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Reston Home Tour Offers ‘A New Perspective’News, Page 6
Lighting theNight in RestonNews, Page 2
Community Demands ‘Justice for Nabra’
News, Page 3
Sawsah Gazzar (center), Nabra Hassanen’s mother, is consoled by community
members outside of the courthouse after an
emotional day in court.
2 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Colin Stoecker
THe Connection
Friday night, Reston TownCenter was full of peopleholding red lanterns in soli-darity for the 1.2 million
Americans who battle blood cancer.Between the red lanterns were whiteones held by cancer survivors.Through sponsors and private dona-tions, the Leukemia and LymphomaSociety sought to raise $3.5 millionfor fighting cancer with the walk.
As of Friday afternoon,lightthenight.org had raised over$614,000 toward the cause.
Alex Ivlev, 18, of South Riding anda freshman at George Mason Univer-sity was one of the survivors in at-tendance at Light the Night. “The factthat we are raising a lot of money isimportant. Every dollar counts,” saidIvlev.
He survived leukemia and held awhite lantern with a light blue survi-vor shirt draped across his shoulders.“I have a personal connection and it’swhat I want, getting rid of a diseasethat’s terrible to go through,” he said.
Other cancer survivors were alsoencouraged to join a survivor’s circlebefore the walk began.
David Macurdy, of Reston, a kid-ney cancer survivor was also at the walkwith his wife, Donna Macurdy. “Leukemiais a nasty disease,” said David Macurdy.
Lighting the Night in Reston Light the Night walk in Reston to raise$3.5 million for leukemia research.
Carol Kasson (right) and her friend Paula Kone, a Burke resident,carried a banner that said, “Carol’s Crew,” at the Light the Nightwalk. Kasson is a cancer survivor.
A crowded street in Reston Town Center forthe Light the Night walk to sponsor a curefor Leukemia Friday night.
“We have a friend who is still sufferingfrom Acute Myelocytic Leukemia. So we arerunning for him. He was just diagnosed,”
Donna Macurdy said.People who had lost family mem-
bers or friends came to the walk or tosupport those walking for their cor-porate sponsors who had helped fundthe event.
Natasha Molina, of Ashburn, whoworks for the Department of Laborwas at the walk with her 2-year-old
son Killian Hale. “I walk for a cure, and sowe can celebrate more birthdays and lessfunerals. I walk so that one day good-bye is
a little further away,” said Molina. She pre-pared this speech to fundraise for the eventand joined the day of the walk.
“I raised over a hundred dollars in oneday,” she said.
Carol Kasson and her friend Paula Kone,a Burke resident, carried a banner that said,“Carol’s Crew.” Kasson had Non-HodgkinsLymphoma and is still alive today becauseof a stem cell transplant.
“It’s sad and uplifting at the same timeand it touches all of us,” said Kasson.
David Macurdy, of Reston, a kidney cancersurvivor, was at the Light the Night walk withhis wife, Donna Macurdy Friday night inReston Town Center.
Alex Ivlev, 18, of South Riding holds a whitelantern at the Light the Night walk for Leuke-mia Friday night in Reston Town Center. Heis a cancer survivor.
From left: Jennifer and her sister Elise Doeof Oakton cheer on walkers in the RestonTown Center for the Light the Night walk tosponsor a cure for Leukemia Friday night.
Photos by Colin Stoecker/The Connection
Reston Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
See Community, Page 5
NewsReston Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic
703-778-9414 or [email protected]
By Fallon Forbush
The Connection
“You killed my daughter!” thefather of a Reston teen whowas murdered this summercried out in a packed court-
room, right before the victim’s mother flunga shoe at the defendant.
This was an overwhelming experience forthe family and those who knew NabraHassanen, whose life was violently takenfrom her at age 17.
The commotion rippled through thecrowd just as the Commonwealth’sAttorney’s criminal case against the chargedsuspect, Darwin Martinez Torres, was aboutto begin at the Fairfax County Juvenile andDomestic Relations District Court in Fairfaxon Friday, Oct. 13.
It was the first time Torres, entering thecourtroom in a green jumpsuit, was in thesame room as Nabra’s parents — fatherMohmoud Hassanen and mother SawsanGazzar.
THE HIGH-PROFILE HEARING wasoriginally scheduled for a smaller room, butwas moved to a larger space that could holdup to 250 people. Fairfax County PoliceDepartment Spokesperson Julie Parker,whose police officers and detectives —along with Loudoun County — were in-volved in the search for the victim whenshe went missing and the investigation, satin the first row that was reserved for wit-nesses and those involved in trying the case.
Family and community members filled therest of the room to capacity, most wearingwhite T-shirts adorned with the victim’ssmiling face with the words, “Justice forNabra” and “We will never forget.” This leftsome people outside unable to enter. Stand-ing room was not allowed by the 10 or soofficers from the Sheriff’s Office who werepatrolling the room.
After Torres entered through a door at thefront of the room, his defense team huddledaround him. Sniffles and soft crying couldbe heard; women pulled tissues from theirpurses to wipe away tears; and the victim’sfather sat cradling his mouth and nose withhis left hand in what appeared to be a ges-ture of disbelief.
The 22-year-old defendant, a citizen ofEl Salvador, was living in Sterling withoutlegal permission and held without bond atthe Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
Presiding Judge Kimberly Daniel thenentered the room. The audience was askedto rise from their seats and were quicklyasked to be seated once again. That’s whenthe emotions became too much for the par-ents, who were seeing the accused face-to-face for the first time.
“You killed my daughter!” Hassanenyelled as family members around him triedto pull him back from lunging toward thedefendant.
Torres and the judge were quicklywhisked away to safety, but not beforeGazzar hurled a shoe from across the room,coming close to striking him. “I kill you,[expletive],” she yelled.
The father was hauled away by officers,while the mother was left in her seat, afterbeing pulled back down by those aroundher.
Unsettled audience members’ crying be-came louder, some began wailing. Officerstried to restore peace, yelling at people tosit down.
“What the [expletive] are you going todo about it?” a young man who had tearsrunning down both cheeks angrily asked anofficer who was trying to restore order.
Those around him begged him tobe quiet. “[Expletive] you. Rot inhell,” he said to officers as theyescorted him out of the court-room.
Due to the outbursts, the judgedecided to close the hearing to thepublic and officers instructed au-dience members who were notfamily to leave the courtroom.Members of the media were es-corted to another room, wherethey were permitted to watch thehearing via live stream. The hear-ing was also moved to another,smaller courtroom.
“I am not going to stuff thecourtroom like we did the otherone,” Daniel said, instructing theofficers to allow the parents of thevictim to enter, but only permit-ting them to sit in the back rowof the opposite side of the court-room from the defendant.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS be-gan organizing outside of thecourthouse as the hearing re-sumed — an hour later with onlyattorneys, the defendant and
Nabra’s family members present.It ended almost as soon as it began, with
Torres waiving his right to a preliminaryhearing, which would determine probablecause, or reasonable grounds for presum-ing guilt in someone charged with a crime,which is needed to move forward with acriminal trial.
The prosecution was not expecting thismove from the defense.
Fairfax County grand jury indicts;County Commonwealth’s Attorneyplans to pursue death penalty.
Nabra’s Parents Come Face-To-Face with the Accused
Omer Gorashi, whose “sisters were good friends with Nabra Hassanen,”led a group of young demonstrators in chants outside of the courthouseafter the hearing was closed to the public: “Everything for Nabra” and“Justice for Nabra.” He also led them in a repetitive Q-and-A chant:“What do we want?” he asked. “Justice,” they responded. “For who?”“Nabra.” “When do we want it?” “Now.”
Mohmoud Hassanen, the murdervictim’s father, and communitymembers wore white T-shirts withNabra’s photo, which circulatedaround the world in media reportsafter she was reported missing.The shirt said, “Justice for Nabra”and “We will never forget.”
Sawsah Gazzar (center), Nabra Hassanen’smother, walks away from the courthouse intears.
Zahwa Ezzelden, 19, a cousin ofthe murder victim, led a group ofyoung demonstrators to “take aknee for Nabra.” “This crookedsystem kicked us out,” she said.
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4 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Opinion
By Stephen R. Ruth
Schar School of Policy and Government
Professor of Public Policy
George Mason University
We should fear Artificial Intelli-gence. Not in the future butnow. Ask Sheryl Sandberg,chief operating officer of
Facebook. She announced that her company,with its over 2 billion users, built software itcannot fully control. “We never intended oranticipated this functionality being used thisway,” Sandberg said, “— and that is on us.”Facebook’s operating systems had al-lowed Russian operatives to createaccounts and ads aimed at influenc-ing the 2016 U.S. presidential elec-tion. The gigantic network seems to have cre-ated systems that are ungovernable.
Facebook’s problem hints at the extremedangers lurking within Artificial Intelligenceas it grows throughout the world. AI Expertsare already talking about a “nightmare sce-nario,” where nations’ AI systems could ignitereal-time conflicts. Consider, hair-trigger AIsystems could eventually control several na-tions’ military responses’ and some error in anyone algorithm could possibly lead to a nuclearcatastrophe.
Between the Facebook case and the night-mare scenario is the immediate problem ofmillions of people losing jobs. Around theglobe, programmable machines — includingrobots, cars and factory robots — are replac-
ing humans in the workplace. Automationthreatens 80 percent of today’s 3.7 milliontransportation jobs, one U.S. government re-port estimated, including truck and school busdrivers, taxi drivers and Uber and Lyft drivers.Another report indicates AI is threatening as-pects of the many different jobs, including callcenter operators, surgeons, farmers, securityguards, retail assistants, fast food workers andjournalists. A 2015 study of robots in 17 coun-tries found that they accounted for over 10percent of the countries’ gross domestic prod-uct growth between 1993 and 2007. Consider,a major supplier for Apple and Samsung cell
phones and computers, China’sFoxconn Technology Group, is plan-ning to automate 60,000 factory jobswith robots, replacing its existing
employees. Meanwhile, Ford’s factory in Co-logne, Germany, not only replaced humanworkers with robots but also on some jobs sta-tions position robots beside human workers —they are called cobots.
But these employment issues, as troublingas they are, cannot compare to the dangersenvisioned by Elon Musk and Stephen Hawk-ing. They are among the dozens of thoughtleaders who signed a letter harshly condemn-ing governments’ increasing reliance on AI formilitary use. Their chief concern is autonomousweapons, another example of AI. The U.S. mili-tary is already developing armaments that donot require humans to operate them. Theseweapons are being created to offer battlefieldsupport for human troops. Autonomous arms
are dramatically easier to develop and mass-produce than nuclear weapons. They will likelyto soon appear on black markets around theworld, certain to be favored by terrorist groups.To quote from the open letter, the new autono-mous weapons would be ideal for dark actionsincluding “assassinations, destabilizing na-tions, subduing populations and selectivelykilling a particular ethnic group.”
There are some economic optimists likeMIT’s Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee,who feel that AI will eventually bring long termprosperity to the world, but even they admitthat finding common ground among, econo-mists, technologists and politicians is daunt-ing. Obviously, it will be very difficult to craftlegislation about AI without more agreementabout its potential effects.
We should definitely be fearful of artificialintelligence, not just because it is clearly des-tined to affect the number of available jobs,including those in middle and even uppermiddle class domains, but because its poten-tial military use can lead to a perilous fu-ture, if not controlled. As the open lettersigned by Musk and Hawking concluded,“Starting a military AI arms race is a badidea, and should be prevented by a ban onoffensive autonomous weapons beyondmeaningful human control.”
The author is director of the InternationalCenter for Applied Studies in InformationTechnology (ICASIT) http://policy-icasit.gmu.edu/
What To Do Against the ‘Nightmare Scenario’?
Commentary
By Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum
State Delegate (D-36)
Just when you think thingsare changing you can beshocked to realize just how
much they stay the same. Politicsin Virginia are a prime example.
