October 10 — 16, 2019
Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee
Fou n d e d 1991 • V ol. XXIX No. 34
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week Fall Real Estate Special Inside
The News-Press’s Fall Real Estate Special is here with features on the difference between custom and template home building, short-term rentals in the City, how tax changes affected F.C. home sales and more. See Real Estate, pages 13 – 21
F.C. Planners Say Higher Church Steeple OK
Gender Identity, LGBTQ Issues Key School Board Candidates Debate And They’re Off!
Full Inclusivity Vs. ‘Right to Conscience’ Issues Dominate
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
as they are here. Del. Simon, in an exclusive interview with the News-Press this week, says that paying attention to what the Republicans are doing has helped establish that they’re on the defensive and fearful of losing control of their current narrow majorities in both the State Senate (a 20-19 margin) and House of
With less than a month to go before the Nov. 5 City of Falls Church municipal election of City Council and School Board candidates, it is heating up with forums, debates, yard signs, animated dinner conversations and door knocking all over the Little City. It began with an unusual forum of School Board candidates last week when gender identity and sexual orientation issues dominated to the surprise of many. For the Council, incumbents David Tarter, the current mayor, Phil Duncan and Letty Hardi are seeking re-election along with challenger Stuart Whittaker. For the School Board, incumbent Phil Reitinger and challengers Laura Downs, Sue Dimock and Douglass Stevens are vying. Next Tuesday at noon, four candidates seeking three seats on the City Council will make their case to members of the monthly Falls Church Chamber of Commerce luncheon. That day also is the deadline for registering to vote in the Nov. 5 election. That will be followed next Thursday, Oct. 17, by an evening of debate among the four Council and four School Board candidates hosted by the F.C. League of Women Voters at the George Mason High School auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m. The School Board candidates will go first, followed by the Council candidates. Then on Thursday, Oct. 24, the CBC, American Legion,
Continued on Page 8
Continued on Page 4
The Falls Church Planning Commission voted unanimously Monday to forward its OK to a zoning variance that would permit a new 120-foot high steeple to rise above a new Columbia Baptist Church building. See News Briefs, page 9
Mustang Volleyball Wins 8th Straight
The hot streak continues for George Mason’s volleyball team which claimed its eighth win in a row by beating Central High School in straight sets Tuesday. See sports, page 25
MORE THAN 260 RUNNERS and walkers showed up for the annual Teddy Bear 5K/1K Walk/Run in Pimmit Hills two weeks ago on Sept. 29. The seventh annual fundraiser raised more than $25,000 for the Falls Church-McLean Children’s Center, a preschool providing early education for children from low- and moderate-income families. F.C. Mayor David Tarter and Council Member Phil Duncan were on hand at the race and awarded teddy bears to each runner as they crossed the finish line. (Photo: Images for Good)
Democrats Optimistic About Chances in Virginia State Races by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Index
Editorial................6 Letters..................6 News & Notes.10, 11 Comment...12, 22 School News.... 23 Business News.24
Calendar..... 26,27 Classified Ads... 28 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword........ 29 Crime Report.... 30 Critter Corner.... 30
The prospects of “flipping” the Virginia State Legislature, currently operating on a hair thin advantage for the Republicans, in the upcoming Nov. 5 statewide elections have Democratic activists all over the commonwealth energized and mobilized. So says Del. Marcus Simon, who repre-
sents Falls Church, who along with his colleagues has been a careful observer of what’s going on. The election will be watched very closely nationwide as a bellwether for how the 2020 presidential and congressional elections may go as it is one of only three state elections next month (the others being Louisiana and Kentucky), and the only one where the margins are as narrow
PAGE 2 | OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2019
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Gender Iden�ty, LGBTQ Issues Dominate School Board Debate with different views based on their consciences and fair thought. There are to be protection of students’ “right to conscience,” he said. “It is not a simple solution and we need to avoid division in the community.” Dimock responded to another question related to the same subject, saying she supports an Arlington School Board statement protecting the interests of transgender students. “We need to value them and meet them where they are,” she said. “I’d be happy to support a statement like Arlington’s.” Reitinger followed noting that the School Board has always added “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to all of its anti-discrimination policies, even though the Commonwealth of Virginia does not yet recognize them. “There has not been a person on the School Board who has objected,” he said. “We support inclusivity, without moderation, as a system. It is not a moral decision to be made by others. We accept all students who are seeking to learn.”
