Falls Church News-Press 1-4-2018

January 4 – 10, 2018

FA LLS CHUR C H, V I R G I NI A • WW W. FC NP. C OM • FR EE

FOU N D ED 1991 • VOL. XXVI I NO. 46

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I����� T��� W��� $4+ M������ �� P������� T���� P��� E���� �� F.C. Falls Church residents hoping to sidestep new limits on federal property tax deductions in the newly-passed federal tax reform package piled into the City treasurer’s office at City Hall in the final week of 2017 to pay over $4 million in taxes due.

SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 8

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George Mason High School’s girls basketball team experienced a tough end to the year, losing two straight in a holiday tournament, including a 47-29 defeat to Flint Hill High School in the third-place match.

Tarter Elected to 3rd Term as F.C. Mayor; Council Mulls Fiscal Policy A W����� W���� N����

Fund Balance is Key Issue, With Tax Rate Impacts

BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

Council Tuesday.

As seemed to make good sense self-evidently, the structure is premised on a dual track approach, one headed by the School Board to oversee and coordinate the construction of the new school and the other under the City Council’s purview to manage the 10 acres for

By unanimous votes with no discussion, the incumbent mayor David Tarter and vice mayor Mary Beth Connelly of the City of Falls Church were re-elected by their City Council colleagues in a pair of 7-0 roll calls to open the new Council term Tuesday night.

New elements of the latest Council term involved the location — the Senior Center room at the Community Center adjacent City Hall — and the addition of first-time Council member, Ross Litkenhous, who proved no fading violet in his first-ever meeting with plenty to say about a number of issues.

The Council will meet in the Community Center for both its regular business meetings and work sessions for the next year because of major renovations that have begun at City Hall. All offices at City Hall will be out by April 1 pending completion of the renovation, but the Council seemed comfortable it its new temporary digs at the adjacent Community Center, at least for now.

It is going to be a busy and contentious year for the Council, even though the civility factor will be a major advantage to all of them this year. With the process for the construction of a $120 million all-new high school underway following a substantial margin of victory for a school bond referendum in November, the Council is looking at the tough decisions associated with the impact the project will have on the residential real estate tax rate in the next few years.

Continued on Page 5

Continued on Page 4

SEE SPORTS, PAGE 12

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Identity politics is just political mobilization around group characteristics. The problem is that identity politics has dropped its centripetal elements and become entirely centrifugal.

SEE PAGE 16

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Local product Jan McInnis shares the origins of her trademark “clean comedy” with the News-Press leading up to her show, the Baby Boomer Comedy Show, at George Mason University later this month.

SEE PAGE 17

DESPITE THE FRIGID TEMPRATURE, the crowd came out to celebrate the dawn of a new year at the City of Falls Church’s annual Watch Night celebration Sunday night. Here, during the star’s downward journey, bundled revelers counted down to the beginning of 2018. See more Watch Night photos, page 13. (P����: J. M������ W�����)

Some Council Members Want Czar for School Campus Project

BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

INDEX

Editorial.................6 Letters...................6 News & Notes10–11 Sports .................12 Comment ....... 14–16 Calendar .......18–19

Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ..........21 Business News ...22 Critter Corner......22 Classified Ads .....23

The newly-constituted Falls Church City Council did not waste any time upon convening for its first meeting Tuesday night striking up differences that may or may not become more serious as the new year evolves.

On the subject of the organiza-

tion for the City’s most ambitious capital improvement project ever, the construction of a brand-new George Mason High School and dense commercial development of an adjacent 10 acres to help pay for it, City Manager Wyatt Shields and Schools Superintendent Peter Noonan devised a “roles and coordination structure” for pushing ahead that Shields floated to the

PAGE 2 | JANUARY 4 -10, 2018

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Bawa Urges Raising Fund Balance To Maintain City’s Credit Rating Continued from Page 1

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A major bone of contention at Tuesday’s meeting was the proposal by the City’s Chief Financial Officer Kiran Bawa that, as the City manages the service on the debt it will incur for the new high school project, it will have to supplement the reserves it will hold in order to offset the potential for any hiccups in the economy or other factors that could destabilize the City’s fiscal situation.

So, the bottom line on this is that in addition to six cents on the real estate tax rate (over the current rate of $1.33 per $100 of valuation) being added to cover the new high school construction cost (and the costs of the City Hall and library renovations, as well), there could be another two cents added to balloon the City’s fund balance to 20 percent of its annual operating costs.

Bawa argued that this is what Wall Street will require to maintain the City’s credit rating in the face of about five years during the high school construction when the City will be exceeding its policy of limiting debt service payments to 12 percent of the operating budget.

The strongest challenger on the Council to this approach was Phil Duncan, who asked why other jurisdictions in the region, including Fairfax City, were able to fund major capital improvement

MEMBERS OF THE FALLS CHURCH City Council checked out their new digs for the coming year at the Community Center Tuesday, as City Hall’s major renovation effort has gotten underway. (P����: N���-P����) projects with almost no impact on its tax rate. No one had answers to Duncan’s question.

However, the City Council will not actually vote to adopt a new fiscal policy which could require the 20 percent fund balance rate at its first general business meeting of the new year on this coming Monday night.

And, oh yes, that meeting will be in the Community Center.

In brief acceptance remarks at being re-elected mayor to a third consecutive two-year term, first elected to the Council in 2012 and as mayor in 2014 and 2016 before this week, Tarter struck the same “can do” optimistic tenor as in his earlier acceptance speeches.

“The City is not standing still, we intend to continue investing in ourselves, in the children and in the future of this City,” he said. The new high school that will begin construction this year will become the “cornerstone of the City,” and the 10 acres on the campus site set aside for economic development “will create a special sense of place.”

He praised all the other members of the Council for their expertise, experience and proven dedication to public service in the City, including its one new member, Litkenhous, for his background in complex real estate finance, and the “unprecedented cooperation” he expects from the School Board.

Retired Local Educator, Aileen Bennett, Dies at 99

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Aileen F. Bennett, who taught elementary and middle school mathematics in Arlington County for 35 years, passed away at the age of 99 on November 27 after a short illness in Titusville, Florida, where a funeral service and burial were held for her on Dec. 2.

Mrs. Bennett was born in South Carolina and moved with her family in the 1930s to Washington, D.C., where she graduated from McFarlane Junior High School and Roosevelt High School, before the family moved to Arlington County.

She earned a teaching degree from what is now the University of Mary Washington in 1940 and started teaching at McKinley Elementary School. After two years, she transferred to Swanson Junior High School, where she taught algebra before retiring in

1974 and moving to Florida.

Mrs. Bennett was married for 57 years to Steve Bennett, a World War II veteran and Mason who preceded her in death. They lived on Cherry Street in Fairfax County before moving to the Bailey’s Crossroads area in 1962.

She was an avid bridge player who enjoyed bowling in her younger days. An Elvis Presley fan, she loved to attend live theatre and, at various times, collected figurines of squirrels, cardinals, and angels.

A devoted Methodist, Mrs. Bennett was an active member of the United Methodist Women and its predecessor, the Women’s Society of Christian Service. She volunteered her time as a “Pink Lady” with the Parrish Medical Center Auxiliary in Titusville for 40 years. Pink was also her favor-

Aileen F. Bennett. ite color.

Mrs. Bennett was preceded in death by her sisters Lillian and Lucile and brother Edwin. She is survived by her son, Jon, and daughter, Mary Anne, both of Titusville, and many nieces and nephews, including those who live in Northern Virginia.

Donations were made in her name to the Methodist Children’s Home and St. Jude’s Hospital.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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JANUARY 4 - 10, 2018 | PAGE 5

Campus Czar Mulled by F.C. Council Continued from Page 1

economic development.

“We’re looking at a synchronized effort between the two parts,” Shields said, “with the Council having the expertise, including in the City’s staff, for money and land use issues for the 10 acre portion and the Schools having the expertise, with its staff and consultants, in building a new school.”

The two parts will be managed by a Campus Coordinating Committee composed of two Council members, two School Board members, a Planning Commissioner, Economic Development Authority representative, a PTA member and member of the Professional Education Advisory Committee, the City Manager and the School superintendent. The lead role in this group would be the project manager of either the school project or the economic development component.

While the City’s project manager has yet to be hired, Shields said Tuesday that the person is expected to be brought on board in the next two weeks, the result of an extended recruitment process to retain a replacement for the City’s Chief Economic

Development coordinator, replacing Rick Goff who left last summer. Shields said Tuesday the person “will be a procurement specialist” who will be qualified “to take the property to market.”

The plan, which will be more thoroughly discussed at the Council’s first regular business meeting of the year on Jan. 16, was met with resistance from some of the Council members this Tuesday who argued that a single “project executive” overseeing both sides of the project is needed.

This is not the first time this notion has come up. It was floated

by Council member Letty Hardi last fall. But this time, it was the newly-seated Council member Ross Litkenhous who began the arguments in favor of this. Hardi and Dan Sze also chimed in.

Among other things, Litkenhous argued that should something like a tax overlay district be created covering the 36 acres of the overall project and perhaps some neighboring development-susceptible properties, then a single executive would be vital to pulling it off.

Others, like Councilman David Snyder, said that while there should be a “single source of all informa-

tion” about the overall effort, that does not argue for the need for a single czar to oversee the whole project.

Shields conceded that “the public information piece of this needs to be more unified” than it was leading up to the November referendum, for example, when the lack of coordinated information was “frustrating for the public,” but he and Noonan both feel strongly about the current arrangement overall.

While a draft “request for proposal” for economic development document will be shared with the Council at its Jan. 16 meeting, and readied for formal release next month, the Council will have another crack at approving or not the overall “roles and coordination structure” roadmap for the project also on Jan. 16.

The other upcoming marks include the Schools’ short list of of respondents to the initial design and construction proposals request, and the final approval of the RFP, itself.

Among the things everyone on the Council agreed to was the need for frequent and thorough communication with the public as the process unfolds.

“We need a schedule of town hall meetings,” Hardi and Connelly concurred.

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Vol. XXVII, No. 46 January 4 – 10, 2018 • City of Falls Church ‘Business of the Year’ 1991 & 2001 • • Certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia to Publish Official Legal Notices • • Member, Virginia Press Association •

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WWW.FCNP.COM The Falls Church News-Press is published weekly on Thursdays and is distributed free of charge throughout the City of Falls Church and the Greater Falls Church area. Offices are at 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church, VA 22046. Reproduction of this publication in whole or part is prohibited except with the written permission of the publisher. ©2018 Benton Communications Inc. The News-Press is printed on recycled paper.

E D I TO R I A L

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The Bell, the Smell Of Ink on Newsprint

It is instructive of the entertainment industry’s core values that the new film, “The Post,” may be destined for the same accolades as “Spotlight,” the Academy Award-winning film from two years ago about the Boston Globe’s investigation into the New England Catholic Church’s coverup of sexual abuse accusations against scores of priests.

The critical role of the media’s capacity to dig for the truth is an indispensable cornerstone of our democracy, and compared to “Spotlight,” this year’s potential best picture is even more poignant given the disposition of the current occupants of the White House to discredit the media as “fake news.”

Trump tries to turn his constituency against what is in fact its greatest defender, the free press. It is heartening to see the effort of Hollywood to make that point in such important docu-dramas as “The Post,” but it is even more important for the American public to come to the same conclusion on its own, and to distinguish between real “fake news,” the likes of Fox News and Breitbart, and credible institutions employing talented truth-seekers who see their work as a public service and a public good.