For more than a century afterthe Civil War the consistent factorin politics was race baiting. Thethen-called Democrats in theSouth, who later became knownas Dixiecrats and today are the conservativewing of the Republican Party, were successfulwith a variety of laws that disenfranchised Af-rican Americans.
Even with the few African Americans whocould get through the labyrinth of laws thatincluded blank sheet registration forms, lit-eracy tests and poll taxes the scare tactic em-ployed by too many candidates was to suggestthat their opponent was a lover of black people— but using a derogatory term. That fear ofblack people has its roots back to the centu-ries where black people were enslaved andbrutal enforcement and fear were used to keepthem that way.
The Civil War did not resolve the feelingbetween blacks and whites, and slave codeswere replaced with Jim Crow laws that whitescould use to assert supremacy over blackpeople.
For a candidate to take a posi-tion that could be interpreted asbeing favorable to African Ameri-cans would mean almost certaindefeat at the polls. Only SupremeCourt decisions and federal lawslike the Civil Rights Act and theVoting Rights Act created a morelevel political playing field be-tween the races. Continued efforts
to suppress the votes of minorities and to un-necessarily complicate the voting process arestill employed by some trying to maintain astructured society of white supremacy.
More recently those who want to keep orexpand their political power have swept im-migrants — whatever their status — into therealm of those who are to be feared and sup-pressed from participating in the democraticprocess.
Many strive to gain maximum political ad-vantage through whatever means while at thesame time wanting to keep the appearance ofrespect and patriotism. The recent televisionad with scary images and references to fearand the MS 13 gang intends to scare votersinto rejecting a compassionate medical doctorwith an ad that fact checkers have found to beuntruthful.
Another concern from the current campaign
is the suggestion from a white female candi-date for lieutenant governor that her blackmale opponent does not understand the issueswell enough to discuss them “intelligently.” Dis-regarding the excellent academic credentialsof her opponent, her comments had the toneof the past that one observer said seemed moreappropriate for 1957 than 2017.
At the national level, there are daily state-ments and actions that hearken back to theracial climate of the Old South. This year InVirginia, we have a unique opportunity on Nov.7 to make a statement with our votes that wereject the discrimination of the past. It is al-ways important to vote, but it is more impor-tant than ever this year. Despite efforts to ro-manticize the Old South and the Confederacy,we need to learn the truth and understand whywe need to move on.
It is always important to vote, but it ismore important than ever this year.
Shades of the Old SouthCommentary
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Reston Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
1228 Hunter Mill Road, Vienna, VAwww.roerszoofari.com
(703) 757-622230 Acres of Animal Adventure for All Ages
Free ParkingAn easy drive on either the 267 Dulles Tollway (Hunter Mill Exit) or SR 7 Leesburg Pike (left at the Baron Cameron light)
October 31 3pm to 6pmRain or shine
Advanced online tickets requiredevent.www.roerszoofari.com
Boo at the ZooBoo at the ZooFrom Page 3
News
“I thought we were going to have a hear-ing,” Raymond Morrogh, the Fairfax CountyCommonwealth’s Attorney, said. “We hadour witnesses lined up and we had beenpreparing this week.”
With the waiver, the case was sent to acounty grand jury, which would decidewhether to indict Torres on a charge of first-degree murder, which is the willful, delib-erate and premeditated killing of any per-son or, in this case, the killing of a personin the act of rape, object sexual penetra-tion or abduction.
Morrogh spoke on behalf of the victim’sparents after the hearing.
“I think we can all understand the emo-tions here,” he said. “It’s very hard on thefamily, especially when they see the accusedfor the first time.”
He sympathized with them and describedhis personal reaction to their outbursts.
“I was just sad,” he said. “I feel for thosepeople … they’re suffering … I know theymeant no disrespect to the judge or the pro-cess, but it’s a difficult process and we’re go-ing to try and work with our victim witnessassistants to hope that it doesn’t happen
again, and take every step we can to makesure everybody is as comfortable as they canbe under these tragic circumstances.”
Grand Jury Indicts DefendantIt did not take long for a decision.On Monday, Oct. 16, a Fairfax County
grand jury indicted Torres on eight sepa-rate counts of capital murder, rape, sexualassault and abduction.
Torres “did feloniously, willfully, deliber-ately and with premeditation kill and mur-der Nabra Hassenen,” the indictment said.
“The penalties on the four capital mur-der charges are either life or death,”Morrogh told the Connection via email.“The penalties on the other charges are asfollows: rape is from five years to life; ab-duction with the intent to defile is from 20years to life; and on each of the two countsof animate object penetration the penaltyis five years to life.”
The next hearing for the case will be atthe Fairfax County General District Courtin Fairfax this Thursday at 9 a.m. A trialdate will be decided at this hearing, accord-ing to Morrogh.
“I intend to pursue the death penalty inthis case,” Morrogh said.
Community Seeks‘Justice for Nabra’
6 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
See Home Tour, Page 10
By Andrea Worker
The Connection
“A New Perspec-tive” was thetheme of the16th edition
of the annual Reston HomeTour, presented by the RestonHistoric Trust, and benefitingthe organization’s continuingmission to “preserve the past,inform the present, and influ-ence the future of Reston.” Itwas an apt descriptor for thesix private residences, the newapartment options at Apertureat Reston Station, and even forthe remodelled and re-pur-posed Lake House on LakeNewport that were on displayfor the self-guided tour.
For many of the homeownerswho agreed to allow hundredsof curious visitors to wanderthrough their abodes on Sat-urday, Oct. 14, their homes did,in fact, represent new perspec-tives for their own lives andlifestyles – and some fabulousviews. For quite a few of them,their digs were their “nextphase” living choice, like LeslieSiegmund and Jack Mathias, empty nest-ers who in 2015 made the move fromOakton colonial (their home for 20 years)to mid-century modern on South ShoreRoad, sitting right alongside Lake Anne.