Continued from Page 1
Democratic and Republican committees and Chamber of Commerce will host a debate of the Council candidates back at the Legion Hall, 400 N. Oak, at 7 p.m. As for last week’s kickoff School Board debate, it was not the norm. Debates in elections for the F.C. School Board seldom rise above commentaries on academic and related relatively esoteric school-related issues, but last Thursday’s forum at the American Legion Hall was an exception. Even though questions to the four candidates seeking three seats in the November election were drawn from a hat, two of them that related to gender identity and LGBTQ issues wound up steering the dominant themes of the debate in just that direction. It started when a question was drawn directed to Stevens about protections for students with gender identity issues. Stevens said that while it is important to support every student, period, we must also protect other students
Later, Downs said she felt it important to pick up on that discussion to support the policy of inclusion, saying she’s worked with a lot of LGBTQ students in her job at George Washington University “who’ve experienced a lot of pain” coming to grips with their identity. “The world is changing,” she said, “and full of differences. There must be no bullying, we must treat people as human beings, and it is an important lesson to learn for all students. She cited the addition of gender-neutral bathrooms in the new George Mason High School now under construction as an example of putting these values “into action.” Stevens, as the last to speak for the evening, then took his closing statement to reiterate his view that “while every students must be cared for,” he opposes the School Board “weighing in on personal issues and pushing one way or the other.” It is not its role, he said, “To vilify or glorify,” and cited his objection to a recent schools-backed assembly where an author spoke about transgender
issues and cited the existence of a “gender spectrum,” asking, “Why should the schools weigh in on issues like this?” Dimock was the first of three of the candidates (Reitinger and Downs included) who addressed the issue of how anxiety and lack of confidence are impacting students, and said the goal should be to make sure students are academically and emotionally prepared. She said it should include a focus on being inclusive and caring. Reitinger, the lone incumbent seeking re-election, noted that the Falls Church schools “are in a far different place than four years ago, when disputes over technology, transparency, difficulties proceeding with the Mt. Daniel expansion and the future of a new high school were all contentious.” “We have made great progress for all our students,” he said. The new high school is on target to be finished on time and under budget, and issues of the performance of disadvantaged and non-English language speaking students have been identified and addressed, as well as tak-
ing on bullying and enhancing an “IB-for-all approach” to the fact the system is now International Baccalaureate-based from kindergarten through 12th grade. He said it is important to note that for the first time in a very long time, there are no students being taught in temporary trailers. Downs, a former Elementary PTA president and on the board of the Falls Church Education Foundation, touted the system’s continued small class sizes and the work of Superintendent Peter Noonan. Stevens, a former Naval officer and resident of the City for four and a half years, said he’s excited by the prospect of “injecting myself into this incredible community,” due to “the value it places on principles and open mindedness.” The candidates all showed up at the monthly breakfast of the Falls Church City Democratic Committee last Saturday, and reiterated the same positions, including singling out again the gender identity and sexual orientation issues.
