Crime Report

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

COMMENT

A Penny for Your Thoughts

News of Greater Falls Church

By Supervisor Penny Gross

It should not be a surprise that providing for the nation’s defense plays a significant role in Virginia’s economy. Virginia ranks first in Department of Defense contracts as a percentage of state economy; first in percentage of female veterans, first in the number of veterans in the workforce per capita and, according to Wallethub, Virginia is the best state for military retirees (for the fourth year in a row). It doesn’t hurt that The Pentagon is located in Virginia, but the Commonwealth also is home to the National Guard Bureau, NATO’s Allied Command Transformation, and Norfolk Naval Station, the largest naval base in the world.

In 2022, defense spending accounted for nearly 875,000 jobs and more than $105 Billion is the total economic impact in Virginia. Almost half of those jobs are credited to Northern Virginia jurisdictions; military spending drives approximately 24 percent of the region’s economy. Only the Norfolk area has a larger percentage, at 39 percent. Active-duty military personnel at Fort Belvoir, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, along with the Pentagon, often finish their careers here, and transition to civilian jobs in Northern Virginia’s private sector. Recruiting and retaining these well-trained and qualified workers is a goal for many Northern Virginia employers. A Tech and Cyber Networking Hiring event is scheduled for January 31 at Capital One Hall in Tysons; the virtual component is scheduled for February 1, 2023.

Fort Belvoir is a strategic base for the United States Army and is the largest employer in Fairfax County, with nearly twice as many workers as The Pentagon. Military bases have co-existed with their surrounding communities for decades, with the base fence line demarcating a “stay out” philosophy. The military mission, understandably, is paramount for the bases, and must be enforced but, in recent years, cooperation and collaboration inside and outside the fence line has increased. In Northern Virginia, the Community, Military, and Federal Facility Partnership, coordinated by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, meets every other month, bringing base commanders, elected officials, local and state staff, and non-profit groups together to discuss issues affecting both “sides” of the fence.

Base commanders often have to manage challenges that usually face small town mayors rather than trained fighters. One Marine colonel revealed that he never thought his biggest challenge as a commander would be the availability of child care for his soldier families. Affordable housing, mental and behavioral health, and employment for military spouses, are similar inside and outside the fence line. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) listening sessions and resilience assessments reveal similarities that face military and civilian organizations alike. Art therapy programs at The Workhouse in Lorton help veterans deal with PTSD, employment fairs held in military facilities welcome public and private employers and job seekers, mutual aid agreements allow county firefighters to respond to emergencies on base when needed, and Intergovernmental Service Agreements promote efficiencies and savings for both entities.

Despite enormous investments in defense technology, the military mission depends on people, just as domestic success does. Keeping talented workers and maintaining a beneficial quality of life ensures sustainable missions, according to Tom Crabbs, Military Liaison for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Mr. Crabbs presented the newest Virginia Military Factbook at a recent partnership meeting, and noted that the information in the factbook is locally driven, statesupported, and federally shared. More information about veterans and defense affairs in the Commonwealth can be found at www.vada.virginia.gov.

City of Falls Church CRIME REPORT

 Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Week of January 9 - 15, 2023

Larceny from Vehicle, Greenwich St, January 9, between 5:30 and 7:15 PM, unknown suspect(s) took an item of value from a vehicle parked in a driveway.

Larceny- Shoplifting, W Broad St, January 10, 5:44 PM, two unknown suspects took items of value totaling approximately $3,300. Suspects described as a black male of large stature wearing a black hat and face mask and a white female wearing a scarf around her head.

Larceny from Building, S Washington St, January 13, between 1:30 and 1:45 PM, unknown suspect took items of value totaling approximately $10,000. Suspect described as an adult black male approximately 5`10” wearing a black leather jacket. Last seen heading on foot towards Fairfax County.

Larceny from Building, Haycock Rd, January 15, 4 PM, victim reported that a lock on a storage unit had been broken on an unknown date and a Gray Cannondale and a Light Blue Bianchi bicycle were taken.

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JANUARY 19 - 25, 2023 | PAGE 21

Delegate Marcus Simon’s

Richmond Report

January 11th marked the start of my 10th General Assembly Session. The day before the session, on January 10th, Holly Seibold and Aaron Rouse won in the 35th House District and the 7th Senate District seat, respectively. Aaron Rouse’s victory expands the Democratic majority in the Senate and assures a majority of Senators who favor protecting abortion access in the Commonwealth.

I started feeling bad last Monday and tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday morning before session started. Fortunately, we established procedures for remote participation in the House of Delegates. I was able to use Zoom for opening day and didn’t miss any votes on the Floor or in committee.

While I was out, I missed the kerfuffle that occurred outside my office over my Little Banned Book Library.

In response to the growing and disturbing number of books being targeted by far-right MAGA activists around the Country and here in Virginia, I set up the library outside my office to give folks an opportunity to see and borrow some of the books that are being taken out of circulation.

Although we’ve had a lot of positive feedback about the library, not everyone is a fan. One group of red-clad visitors was so upset by the library that they took to pulling books off the shelf and pressing the books up against my administrative assistant’s plexiglass protector.

My 2023 legislative agenda is a combination of constituent requests, City of Falls Church agenda items, and bills to make Virginia a better and more just place to be a worker, parent, consumer, or someone who wants to be free to be themselves.

My first bill prohibits candidates from raiding their campaign funds for personal use. Campaign finance reform is an important issue and I’ll keep chipping away until this becomes law in Virginia.