Since their move-in, Siegmund andMathias have been pretty much in constantrenovation mode, starting with the kitchen,then a hall closet converted to a full bath, aremodelled master bath, and a backyardrenovation that provides a series of terracesand patios that lead down to the lake. Plansare afoot to further expand the garden andhardscape, ultimately adding a dock to of-fer a floating shortcut to the amenities ofLake Anne’s offerings.
TWO MINUTES BY WATER, and maybefive by car, the home of Karen Parnicky andStephen Weber on Orchard Lane stays trueto the new perspective theme. Down-sizersfrom a single-family home in North Reston,the couple had originally planned to moveinto a condominium complex, but despitethe need for significant modernizing reno-vation, the possibilities and the lake viewskept calling them back to the townhousedesigned by Chloethiel Woodward Smith,architect of many Washington D.C. projects,as well as Reston’s Waterview Cluster, andbuilt in 1965.
The entire home has been transformed.Walls came down everywhere, turning thecompact, rather maze-like accommodations
into an open floor plan living space withlight and views galore, but despite the im-pressive results that were achieved on theinside, the roomy deck overlooking LakeAnne was still where the “tourists” allseemed to congregate, including RestonHome Tour Chairperson Marnie Schaar,who said she would have cheerfully stayedon that deck for the rest of the day if herduties didn’t demand that she keep movingalong the tour stops.
This is Schaar’s first time as the chair ofthe event, taking over from veteran BonnieHaukness, who had been at the helm since2007. Schaar came to Reston as a child in
1978. Adding her 15 years ofreal estate experience in the lo-cal market to her long-time resi-dency made her a perfect choiceto help highlight the joys ofReston living.
More water views and reno-vations brought the crowds tothe Lake House on Lake New-port. Purchased in the spring of2015 by Reston Associationfrom Tetra Partners, the build-ing, with it’s decks that hang outover the water, re-opened lastyear and is available for rentalfor corporate and special events.It also houses after-school sportsand learning programs for localelementary and middle schoolstudents. For the tour, the LakeHouse was a perfect spot to re-group and sample some refresh-ments while enjoying the worksof several local artists on displayfor the occasion, like DanaScheurer, the artist who createdthe “Midtown Mural” that deco-rates a large section along NewDominion Parkway in RestonTown Center. Scheurer also de-signed the signature logo of theReston Home Tour.
Judging from the the lakesidehomes on the tour, there’s a lotto be said for putting down roots
along one of Reston’s many waterways, butthe tour organizers didn’t forget to offerstops among the leafy green spaces forwhich the area is most known.
Carolyn Flitcroft’s 1984 contemporary offNorth Village Road enjoys the peacefulnessof its wooded surroundings, but still man-ages to feel bright and airy with well-placedwindows. A cozy alcove off the kitchen in-vites a bit of downtime with a book or somedigital recreation, or just a chat with afriend, like tour-goers Cindy Vance and Su-san Gulick who took a moment to enjoy the
Reston Home Tour Offers ‘A New Perspective’The view across Lake Anne to the Plaza from the tour stop onOrchard Lane.
The house on Bromley Village Lane may be nested in the trees, butthere’s plenty of light and space in the 1984 contemporary home.
Inviting visitors down to the waters ofLake Anne – just one of the views on offerat Siegmund/Mathias house on SouthShore Road.
Ready for a family gathering – the kitchenand dining area at the Zalles home on Spy-glass Cove Lane.
Photos by Andrea Worker
Reston Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
See Biden, Page 9
By Fallon Forbush
The Connection
There are only three weeks left untilElection Day and the race for thecommonwealth’s next governor is
heating up. Candidates are bringing out thebig guns of their political parties.
While Vice President Mike Pence cam-paigned at the Washington County Fair-grounds in Abingdon on Saturday, Oct. 14,to urge coal-country voters to turn out forRepublican gubernatorial candidate EdGillespie, former Vice President Joe Bidenwas campaigning in Reston for Democraticgubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. RalphNortham.
The pair were touting the candidate’s “G3:Get Skilled – Get a Job – Give Back”workforce development campaign proposal,which would provide free community col-lege educations to Virginians.
“The 21st century jobs, as you know, aremuch different from when I was growingup,” Northam said during the roundtable.“Even at the high school level, we could puta lot more emphasis on vocational and tech-nical training,” he added.
class moniker to the campaign.“I know they call me ‘Middle-Class Joe,’”
Biden said during the roundtable. “In Wash-ington, that’s not a compliment. And I knowwhat it means; it means you’re not sophis-ticated.”
Biden said Northam’s authenticity is whatearned his seal of approval.
“This is a guy who understands what mydad always taught me, for real … ‘Every-one, everyone, everyone in the world is
Democratic gubernatorial campaigntouts free community college.
‘Middle-Class Joe’ Campaigns for Northam
Photos by Fallon Forbush/The Connection
“This is a guy who understands what my dad alwaystaught me, for real … ‘Everyone, everyone, everyone inthe world is entitled to be treated with dignity,’” formerVice President Joe Biden (left) said of Democratic guber-natorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (right).
gree from the commonwealth’s communitycollege system in a targeted, “new-collar”job area, including cybersecurity, computerprogramming, clean energy, healthcare andother “high-need” areas. In return, studentswould be required to commit to one yearof paid public service for program benefi-ciaries after their studies are complete.
“It allows them to do that without incur-ring any debt with the understanding thatonce they have become certified that theywill give back a year of public service withpay,” Northam said to applause. “It allowseverybody really to achieve the Americandream,” he added.
Biden was “excited” to lend his middle-
entitled to be treated with dignity,’” Bidensaid.
He didn’t want to speak ill of Gillespie,but he generalized.
“The difference between the Republicansgenerally … is that they don’t think ordi-nary people can do extraordinary things,”he said.
“Ordinary” people can meet the skill gaps
Northam
THROUGH THEG3 PROGRAM,commonweal thfunding would beused to cover tu-ition and fees forany Virginian whowould like to pur-sue a workforcetraining credentialor an associate de-
8 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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Entertainment
Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.Photos/artwork encouraged.