In “The Post,” the most compelling moment for us was when a button on the big printing press is pushed, a bell rings, and the press itself starts to move and print the newspaper through it. That was a tearjerker moment for us, if you can believe it. So would it be for anyone who truly has “printer’s ink in their veins.”

It parallels what our founder-editor wrote about the publication of the very first edition of this newspaper way back in 1991, in the historical essay he prepared for a reprint of the paper’s front pages for its first five years on the occasion of the paper’s 25th anniversary in March 2016.

He recounted how, getting the first-ever edition to the contract printer after days of getting it ready, “At our Maryland-based printer, when the press bell rang and everything started to move, it was a very special moment. As the papers started chugging onto a conveyor belt, I couldn’t help but stand on a box and loudly exclaim, ‘Let every tyrant tremble!

A free press is the voice of the people in defense of liberty and freedom everywhere!’ The noise of the press drowned me out so that only a couple of pressmen looked at me funny.”

But that bell, and that press-chugging sound, and the smell of the ink on newsprint was, and is, truly inspirational and stands for so much.

The maiden edition of the mighty Falls Church News-Press was not breaking the story that would end a war and bring down a president, but it has played a similar role for its core community over time.

We would like to see our role as a model for a revival of print newspapers in local communities. We always will be a vital component of our democracy.

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F.C. Has Stated No Need or Plan for Fellows Property Editor, I have written an open letter to the Falls Church City Council: Falls Church City has not posted an agenda for the City Council meeting on Jan. 8, but I have heard that one item on the agenda is the taking by eminent domain of land that is the property of the Fellows family. Taking personal property is a serious action, and it is justified only if it is necessary (i.e. there is no reasonable alternative)

to serve the greater good of the community.

The City has not stated a need.

Apparently, there is none.

The City has not revealed a plan. Apparently, there is none.

The City has not informed the citizens that the serious matter of using eminent domain is being considered.

The City took steps a few months ago to designate this private property as park land, pos-

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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7. Make the paper show profit if you can, but above all keep it clean, fearless and fair.

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sibly for use by the school. I have not heard of any plan for the school system to use the land, and this land would seem to be ill suited for school use — being across busy S. Oak Street from Thomas Jefferson Elementary and being sloping terrain. It appeared to me at the time that the unrequested re-designation of the land was a transparent attempt to degrade the value of the land so that it could be taken by eminent domain at a price below normal market value. At the time, I told the City Council this, but the Council followed the recommendation of the City Manager and approved the re-designation by a near unanimous vote, Mr. Sze casting the only vote against

the action.

This is a serious matter. The citizens should be informed of the proposal and should have an opportunity to express their approval or disapproval. Under the current conditions — no use, no plan, no need — the taking by eminent domain might even be illegal.

John Transue Falls Church

[ LETTERS ] Email: letters@fcnp.com Mail: Letters to the Editor, c/o Falls Church News-Press, 200 Little Falls Street #508, Falls Church, VA 22046

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JANUARY 4 – 10, 2018 | PAGE 7

Representatives Must Fight for Chesapeake Bay B� P�� C������

This holiday season, most of us are thinking about getting cozy in front of a crackling fire with a nice mug of hot cocoa — not about splashing around in the chilly Chesapeake Bay. While we’re still months away from our first Bay day, it’s imperative that we keep this nationally-known resource on the forefront of our minds, for the winter months are most critical for Chesapeake Bay protection. This is because the level of funding that the Chesapeake Bay and her tributary rivers receive at the federal and state levels is decided upon during this time.

The Chesapeake Bay is one of America’s greatest treasures. Made up of a network of hundreds of thousands of rivers and streams that drain over 64,000 square miles, our watershed is a vital source of recreation, food, and drinking water for millions of American families. Additionally, thousands of members of the tourism and fishing industries depend on the Chesapeake Bay as a source of livelihood for their own families.

The Chesapeake Bay faces regular threats, but among the greatest in Virginia is nutrients and sediment from farms polluting local streams and rivers that eventually reach the Bay. While numerous well-operated farms employ sound conservation practices that protect water quality, many others lack the technical and financial resources to follow suit.

In order to address these challenges faced by the agriculture industry, Virginia’s legislature established the Agricultural

Cost-Share Program in 1984. This program has helped thousands of famers implement more than fifty best management practices that prevent pollution from reaching waterways throughout Virginia. Management practices include stream exclusion systems,

“The Chesapeake Bay is one of America’s greatest treasures.” which keep livestock out of streams while providing alternative water sources; nutrient management plans, which help ensure farmers use a sustainable amount of fertilizer; and other practices essential to protecting our rivers and streams that reach the Chesapeake Bay. Another regular threat to the Chesapeake Bay is polluted runoff, which is also referred to as stormwater. This muddy stew of dirt, bacteria, and toxins that runs off streets, roofs, sidewalks, and other hard surfaces is a growing issue in Virginia’s waterways that drain into and pollute the Chesapeake Bay. Because stormwater stems from a wide variety of sources, controlling it requires site-specific strategies.

To address this complex issue, Virginia developed a state and local matching grant program called the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund that helps reduce pollution in local

waterways. Over its lifespan, the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund has provided grants to 51 localities for 175 projects across Virginia.

This strong and successful program is the perfect mechanism for providing localities with the funds needed to implement projects that will protect their local waterways for generations to come while improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Even though we might not knowingly observe the Agricultural Cost-Share Program or Stormwater Local Assistance Fund at work in our own backyards, they are two of the most effective state programs protecting everything we love about the Chesapeake Bay, including swimming, fishing, boating, and enjoying oysters. Funding these programs is critical to the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Recent studies have revealed that federal, state, and local efforts to improve the Chesapeake Bay are working; however, we’re currently facing much uncertainty about whether we’ll see the Bay’s improvement continue or reverse. Governor McAuliffe’s proposed budget, which was released on Monday, December 18, included $22 million for the proven-successful Agricultural Cost-Share Program. While this level of funding will undoubtedly help Virginian farmers implement best management practices, it starkly contrasts the $62 million that was requested, as well as the $100 million assessed need for 2019. The Stormwater Local Assistance Fund did not fare nearly as well, receiving $0 when the

need was assessed at $50 million for 2019.

These proposed cuts at the state level are dicey coupled with the cuts recommended at the federal level. President Trump’s proposed budget zeroed out funding for the multi-state Chesapeake Bay Program earlier this year. Congress has also proposed serious cuts to programs like the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and funding to reduce polluted stormwater runoff.

The whole reason we’ve been able to restore the Chesapeake Bay over the past few decades into an economically and recreationally viable resource is because those at the federal, state, and local levels have made its cleanup a top priority. When momentum is lost at any one of these levels, the Chesapeake Bay suffers gravely. Because of this, we look to Senator Mark Warner and Senator Tim Kaine to stand up for funding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which manages Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts at the federal level. At the same time, we look to Virginia’s state legislators on the Senate Finance Committee — including Senator George Barker, Senator Janet Howell, and Senator Dick Saslaw in Northern Virginia — to fully fund the Agricultural Cost-Share Program at $62 million at the state level and the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund at $50 million.

Pat Calvert is the policy and campaigns manager of clean water and land conservation at the Virginia Conservation Network.

Q������� �� ��� W��� Should the F.C. City Council adopt a fund balance of 20% this year?

• Yes

• No, it should be more

• No, it should be less

• Not sure

Last Week’s Question:

How long will your 2018 New Year’s resolutions last?

Log on to www.FCNP.com to cast your vote FCNP On-Line polls are surveys, not scientific polls.

[WRITE FOR THE PRESS] The News-Press welcomes readers to send in submissions in the form of Letters to the

Editor & Guest Commentaries. Letters to the Editor should be no more than 350 words and writers are limited to one appearance every four weeks. Guest Commentaries should be no more than 800 words and writers are limited to one appearance every four months. Because of space constraints, not all submissions will be published. All submissions to the News-Press should be original, unpublished content. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length, grammar and accuracy. All submissions should include writer’s name, address, phone and e-mail address if available.

Email: letters@fcnp.com | Mail: Letters to the Editor, Falls Church News-Press, 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church 22046 | Fax: 703.340.0347

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PAGE 8 | JANUARY 4 -10, 2018

Fa l l s C h u r c h

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

NEWS BRIEFS

Over $4 Million in F.C. Property Taxes Paid by New Year According to reports shared at Tuesday night’s Falls Church City Council meeting, Falls Church residents hoping to sidestep the new limits on federal property tax deductions in the newly-passed federal tax reform package piled into the City treasurer’s office at City Hall in the final week of 2017 to pay over $4 million in taxes due, in hopes they would be able to deduct the full amount in tax filings for 2017. The new law reportedly limits deductions taken on state and local taxes to $10,000, compared to the no limit rule before it passed. Falls Church was named in a number of published reports nationally as the kind of well-heeled jurisdiction whose citizens would be penalized by this rule, not only by the limit, but by the resale value of their homes, as well. It was noted at Tuesday’s Council meeting that some people were striking “seven figure checks” at the office of City Treasurer Jody Acosta, but the latest word is that it remains unclear whether or not those early payments would qualify for 100% deductions under the new law. And the Council was reminded that the $4 million plus in cash infusing the City’s coffers “does not constitute a windfall,” because it is all money that was budgeted in, but only to be paid by June 2018 and not December 2017.

The only advantage to the City will be whatever interest on that money that can be accrued in the meantime.

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At tonight’s, Jan. 4, first regular meeting of the new year, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission will convene at 2300 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington at 7:30 p.m. where Deputy Secretary of Transportation Nick Donohoe will present a report with data, rates and performance on the functioning of the new toll lanes on I-66 inside the Beltway.

Region Prepares for Cold Coming This Weekend Fairfax County is hosting a public media event Friday morning to discuss efforts to protect and support homeless persons during the dangerously cold temperatures expected this Friday and Saturday. The county police department has already had a rescue of a woman who was lost and affected by the cold temps, county officials reported yesterday.

Although she was not homeless, it is an example of the risk of hypothermia for residents who are not sheltered. The event will be on Friday at 7 a.m. at the United Baptist Church of Annandale. The church is coordinating a hypothermia program this week with Annandale United Methodist Church across the street. Fairfax County has been housing an average of 200-220 people a night through its hypothermia program during the recent cold weather.

A representative from the county’s Community Services Board will be on hand Friday to discuss efforts to engage and shelter the homeless community which for reasons including mental health may be resistant to seeking housing.

Benton Announces New LGBT Non-Profit Longtime Falls Church City resident Nicholas Benton, founder of the Falls Church News-Press and a prominent post-Stonewall gay pioneer activist, has announced an organization he founded last year, the Falls Church-based “LGBT Identity Project,” will be established as a non-profit. The organization is dedicated to establishing the constructive role in the natural order of things of the LGBT experience and identity, with contributions ranging from the “Two Spirit” convictions of Native Americans to James O’Keefe’s research on the evolution’s necessary role for LGBT persons and Benton’s own views in his best-selling “Extraordinary Hearts” book positing a “promethean” archetype for LGBT persons. The group can be reached at P.O. Box 183, Falls Church, VA 22040, or by emailing Benton at NFBenton@aol.com.