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‘Disenchanted’ Skewers Fairytale Female Stereotypes at Cauldron
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
“Disenchanted,” is a hilarious and bawdy romp, but it brings a lot more to the table than just that. The first production of the Falls Church-based Creative Cauldron’s 11th season opened last weekend and has already rung up an impressive list of praises and kudos from regional theater websites and blogs. Originally a smash hit Off Broadway a decade ago, this production is the first ever in this region where the locals have a mistaken reputation for being too uptight for such fare. Creative Cauldron’s masterful producing director Laura Connors Hull, in the program notes for this one, says the 11th season “begins with a sassy send-up of all those princess stereotypes that have wormed their way into our collective unconscious and dominated our popular culture for decades.” She adds that while Disney fai-
rytales turn into box office gold, this play “asks us to really think about the messages contained in those classic tropes, and do they really fit our 21st century, “metoo” awakened world. The answer is decidedly...no way.” In other words, Dennis T. Giacino’s play is a non-stop assault on all the vestiges of the male chauvinist culture behind the popular notion that all fairyland heroines, even the ones with some sense of a strong identity, ultimately have no wish greater than to find a man with whom to live “happily ever after.” While the height of the modern feminist movement of the 1970s was characterized by a lot of anger and outrage as women awakened to the depth of their oppression, and while that was revived with the election of a president that is the epitome of the male chauvinist pig to bring out millions onto the streets of the U.S. just after his inauguration in January 2017, this play has chosen a different way to express the
same sentiments. That is, through raucous humor. Directed by Matt Connor and with music direction by Elisa Rosman, this premiere D.C. area production is presented by the Cauldron’s new “Women for Bold New Musical Voices,” a followon to its highly-successful “Bold New Musical Voices” program that resulted in some truly creative new productions in the last couple of years. So, the idea of “Disenchanted” is that the Little Mermaid, Mulan, Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and “the Princess Who Kissed the Frog” take turns critiquing the oppression their historical roles have imposed upon them. The songs and staging are lusty and fresh, with titles (you can imagine) such as “Big Tits,” “Secondary Princess,” “All I Wanna Do Is Eat, and “One More Happ’ly Ever After.” Amber Gibson (Belle/Little Mermaid/Rapunzel), Sally Horton (Mulan, Pocahontas, Badroulbadour), Karen Keller
OCTOBER 10 – 16, 2019 | PAGE 5
IN CREATIVE CAULDRON’S “Disenchanted” (left to right) Snow White (Candice Shedd-Thompson), Cinderella (Molly Rumberger), Hua Mulan (Sally Horton), Sleeping Beauty (Karen Kelleher), Little Mermaid (Amber A. Gibson) and Princess Who Kissed the Frog (Ashley Nicholas). (Photo: Keith Waters, Kxphotography courtesy Creative Cauldron)
(Sleeping Beauty), Ashley Nicholas (The Princess Who Kissed the Frog), Molly Rumberger (Cinderella) and Candice Shedd-Thompson (Snow White) make up the on-stage cast. Presented without intermission, the 70-minute show leaves audiences with a lot to think about on the subject of women’s equality and the insidious ways in which
our popular culture, even in plays and musicals that seem to elevate women, are in fact reinforcing old paradigms of male domination and women’s oppression. The show runs through Oct. 27 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. More details and tickets are available at www. creativecauldron.org.
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PAGE 6 | OCTOBER 10 – 16, 2019
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‘Right to Conscience’ Equals Discrimination As residents of the City of Falls Church come into the final weeks of their latest local election season, with absentee voting already underway and the Nov. 5 election day only a few weeks off, there will be some additional opportunities for them to see the candidates (four for three seats for both the City Council and School Board) stand off against each other to clarify their issues and pitch for votes. There will also be the further springtime of lawn signs, lots of door-knocking (and inevitably in some rare cases, loud dog barkings and chasings), League of Women Voters published questionnaires and paid political advertising. It’s another robust campaign season and we’re grateful for the decision City voters made a few years back to have municipal elections held in November and not May. It was the influence of the old Byrd machine in Virginia that set state legislative elections in off-years, not the same years as national races, in order to better control the outcomes in-state. That may or may not ever change, but for Falls Church, just the heightened turnout of November over May elections definitely helps the public to ensure that its electoral will is adequately expressed. This election season so far has been markedly genteel and devoid of acrimony, but the first real hint of conflict arose at the School Board debate last Thursday at the American Legion Hall when the toxic phrase, “right to conscience,” was introduced into the debate on inclusivity and affirmation of students without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. Phil Reitinger, the sole incumbent running for re-election, made the existing School Board’s unanimous position clear when he stated, “We support inclusivity, without moderation, as a system. It is not a moral decision made by others. We accept all students who are seeking to learn.” The remark came after challenger Douglass Stevens argued that there needs to be a way to accept both all students, on the one hand, and those students who may wish to exercise their “right to conscience” on the other. Readers need to appreciate that the phrase, “right to conscience,” is code, if you will, for “right to discriminate.” Stevens did not mince words on the subject, saying that it should not be the role of the schools to “take sides” on the issue of full inclusivity versus the socalled “right to conscience,” as in, right to object or oppose the exercise of full inclusivity. That led to Reitinger’s comment that affirmation of full inclusivity, as expressed by the School Board, “is not a moral decision made by others.” It is a form of the issue expressed nationally in matters before the U.S. Supreme Court as to whether exercise of “religious freedom” permits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in employment and, in the famous case, of whether a bakery can deny a same-sex couple its services. F.C. must soundly reject discrimination in all its forms.
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National Effort Needed to Forge Climate Solutions Editor, As my daughter is a Falls Church resident, I was interested in the News-Press’s Sept. 27 editorial “New F.C. Environmental Goals to Focus on Climate change.” I applaud the understanding of the increasing threats posed to Virginia communities by extreme rain events, and I agree that climate change needs
to be included in municipal long range planning. My only concern with local efforts to forge climate solutions is that they are not being matched by national efforts. In the Big Picture, climate change is too massive to be fixed by cities, counties, or even states. It will be addressed by our federal government, driven
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by voters, returning to a place of leadership in the arena of nations. And it will start with pricing carbon and refunding the money to citizens, through measures such as H.R. 763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. Citizens, public officials, business leaders, and everyone who leads in any way, must speak up for the path to survival. Partisanship has nothing to do with it, because our grandchildren do not have letters after their names. Chris Wiegard Chester, Virginia
Looking Forward to Trump’s Move Out Of White House Editor, I am 81 and in poor health. Nevertheless, I hope to be around the next few years to see Donald Trump, vain, corrupt and incompetent, move from the White House to the Big House. Jerry McGinnis Arlington
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OCTOBER 10 – 16, 2019 | PAGE 7
G � � � � C � � � � � �� �� We Must Be Resilient in Fight Against Climate Change B� D�� S��
Climate Week saw chanting protesters blocking exasperated commuters from reaching their cherished downtown parking. A record number of children, globally, were speaking up and marching with signs. A young Swedish girl at the United Nations despaired about the collective lack of progress: “… and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!” But that week is over, gone, forgotten; see you next year. Climate change will continue whether you believe in it or not. There is abundant need to be resilient to these effects. Two weeks ago at the Metropolitan Washington DC Council of Governments, the 29 jurisdictions from Maryland, the District and Virginia that form and participate in this organization acknowledged the need to start planning for 2030 goals. Although the region is tracking along the line to achieve 40 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, we recognize that interim objectives and strategies do have merit and will inform our efforts on overall progress. We acknowledge the lowlying fruit is gone and it will become more difficult and costly to achieve the next set of objectives. Thus, a 2030 plan is a useful mechanism to measure our progress. Falls Church City proclaimed October to be Energy Efficiency Month. But pronouncements and meetings don’t get us to a
recognizable end-state. What are we doing here in this City to be resilient to climate change? For starters, the City has invested in buildings with Silver Leadership in Energy
“Climate change will continue whether you believe in it or not. ” and Environmental Development (LEED) certification. The City Hall renovation was built to this standard and the upcoming Library will as well (It does need to be said that today’s Silver certification is equal to last decade’s Gold). Further, the new high school will be constructed to LEED gold and Net-Zero Ready. This facility sets a standard for schools and the adjacent economic development will be built to similar standards. Truly an exemplary display of educational and civic leadership towards resilience. Chapter Five of the City’s Comprehensive Plan is scheduled for adoption later this year. This update has been shepherded by engaged citizens of the Environmental Sustainability Council and the Urban Forestry Commission. There is the immediate short-term need to address stormwater and solid waste operational and
capital investment issues. This update will address resilience by identifying what to plan and budget for to accommodate shock and stress. The urban tree canopy, existing and new growth, will play a major role in our strategy. A major change in collection and disposal of solid waste has occurred. Traditional off-shore takers are no longer willing to receive contaminated recyclables. Many classes of materials are no longer acceptable for processing off-shore or domestically. Glass poses a conundrum; while the market for ground glass is huge, to be able to get our waste stream up to that standard is difficult. Thus the choice is: do we toss glass as waste or do we invest in the Fairfax glass disposal plant? There has been a lot of sentiment that we need to address single-use plastics. In our region, eating establishments no longer provide patrons with a plastic straw as a matter of automatic response. This is all to the good. But there is still a large amount of single-use plastics that need to be considered. Sentiment is building to enable local municipalities with the ability to regulate this existential issue by defining incentives or disincentives. Keeping micro-plastics out of the seafood supply chain is being resilient. We need to enlarge our personal and fleet adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). Wide-scale EVs will allow the introduction of time-slice pricing for electricity, making it cheaper at night to recharge your personal
or school EV. Earlier this year, citizen activists from our City approached Dominion Energy Virginia about the possibility of subsidizing the acquisition of electric buses for Falls Church. Recently, Dominion has announced that they plan to assist installing 50 electric school buses by 2020 with plans to add 200 more per year for 1,050 fullyelectric school buses by 2025. As we know, school buses need to protect our most valuable citizens — our children — and the air in an electric school bus is six times cleaner than air in a diesel school bus. Healthy is resilient. Rounding out the top tier of energy and climate-related activities, we need to pass Solar Freedom, a set of eight connected regulatory actions to enable a more widespread adoption of distributed energy. It is worth supporting because not only does it enhance grid resilience, but also activates the ability of municipalities like ours, residences and small businesses to take part in renewable energy production using available rooftops and parking lots. Cost affordable distributed solar energy will result in saving taxpayer money, create jobs, lower our carbon footprint and make our communities more resilient in the face of climate change and threats to the grid. This fall, we will take this argument to the Virginia General Assembly. Dan Sze chairs the MWCOG Climate, Energy and Environmental Policy Committee.
Q������� �� ��� W��� Will Democrats flip the Virginia House of Delegates or Senate this November? • Just the House
• Just the Senate
• Yes, both the House and Senate
• Neither
Visit www.FCNP.com to cast your vote
Last Week’s Question:
Do you have any concerns with the new artificial turf at F.C.’s Larry Graves Park?
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[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
PAGE 8 | OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2019
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Virginia Dems Look for Gains in November Election
Continued from Page 1
Delegates (a 51-48 margin). Court-ordered redrawing in June of many districts deemed unfairly drawn to favor the GOP and a spate of Republican retirements (three in the Senate to no Democrats and seven in the House to five Democrats) are also seen as indicators that will translate into additional Democratic gains. Simon told the News-Press he’s seen absolutely no letdown in the energy and enthusiasm levels of Democratic candidates and volunteers all over the state, motivated among other things by their highly-negative perception of the ongoing performance of President Trump in the White House. In Trump’s first year, in 2017,
he played a big part (in a negative way) in the effort by Democrats to pick up a whopping 17 seats in Virginia House of Delegates to come within a razor thin edge of taking over then. Still, Democrats were leery at that time of their ability to hold onto such gains in the 2019 election and winning enough new seats to take the majority control. The last two years, however, has found them losing no momentum, whatsoever, Simon says, and highly motivated to win over still more seats in next month’s election. Neither Del. Simon nor his State Senate counterpart, Dick Saslaw, as the City of Falls Church’s two elected representatives in Richmond, face a seri-
ous challenge in the election next month, but that hasn’t stopped enthusiasm from being an almost fever pitch here. The local F.C. City Council and School Board elections will bring people out to the polls, nonetheless (see story, page 1), and local activists are spending time and money supporting races elsewhere in the commonwealth where chances for both holding onto and gaining new seats have been identified. Two big Republican incumbents are being targeted for defeat next month. Del. Kirk Cox, the current Speaker of the House in the 66th District, is being challenged by Sheila Bynum Coleman in the Colonial Beach area, and Del. Chris Jones, the chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee, being challenged by Clinton Jenkins in the 76th District in the Tidewater area. In both of these cases, the court-ordered redistricting of legislative districts last June have improved the chances for the Democratic challengers. A race closer to home where the Democrats are targeting resources to challenge a long-time Republican incumbent is the 40th
District in Clifton, where challenger Dan Helmer is running against Republican incumbent Del. Tim Hugo. “If local constituents want to get involved, they can easily do so by heading down to the Virginia Beach area to do some door-knocking, where the weather is still warm,” Simon quipped. He said that Clifton and Prince William County are also just down the road. Also, four races in nearby Prince William County are expected to be close for first-term Democratic incumbents, including the races involving Del. Hala Ayala, being challenged by the GOP’s Richatd Anderson, and Del. Danica Roem, the first transgender person ever elected to the legislature, challenged by the GOP’s Kelly McGinn. Also, Del. Lee Carter is being challenged by Republican Ian Lovejoy, and Del. Elizabeth Guzman is being challenged by Republican Darrell Jordan Jr. According to Del. Guzman, her opponent has taken pains to campaign as a moderate, using blue in his logo and not identifying himself as a Republican in his campaign literature. Democrats believe their chanc-
es are good to pick up State Senate seats in the Tidewater area, including where Del. Cheryl Turpin (D) is running against GOP incumbent Jen Kiggans for an open seat vacated by Republican Frank Wagner and where Missy Cotter Smasal (D) is challenging incumbent GOP Sen. Bill DeSteph. Other chances for the Democrats to gain seats in the House of Delegates include Shelly Simonds in a rematch with Del. David Yancey in Newport News, in a race that was a dead heat last time (and decided by a coin toss). That district has since been redistricted by the court order to be more favorable for Democrats. On the eastern shore, Democrat Phil Hernandez has a good shot at unseating GOP incumbent Rob Bloxom. In addition to the unpopularity of Trump in Virginia (Hillary Clinton carried the state in the 2016 presidential election) extends from the heavily proDemocratic Northern Virginia, with all its federal employees, and the Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Tidewater area with its strong military component not in love with Trump’s policies impacting them, Simon said. Plus, gun control is another issue that is proving a liability for the GOP, which now may be regretting its decision to cut short Gov. Ralph Northam’s speciallycalled legislative session last summer in response to a mass shooting in Tidewater. The GOP, led by Del. Cox, cut the session short after only 90 minutes in an effort to underscore support for existing gun laws. Meanwhile, the impact of last February’s scandals involving Gov. Northam, Lieutenant Gov. Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring, all Democrats, seems to have faded substantially. If successful in gaining a majority in the legislature in next month’s election, one of the Democrats’ first moves will be to vote for the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Simon said, adding the one additional state required to officially ratify it as a constitutional amendment after a half-century of delay. Del. Simon said that if the GOP loses control in next month’s election, it might move to a special session to stack some judgeships and make other moves before actually being replaced the first week in January 2020.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Fa l l s C h u r c h
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NEWS BRIEFS F.C. Planners OK Higher Columbia Baptist Steeple The Falls Church Planning Commission voted unanimously Monday night to forward its OK to a zoning variance that would permit a new 120-foot high steeple to rise above a new Columbia Baptist Church building on N. Washington Street. The matter will now come before the City’s Board of Zoning Appeals, which rules on such variance requests, on Oct. 17. The current height limit by code is 70 feet, although the church’s present steeple is higher than that and the steeple of the Christ Crossman Methodist Church across the street is 107 feet. The Columbia Baptist church’s hopes have been buoyed by a new Virginia law that went into effect earlier this year which modifies the conditions that localities can adopt for issuing zoning variances, changing language from “unnecessary or unreasonable hardship to the property owner” with “unreasonably restrict the utilization of the property.” The higher steeple would top a new 35,000 square foot sanctuary building on the site which would provide seating for 1,192, compared to the church’s current sanctuary that has seating for 750. The Planning Commission also unanimously OK’d from minor revisions to the site plan for that building, which will face directly onto N. Washington. As for the steeple, if approved its top would become the second highest point in the City, next to the radio tower adjacent the Falls Church Episcopal behind Tower Square. Planning Commission chair Andy Rankin shared the view of others on the board that his only objection to the higher steeple would be if the Crossman church across the street protested. Columbia representatives said they have been in touch with Crossman people and they’re OK with it.