ONGOINGArtist Exhibit. Through Nov. 18 at
Greater Reston Arts Center, 11900Market St., Reston. Artist SueWrbican, bringing her most recentphotographic series inspired by thelandscape paintings of AmericanSurrealist Kay Sage (1898-1963).Free. Visit restonarts.org.
Reston Farm Market, Saturdays,through Dec. 9, 8 a.m. - Noon, LakeAnne Village Center, 11401 NorthShore Drive, SNAP accepted, bonusdollar program. (CLOSED forMulticultural Festival Sept. 23)
Herndon Farm Market, Thursdaysthrough Nov. 9, 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.,Old Town Herndon, 700 Block ofLynn St., by the Red Caboose. SNAPaccepted, bonus dollar program.
Jazz in the City Exhibit. Varioustimes at ArtSpace Herndon, 750Center St., Herndon. Kristine Kellerand Robert Gilbert paint with aninterest in New York. Visitwww.artspaceherndon.com.
OCT. 21-NOV. 11“Aida” the Musical. various times at
Reston Community Center, HuntersWoods Village Center at 2310 ColtsNeck Road. Reston Players presents“Aida” with music by pop legend SirElton John and lyrics by Tim Rice.Visit restonplayers.org/show1/.
SUNDAY/OCT. 22Vulture Lecture. 3-5 p.m. at National
Wildlife Federation Building, 11100Wildlife Center Drive, Reston.
Presentation will focus on the lifeand times of the noble turkeyvulture, including its feeding,nesting, and roosting habits,migratory behaviors, and commonmisconceptions. Visit www.nwf.org/.
Mary Kay Lash Bash. 2-6 p.m. atMolly’s Boutique, Reston TownCenter, 11900 Market St., Reston.Try some false lashes for youreveryday look or for your Halloweencostume. Free. Visitrestontowncenter.scoutandmollys.com.
MONDAY/OCT. 23Open Venturing Meeting. 7-8 p.m.
at Reston YMCA, 12196 Sunset HillsRoad, Reston. Learn about Venturing,a Scouting program for boys and girlsages 14-20. Venturing includes highadventure activities, leadershipdevelopment, personal growth, andservice. Call 571-289-1551 or visitwww.scouting.org.
TUESDAY/OCT. 24INOVA Blood Drive. noon-7 p.m. at
Reston Town Center Pavilion, 11900Market Street, Reston. Free.Call 1-866-256-6372 or visit inova.org/donateblood.
Design and Wine. 7-9 p.m. atArtSpace Herndon, 750 Center St.,Herndon. Beaded Charms withDeborah Gudelsky. Visitwww.artspaceherndon.org/.
THURSDAY/OCT. 26Meet the Artists. 5:30-7 p.m. at
Reston Museum, 1639 WashingtonPlaza N. Meet the artists behind theThe Art of Community exhibit whichshowcases the legacy of public art inReston and the planned community’scollection of outdoor sculptures and
public artworks. Call 703-709-7700or email [email protected].
OCT. 26-29Washington West Film Festival.
Various times at Bow Tie Cinemas,11940 Market St., Reston TownCenter. Variety of independent films.Visit wwfilmfest.com.
SATURDAY/OCT. 28Reston Movie Series. 2 p.m. at
Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. 1967suspense film where a recentlyblinded woman is terrorized by a trioof thugs while they search for avaluable doll they believe is in herapartment. Adults. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
Photo Transfer Workshop. 5:30-7p.m. at Reston Town Center, 11900Market St., Reston. $45/$55. Visitrestonarts.org or call 703-471-9242.
Meet the Musician. 7 p.m. at Bow TieCinema, 11940 Market St.,RestonTown Center. Clive Davis is thesubject of film that will screen atWashington West Film Festivalentitled “Clive Davis: The Soundtrackof Our Lives,” which profiles the five-decade career of a music producer.This is part of Washington West FilmFestival which runs Oct. 25-30. Visitwwfilmfest.com/.
Trick or Treat at Reston TownCenter. noon-4 p.m. at 11940Market St.,Reston Town Center.Costumed children can celebrateHalloween with visits to participatingretailers and the Information Centerfor treats and goodies. Visitrestontowncenter.com.
SUNDAY/OCT. 29Superhero Among Us. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
p.m. at Scrawl Books, Reston TownCenter 11862 Market St. Be YourOwn Superhero Day, partnering withArtInsights and hosting superhero-
themed events all day long. [email protected], call 703-966-2111, or visit www.scrawlbooks.com.
MONDAY/OCT. 30Spice Up Your Life Lecture. 7 p.m.
at Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Joinnutritionist Natalie Kannan to learnabout the health benefits of commonculinary spices. This seminar includesan interactive tasting experience thatwill awaken the senses. Adults. Call703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
SATURDAY/NOV. 4Storytime with the Author. 11 a.m.-
12:30 p.m. at Scrawl Books, RestonTown Center 11862 Market St.Storytime with children’s authorMegan Wagner Lloyd. [email protected], call 703-966-2111, or visit www.scrawlbooks.com.
Singles Dinner and Movie Night. 5p.m. at American Tap Room inReston, 1811 Library Street.Sponsored by New Beginnings, asupport group for separated/divorcedadults. $32 at door includes dinner,soda, tip and movie ticket. Visitwww.newbeginningsusa.org.
MONDAY/NOV. 6Franchise Fair. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
at Reston Association ConferenceCenter, 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive.Experts, lenders and a dozenfranchisors from various industrieswill discuss the franchise process.$35; $49 at the door. Register atwww.capitalfranchiseshow.com.Contact Heather Rosen at 703-291-0939 or [email protected].
Art of CommunityOn Thursday, Oct. 26, meetthe artists behind the “TheArt of Community,” exhibitwhich showcases the legacyof public art in Reston andthe planned community’scollection of outdoor sculp-tures and public artworks.Artists will be on hand5:30-7 p.m. at RestonMuseum, 1639 WashingtonPlaza N. 703-709-7700 [email protected].
Reston Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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and employment vacancies in in-formation technology, nursing andother “new collar” industries aslong as they’re given the chance,Biden said.
But it won’t be cheap.“As we say out there; there’s no
free lunch,” said Northam, Armyveteran, doctor and medical prac-tice owner.
The plan would take a large in-vestment from thecommonwealth’s coffers, whichhas already budgeted more than$36 billion for education in its fis-cal year 2017 and 2018 bienniumbudget.
“There will be an initial invest-ment,” Northam said. “We haveestimated that to be $37 million.But after five years, it actually paysfor itself because we have more,better, high-paying jobs in thecommonwealth and that revenuecomes back to the state. So, it’s aprogram that allows individuals togo without incurring any debt andthat at the end of the day, willbring money actually back to theCommonwealth of Virginia.”
The Virginia unemployment rateis low at 3.8 percent with mostjobs in government and the pro-fessional and business services in-dustry, according to the U.S. Bu-reau of Labor Statistics.
Reston, however, was likely notthe target audience for Northam’smessage.
This is because the medianhousehold income in Reston isgreater than $110,000 and morethan 66 percent of the population25 years and over possess abachelor’s, graduate or profes-sional degrees, according to theU.S. Census Bureau.
The roundtable event at Refrac-tion, a coworking and shared of-fice space in Reston Town Center,was closed to the general public.It attracted group of supportiveDemocratic activists, businessleaders and politicians, includingdelegates Kathleen Murphy (D-
34), and Ken Plum (D-36), andLieutenant Governor candidateJustin Fairfax.
“It was just great to have [Biden]come in here and really get peopleenthusiastic,” Northam said. “Asyou know, we have an election onNov. 7, but at the same time, weneed to be prepared after that dateto move Virginia’s economy for-ward and we do that through pre-paring our workforce for 21st cen-tury jobs.”
Democratic presidential candi-date Hillary Clinton won the com-monwealth last year with 49.7percent of the votes, or over 1.9million votes to President DonaldTrump’s more than 1.7 millionvotes, or 44.4 percent of the votes,according to the Virginia Depart-ment of Elections.
The Northam campaign is hop-ing voters lean blue once again forthe commonwealth’s highest of-fice. So far, polls are promising:Northam leads Gillespie 51-41percent, according to the latestQuinnipiac University poll re-leased on Sept. 19. Libertariancandidate Cliff Hyra gets 3 per-cent.
Lake Anne Hosts Boo & BrewsLake Anne Plaza will host Boo & Brews - A Lake Anne Hallow-
een Event on Saturday, Oct. 28. It’s that time again to get yourspook and trick on. There will be fun activities for the whole fam-ily to enjoy. Pumpkin painting; pet treats; goody bags and restau-rant beer gardens. Dress to scare, spook or trick. Free. Schedule:❖ 12:30-3:30 p.m. Live DJ❖ 12:30-1:30 p.m. Pet Costume Registration❖ 1:30-3 p.m. Pet Costume Contest❖ 4-6 p.m. Live Music — Holly Montgomery Band❖ 6 p.m. Band performances at Lake Anne Brew House, Kalypso’sSports Tavern, and Lake Anne Coffee House & Wine Bar.
Visit www.lakeanneplaza.com.
Biden Comes to RestonVoting Information
According to the Fairfax County Of-fice of Elections, 2,901 absentee ballotshave already been submitted for theupcoming general election. As of Oct. 5,1,170 were submitted by mail and 1,731in person at the county’s 10 absenteevoting locations.
The deadline to apply for an absenteeballot is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31.Absentee ballots must be delivered tothe Office of Elections by Election Day,Nov. 7, at 7 p.m.
Absentee in-person voting is available3:30-7 p.m. on weekdays until Nov. 3.They are also open on Saturdays from 9a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 21, 28 and Nov. 4.Polls will be open for in-person votingfrom 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day,Tuesday, Nov. 7.
The deadline to register to vote orupdate an existing registration for theupcoming election (Monday, Oct. 16)has already passed. Virginia voters canaccess their voter record and locate theirdesignated polling place through theVirginia Department of Elections CitizenPortal at www.Elections.Virginia.gov/Citizen-Portal.
10 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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welcoming spot.The Zalles family decided that they
needed to expand their perspectives,when they moved to a larger home onSpyglass Cove Lane to accommodatetheir family of four, the furry familymembers, and the extended family thatthey love to gather with. The propertyis a Certified Wildlife Habitat, overlooksthe Walker Nature Center and has easyaccess to one of Reston’s woodlandwalking trails.
To capture the natural wonders justoutside their back doors, the Zallesadded an independent heating sourceto a glassed-in three season room, mak-ing it an ideal study or just a comfort-able place to sit, relax, and watch na-ture do her thing.
THE TREES in front and in the back ofthe transitional-style townhome onHemingway Drive are what attractedTerry and June McGurn to the prop-erty, as well as the “London Square”look of the oval the property faces.The McGurns could tell you a thingor two about having perspective.Only three weeks after completinga kitchen and master bath renova-tion on the home they purchased in2012, a fire that started on the deckdestroyed the back of the house anddid considerable damage to the restof the dwelling.
“They handled the whole thingamazingly well,” said Mina Fies,founder of Reston-based SynergyDesign and Construction. She andher partner, husband Mark Fies,were on hand to illustrate thebefores and afters to the fire-dam-aged house that Synergy rebuilt forthe McGurns.
While Reston may be most famousfor its clusters and village-stylehomes, there’s no denying thatapartment and condo living hasadded a much bigger footprintto the area in recent years, andthe amount of development inprogress promises even morehigh-density living options. Tooffer the tour-goers that differ-ent perspective on Reston living,Karen and Alan Reynolds sharedtheir view of Reston Town Cen-ter from their 14th floor digs inthe Stratford House Place com-plex.
The folks at just-opened Ap-erture apartments at Reston Sta-tion, directly across from theMetro complex, spotlighted thenewest living option in the area.The spacious and modern com-mon area, adjacent to the pooland outdoor amenities was thevenue for refreshments, whiletwo different floor plans wereavailable for inspection.
As always, tour ticket prices benefitted the RestonHistoric Trust, and the Wine Cabinet at Northpoint
Home Tour Highlights ‘New Perspective’
Might be hard to get your work done with this view fromthe three-season room at the Spyglass Cove Lane tour stop.Walk out the doors and you are practically on the trailthrough the Walker Nature Center.
Mark Fies of Synergy Design and Construction showsRestonians Margaret Cotroneo and Norm Reich some ofthe plans from the re-build done after fire destroyedsignificant portions of the McGurns home onHemingway Drive. Fies, and his wife Mina, the founderof Synergy, were on hand at the stop to highlight beforeand after photos of the kitchen remodel.
Most Restonians will recognize these works beingexhibited by local artist Dana Scheurer. On the left isScheurer’s commission of the Reston Home Tour’slogo and to the right is a much smaller version of theMidtown Mural that brightens a stretch of NewDominion Parkway.
Village continued their tradition of offering winetastings to tour attendees, and contributing 10 per-cent of any sales from the day to the Trust.
Photos by Andrea Worker
Reston Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Submit civic/community announcements atConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos andartwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, atleast two weeks before event.
WEDNESDAY/OCT. 18FCPS Community Conversations. 6:30-8 p.m.
at Hughes Middle School, 11401 Ridge HeightsRoad, Reston, Lecture Hall (Region 1). FairfaxCounty Public Schools (FCPS) SuperintendentScott S. Brabrand will host CommunityConversations to hear what students, parents,employees, and members of the community arethinking about and what issues are important tothem. Citizens needing a translator can make arequest for services online. Visit www.fcps.edu/news/superintendent-brabrand-schedules-five-community-conversations-fall.
Women’s Health Lecture. 7 p.m. at RestonRegional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. Dr. Bridget Oppong, from Reston BreastCare Specialists, will answer questions. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov for more.
MONDAY/OCT. 23Hot Topics Discussion. 7 p.m. at Reston
Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. The topic for this month is “News Bluesand How To Defuse.” Practice using respectfuland positive communication techniques whendiscussing hot button issues. Call 703-689-2700or visit librarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov formore.
TUESDAY/OCT. 24INOVA Blood Drive. noon-7 p.m. at Reston
Town Center Pavilion, 11900 Market Street,Reston. Free. Call 1-866-256-6372 or visitinova.org/donateblood.
ID Theft Lecture. 2 p.m. at Reston RegionalLibrary, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston.“Protect Yourself From Fraud and ID Theft,” isthe topic that trained speakers from AARP FraudWatch Network will discuss. Adults. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov for more.
WEDNESDAY/OCT. 25Candidate Forum. 7:30 p.m. at Sully
Government Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd.,Chantilly. The League of Women Voters of theFairfax Area (LWVFA) will hold an in-personforum for the public and the press to learn aboutthe candidates who are running for election tothe Virginia House of Delegates. The Leagueinvited all certified candidates campaigning foroffice in their respective districts. At the in-person forums, question-and-answer sessionswill be followed by an opportunity for informalconversations with individual candidates. Thepublic and press are encouraged to attend. Formore information about the candidates’priorities and positions, visit www.vote411.org.
THURSDAY/OCT. 26Business Lecture. 7 p.m. at Reston Regional
Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston.Dollars and Sense discussion focuses onbusinesses. Adults. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov for more.
SATURDAY/OCT. 28Operation Medicine Cabinet Cleanout. 10
a.m.-2 p.m. at Reston District Station, 12000Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Drop off unusedor expired medications at a Fairfax CountyPolice district station. Pills or liquids only, nopressurized canisters or needles. Safe disposal ofunused or expired medications prevents drugabuse and misuse, accidental poisoning, andprotects the environment. Disposal is free,convenient, confidential, and safe. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/stations/ orwww.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html for more.
NOV. 16-17Thanksgiving Basket Food Drive. To support
this year’s Thanksgiving Basket Food Drive,confirm your donation commitment by Oct. 31at www.cornerstonesva.org/donations/drives.Call 571-323-9569 [email protected].
Bulletin
Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
By KENNETH B. LOURIE
So I’ve been told mnemonically for years. Butwhen you’re home and automotive-repair chal-lenged as I am, everything is much easier said thandone, especially when the mnemonic device is eas-ier to handle/figure out than whatever tool and/orschematic is necessary/advisable for the at-home/in-driveway repair. (We don’t have a garage,or much of a basement for that matter. It’s more ofa cellar, actually. In fact, I call it “the dug out,” solack of spatial accommodations can exacerbate theproblem).
And that’s sort of how I feel whenever I attempta home/car-owner-type repair. Soon after I organ-ize whatever thoughts and tools I guess I mightneed: within minutes of the initial effort, I will havelikely complicated the repair and will be forced todig myself out, sometimes literally. I’ll spare you thedetails, but suffice to say, I am a man of my wordand that word is disaster. To invoke the great andoften-quoted Dirty Harry: “A man’s got to know hislimitations,” (Magnum Force, 1973), and believeme, I do.
Granted, replacing bulbs in my house, as writ-ten in the final paragraph of last week’s column:“What To ‘Ware,” ranks pretty low on the homeowner’s list of honey-can-you-do?. Nevertheless,challenges do present themselves, especially whenheight and a ladder – or a step stool, with no spot-ter, are involved. And when I’m looking up witharms outstretched attacking the problem: light fix-ture from multiple angles, sometimes, when I placemy hand on the bulb, I begin to lose my orienta-tion and am unsure where’s ‘Righty and where’s‘Lefty.’ And even though I always remember ‘Tightyand ‘Loosey,’ when ‘Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey’doesn’t immediately bring results, I tend to losepatience – and confidence, and slowly retreat tolower ground to reassess.