I’ve also introduced a bill to amend the charter of the City of Falls Church at the request of Council to allow any resident over the age of 18 to participate on appointed boards and commissions.

Another bill requested by the City would allow public schools to provide childcare for students on non-instructional and early release days without having a separate license as a daycare provider.

Dyslexia is the most common of the language-based learning disabilities in the country. I’ve introduced a resolution designating October as Dyslexia Awareness Month. The resolution acknowledges educators specializing in effective teaching strategies and celebrates the many achievements of people with dyslexia.

This summer, I was approached by a constituent with a familiar and frustrating problem. She was drowning in different health forms and digging for different bits of information to enroll her children in various summer programs. So, at her request, I have introduced a resolution directing the Department of Health and the Department of Education to study the medical forms and information collected by children’s summer camps and similar programs.

Finally, two of my bills are “ripped from the headlines,” inspired by real newsworthy events. The first repeals the Code Section that allowed a Virginia Beach resident to sue books for being alleged to be obscene in an effort to prevent their sale at private bookstores. The Court held the statute unconstitutional, and I agree.

The second requires anyone who possesses a firearm in a residence, where children are present, to store it unloaded in a locked container and to store all ammunition in a separate locked container. This aims to prevent tragedies like the 6-year-old who recently took a gun to school and shot his teacher.

You may have read last month when the Governor introduced his budget that he included the money necessary to pay the costs of incarcerating women and their doctors for violating his proposed abortion ban. I’ve introduced a budget amendment to remove that language, and to assure that anyone who needs to terminate a pregnancy due to a severe fetal abnormality, but can’t afford it, can access Medicaid funds to do so.

And we’re just getting started!

 Delegate Simon represents the 53rd District in the Virginia House of Delegates. He may be emailed at DelMSimon@house.virginia.gov

PAGE 22 | JANUARY 19 - 25, 2023

LOCAL

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

BACK IN THE DAY

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Falls Church News-Press

Vol. VII, No. 44 • January 15, 1998

Shaw Misses Council’s 2% Goal, Seeks 4.8% School Budget Hike

Falls Church News-Press

Vol. XXII, No. 47 • January 17, 2013

F.C. Council Backs Moran Gun Control Bill, Security Fence Around 2 Schools

Superintendent of Schools Mary Ellen Shaw presented a “maintenance only” budget to the School Board last night that “rejects the lowest percentage increase in the last five years.”

FCCPS and City Council worked in part separately and in part in tandem to begin implementation of new security and gun control efforts, coming one month after the mass killings of children in Newtown, Connecticut.. .

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Samuel A. Stotts, a resident of the Falls Church City portion of the Tinner Hill Historic District for over 30 years, passed away suddenly on Jan 10, 2023. He was born Nov. 20, 1953 into a large, gregarious family and graduated from Fairfax High School. Sam and his wife, Rebecca (Becky) Tinner Stotts, both founding members of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, lived in the original home constructed by great grandparents, Charles and Mary Tinner in 1872. Their home was the first of nine homes that remain in the historic district, and still owned primarily by the Tinner family.

Sam served as an advisor to the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation Board of Directors and volunteered for decades at the Tinner Hill Music Festival, and the MLK Day March, as well as volunteering at the James Lee Community Center. He coached baseball for the Kiwanis Little league and also coached football for many years for children at the James Lee Community Center. He was a stellar member of the Falls Church City and James Lee community programs. He retired from Inova Fairfax Hospital after 35 years and with humor and grace added the role of 24 hour on call “Tour Guide and Welcome/Greeter” for the Tinner Hill Historic Site and District. He loved sharing historical information with visitors and very few left the site without a warm greeting, a big smile or a friendly wave from Sam. An avid gardener, he helped establish the Monarch Butterfly Garden at the Tinner Hill Historic Site. He was quick to smile and his word was his bond. He often would bring attention to injustices in the community and worked quietly to see they were addressed. He and Becky, are the parents of two adult children, Samuel Stotts, Jr and Ebony Stotts and five grandchildren. Sam was a kind man of great integrity, whose word was his bond. He was always willing to help family, friends, and neighbors as well as strangers in any capacity. He never waited to be asked for help, he would just show up ready to work! After retirement Sam delighted neighborhood children and passersby by decorating the yard with huge inflatable displays for each holiday! He regularly shopped for treats for his wife Becky to pass out to neighborhood kids. He was adored by his grandchildren, and the family attended school activities, and sporting events together. Sam loved walking the grandkids to the school bus stop each morning. He always arrived early, wearing a big grin and preaching the virtues of being on time, sharing one of his favorite quotes:

“Five minutes early is on time. On time is late. Late is unacceptable.”

Sam will be greatly missed by his many friends, family, community, organizations he served and the Little City he was such an important part of.

Final arrangements are being handled by Reese Funeral Professionals. The public may join the family at services for Samual A. Stotts, Sr. on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023

Viewing will begin at 10:00 am. Funeral will start at 12:00 noon at Community Church of God. 2500 Gallows Road, Dunn Loring, VA. Internment National Memorial Cemetery. 7482 Lee Hwy, Falls Church, VA 22042

A repast will be held immediately following services at the James Lee Community Center. 2855 Annandale Rd. Falls Church, VA 22042

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FOXES seem to be appearing everywhere in Northern Virginia recently, even in the little City! This foxy friend was spotted outside of La Migulena at Hillwood and South Washington. (Photo: Gary Mester)

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