Donald Beyer Sr. ‘Celebration of Life’ Event This Saturday A “celebration of life” event in honor and memory of Donald S. Beyer Sr., the patriarch of the storied Falls Church-based Beyer family who died at age 93 late last last month, will be held this Saturday, Jan. 6, on what would have been his 94th birthday, at the Westwood Country Club, 800 Maple Ave. E in Vienna, Va., from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., according to Sally Cole of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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JANUARY 4 - 10, 2018 | PAGE 9

Alcohol Afficionado & Author Chats About Drinks from Around the World

by Patricia Leslie

Falls Church News-Press

Jeff Cioletti has a job that many can only dream about: He travels the globe, eating and drinking at the world’s best tables and bars, and he gets paid to do it.

A cocktail connoisseur who pens his impressions in articles and books, the release of Cioletti’s new book, “The Drinkable Globe: the Indispensable Guide to the Wide World of Booze” brought him to Café Kindred last Friday where he signed copies and was interviewed by Alex Luboff and Jordan Wicker for their podcast, “Speaking Easy.”

“The Drinkable Globe” describes the best concoctions Cioletti found in his travels. The books themselves are not short, casual treatments of cocktails, but they represent the works of a cocktail scholar which run several hundred pages.

“The real theme [of his newest title] and what I hope to accomplish in writing this book is that’s it’s a great way to learn about the world and other cultures, through

what people drink,” he said in a pre-podcast interview at the restaurant. “Every sort of culture, every country has its own kind of local spirit, beer, some homemade, some illegal, some commercially sold. I am always interested in exploring what’s local to that region.”

Including Antarctica where scientists built a distillery and sell $3 shots to cruising tourists. “They use the pure stuff, pure glacier water that’s not been touched,” Cioletti said With 130 recipes, “Drinkable Globe” also lists places, food and drinks where alcohol is banned, but to quote Luboff: “Where there’s a still, there’s a way.”

Even in those countries where alcohol is outlawed, Cioletti writes that ingredients to make drinks are available, and citizens know a thing or two about courting tourists.

For example, on Fridays in Saudi Arabia locals will sit for five or six hours in traffic heading to neighboring Bahrain since they know that’s where they can get a drink.

In the U.S. more distilleries are opening, especially in Washington, D.C. and throughout Virginia, Cioletti added.

President George Washington started his own distillery at Mount Vernon after he left office in 1797. The distillery lasted about 10 years after the president died in 1799, but archeological discovery and reconstruction led to the distillery’s reopening in 2007. In Mount Vernon’s shops and at the Inn at Mount Vernon, consumers can buy President Washington’s whiskey.

Cioletti named “some great cocktail bars in DC where people are making some very innovating things,” like Jack Rose (“famous for its 2,700 whiskeys”), Barrel, Chaplin’s (known for ramen dishes) and the Passenger.

“People here come from so many different places, it’s a bit of a melting pot.”

Like in many regions of the U.S., good wineries in Virginia abound plus the area offers a big brewing scene.

“Falls Church has a lot of beer bars. Everyone here makes

JEFF CIOLETTI offered his drinking insights at Café Kindred on Dec. 19. (Photo: Courtesy photo) cocktails.”

Cioletti said the region’s changing demographics and the transient youth segment who now stay “make it conducive [to breweries]. People are creating a community where they want something local to hang their hat on.”

Cioletti’s career in newspaper journalism led him to businessto-business writing and Beverage World magazine for 14 years where he wrote and later, served as editor until he left to freelance about worldwide cocktails.

“It’s not like I do non-stop tasting all day,” he joked. “I am really interested in the culture as

well, and the food. It’s not completely non-stop drinking.”

Now Cioletti dishes out a new book title every year. His 2018 work will be about sake in Japan.

There are “thousands of drinks” to sample and “lots to write about,” he said. No worries about running dry. Cioletti usually takes a couple of international trips yearly but most of his adventures are domestic.

Cioletti’s other books, both top ranked at Amazon, are “The Year of Drinking Adventurously,” published in 2015, and “Beer FAQ,” 2016. One More Page Books hosted the book signing at Café Kindred.

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PAGE 10 | JANUARY 4 - 10, 2018

News-Press

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Community News & Notes

NO LONGER on the Falls Church School Board as of Jan. 1, after meritorious service, (left to right) Margaret Ward and John Lawrence, who along with Michael Ankuma sought not to seek re-election last November. Still on the board are (right) Justin Castillo and the board’s student member Nathan Holmes. Joining the board this month are Shawna Russell, Shannon Litton and Greg Anderson.

(Photo: News-Press)

Tinner Hill Foundation to Host 2 Events this Sunday On Sunday, Jan. 7 at 1 p.m. the public is invited to join the Falls Church and Vicinity Social Justice Committee, whose mission is hope, respect and healing, the Falls Church Police Department and the Falls Church Police Anniversary Badge Committee, as well as the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation at the Falls Church Community Center (223 Little Falls St., Falls Church). The newly designed police officer 2018 Anniversary Badges that recognize the 70th Anniversary of the Falls Church Police Department service to the City and symbolizes the cities lead values of equality, hope and justice will be unveiled.

Community and spiritual leaders will perform a “ceremonial blessing” of the badges, the officers who wear them and the community they serve.

Following the ceremony, the Falls Church and Vicinity Social Justice Committee will meet to begin planning a city wide event that will join the growing movement of reconciliation and justice in the City of Falls Church and adjacent communities. All community members are invited to attend and contribute ideas that can help shape the discussion and join in formulating local programming for the event to be had in June.

The Anniversary Badge Ceremony will take place on Sunday, Jan 7 from 1 – 2 p.m. followed by the Social Justice

STAYING STRONG is the Falls Church-based advocacy group, We Support the Girls, who rose to the aid of several young girls after they were sexually assaulted by a community member in June 2011. The legal process for sexual assault convictions is lengthy and the group ensures the victims are accommodated for throughout the court trials and public scrutiny. (Photo: News-Press)

Committee Planning meeting from 2 – 4 p.m.. Both events are open to the public and will take place in the Community Room, If there any questions please feel free to contact Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation 703534-4627.

Local Firm’s Aerial Photography Used in NYT Local architecture and urban planning firm, Digital Design & Imaging Services, Inc. (DDIS) was featured in a Dec. 19, 2017 edition of The New York Times’ for a piece titled, “The Year from Above,” featuring bird’s eye views of some of the biggest social and environmental occurrences throughout 2017.

DDIS was featured for their

coverage of the Women’s March last January where roughly half a million people demonstrated on the National Mall in the nation’s capital.

In the photo selected by the Times, the shot is angled from behind U.S. Capitol builiding with a clear view of both Pennsylvania and Independence Avenues, with a noticeable amount of pink visible among the crowd.

Free Tai Chi Class Offered for Resolutioners To open 2018, Sun & Moon Taiji One will host a Tai Chi Open House with free trial Tai Chi Class on Monday, Jan. 8 from 8 – 9 p.m. The event is open to anyone, especially those interested in working towards a

New Year’s Resolution for better physical-mental health. The event will take place at the Falls Church location (Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do, Falls Plaza Shopping Center, 1136 West Broad Street, Falls Church). RSVP is required.

Call 301-512-5071 or e-mail SunAndMoonTaijiOne@gmail. com to reserve your spot.

DMV 2 Go Bus Returns to Falls Church on Friday The City of Falls Church Commissioner of the Revenue presents several opportunities for DMV services in the Little City in January.

The full-service DMV 2 Go bus will be in front of City Hall (330 Park Ave., Falls Church) on Friday, Jan. 5 from 9 a.m. – 4

Send Us Your News & Notes!

The News-Press is always on the lookout for photos & items for Community News & Notes, School News & Notes and other sections of the paper. If you graduate, get married, get engaged, get an award, start a club, eat a club, tie your shoes, have a birthday, have a party, host an event or anything else you think is worth being mentioned in the News-Press, write it up and send it to us! If you have a photo, even better! Because of the amount of submissions we receive, we cannot guarantee all submissions will be published, but we’ll try our best!

Community News & Notes: newsandnotes@fcnp.com | School News & Notes: schoolnews@fcnp.com Mail: News & Notes, Falls Church News-Press, 200 Little Falls St. #508, Falls Church, VA 22046

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

p.m.

The accessible mobile office provides all DMV transactions including: Applying for and renewing driver’s licenses as well as for hunting and fishing licenses; obtaining E-Z pass transponders; obtaining ID cards (including photos) and Virginia’s veterans ID cards, copies of driving records, vehicle titles, license plates, decals and transcripts along with certified copies of Virginia vital records including birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates; Ordering disabled parking placards or plates; taking road and knowledge tests and updating an address after a move for DMV and voter registration.

The limited DMV Connect service conducts all DMV transactions listed above, except vital records and testing. DMV Connect will be at the American Legion (400 N. Oak St., Falls Church) on Monday, Jan. 8, Wednesday, Jan. 10 and Thursday, Jan. 11 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Customers should be prepared with the required documents to complete transactions. All 2018 dates for both DMV 2 Go and DMV Connect are available on the City’s website.

Gerrymandering Discussion Slated for Sunday Why is gerrymandering considered a form of voter suppression? When did it start and why is it continuing? Hear the answers to these and more questions on Sunday, Jan. 14 at the American Legion Post 130 (300 North Oak St., Falls Church) as Brian Cannon, Executive Director of OneVirginia2021 presents a significant documentary and leads discussion on Gerrymandering.

This presentation is sponsored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Falls Church branch, and is open to the public without charge.

Meeting runs from 2:30 – 4 p.m.

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JANUARY 4 - 10, 2018 | PAGE 11

Grace Christian Academy to Hold Open House Jan. 31 Grace Christian Academy, serving students from preK – 8th grade, will be hosting an admissions open house on Wednesday, Jan. 31st beginning at 7 p.m. Grace is accredited with exemplary status by WELSSA (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod School Accreditation), ACTS (Association of Christian Teachers and Schools), NCPSA (National Council for Private School Accreditation), and is recognized as a fully accredited private school in the Commonwealth of Virginia by the VCPE (Virginia Council for Private Education) as authorized by the Virginia Board of Education.

“Grace Christian Academy offers a Biblically-based education and nurtures not only the individual scholar but their entire family as well. Our students receive a quality education in a loving environment,” said Principal Patrick Hurley. “Our faculty is caring and dedicated to the individual needs of each student.”

Attendees to the Open House will be able to tour the facility, learn about academic and extracurricular programs, and meet the staff.

For those not able to attend, Principal Hurley offers personal tours by appointment.

For more information, visit GraceChristianAcademy.org or call 703-534-5517.

Local Punk Rock Pop Band Holds Record Release Party The two-piece punk rock pop band, Soldiers of Suburbia, is an independent music group who have made their name by recording and producing all their own music, shooting their own music videos and creating enough sound to thwart their band’s small stature.

AT LONG LAST the Liberty Tavern Group’s barbecue restaurant, Liberty Barbecue, has �illed the hole that only more smokey meats could satisfy as the establishment’s ribbon-cutting recently signi�ied the return of �ine southern dining to the Little City. Residents and local foodies alike will �inally be able to move on from Famous Dave’s departure, which felt like an eternity ago even though it was operating within the past year. (P����: N���-P����) The group has been working throughout the Washington, D.C. music scene by playing at marquee locations such as 9:30 Club and Rock N’ Roll Hotel as well as lower-key clubs such as Epicure and the local Jammin’ Java and have recently returned from a tour in New Jersey where they performed for famous rock photographer Danny Clinch.

In honor of Soldiers of Suburbia upcoming release of their new record, Depressed Stormtrooper, the band is commemorating this milestone by throwing a record release show at Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna) on Friday, Jan. 26 starting at 8 p.m. For just $10, interested attendees will get to

listen to three bands for the price of one.

