Reston Letter: Tall Oaks: More Than Just a Village Center
Letter to the Editor
The Fairfax County Planning Commission clearly showed that unless a court tells them differently, they can dictate Reston’s future. Robert Simon’s vision, decades of planning and careful growth have now been taken over by Fairfax County. They know what’s best for Reston.
Reston Letter: Out-of-Scope Lighting
Letter to the Editor
I am writing to voice my concern, disappointment and disapproval for the installation of the out-of-scope lighting on Cross School Road by Sunrise Valley Elementary School. The lighting is not suitable for the size of the road and seems to be done without advisement and consult of the community. The lights are very large - highway size lights that, again, are out of scope for the nature of the road and residential community. In comparison - there are no lights on the far more traveled road - Sunrise Valley - that carries far more traffic through South Reston.
Letter: Does He Bite?
Letter to the Editor
Well, they're finally over! Suffering through the breathless NBC "coverage" of Olympic "sports," many of which few of us have ever heard of, involving Zika-virus and Rio-mugging avoidance tips, inane commentary, and tedious "up-close and personals" punctuated by the occasional showing of an actual event and immediate post-race interviews with "heroes" gasping for breath, I wondered about the origins of the ridiculous habit of winning athletes appearing to take a bite out of their medal before the cameras.

Reston Residents Oppose Apartment Redevelopment
180 residents sign petition opposing St. Johns development proposal in its current version.
St. Johns Wood is a sprawling campus of nine three-story buildings that house 250 apartments on about 14 acres of land nestled in the woods off Center Harbor Rd. in Reston - and that is exactly how some residents of the complex, and many of their neighbors in surrounding clusters of apartments, townhomes and single family dwellings would like to see it stay. A group about 35-strong made their opinions known at the Reston Association (RA) Governance Committee meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 9, at the RA offices.

Pay-to-Park System Comes to Reston Town Center
Live, work, pay.
The slogan “Live, Work, Play” has long been associated with Reston, a community that takes well-deserved pride in offering a multitude of options for all three of those activities, but with Reston Town Center (RTC) gearing up to launch a pay-to-park system for the first time since opening its streets in 1990, some Restonians, and even some of their neighbors, have put a spin on the motto.
Reston People: Mina Fies Named 2016 ‘Made it to a Million’ Femtor™ Award Finalist
Mina Fies, Founder and CEO of Synergy Design & Construction, a design-build firm located in Reston, was named a finalist in the “Made it to a Million” category at the eWomenNetwork 2016 International Femtor™ Awards Champagne Luncheon, held in Dallas, Texas, on Aug. 6.
Column: Protecting Our Families
Commentary
In the week that I was in Chicago for the annual Legislative Summit of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), there was a record 100 people shot in the city in less than a week.
New Reston CenterStage Season Opens
Timeless songs from Kathy Matea and Bill Cooley on Sept. 17.
Grammy award recipient Kathy Matea is known as an uplifting singer, songwriter and musician. Matea can be a too infrequent performer in the Fairfax County area. Soon she and her longtime collaborator, guitarist Bill Cooley will open the 2016-2017 season of professional performances at Reston’s CenterStage.
New Reston CenterStage Season Opens
Timeless songs from Kathy Matea and Bill Cooley on Sept. 17.
Grammy award recipient Kathy Matea is known as an uplifting singer, songwriter and musician. Matea can be a too infrequent performer in the Fairfax County area. Soon she and her longtime collaborator, guitarist Bill Cooley will open the 2016-2017 season of professional performances at Reston’s CenterStage.

‘Sunrise…Sunset’ by Dorothy Donahey on Exhibit at Reston Art Gallery & Studios
Reston Art Gallery & Studios (RAGS) presents an exhibit of paintings by Dorothy Donahey in her show “Sunrise…Sunset” on display from Sept. 2 through Oct. 6. All are welcome to meet the artist at a reception on Sunday, Sept. 18 from 2 until 4 p.m. In this show, Donahey’s paintings are inspired by dawn and evening skies, and from musicals. “I’ll let the viewers decide which came first in my muse – the color of the sky, or the songs,” says Donahey.
Editorial: Take One Action to Prevent Suicide
Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 5-13, #MindsMatter
As school begins, we are accustomed to safety warnings. Slow down driving, watch for students along the roads, near schools and perhaps behaving unpredictably near intersections. Buckle seat belts. Wear bicycle helmets. Avoid distracted driving.
Herndon Area Nonprofits: Making Community Work
GrandInvolve is recruiting older adults as volunteers who would like to become mentors, reading and math helpers, and classroom helpers.

Reston/Herndon: Vibrant City Living, Small Town Life
Living in the Reston-Herndon area means you don’t have to pick just one!
Despite the fierce Herndon-South Lakes high schools rivalry, Herndonites and Restonians have more in common than they do differences. Not the least of which, residents from both towns share a lively and vibrant social scene.

Reston/Herndon: Everyone Counts in Hunter Mill
Every good community stems from those who work hard to make the community the best version of itself.
Reston Community Notes
Reston Farmers Market at Lake Anne Plaza, founded in 1998, is sponsored by the Fairfax County Park Authority.

Reston Column: Leaving Vacation Behind, Into the Campaign
Independent Progressive
Hard to believe that August is almost done. Does that mean the wall-to-wall 90 to 100 degree days are about to end? Does it also mean that Labor Day is upon us and the U.S. presidential campaign is about to officially begin?! I can’t wait!
Reston Column: No Time to Lose
Commentary
“Our Nation is at risk,” thus began a report on schools given to President Ronald Reagan in 1983.

Reston: GRACE to Present Shih Chieh Huang’s Synthetic Transformations
The Greater Reston Arts Center will present Synthetic Transformations, a dynamic gallery experience by multimedia artist and 2014 TED Talk Fellow Shih Chieh Huang, sponsored by Leidos and the Arts Council of Fairfax County.
Reston Area Nonprofits: Making Community Work
Reston nonprofits

Rescue Reston to Hold 2nd Annual Golf Tournament
On Monday, Oct. 3 Rescue Reston will hold its 2nd annual fundraising golf tournament at Reston National Golf Course. Rescue Reston is the citizens’ organization created four years ago to prevent Northwestern Mutual’s plans to destroy 166 acres of recreational open space in Reston.