ARRESTS MADE After Robbery
“They put the gun to my neck,” said Anas Khalid, a cashier for the Hunters Woods Exxon station. “One guy said, ‘Just shoot him, shoot him.'”
Just minutes earlier at 10 p.m. on Sunday, May 21, Khalid had closed the station’s convenience check-out area, when a black male asked to buy a drink. “He knocked on the door and I told him the store was closed,” said Khalid. But the suspect said he just wanted to get a drink and would be quick.
When Khalid finally opened the door, the suspect pulled a gun and two other suspects filed in, “wearing bandannas on their faces,” according to Khalid. Two of the suspects brandished guns, said Khalid, and one of them put the gun to Khalid’s neck, demanding that he open the cash register.
“I was so scared,” said Khalid, who pleaded with the suspects not to shoot. “’Open the f—ing cash register,’” Khalid recalls the suspect saying. “I opened it and they took all the money and left.”
Within an hour of the robbery, said Keela Lowry, Fairfax County police spokesperson, police arrested three suspects, including Rico Bradley, 19, of Dosinia Court in Reston. Police charged Bradley with robbery and the use of a firearm in commission of a felony, according to a police report. Two 17-year-old boys, one from Reston and the other from Herndon, were also charged with the robbery and the use of a firearm in the commission of a robbery.
LEMOND TO Ride in Tour de Cure
Three-time Tour de France winner, Greg LeMond, will join hundreds of cyclists at the Reston Town Center on June 4 in the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure. Cyclists of every age and fitness level will be participating in the event, which raises money for diabetes research, information and advocacy. About 423,000 people in the Washington, D.C. region have diabetes. Tour de Cure participant will ride courses ranging from 12 miles to 100 miles, pedaling to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of people affected by diabetes. LeMond will ride in the morning and address the crowd afterwards at a post-ride program beginning at 1 p.m. at Reston Town Center. The riders will be assisted by support and gear wagons and mechanics along the route courtesy of The Bike Lane, Bikes of Vienna, Bicycle Outfitters and Pedal Shop.
RESIDENTS HONORED for Volunteer Work
Opportunities, Alternatives & Resources (OAR) of Fairfax County, Inc. — a private, non-profit community-based organization committed to helping offenders who are, or have been, incarcerated and wish to assume productive roles in the community — recently honored two Reston residents for their volunteer work with jail inmates, former offenders and their families.
At OAR’s Volunteer Recognition Ceremony May 17, Maryanne Yergovich received the Marjorie Ginsburg Award for Outstanding Work with Family Members, and Denny Vaughan received the Outstanding New Volunteer Award.
Last year, OAR volunteers contributed over 6,000 hours of service to the community worth more than $100,000. OAR also assists offenders as they cope with the crisis of arrest and incarceration.
16TH ANNUAL Taste of the Town
With 25 vendors, three bands and Kids Korner, this year’s Taste of the Town on June 17 promises more than food. Sponsored by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, the event runs from noon until 10:30 p.m. at Reston Town Center. The 16th annual Taste of the Town will offer varieties of tastes from the region’s finest eateries. Admission and parking are free, and tastings start at $1. More than 30,000 people are expected.
Taste of the Town, Northern Virginia’s largest outdoor food festival, will feature “tastes” from restaurants such as Big Bowl, Busara, Lucia’s Italian Ristorante, Market Street Bar & Grill, Obi Sushi, Paradise Ice Cream, Whole Foods, and more. Live entertainment will be presented on the Pavilion stage, with a beer and wine garden. YMCA Fairfax County-Reston is the charity recipient of a portion of Taste of the Town proceeds.
For more information, call the GRCC at 703-707-9045 or visit www.restonchamber.org. Volunteer opportunities are available, call for registration information.
RESTON GARDEN Tour in June
On Saturday, June 3, the Reston Garden Tour will feature a dozen beautiful gardens in the Reston area. The tour, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., includes a selection of townhouse and single-family shade gardens as well as several gardens in sunny locations. The event is sponsored by the Reston Association and the Reston Garden Club. All proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Friends of Reston for the Nature House. Tickets will be sold in May for $20 at the Reston Association headquarters, the Bird Feeder Store and the Reston Storefront Museum. For additional information at www.restongardenclub.org.
UNLIT LANTERN on Hunter Mill
The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously approved a proposal to build a 123-foot tall building along Hunter Mill Road.
The developer, Walker FLP, could have built a 75-foot building by right at the intersection of Hunter Mill Road and the Dulles Toll Road. However, Walker came in for approval to build a taller building, and a hotel.
The land is just inside the boundaries of Reston. Opposite Hunter Mill Road is a stretch of low density housing. In the opposite direction, the buildings get taller approaching the Reston Town Center.
The taller building in this plan was to include a feature called a “lantern roof” a glass enclosed area which could be lighted at night, which drew particular criticism from the neighbors across Hunter Mill Road. Although there will be a lantern, “the so-called lantern feature shall not be lit,” said Planning Commissioner Frank de la Fe (Hunter Mill). Among the other conditions is one which will not allow the developer to place generators close to the existing houses.
The Reston Association’s Planning and Zoning Committee approved of the tall building, but had reservations about the proposed hotel, de la Fe said, and added that Walker does not agree with all of the proposed conditions.
The proposal will now move to the Board of Supervisors for a public hearing and final decision. A date has not been set.
CALENDAR
Monday, June 5, 8 p.m., Reston Community Center’s Board of Governors regular monthly meeting at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods.