Monthly Archives: February 2012

Two incidents of purses stolen in Oak Hill — a local crime wave?

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Curiously within Oak Hill during the same week, there were two incidents of purses stolen from residences, both in the early morning hours, one day apart, as reported to Fairfax County police:

BURGLARY, 12500 block of Manderley Way, 2/19/12, early morning hours. The homeowner
reported a purse stolen.
BURGLARY, 13300 block of Glen Taylor Lane, 2/20/12, early morning hours. The homeowner
reported a purse and wallet stolen.

A recap of local crime incidents recently, while most of the rest of the county is quiet:

  • 13300 Tuckaway Drive, 2/8/12, 10:30 a.m. The victim reported someone entered her home and stole jewelry. There was damage to the front door.
  • 2700 block of Equus Court, 2/7/12, after 10 p.m.. The 21-year-old victim reported that someone entered his home, destroyed his television, and took his laptop computer.
  • 12700 block of Pond Crest Lane, 2/6/12, about midnight. A woman was awakened by a noise in her laundry room. She let her two dogs out of her bedroom; they growled at someone in the laundry room who immediately left the house. Nothing was taken.

This pattern suggests a single criminal is at work in our neighborhood. If you have information about any of these crimes or see suspicious events please report them to Fairfax County police Fair Oaks station at 703-591-0966.

Name that Silver Line Metro Station

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Metro is seeking comments from the public on names for stations under construction and to be constructed on the nascent Silver Line, which will carry commuters by rail from West Falls Church to possibly as far as Ashburn.

The survey available at will remain open until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21, and includes proposed station names for the eight Silver Line stations in Fairfax County. Phase 1 of the Silver Line, currently under construction, includes five new stations that are expected to be named this summer. Customers taking the survey are also asked about their opinion on station names for three Fairfax County stations in Phase 2.

What do you think the name of the station to be constructed at the Herndon/Monroe Park and Ride should be? You can vote for names for these and other stations, and have until March 21st to submit suggestions.

Based on the history of Oak Hill, any of the following might be appropriate. They must be 19 characters or less:

  • Herndon-Floris
  • Herndon-Frying Pan
  • Herndon-Oak Hill
  • Herndon-Hattentown

Make your voices heard! We vote for Herndon-Oak Hill!

Tortilla Factory in Herndon to close

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This is devastating news for local lovers of Mexican food, as the Tortilla Factory on Elden Street in Herndon has become something of an institution. Unpaid taxes are in part to blame. From an article in the Herndon Connection:

Customers from all over the Washington Metropolitan area are streaming to the Tortilla Factory in Herndon after learning the restaurant will soon be closing its doors after more than 35 years in business. Late last week word began to spread via the Internet that owner Chuck Curcio would be shutting down the restaurant on March 1. Since the public found out, there has been a waiting list each night to relive the memories and enjoy the Sonora Mexican style cuisine.

…

Several factors came together to force the closing of the Tortilla Factory. The economic downturn created a drop off in sales. Then, according to the town of Herndon, the owner stopped complying with the meals tax in 2009. Town of Herndon has a meals tax rate of 2.5 percent. Curcio owes more than $9,000 including interest and penalties but has been working with the town recently to pay the money. Additionally, the shopping center is old and according to Curcio, beginning to deteriorate. “It was going to be expensive and we decided it wasn’t worth the investment. We are also here all the time. I work 70 hour weeks and haven’t had a vacation in literally three years,” Curcio said.

 

Sympathy, support and condemnation on Chantilly mosque vandalism

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The Washington Post reports on laudable efforts by the local community to support the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community following extensive vandalism in January of the mosque under construction in Chantilly.

But if their intent was to ostracize or frighten the worshippers, mostly of Pakistani origin, it didn’t work. Religious and political leaders across the region quickly issued statements of condemnation. A week later, at a regional interfaith meeting in Sterling, officials from a variety of congregations expressed their outrage and sympathy.

22 abandon poodles find a new home in Chantilly

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This news item is dated February 3rd:

Twenty-two small poodles and poodle-mixes, including puppies, were left at an animal shelter in Cumberland, Md. on Wednesday morning. The dogs, dirty with matted coats, were left at the shelter’s doorstep with a note saying that their owner has dementia and can no longer care for them.

…

Debbie Marson, a volunteer with Virginia rescue group A Forever Home, said the young pups wouldn’t survive in that situation. Her group was contacted about the poodles’ plight, and picked up the dogs on Wednesday night. They were driven to Chantilly where they are being taken in by volunteers, who will foster them until they are adopted.

A Forever Home, is a local dog rescue site located in Chantilly. Congratulations to the organization for caring for some of our most vulnerable and loving companions in life!

Herndon resident and former school bus driver convicted on child pornography charges

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From The Washington Post:

A jury has convicted a former Fairfax County school bus driver of eight counts of possession of child pornography and recommended that he serve 180 days in jail, attorneys said.

Derrick N. Smith of Herndon is not alleged to have committed any crimes involving local students, but he drove routes for a handful of Reston-area schools. They are South Lakes High School, Langston Hughes Middle School, Lake Anne Elementary School and Hunters Wood Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences.

Volunteers needed at historic Sully Plantation

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If you have time to spare, you can volunteer at the local historic Sully Plantation on Sully Road. The following volunteers are being sought:

  • Teaching Docents lead small groups of children through the historic site and answer questions about the site’s history, buildings, grounds, and collections. Patience with young children is essential.
  • Touring Docents guide visitors through the historic site and facilitate discussion. They answer questions about the site’s history, buildings, grounds and collections. Touring Docents must be able to communicate effectively with varied audiences, from children to adults.
  • Gardeners assist with all phases of indoor/outdoor gardening, including mulching, propagation, transplanting, weeding, watering, and harvesting. Gardening positions begin spring 2012.

Relief: left turns now allowed again on Fair Lakes Parkway

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The new interchange being constructed at the corner of the Fairfax County Parkway and Fair Lakes Parkway is not yet complete. However, left turns now are allowed again from the Fairfax County Parkway. This will certainly ease the confusion trying to use the intersection.

For more information on the project, visit the project’s web site. It is scheduled to complete in 2013 at a cost of $69.5M.

Fairfax County Parkway to get a new route number – Route 287

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Fortunately, the Fairfax County Parkway on which Oak Hill residents depend is not going anywhere. But its route number is changing, from 7100 to 287. Why? From a VDOT news release:

The Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the transfer yesterday of the Fairfax County Parkway, Prince William Parkway and Franconia-Springfield Parkway to primary roads, making them eligible for new funding and maintenance priorities.

The parkway has been promoted into a real state road, apparently.

Roads may be considered for the transfer from secondary to primary when they meet a majority of certain criteria, such as carrying a minimum traffic volume; carrying a minimum percentage of out-of-state, truck, tractor-trailer, or bus traffic; and serving as a link for highways, county seats or sites of historic or scenic interest.

Also changing:

The Franconia-Springfield Parkway (Route 7900), which runs from Beulah Road to the Fairfax County Parkway, will be renamed Route 289. The 4-mile road carries between 53,000 and 57,000 vehicles per day.

The Prince William Parkway (Route 3000), which runs from Route 1 to Route 234, will be renamed Route 294.  The 16-mile road carries between 25,000 and 54,000 vehicles per day.

Worried you might get lost with the new signage? Not to worry:

Drivers will see the old route number alongside the new route number for about a year so that hotels, businesses, map companies, etc. have ample time to update their materials.