outside of Hollywood Video at the Hunters Woods Shopping Center last Saturday. For those keeping track of such things, this is the second robbery in the past month at Hunters Woods.

DWI enforcement

DWI enforcement will be stepped up in Reston through Oct. 13.