GIVE Day is Approaching, Here’s How You Can Help Thomas Jefferson Elementary schools’ (601 S. Oak St., Falls Church) GIVE Day event is quickly approaching. Held on the Martin Luther King holiday, the event focuses on assembling Power Packs for distribution through Food for Others. The morning’s activities in the gym require a great deal of advanced planning.

There are only eight school days left to collect items for GIVE Day. To help out, go to fcepta.org/give-day for a list

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of items that are needed to be collected. The Parent-Teacher Association will also take online donations and do the shopping with the funds provided if you don’t have time to acquire the items yourself.

This Saturday, Jan. 6 residents can also show their support for the students’ effort at the Hot Chocolate stand at the Community Center (223 Little Falls St., Falls Church) from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Funds that are collected at the Hot Chocolate stand will be used to supply more items for the upcoming GIVE Day, giving residents more than one way to help out with the event if they are unable to provide items directly.

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PAGE 12 | JANUARY 4 -10, 2018

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Mustangs Hit 2 Game Skid, Aim to Rebound in District

BY MATT DELANEY

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

George Mason High School’s girls basketball team experienced a tough end to 2017 by losing two straight in the Rebel Roundball Classic held at Fairfax High School, including a 47-29 defeat to Flint Hill High School in the third-place match.

For the tournament, the Mustangs (7-4) were able to secure a 51-36 first round victory against host Fairfax before falling to nearby Marshall High School 60-41 in the semifinal.

Mason had braved a long first month against out-of-conference opponents and did well as their record sits above .500. Still, a twogame slide to end the calendar year (let alone, their first consecutive losses so far this season) and heading into Bull Run district play this month was not ideal despite the

overall positive results from the season’s early goings.

“I wanted to challenge us early, play different types of teams and I am happy to be where we are at [record-wise]. There were a couple of losses I know we could and should have won, but we learned some good lessons from all of them,” Mason head coach Michael Gilroy told the News-Press in an e-mail interview.

“We know that the real season starts Friday when league play starts, we go back to 0-0. Not one of the 11 games that we have played means anything for our playoff hopes, so we need to come out guns blazing for rest of the season.”

A strong start to district competition will be the perfect remedy after the Mustangs’ upsetting loss to Flint Hill.

In a game that Mason never led, the team often looked out of sorts when facing the scrappy and short-

benched Huskies.

Flint Hill jumped out to a 7-0 lead before senior guards Nicole Bloomgarden and Elizabeth Dodge, along with, junior guard Maddie Lacroix, got aggressive and sank some shots to keep Mason close at 11-9.

Flint Hill pushed their lead to six at 15-9 early in the second quarter, but the Mustangs rallied thanks to two big three-pointers from Lacroix and senior forward Jenna Short to go into the half down 21-20 and jolt some life back into an offense that struggled to look comfortable throughout.

On the other side of the intermission, the Huskies began to have more success and sank two late jumpers to take their largest lead of the game at 33-25 into the fourth quarter.

Mason needed some offense — and fast — to regain their footing.

However, fate had different plans as four consecutive drives to the hoop

Mason Boys Earn 3rd at Holiday Tourney, Begin Bull Run Contests with 5-6 Record

BY MATT DELANEY

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

A week off from school but not sport saw George Mason High School’s boys basketball team go 2-1 in the Joe Cascio Holiday Classic with a third-place winning victory over Fairfax Home School, 79-74.

In their other matches, Mason (56) defeated Lee High School in the opening round, 59-46, but suffered a big 62-41 loss to Rock Ridge High School in the tournament semifinal.

The Mustangs have continued to ride the early season’s roller coaster, showing up in spades for some games and forgetting to tie their shoes in others. The showing

at the Holiday Classic was no different as Mason steamrolled a lesser opponent (Lee), wilted to a lengthy, athletic opponent (Rock Ridge) and turned what should’ve been a blowout into a hair-raising finale (Fairfax).

If there was ever a time to take a bad loss and learn from it, the final out-of-conference game against Fairfax before league play begins this week appeared to be that time.

But Mason head coach Chris Capannola was bullish on needing the win, and didn’t let the team’s flirtation with a collapse color his postgame comments.

“I was nothing but positive in the locker room,” Capannola said. “We gutted it out when we could’ve fold-

ed, but we held on and I was really proud of the guys for that.”

Mason stormed out to an early 22-10 lead by the end of the first quarter and took a 48-29 lead into halftime following typical strong showings from scoring leaders junior guard Max Ashton, junior forward Hollman Smith and senior guard Anish Chatterjee.

However, the trio also received big contributions from junior guard Jay Nesson off the bench, who put up 11 of his 13 points in the first half, including three treys that helped establish the Mustangs’ offensive rhythm early on.

By the start of the third quarter it became clear the Mustangs relaxed.

Senior forward Thomas Creed

resulted in unfortunate rolls and rim rejections that took the wind out of the Mustangs.

Bloomgarden would score Mason’s only points in the quarter at the free throw line while Flint Hill tallied 14 more to safely pad their lead and secure third place.

It was tough sledding for the Mustangs, who were without their pivotal presence inside the paint in senior forward Kaylee Hirsch due to a lingering ankle injury she suffered earlier in the season.

“The offense is designed around [Hirsch], so not having her makes a huge impact,” Gilroy continued. “[Douglas] is our next best post option, but is still getting acclimated to the offense and is still only a sophomore. I have no doubts she will be able to step into [Hirsch’s] place and produce when called upon, but it’s just gonna take some time.”

The 10-1 Statesmens lived up to their record in the semifinal. A

35-21 lead at halftime put Mason behind the eight ball, and a 49-28 deficit entering the fourth quarter proved too tall of a task for the Mustangs overcome. But in their opening round victory over Fairfax, Mason enforced their dominance.

A 20-10 halftime lead was trimmed to 33-27 going into the fourth quarter, but 18-9 output that favored the Mustangs denied the Rebels any chance at an upset.

Mason faced Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology last night but results were not available at press time.

The Mustangs’ next contest is a road game this Friday against Rappahannock County High School to start Bull Run competition that runs through the end of their regular season.

For Gilroy and the Mustangs, the emphasis is on refining their defense and eveing out their offense to keep 2A States within view.

notched two quick buckets, but the Hawks responded with an 18-8 run to end the period within striking distance at 60-52.

An inspired Fairfax squad began making their shots from all over the court and threatening to usurp Mason’s lead. That was until Ashton asserted himself and was responsible for either scoring or assisting in 12 of the team’s final 19 points to hold off the Hawks, despite losing the battle on the boards.

“When you get shoved under the basket and don’t shove back, that’s what happens. I think we just expected [Fairfax] to back down and there was no back down in them,” Capannola added, saying that he needed to shift the focus of practices from it’s current state of more technical refinement to making sure his players are reminded of how to be physical.

“There may be some bumps, bruises, nicks and guys falling to the

ground, but we’ll get tougher that’s for sure.”

The Mustangs matched Lee’s intensity throughout their tournament opener, leading 24-19 at the half and 37-34 going into the third quarter.

At the start of the final frame Mason turned up the heat and outscored the Lancers 22-12 to seal a handy win.

Against Rock Ridge, the Mustangs appeared evenly matched for only the first quarter. Entering the second period tied at 11, the Phoenix outscored Mason 22-13 and slowly pecked at the team’s confidence.

Reserves started the third quarter down 33-24 and were mostly helpless as Rock Ridge added another 17 points to the Mustangs’ seven to all but cement the loss for Mason.

The Mustangs host Rappahannock County High School tonight before hitting the road to play Strasburg High School next Tuesday, Jan. 9 in the opening of their Bull Run competition

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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JANUARY 4 – 10, 2018 | PAGE 13

Frigid Watch Night Can’t Quell Little City Spirit

ANOTHER YEAR IS IN THE BOOKS as city residents braved the elements to make the 20th annual Watch Night New Year’s Eve celebration one to remember in Falls Church. From long lines at bungee jumping and rock-climbing stations to packed satellite sites at nearby churches and historic landmarks to local restaurant owners who were pleased to see every seat full on a chilly night, the Little City showed that nothing would stop it from having a good time. (Photos: J. Michael Whalen)

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PAGE 14 | JANUARY 4 – 10, 2018

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

A Penny for Your Thoughts

Senator Dick Saslaw’s

News of Greater Falls Church

By Supervisor Penny Gross

Richmond Report

to temporary facilities next week, in anticipation of building a brand new station on the original site. The new station, supported by a public safety bond referendum approved by the voters, will have bunk facilities for male and female personnel, and perhaps most importantly, the fire apparatus bays will be drivethroughs. No more backing an engine into a narrow garage door opening and hoping the side mirrors will survive! A farewell open house for current and former firefighters assigned to the station was held on Sunday. A lot of memories were shared, along with anticipation for the new building. Station 18 will operate from a temporary site at South Street and Annandale Road during the expected 18 – 24 month construction period. There will be no interruption of fire and rescue services as a result of the move.

Stein Mart at Graham Park Plaza (formerly Loehmann’s Plaza) is closing. A recent visit to the store revealed that everything is 20 percent off, sales are final, and much of the stock is already depleted. The western portion of Graham Park Plaza is proposed for a mixed use (residential and retail) redevelopment. That application is working its way through county processes, and several neighborhood meetings have been conducted by the property owner/developer. The redevelopment proposal does not include the Giant grocery store, or the stores including the Celebrity Delly, just in case you were wondering.

Happy New Year! The frigid temperatures that welcomed 2018 remind us that Mother Nature still is in charge. According to a constituent, though, there are sometimes quick fixes to things like frozen pipes.

She used her electric hair dryer to thaw a pipe leading into her house, and did not have to call a repair person. Took less than five minutes on New Year’s Eve. Now that’s quick thinking!

The new year also is the beginning of some changes locally. Fairfax County’s new County Executive, Bryan Hill, formerly the county manager for James City County, in the Williamsburg area, began his tenure this week. Mr. Hill stopped by the Mason District Holiday Town Gathering last month, and got just a taste of the activities that happen in Mason District all year long. I look forward to acquainting Mr. Hill with Mason District and the interests and concerns of its residents. First on Mr. Hill’s list is the FY 2019 county budget, which he will unveil in mid-February.

But winter is upon us, and snowstorms, hypothermia, navigating Fairfax County’s 6000 lane miles of roadways, hundreds of neighborhoods, and 24,000 acres of county parkland will confirm that he’s not in James City County anymore!

Speaking of snow, please be sure you are prepared to drive in the white stuff. Last Saturday’s dusting is just a taste of what surely is to come. Don’t be a statistic. Check your preparation now, especially windshield wiper fluid, and a good sturdy snow scraper.

Driving in snow is easier when you can see clearly through your vehicle’s windows!

Fire Station 18, also known as the Jefferson Station, near Graham Road and Route 50, will move

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

S:11.5”

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Photo: Grant Delin

If you always store your firearm safely, no curious kids will put their fingers on it. And no gun will accidentally fire. Which means no screams of pain will be heard. And no 911 calls will be made. And no scars will be left.

So please, always remember to keep your firearm stored safely.

Visit ncpc.org to determine the best firearms safety solution for you.

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Happy New Year to you! The chapter on 2017 has been written.

We now start 2018 with optimism for continued economic growth and prosperity for all Virginians.

The turmoil from Washington continues to put hardworking families at risk of losing their healthcare, paying more for the education they need to enter the workforce and being squeezed by the tax breaks for the 1 percent of Americans with the highest earnings. Through hasty legislation, executive orders and policy tweets, the federal government is forcing each state to step up and do diligence on behalf of its citizens.

As the havoc in Washington continues to play out, our new governor will take the reins of the Commonwealth on Jan. 13. I have served with both Governorelect Northam as well as Attorney General Herring. Lieutenant Governor-elect Justin Fairfax will keep the Virginia Senate balanced and fair. We have a great team in place to move Virginia ahead.

Gov. McAuliffe has done an outstanding job keeping the Commonwealth’s economy out of harm’s way over the past four years. Facing an unprecedented deficit from the headwinds of Sequestration, he made it his mission to rebuild and diversify Virginia’s economy. The plan is working, as unemployment averages 3.6 percent and $16+ billion has been invested by business in job creation and projects.

The General Assembly will convene on Jan. 10 in Richmond for its 60-day session. It is also a budget year and the outgoing governor traditionally presents the biennial budget proposal in mid-December. This year the revenue forecast has a positive uptick along with carefully crafted stewardship of the people’s money.

Before the legislature adjourns in March, there will be an amended version which both Chambers will agree upon for consideration by then-Governor Northam.

While we are not out of the woods just yet, it will be necessary to judiciously choose the expenses in order to produce a balanced budget that is structurally sound.

For the better part of the last decade, Virginia has left more than $10 billion in federal money on the table that would have otherwise made it into state coffers if Virginia had expanded Medicaid. Some 400,000 Virginians do not have access to affordable healthcare, and those us of who are insured are

paying higher premiums to help defray costs associated with emergency room care the uninsured receive. The doctor is in and there is new energy to do something about this in 2018. It is anticipated some 30,000 new jobs will be generated with Medicaid expansion.

A skilled workforce leads to a better quality of life in all corners of the Commonwealth. Record amounts of investments in our education system have been proposed.

Preparing the next generation of workforce is a priority for Virginia starting in K-12 through higher education. We currently have thousands of vacancies in the technology industry. Without the skilled labor to fill these high paying jobs, Virginians are shortchanged in the long run. The success of Virginia’s new economy depends on growing industries that are less reliant on federal decisions.

I will lead the fight for funding workforce development to ensure that necessary skills, degrees, certifications, and credentials are affordable and accessible for all Virginians. We must invest in our colleges and universities if they are to keep tuition and fees down.

Additional funds for the New Economy Workforce Credential Program have been earmarked.

These and other tuition assistance programs are putting more Virginians to work in sustainable, high-paying jobs while diminishing the student debt loads.

With solid support for improved infrastructure, Virginia is steadily breaking through gridlock. It is imperative that we move people, goods, and services around the region in a timely and efficient manner. A comprehensive transmodal approach takes thousands of cars off the road each day. Metro is transporting 100,000 commuters weekly. Neither the Commonwealth, nor our region, can afford for it to diminish its Northern Virginia services. Much time, money, and tough leadership has been needed to turn the broken system back to state of the art passenger safety and delivery.

Combining funds with Maryland and the District is not only a smart endeavor but a very necessary one.

I hope you can join Del. Marcus Simon and me for a town hall in Falls Church on Jan. 20. Sign up for our e-newsletter at dicksaslaw.com.  Senator Saslaw represents the 35th District in the Virginia State Senate. He may be emailed at district35@senate.virginia.gov.

CO MME NT

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

YO U DON T H AV E T O BE SO STRONG BUT IF I’M NOT, WHO WILL?

Being a caregiver takes a special kind of commitment.

We know your strength is super, but you’re still human.

A A R P. O R G / C A R E G I V I N G 1 - 8 7 7 - 3 3 3 - 5 8 8 5

F I N D S U P P O R T F O R Y O U R S T R E N G T H.

Our Man in Arlington

By Charlie Clark

Who’s up for a tailgate party at the next youth swim meet?

That’s the alcohol policy issue making waves this winter in some of Arlington’s swimming pool communities, particularly at the Dominion Hills Area Recreation Association.

It’s a tale with passion and intrigue.

Last summer, I’m told by several members of the club on Wilson Blvd., some parents among the 130 families participating in swim and dive competitions began toting alcoholic beverages to rallies, which they considered adult social events.

Other Dominion Hills members grew concerned about the example being set for the children.

So once the season ended, they began intense legal research on the association’s bylaws, rules of the Northern Virginia Swim League and Virginia’s alcoholic beverage control laws.

“For an association, it’s not good to be supplying liquor to parents who put kids in cars right away and drive them home,” said Wayne Vincent, a board member who got wind of parents imbibing poolside margaritas while their kids’ teams were practiced laps.

“There are very few opportunities left in life that are totally devoted to kids, and this is one of them.”

Vincent recalled little alcohol at pool events in the 1990s and early 2000s. Then it was like the “bathing suit rule,” he told the

board. Dominion Hills does not have a policy requiring bathing suits “because everyone shares a common understanding.”

Coaches and teachers are under contract to provide kids with an environment “free of alcohol and drugs, so this seems highly inappropriate,” he added.

Other clubs are concerned.

Overlee Community Association president Jamey McNamara told me his board is examining the issue. Others cite the clear policy at Donaldson Run, which bans alcohol except at pre-approved functions limited to adults.

The Dominions Hills board consulted with attorneys, who were clear that the association, with its unusual registration as a social welfare organization, lacks alcohol abuse protection without a license. “It’s the state code, not arcane but plain language,” said Vincent. Board discussion distinguished between drinking at meets (a no-no), practices and rallies.

The club’s watersports committee, however, “was pretty dismissive,” Vincent said. Soon he was the target of a “backlash and real vituperation and invective.”

Then an odd thing happened.

Association members, having rounded up the requisite 25 signatures, staged a special meeting to amend bylaws. On Dec. 7, member households voted 157-49 to impose term limits on longtime members of the 15-slot board, limiting all to three four-year terms.

Vincent and four others must rotate off.

JANUARY 4 – 10, 2018 | PAGE 15 Dominion Hills president Scott Tate (among those leaving) told me there wasn’t a connection to the alcohol debate. The majority “looked at term limits as a way to generate new vitality to the board,” he said. Alcohol policy has always been “laissez faire,” and the board “wants people to enjoy themselves,” though it would not openly sanction alcohol at kids’ events, he said.

“There is opposition by members who want a glass of wine by the pool.” But having been advised by counsel of potential legal violations, “we don’t feel it’s quite kosher to turn a blind eye.”

So the policy is “in a holding pattern.”

Vincent said the new term limits are “absolutely related” to his complaints about tailgaters.

They’re “trying to get older members off the board,” he said. They called us “empty-nesters who’re out of touch.” *** Drive by the historic George Crossman farmhouse on N. Underwood St. and note the new paint job.

Owner-renovators Buzz McClain and Leslie Aun applied the fresh coat after finding clues to the original 19th-century colors— green and maroon. “It was never white” back in the years just after the home was built in 1892, said my friend Buzz.

The redone exterior features a color scheme similar to another Victorian gingerbread home nearby, the Fellows-McGrath house, built in 1889 on Washington Blvd. near Sycamore St.

C i t y o f Fa l l s C h u r c h

CRIME REPORT Week of Dec. 25 – 31, 2017 Burglary – Residential, 100 blk S Spring St, Dec 26, unknown suspect entered a residence on Dec 25 and took items of value. Investigation continues.

Larceny from Building, 500 blk Meridian St, Dec 27, package with items of value was taken from a porch between noon and 9 PM, Dec 17.

Larceny from Building, 444 W Broad St #M (For Eyes), between 10 AM and 5:30 PM on Dec 26, items of value were taken by an unknown suspect.

Investigation continues.

Fraud/False Pretenses, 500 blk

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Anne St, Dec 29, an incident of fraud was reported.

Felonious Assault/Abduction, 400 blk S Maple Ave, Dec 30, 3 PM, a male, 30, of the City of Falls Church, was arrested for Felony Assault and Felony Abduction.

Smoking Violations, 6757 Wilson Blvd #16 (Le Mirage), Dec 30, 7:39 PM, a male, 46, of Springfield, VA, was issued a summons for Smoking in a Restaurant.

Driving Under the Influence, S Washington St/Hillwood Ave, Dec 31, 12:29 AM, a male, 42, of Annandale, VA, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence.

PAGE 16 | JANUARY 4 – 10, 2018

NATI O NA L

‘The Post:’ Fighting 2 Enemies

The brilliant film in theaters now, “The Post,” obviously couldn’t be more timely, showing how a muscular free press can and must confront corrupt power in high public places, such as the White House.

It is about the Washington Post’s struggle against not one but two powerful forces to publish the explosive Pentagon Papers, the thousands of leaked top secret internal Pentagon documents detailing the years of covert and other U.S. dirty tricks in Vietnam and internal assessments of the U.S.’s inability to win that horrible war.

Steven Spielberg’s tour de force movie shows the personal pressures on the Post’s Ben Bradlee, played by Tom Hanks, and owner, Katherine Graham, played by Meryl Streep, that they confronted in their ultimate decision to publish the docuFALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS ments in June 1971. The public revelations were critical for bringing the protracted war to an end after more than 50,000 young Americans lives were lost.

The focus of the film’s attention is on the pressures brought by the Nixon White House and the Pentagon against publishing the papers, going to court, charging the New York Times and Post with espionage, that is, high treason, only to have swift action by the U.S. Supreme Court side with the newspapers by a 6-3 vote.

But to this newspaperman there is another focus referenced in the film that must also be recognized for its censorship pressure, one that has played a more insidious ongoing role in the decline of journalism in America, more generally, from that time forward. That is, Wall Street.

The backdrop to the Pentagon Papers’ expose, as shown in the film, was the decision by the Post to take the newspaper public, to put it on the Wall Street exchanges in an effort to raise significant new money to expand its reach and influence.

The minute that was done, the Post and its leadership encountered a different and more dogged kind of censorship pressure that has not let up to this day.

It is illustrated in the film by the legal and investment counselors who caution Graham (Streep) against running the Pentagon Papers on grounds that it would deter investors, who might sell their shares and drive the value of the paper down.

Will the newspaper be able to provide the kind of return on investment that these shareholders require? To them, this was the only question that mattered.

In the film, even before the public offering went out, financial advisors to Graham convinced her to pare back the value of the initial offering to make it more attractive. Going with a lower price, Graham noted, would lose the company the equivalent of more than 30 reporters’ salaries.

The painful point of that observation is that investor pressure for the kind of returns they want can decimate the quality of a product.

Only interested in the short term, these investors, indeed, did emasculate the Post over time, and all the major print newspapers in the entire nation.

These investors care only about the health of their portfolios, and not a hoot about the long term viability of a news organization.

In the case of the Post, the result over time has been the closing of regional bureaus overseas and around the D.C. Metro area, and decisions to downsize the size and reach of the paper.

Wall Street’s greed has done more to destroy the news business in the U.S. than anything else. Don’t blame the Internet or TV. They’re factors but not the decisive ones.

Otherwise, the film is about true events that all occurred within one month, June 1971, when the Times began on June 13 publishing articles based on 43 volumes of the papers that Daniel Ellsberg leaked in February.

When the Times was blocked by government injunction, more of the papers leaked by Ellsberg came into the hands of the Post’s Bradlee and Graham who made the decisive decision to publish them.

Before the month was out, the Supreme Court came down with its ruling in their defense.

It was one year later, in June 1972, that the Watergate breakin happened that resulted in the resignation of Nixon by August 1974.

Nicholas F. Benton

 Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

The Retreat to Tribalism

Imagine three kids running around a maypole, forming a chain with their arms. The innermost kid is holding the pole with one hand. The faster they run, the more centrifugal force there is tearing the chain apart. The tighter they grip, the more centripetal force there is holding the chain together. Eventually centrifugal force exceeds centripetal force and the chain breaks.

That’s essentially what is happening in this country, New York University’s Jonathan Haidt argued in a lecture delivered to the Manhattan Institute in November. He listed some of the reasons centrifugal forces may now exceed centripetal: the loss of the common enemies we had in World War II and the Cold War, an increasingly fragmented media, the radicalization of the Republican Party, and a new form of identity politics, especially on campus.

Haidt made the interesting point that identity politics per NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE se is not the problem.

Identity politics is just political mobilization around group characteristics. The problem is that identity politics has dropped its centripetal elements and become entirely centrifugal.

Martin Luther King described segregation and injustice as forces tearing us apart. He appealed to universal principles and our common humanity as ways to heal prejudice and unite the nation. He appealed to common religious principles, the creed of our Founding Fathers and a common language of love to drive out prejudice. King “framed our greatest moral failing as an opportunity for centripetal redemption,” Haidt observed.

From an identity politics that emphasized our common humanity, we’ve gone to an identity politics that emphasizes having a common enemy. On campus these days, current events are often depicted as pure power struggles — oppressors acting to preserve their privilege over the virtuous oppressed.

“A funny thing happens,” Haidt said, “when you take young human beings, whose minds evolved for tribal warfare and us/them thinking, and you fill those minds full of binary dimensions. You tell them that one side in each binary is good and the other is bad. You turn on their ancient tribal circuits, preparing them for battle. Many students find it thrilling; it floods them with a sense of meaning and purpose.”

The problem is that tribal common-enemy thinking tears a diverse nation apart.

This pattern is not just on campus. Look at the negative polarization that marks our politics. Parties, too, are no longer bound together by creeds but by enemies.

In 1994, only 16 percent of Democrats had a “very

David Brooks

unfavorable” view of the GOP. Now, 38 percent do.

Then, only 17 percent of Republicans had a “very unfavorable” view of Democrats. Now, 43 percent do. When the Pew Research Center asked Democrats and Republicans to talk about each other, they tended to use the same words: closed-minded, dishonest, immoral, lazy, unintelligent.

Furthermore, it won’t be easy to go back to the common-humanity form of politics. King was operating when there was high social trust. He could draw on a biblical metaphysic debated over 3,000 years.

He could draw on a U.S. civil religion that had been refined over 300 years.

Over the past two generations, however, excessive individualism and bad schooling have corroded both of those sources of cohesion.

In 1995, the French intellectual Pascal Bruckner published “The Temptation of Innocence,” in which he argued that excessive individualism paradoxically leads to in-group/out-group tribalism. Modern individualism releases each person from social obligation, but “being guided only by the lantern of his own understanding, the individual loses all assurance of a place, an order, a definition. He may have gained freedom, but he has lost security.”

In societies like ours, individuals are responsible for their own identity, happiness and success.

“Everyone must sell himself as a person in order to be accepted,” Bruckner wrote. We all are constantly comparing ourselves to others and, of course, coming up short. The biggest anxiety is moral. We each have to write our own gospel that defines our own virtue.

The easiest way to do that is to tell a tribal oppressor/oppressed story and build your own innocence on your status as victim. Just about everybody can find a personal victim story. Once you’ve identified your herd’s oppressor — the neoliberal order, the media elite, white males, whatever — your goodness is secure. You have virtue without obligation. Nothing is your fault.

“What is moral order today? Not so much the reign of right-thinking people as that of right-suffering, the cult of everyday despair,” Bruckner continued. “I suffer, therefore I am worthy. ... Suffering is analogous to baptism, a dubbing that inducts us into the order of a higher humanity, hoisting us above our peers.”

Haidt and Bruckner are very different writers, with different philosophies. But they both point to the fact that we’ve regressed from a sophisticated moral ethos to a primitive one. The crooked timber school of humanity says the line between good and evil runs through each person and we fight injustice on the basis of our common humanity. The oppressor/ oppressed morality says the line runs between tribes.

That makes it easy to feel good about yourself. But it makes you very hard to live with.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

A RTS&E NTE RTA I NME NT

JANUARY 4 – 10, 2018 | PAGE 17

with

Jan McInnis

January

5

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Frida

Herb & Hanson Clare & Don’s Beach Shack 6 p.m.

130 N Washington St., Falls Church

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6

ay

d Satur

The Snake Farmers JV’s Restaurant 4 p.m.

6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church

703-241-9504 • jvsrestaurant.com

The British Invasion Years State Theatre 9 p.m.

220 N Washington St., Falls Church

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7

ay

Sund

BY MATT DELANEY

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

Telling a joke — you know, like a really good joke — is hard enough as is. But to disarm a comedian of their favorite profane word or saucy premise is almost as bad as throwing them on stage without a mic. Unless you’re local product Jan McInnis that is, who shared the origins of her trademark “clean comedy” with the NewsPress leading up to her show, the Baby Boomer Comedy Show, at George Mason University later this month.

McInnis was born with the funny bone, but wasn’t able to make a career out of it until later in her life. Though a class clown throughout school and a hopeful comedian after graduating from Virginia Tech, McInnis didn’t want to break the news to her parents that comedy was her ideal occupation.

So she worked marketing jobs in Washington, D.C. for about 15 years until an open mic night at the old Comedy Cafe gave her the confidence to pivot careers.

“I got hired after my first open mic,” McInnis said, adding that one of the open mic’s organizers tagged her to be a Master of Ceremonies for upcoming shows while allowing her to do comedy as well. “I ended up leaving my day job about two and a half years later, and because I was a marketing person, I had seen [comedians at] corporate events. So when I went into comedy clubs, I knew there was this other thing out there.”

The longtime comedian and novice performer went on to butter her bread in the convention center circuit, performing for corporate outings and retreats across the country. A commitment to clean comedy — which McInnis says lacks lewd, sexual or graphic remarks and punchlines — made her a solid bet for company shows that host a wide range of employees with varying sensibilities.

Keeping her routines clean has always been McInnis’ style. And she saunters through them in

JAN MCINNIS. (C������� P����) a way that her delivery is still potent and edgy, much like any of your other favored comedians.

When referring to an old boyfriend’s teenage children in one bit, McInnis asks “What do you mean you won custody? If they were the prize in a lottery, no one would be buying tickets.”

But McInnis did have urges to intersperse some raunchiness into her early career comedy — especially since vulgarity and rawness in opinions is equated with truthfulness in comedy nowadays — until being redirected by a sponsor to stay her course.

“I used to work at a club in Virginia Beach and I did throw in cuss words one night, thinking, ‘I’m gonna spice it up a bit,’” McInnis continued.

“The club owner came over to me afterward and said ‘You have a very strong act, you don’t need use cuss words,’ And I never did again. [Clean comedy] really makes you write, and really makes you sit there and say ‘What’s funny?’ If

you want to write strong material that’s funny on paper as well as [on stage] you need to write it out with a strong punchline.”

With the fallout of sexual misconduct allegations all across the entertainment media — including notable comedian Louis C.K. — coming to fore and giving people second thought about the “exaggerated” contexts of their jokes, maybe a resurgence in clean comedy is on the rise.

McInnis didn’t feel comfortable making such a declaration, but if the success of her act is proof of anything, it’s that audiences still enjoy good humor that stays within the lines of (mostly) polite conversation.

The Baby Boomer Comedy Tour will be at George Mason University’s (4400 University Dr., Fairfax) Harris Theatre on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at tinyurl.com/ BoomerShow.

Andrew Acosta Bluegrass Band

JV’s Restaurant

These singles whet the appetites of the FCNP editorial team this week:

1 p.m.

 Nicholas Benton – Baby It’s Cold Outside by Dean Martin 

6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church 703-241-9504 • jvsrestaurant.com



Jody Fellows – I Know You Got Soul by Eric B. & Rakim

Matt Delaney – What a Fool Believes by The Doobie Brothers

CA L E NDA R

PAGE 18 | JANUARY 4 – 10, 2018

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

FALLS CHURCHCALENDAR COMMUNITYEVENTS THURSDAY, JANUARY 4 Teen Volunteer Orientation.

Required for new volunteers interested in earning service hours at the library. For teens in grades 7-12 who are interested in getting involved in the community or completing service hours requirements for classes, registration and volunteer application required.

Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 6 – 6:30 p.m. 703-248-5034.

Thursday Evening Book Group.

The Thursday Evening Book Discussion Group meets on the first Thursday evening of each month in the library’s conference room. This month’s book is “The Heart Goes Last” by Margaret Atwood. Light refreshments are served. All are welcome; no registration required. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6

SUNDAY, JANUARY 7

Holiday Farmers Market.

Residents can attend the regular award-winning market – with the produce, meat, dairy, chocolates, flowers, and bakedgoods that frequent the market throughout the year – as well as holiday specific items such as wreaths, gifts and more. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Falls Church). 8 a.m. – noon. 703-248-5027 (TTY 711). For more information, visit the Farmers Market’s website at fallschurchva.gov/fm.

Social Justice Committee of Falls Church and Vicinity. The committee is a collaborative effort between individuals within and outside of the City of the Falls Church focused on addressing social justice issues affecting the community. The Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, Fairfax County NAACP and multiple faith institutions are spearheading the support for the committee.

Community Center (223 Little Falls St., Falls Church). 2 – 4 p.m.

703-534-4627.

Jim Thorne Music. Dr. Jim Thorne, a real space scientist and singer/ songwriter, will take parents and kids on a musical journey from the historic Apollo moon program all the way to the stars and the many planets within the solar system. Performance is designed to reach kids grades 1 – 7. Dropin; no registration required.

Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 11 – 11:45 a.m. 703-248-5034.

manipulative items (aka toys) to teach early literacy through play.

Ages birth to 5 years. No registration required. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. 703248-5034.

ESL Conversation Group. A general conversation group (for adults) learning English as their second language. Meets every Monday at regularly scheduled time. No registration required. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 7 – 8 p.m.

703-248-5034.

MONDAY, JANUARY 8

TUESDAY, JANUARY 9

Preschool Storytime. Stories and fun for ages 0-5. Drop-in. All storytimes are followed by playtime with the Early Literacy Center toys.

Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 10:30 – 11 a.m. 703-248-5034

Great Books Discussion. A “Great Books” discussion concentrating on literary classics (both traditional and modern) meeting on the second and fourth Tuesday of most months. This week’s book is “It Can’t Happen Here” by Sinclair Lewis. Open to all. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 7 – 9 p.m.

Playtime with the Early Literacy Center. Explore educational and

New Year,

New Tax Code!

THEATER&ARTS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 5 “Les Misérables.” Cameron Mackintosh presents the all-new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning “Les Misérables,” direct from an acclaimed twoand-a-half-year return to Broadway. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, “Les Misérables” tells an unforgettable story of heartbreak, passion and the resilience of the human spirit. Featuring the beloved songs “I Dreamed A Dream,” “On My Own,” “Stars,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More” and many more, this epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. The National Theatre (1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.). $65. 8 p.m. thenationaldc.org.

THURSDAY, SATURDAY,FEBRUARY JANUARY 26 “A Queen’s Girl in Africa.” The New York Times showed Caleen Sinnette Jennings’ breakout play “Queens Girl in the World” plenty of love when it debuted in 2015.

Now, the playwright’s back on the

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

theatrical scene with its sequel, “Queens Girl in Africa.” With local Helen Hayes Award-winning actress Erika Rose in the starring role, the play picks back up with Jacqueline Marie Butler as she and her family sail to Nigeria following the assassination of her father’s close friend, Malcolm X. Mosaic Theater Company brings the world premiere of this touching coming-of-age story. Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St. NE, Washington, D.C.) $25. 8 p.m. mosaictheater.org.

“My Name is Asher Lev.” Adapted from the celebrated novel by Chaim Potok, a humorous and compelling journey of a young Jewish painter torn between his Hassidic upbringing and his desperate need to fulfill his artistic promise unfolds. As art and faith collide, Asher must choose between his cultural roots and his vast artistic promise. This stirring adaptation of a modern classic presents a heartbreaking and triumphant vision of what it means to be an artist. 1st Stage Theatre (1524 Spring Hill Rd., Tysons). $33. 8 p.m. 1ststagetysons.org.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 7 ”Crazy for You.” Beloved songs meet sensational dance in the ultimate feel-good musical comedy for the holiday season. A musical-loving banker sent to foreclose on a small-town theatre decides to revive it instead with the magic of the Follies, some slapstick comedy and a whole lot of charm.

Flush with mistaken identities, a classic love story and 1930s glamour, The Gershwins’ and Ken Ludwig’s “Crazy for You” radiates with playful humor and highenergy show-stopping numbers.

Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington). $40. 5 p.m. sigtheatre.org.

LIVEMUSIC THURSDAY, JANUARY 4 Goldvein + Jon Cresswell and Brian Gurney. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $12 – $25.

7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566.

Rik Emmett of Triumph – Acoustic Duo Performance with Dave Dunlop. The Birchmere (3701

CA L E NDA R

JANUARY 4 – 10, 2018 | PAGE 19

Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $35. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500.

Thrillbilly’s. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 5 Kirk Cousins Season In Review with Grant and Danny Benefiting DC Dream Center. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $40 – $125. 11 a.m. 703-255-1566.

Herb & Hanson. Clare and Don’s Beach Shack. (130 North Washington St., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-532-9283.

Steve Houk & Jess Robinson. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-2419504.

The Dead Milkmen with Mindless Faith. 9:30 Club (815 V St. NW, Washington D.C.) $25. 8 p.m. 202265-0930.

Girlfriend in a Coma: A Tribute to Morrissey and The Smiths. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $10– $13. 9 p.m.

703-237-0300.

Shartel and Hume. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9:15 p.m. 703-241-9504.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6 The Snake Farmers. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-2419504.

Roamfest 2018. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $20. 6:30 p.m. 703549-7500.

Michael Clem Trio of Five with Justin Storer Live and In Concert.

Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $18. 7:30 p.m. 703255-1566.

80s vs. 90s Dance Party. The Fillmore (8658 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, MD). $15. 8 p.m.

301-960-9999 The British Invasion Years. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $30 – $35. 9 p.m. 703-237-0300.

KIRK COUSINS will host a Q & A for fans at Jammin’ Java in Vienna on Friday. (Photo: NBC Sports)

Hot In Herre: 2000s Dance Party with DJs Will Eastman and Ozker. 9:30 Club (815 V St. NW, Washington D.C.) $16. 9 p.m. 202265-0930.

Boat Burning: Music for 100 Guitars On Stage Live and In Concert. 9:30 Club (815 V St. NW, Washington D.C.) $25. 8 p.m. 202265-0930.

Memphis Gold All Star Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-2419504.

Linwood Taylor and Flat Foot Sam. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 7

Karaoke. Galaxy Hut (2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $5. 9 p.m.

Andrew Acosta Bluegrass Band.

JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 1 p.m. 703241-9504.

Black Muddy River Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-2419504.

Mo’Fire featuring In Gratitude: A Tribute to Motown & Soul Legends, including Earth, Wind & Fire and more. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $35. 7:30 p.m. 703549-7500.

MONDAY, JANUARY 8 Jammin Java’s Mid-Atlantic Band Battle #19 - Prelims Night 2.

Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10 – $20. 7 p.m. 703255-1566.

Wolf Blues Jam Weekly Show.

JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m.

703-241-9504.

Joshua Powell, Jonny Grave.

Galaxy Hut (2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $5. 9 p.m.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 9

Jammin Java’s Mid-Atlantic Band Battle #19 - Prelims Night 3.

Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10 – $20. 7 p.m. 703255-1566.

Passion Pit. 9:30 Club (815 V St. NW, Washington D.C.) $45. 7 p.m.

202-265-0930.

Mark Wenner and James McKinley. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10 Jammin Java’s Mid-Atlantic Band Battle #19 - Prelims Night 4.

Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10 – $20. 7 p.m. 703255-1566.

Nick Moss featuring Dennis Gruenling Live and In Concert.

JV’s Restaurant (666 Arlington Blvd., Arlington) 8 p.m. 703-5228340.

Calendar Submissions Email: calendar@fcnp.com | Mail: Falls Church News-Press, Attn: Calendar, 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church, VA 22046 Be sure to include time, location, cost of admission, contact person and any other pertinent information. Event listings will be edited for content and space limitations. Please include any photos or artwork with submissions. Deadline is Monday at noon for the current week’s edition.

PAGE 20 | JANUARY 4 -10, 2018

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Credit for Young Adults, a local credit #education #nonprofit foundation in Falls Church, seeks #volunteer in the development of the foundation. If you would like to volunteer as part of the team/member Please contact Agnes (703) 937-7096or email me at helpfulhatlady@yahoo.com

Public Notice ABC LICENSE FALLS CHURCH DISTILLERS, LLC

Trading as: Falls Church Distillers, LLC , 442 South Washington Street, Suite A, Falls Church, Virginia 22046-4419. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) for a Mixed Beverages On-Premise license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. Michael E. Paluzzi, CEO. NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS CITY COUNCIL CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA A public hearing regarding the resolution referenced below is scheduled for Monday, January 22, 2018 at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as may be heard.

(TR17-45) RESOLUTION TO AMEND THE CITY’S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO (1) AMEND CHAPTER 4 TO ADD A “SPECIAL REVITALIZATION DISTRICT FOR EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT”; (2) DESIGNATE ON THE FUTURE LAND USE PLAN MAP APPROXIMATELY 34.62 ACRES OF LAND LOCATED AT

7124 LEESBURG PIKE (PORTIONS OF REAL PROPERTY CODE NUMBERS 51221-001, 51-221-002, AND 51-221-003) PARTLY FOR “PARKS & OPEN SPACE” USE WITH TWO SCHOOL SYMBOLS (24.28 ACRES) AND PARTLY FOR “MIXED USE” (10.34 ACRES); (3) DESIGNATE A “SPECIAL REVITALIZATION DISTRICT FOR EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT” OVER THE ENTIRE 34.62 ACRES OF THIS LAND; (4) DESIGNATE APPROXIMATELY 2.40 ACRES OF LAND LOCATED AT 7100 GORDON ROAD (REAL PROPERTY CODE NUMBER 52-101-012) AS “BUSINESS” ON THE FUTURE LAND USE PLAN MAP; AND (5) DESIGNATE APPROXIMATELY 0.62 ACRES OF LAND LOCATED AT 1230 WEST BROAD STREET (PORTION OF REAL PROPERTY CODE NUMBER 51-219-011) AS “BUSINESS” ON THE FUTURE LAND USE PLAN MAP All public hearings will be held in the Falls Church Community Center, Senior Center, 223 Little Falls St., Falls Church, Virginia.

For copies of legislation, contact the City Clerk’s office at (703-248-5014) or cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5014 (TTY 711).

CELESTE HEATH CITY CLERK

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CITY COUNCIL CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA A public hearing regarding the resolution referenced below is scheduled for Monday, January 8, 2018 at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as may be heard.

(TR18-01) RESOLUTION TO INITIATE EMINENT DOMAIN PROCEEDINGS AGAINST THE FOLLOWING PROPERTIES: 301 FELLOWS COURT; 306 PARKER AVENUE; 304 PARKER AVENUE; 302 PARKER AVENUE; 502 S. OAK STREET; 302 FELLOWS COURT; AND 304 FELLOWS COURT (REAL PROPERTY CODE NUMBERS 52-206-090, 52-206-091, 52-206-092, 52-206-093, 52-206-094, 52206-095, 52-206-096) (TOGETHER FORMERLY KNOWN AS 604 S. OAK STREET.) These properties are also known as Lots 1-7, Oak Park Subdivision, Section Three, in the City of Falls Church, Virginia, as created and shown in the Arlington County Land Records, Instrument 20170100003424.

All public hearings will be held in the Falls Church Community Center, 223 Little Falls Street, Falls Church, Virginia. For copies of

legislation, contact the City Clerk’s office at (703-248-5014) or cityclerk@fallschurchva. gov. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5014 (TTY 711).

CELESTE HEATH CITY CLERK

VOLUNTEERS PUBLIC NOTICE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA VOLUNTEERS who live in the City of Falls Church are needed to serve on the boards and commissions listed below.

Contact the City Clerk’s Office (703-2485014, cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov, or www. fallschurchva.gov/BC) for an application form or more information. Positions advertised for more than one month may be filled during each subsequent month.

Architectural Advisory Board (alternate) Board of Building Code and Fire Prevention Code Appeals Board of Zoning Appeals Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Transportation Environmental Sustainability Council Historical Commission Housing Commission Human Services Advisory Board Library Board of Trustees Planning Commission Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Tree Commission Regional Boards/Commissions: Fairfax Area Disability Services Board

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS CITY COUNCIL CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA A public hearing regarding the ordinance referenced below is scheduled for Monday, January 8, 2018 at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as may be heard.

(TO17-13) ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 26, “MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC,” ARTICLE III “CITY VEHICLE LICENSE,” OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH TO ADD A NEW SEC. 26-74 IMPOSING A LICENSE TAX ON VEHICLES THAT DO NOT DISPLAY CURRENT VIRGINIA LICENSE PLATES This ordinance would amend the City Code to impose a license tax in the amount of $100 on vehicles with situs in the City that do not display current Virginia license

plates and are not otherwise exempt from the requirements of displaying such license plates effective March 1, 2018.

All public hearings will be held in the Falls Church Community Center, Senior Center, 223 Little Falls St., Falls Church, Virginia.

For copies of legislation, contact the City Clerk’s office at (703-248-5014) or cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5014 (TTY 711).

CELESTE HEATH CITY CLERK

PUBLIC NOTICE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH VIRGINIA PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING

and 53-104-050. The proposed mixed-use project includes a 295-unit rental apartment building above 26,300 square feet of ground floor retail, and a six (6) story, 66,700 square feet of office building above ground floor retail.

Application materials are available on the City’s webpage at the following link: http://www.fallschurchva.gov/1648/BroadWashington-Project Materials can also be viewed at the Development Services office, City Hall, 300 Park Avenue, Room 300W, Falls Church, VA. 22046, M-F 8:30 am to 5 pm. 703-248-5040.