Unfortunately, there’s no one to call. I mean,when you fail at the most basic and fundamentalresponsibility a home/car owner has, it’s difficult,even for someone with as little ego as me, to admitabject failure. Repairing a toilet, installing light fix-tures and/or ceiling fans; sawing, sanding, measur-ing, leveling and drilling; lifting, balancing and car-rying; and anything else involving plumbing, elec-trifying; and even hammering and screwing in gen-eral, are tasks I don’t mind asking and/or paying for.Having been down this road many times before, Iknow it’s a path that won’t lead to my redemption.
So not wanting to make a bad situation worse,or create a problem where one or two previouslydidn’t exist, I have to employ the simplest of solu-tions. And what’s simpler than “a pithy observationthat contains a general truth:” an aphorism (Dictio-nary. com), an aid to one’s lack of memory andability to perform even the most basic of tasks, par-ticularly as it pertains to a home owner: bulbreplacement.
Not that this inability is at all defensible. It’s not.It’s totally indefensible and one whose defense isnot all explainable by the most offensive of terms:cancer. Which as you regular readers know hasbeen the bane of my existence going back to lateFebruary 2009. That’s when my Internal Medicinedoctor called me at work to share the results of myprevious week’s surgical biopsy. His suggestion wasthat we meet in his office to discuss the results. Ishook my head in disbelief. If he wants to meet mein person, the results must be bad, I thought.Otherwise, he’d just tell me, right? I asked him tohold on as I found a private office for us to talk (meto react) and braced myself. He told me the growthwas malignant and suggested I see an oncologist assoon as possible. An appointment was set for thefollowing Thursday.
Much has changed in my life ever since thatfateful day, but not as it concerns this home/carowner’s inability to handle the most mundanetasks. Might haven actually gotten worse. As for“the cancer,” as “Forrest, Forrest Gump” describedthe cause of his mother’s death, not so bad. I amalive and reasonably well, eight years and nearlytwo months out, six years plus past the end date ofmy original “13 month to two year” prognosis. Ofthat I’m proud. As for the home and car repairdeficiencies, I couldn’t care less. I have to admitthough, it is laughable – and pathetic.
“Righty Tighty,Lefty Loosey”Business Directory
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12 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Education●Learning●Fun
By Marilyn Campbell
One of the greatest gifts that a par-ent can give a child is a healthyself-esteem. Positive feelings
about oneself can lead to success in a gamutof situations ranging from school to socialcircles, say child development experts.
“Self-esteem plays an important role atall stages of our lives,” said psychologistStacie B. Isenberg, Psy.D. “As adults, it canaffect how one approaches situations andinteracts with other people. When self-es-teem is low, it may, for example, affect workperformance or one’s ability to recognizeand enjoy accomplishments.”
Parents play an essential part in the de-velopment of their child’s self-esteem, ad-vises Cheryl Giacomelli, who teaches psy-chology at Northern Virginia CommunityCollege. “Parents foster self-esteem in manyways including leading by example, beingemotionally available, engaging with theirchildren, and providing a loving and sup-portive environment that allows children tosucceed and fail,” she said.
Parents can model this behavior in every-day tasks. “For example, while helping achild with a math assignment and not un-derstanding the math problem, the parent
Boosting a Child’s Self-Esteem A positive self imageis a lifelong gift.
who says ‘I can’t believe I don’t understandthis, I was always terrible at math” is send-ing a different message than the parent whosays, ‘I’m not sure about this one. Let’s askyour teacher to explain it to us in a differ-ent way,’” said Isenberg. “Parents can ben-efit themselves and their children by learn-ing to describe situations according to thespecific circumstances and resisting puttinga generalized label on the situation or theirbehavior.”
Since children learn by observation, mod-eling healthy relationships and habits is avital component of developing a healthyself-esteem, suggests Giacomelli. “Choosean activity once a day in which you are fullyengaged with your child,” she said. “Thismay sound like common sense, however intoday’s busy world, it’s sometimes difficultto devote all of your attention to one task.This means playing a game or reading abook and ensuring your cell phone is no-where in sight.”
“Experiences that may negatively impactthe development of a strong sense of selfoccur when we do not fully engage withour children, when we do not allow ourchildren to fail, and when we do not ac-knowledge our own faults,” continuedGiacomelli
Avoid harsh criticisms and display expres-sions of love, warmth and affection, advisesJoanne Bagshaw, PhD, LCPC, professor ofpsychology at Montgomery College-Germantown.
“Children’s self-esteem develops based onhow well their parents love them,” she said.“The best thing parents can do is to openlyand unconditionally love and accept theirchild. Parents … can do so verbally, by tell-ing their children often that they love themand by being openly affectionate, with hugs,for example. Parents can also communicatewarmth through their tone of voice, and eyecontact.”
PRAISING CHILDREN is important, butit must be sincere. Even setbacks can offeropportunities for developing a healthy self-esteem, suggests Isenberg. “Children feelgood about themselves when they have re-ceived genuine, positive reinforcement frompeople and situations,” she said. “Praisinga child’s efforts is one of the best thingsparents can reinforce, because a child cancontrol his effort, whereas outcome isn’talways within one’s control.”
One example that Isenberg offers is say-ing something like, “I’m so proud of howhard you studied for that science test. You
spent a lot of time reviewing the materialand were really dedicated to being pre-pared.”
Allowing children to learn to do thingson their own and even experience a setbackwithin a supportive environment may in-crease feelings of confidence and compe-tence, says Jerome Short, Ph.D., associateprofessor of psychology at George MasonUniversity.
“Parents may do too much for childrenor protect them from failure so that chil-dren do not learn to cope with difficult situ-ations and soothe themselves,” he said.“Children should believe that they haveworth for being a unique person.”
Fostering opportunities for positive socialinteraction with their peers can lead to ahealthy self-esteem, says Short. “Childrenwho have close friendships and reciprocalsharing with friends tend to have higherself-esteem,” he said. “Children’s success-ful accomplishment of goals also boosts self-esteem.”
Establishing boundaries and setting lim-its with children can instill a sense of safetyand security, advises Short. “Authoritativeparenting that is high in support and highin structure and expectations contributes tochildren’s positive sense of self,” he said.