(Note: location subject to change due to City Hall renovations) This location is fully accessible to persons with physical disabilities and special services or assistance may be requested in advance. (TTY 711)

The City of Falls Church Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 7:30 PM in the Community Room of Community Center, lower level, 223 Little Falls St., Falls Church, VA 22046, to consider the following: An application by Broad and Washington, LLC for a Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment (TR17-17) to change the existing map designation from “Business” and “Transitional” to “Mixed-Use” for the entire site; an Official Zoning Map Amendment (TO17-09) to change the existing zoning designation of one parcel at 131 East Broad Street from T-1, Transitional to B-2, Central Business District; and Special Exceptions (TR17-18) to allow residential uses within a mixed use development project and to increase the building height with a bonus of fifteen (15) feet to a maximum height of ninety (90) feet for a mixed-use development project approximately 2.68 acres of land located at 100 North Washington Street, and 127 and 131 East Broad Street with Real Property Code Numbers 53-104-051, 53-104-036,

We are pledged to the letter andspirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth.

We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law.

Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-8530. Toll free call (888) 551-3247. For the hearing impaired call (804) 367-9753.

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Crossword

ACROSS

By David Levinson Wilk 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

13

14

15

17

18

19

20

24

23 27

28

32

33

39

40

41

25

51

11

12 16

26

29

30

31

34

35

37

38

42

43

48

47

10

22

21

36

9

49

52

56

53

54 58

57

44

50 55

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

67

68

66

© 2017 David Levinson Wilk

Across

45

46

1. Prohibition era gun 4. 2018, e.g.

8. Throws 13. Reuters competitor 14. Monopoly util.

15. Visible 17. Emily Dickinson's "Ended, ____ it begun" 18. Grammy-nominated Ford 19. "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" actress Headly 20. Self-appointed justice seeker 22. What's left 23. Have ____ of the jitters 24. ____ Dhabi 26. Actor Armand 27. Pax ____ (uneasy peace) 29. E.g., e.g.

31. Tony winner Hagen 32. "Lemme ____!"

33. Illustrator Rockwell 35. Verve 36. Increase risk and reward (or a hint to solving 20-, 26-, 51- and 58-Across) 39. London lavs, initially 42. Picking up a quart of milk, say 43. ____ Mason (investment giant) 47. Pub pint 48. Greenish-blue 49. Evening bash 51. Early TV star Jimmy with a biography titled "Schnozzola" 53. "Everyone needs a little ____" (cable channel slogan) 55. Not having quite enough money

STRANGE BREW

1. Prohibition era gun

JANUARY 4 – 10, 2018 | PAGE 21 25. Hold nothing back 28. Cavern, in poetry 30. Styx and the Stones 34. "Phooey!"

37. Honey and sugar, e.g.

38. Yale of Yale University 39. Crumples into a ball 40. Makes aware 41. Red hot chili pepper 44. Steaminess 45. Rivera on TV 46. Approach 50. Tony-winning playwright Paul ____ 52. ____-ground missile 54. Device read with a laser 57. Apollo plucked it 59. Its cap. is Quito 61. Cry upon getting a tough crossword clue

56. Radio's "The Lone Ranger" and others 58. Coming-out party honoree 60. Onetime "Be all you can be" sloganeer 61. BP sale of 2013 62. Land in la mer 63. "The Homecoming" playwright Harold 64. One of 24 in a day 65. Christian denom. that observes the Sabbath on Saturday 66. Tight rope?

67. "Walk Like ____" (1963 hit) 68. N. African land

DOWN

1. Subject of the photo "Guerrillero Heroico" 2. Jam fruit 3. Reason for a 10th inning, say 4. Janet who was #3 on the 2016 Forbes "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" list 5. Kazan who directed "On the Waterfront" 6. Insurance giant named for a volcano 7. Record label for Pitbull and Pink 8. Like some seas and teas 9. Not yet acquired, as knowledge 10. Trailer park people, for short 11. Makes a queue 12. Having feeling 16. Moist towelette 21. Sculptor Noguchi 22. Underground Railroad leader

JOHN DEERING

4. 2018, e.g.

M O N E Y T E M P A M O I J U S T

U C L A N S

Sudoku Level:

8. Throws

Last Thursday’s Solution B A Y H

1

2

3

E R O O

P O E T I C

A L U M

G R O T

T H S W E W B O I A S T C A C H

J U L I U S H U E Y T S O

E N A C T

D G A R I O N S D I E S

U B P I T A R E T M P H P S O U T O A Y O S E T U R S

X A N B A E V I D N E N U O T W O O F N A E L E V F I T F N O U U T O F S N O E E S

I N A N E T

S A Y S O S

U S N A E N S I M P

E T S Y

By The Mepham Group 4

13. Reuters competitor 14. Monopoly util.

15. Visible 17. Emily Dickinson's "Ended, ____ it begun" 18. Grammy-nominated Ford 19. "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" actress Headly 20. Self-appointed justice seeker

1

22. What's left 23. Have ____ of the jitters 24. ____ Dhabi

LOOSE PARTS

DAVE BLAZEK

26. Actor Armand 27. Pax ____ (uneasy peace)

Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle

NICK KNACK

1

© 2018 N.F. Benton

1/7/18

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.

© 2018 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

LO CA L

PAGE 22 | JANUARY 4 – 10, 2018

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Critter Corner

BACK IN THE DAY

dog. lazy ick qu The fox sly p e d j u m the over dog. lazy is the Now for all time cows good co me to aid to the the ir of t u r e . pas

20 s Yearo Ag

is the Now for all time cows good co me to aid to the the ir of t u r e . p a s is the Now for all time cows good me to to coaid of the their.

20 & 10 Years Ago in the News-Press

Falls Church News-Press Vol. VII, No. 44 • January 15, 1998

It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the p a s their ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up

Falls Church News-Press Vol. XVII, No. 44 • January 3, 2008

10 Year s Ago

It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the the ir pas ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up

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

Best Case Scenario: F.C. City Center Groundbreaking in July

Superintendent of Schools Mary Ellen Shaw presented a “maintenance only” budget to the School Board last night that “reflects the lowest percentage increase in five years” and calls for a 4.86 percent increase in city appropriations, above the two percent guidelines issued earlier by the city manager.

The $18,898,974 budget, which represents an increase of $855,567 over last year, calls for no new programs or initiatives.

After eight long years, it appears that the opening phases of the Falls Church City Center project is about to enter the fast track.

Modifications to develop Atlantic Realty’s plans, allowing for a larger hotel, more parking and a lowering of height to the main residential building, as reported in last week’s News-Press, have won the support of everyone on the City Council, the News-Press has learned.

Fa l l s C h u r c h

Business News & Notes F.C. Chamber Announces 2018 Officers, Board of Directors The Falls Church Chamber of Commerce announced its 2018 Officers and Board of Directors.

Lisa D’Ambrosio-Irons, of John Marshall Bank, will serve her second year as chair of the board while Andrew Painter, of Walsh Colucci, will take over as vice chair of the groups’ legislative committee and Barbara Benson, of Body Dynamics, will become co-vice chair of the membership committee.

Continuing their leadership roles are Gary LaPorta, who is with the Falls Church Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office, and will serve as co-vice chair of the membership committee and again as Secretary, Brian DeCelle, of Sislers Stone, will continue as vice chair of the communications committee, Gary Hughes, of Century 21/Redwood Realty, will serve as chair of the program committee, and Michael Diener of Diener & Associates, will continue service as Treasurer. The Eden Center’s Graham Eddy, The Geller Law Group’s Emily Jenkins, JHM Asset Advisors’ John Misleh, and Korte Realty’s Mosi Shah will be joining the Chamber Board while F.C. Arts’ Barb Cram, the Eden Center’s Alan Frank, financial advisor Jimmy Hicks and Korte Realty’s Treena Rinaldi rotate off. For more information, visit www.FallsChurchChamber.org.

Chamber Breakfast Event Set for Jan. 11 The Falls Church Chamber of Commerce will host an informal breakfast networking event on Thursday, Jan. 11 from 8 – 9 a.m. at Bentley’s Diner. There is no need to RSVP and there is no fee, although attendees are responsible for their own checks. Bentley’s Diner is located at 6654 Arlington Boulevard. For more information, visit www.FallsChurchChamber.org.

Center for Spiritual Enlightenment Hosting Séance Saturday The Center for Spiritual Enlightenment is hosting an Old Fashioned Séance on Saturday, Jan. 6 from 7 – 9 p.m. The event is designed for attendees to receive guidance and messages from loved ones. Attendance is limited so reservations are strongly recommended. The Center for Spiritual Enlightenment is located at 222 N. Washington Street. For more information, visit www.thecse.org.

F.C. Business License Renewals Due March 1 Businesses in the City of Falls Church will be mailed their 2018 business license renewal notices in January. Renewal applications must be submitted with payment by March 1, 2018. Current business licenses will remain valid until the deadline to allow time for renewal. New businesses must apply for a business license within 30 days of opening. For further information, contact the Commissioner’s Office at (703) 2485450 or commissioner@fallschurchva.gov.  Business News & Notes is compiled by Sally Cole, Executive Director of Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at sally@fallschurchchamber.org.

CATCHING HIS BREATH after wrestling the four boys of the Downs family is Boomer, the family’s Bullmastiff. It’s been fun having the house full for the holidays, but Boomer needs a rest.

Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

JANUARY 4 -10, 2018 | PAGE 23

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

For Sale

For Sale

For Sale

Under Contract

1943 Griffith Rd | Falls Church

Pimmit Hills classic with front porch featuring 3 BD/ 1 BA, large family room addition and enclosed porch.

Property to be sold As-Is. Offered at $525,000

8216 Holland Rd | Alexandria

Beautiful colonial on over 1 acre of land featuring 5 BD/3.5 BA, large dome shaped addition perfect for family room or dance studio! Walk to the Potomac River from this fantastic location. Offered at $775,000

525 N Fayette St # 401 | Alexandria

Stunning 2 BD/2 BA corner unit in The Henry in Old Town Alexandria, two blocks from Metro. Completely updated (over 100K in upgrades) and truly exceptional with 2 parking spaces and additional storage. Offered at $679,000

1740 Sundance Dr. | Reston

Lovely townhouse in quiet community featuring 2 bedrooms and 3.5 baths on 3 finished levels! Move-in ready with updated kitchen, two master suites, and a large family room in the lower level. Great location with 2 reserved parking spaces! Offered at $377,500

Stop by our Falls Church City office

Louise Molton

(conveniently located next to the Hilton),

Phone: 703 244-1992 louise@moltonrealestate.com

and let us know how we can help you with your real estate needs.

710 W Broad St, Falls Church VA 22046 ~ 703-596-5303 Each Office Independently Owned and Operated

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3nd annual Unique Sweater Contest R C ST R R ealty

Dave Dexter ROCK STAR Realty ... ROCK STAR Service Jorene Stull

Erica Page Brewer

Call ROCK STAR Realty when buying or selling your home ~ 703-867-8674

FOR SALE Open Sun 1-4

Runner Up

Winner

Runner Up

Thanks to all who entered. With a record number of entries this year, the judges had a difficult time selecting a winner and the two runners up. Congrats to all!

TM

1007 Kennedy St, Falls Church City

Sunny & spacious 4 BR/3BA brick home with new master suite. Large kitchen w/new appliances.

Hardwoods, 2 fireplaces, bonus rooms & large Rec Room make for perfect entertainment space. Huge yard & stone terrace complete the outside. $899,000

FOR SALE 103 E Linden St Alexandria

Open Sun 1-4

Stunning renovation in Alexandria’s Rosemont area offers 4 BR’s up including master suite. Gorgeous Chef’s kitchen opens to large breakfast area & family room. Backyard with deck & stone terrace includes coveted off-street parking.

Just steps to Braddock METRO! $1,275,000

703-867-8674

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