F.C. to Celebrate 2 Holidays Monday The City of Falls Church’s City Council having voted last month to recognize on the traditional Columbus Day holiday an “Indigenous People’s Day,” this coming Monday, Oct. 14, the City will celebrate both Columbus Day and the new holiday, City Hall has announced this week. As a result, the following will occur: City Hall and Mary Riley Styles Public Library will be closed. The Community Center will be open on Monday from 8:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Some classes and programs may operate on a revised schedule. The Senior Center will be closed. The City Council meeting regularly scheduled for Monday will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall. In recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day, the Council urged the community to reflect upon the many contributions as well as the continuing struggles of Indigenous Peoples. The City also recognizes that the second Monday in October is Columbus Day as both a federal and commonwealth holiday since 1937 that honors Christopher Columbus and the contributions of Italian Americans and their history. A Council statement noted that celebrating the two holidays on the same day is a way to inform the understanding of each group’s contributions to the national fabric without demeaning the significance of either.
New President Named for NOVA Ann Kress, president for a decade of the Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York for the last decade, has been chosen following an arduous nationwide search to become the new president of the Northern Virginia Community College system, and will take on the post at the beginning of the new year. Kress takes on the position after Scott Ralls, NOVA’s president since 2015, left earlier this year to lead Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina. Kress will take over for Melvyn Schiavelli, NOVA’s executive vice president for academic and student services, who has held the interim role since mid-March. Schiavelli, who was not eligible to pursue the opening as the interim president, will retire at the end of the year.
Virginia Has 4th Lowest Violent Crime Rate Virginia had the fourth lowest violent crime rate and 13th lowest property crime rate in the United States last year, according to new data from the FBI reported Wednesday. The commonwealth had 200 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2018, the data showed. Only Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire had a lower violent crime rate. Nationally, there were 369 violent offenses per 100,000 population. Virginia had about 1,666 property crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. From 2017 to 2018, the violent crime rate decreased 3 percent and the property crime rate fell 7 percent nationwide and in Virginia. All of Virginia’s metropolitan areas had violent crime rates below the nationwide level, and most were below the national rate for property crimes. The metro areas with the most violent crime were Roanoke (235 offenses per 100,000 residents), Richmond (239), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (265) and Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News (307). (Capital News Service).
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News-Press
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Community News & Notes
A SPECIAL CELEBRATION was held at the home of former Arlington County Board member Jay Fisette at the end of September to honor the many years of volunteer political campaigning by Charlie Conrad (center) on behalf of Democratic candidates and causes. Steven Mory, a Falls Church friend (left) and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (right) were among the many who showed up to honor Charlie’s tireless work. (Photo: News-Press)
Symphonic Brass to Perform at St. Luke Catholic Church The Washington Symphonic Brass will be performing at Saint Luke Catholic Church (7001 Georgetown Pike, McLean) on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 4 p.m. The symphonic band is known for its power and romance of brass, which will be on display in this tour-de-force of brilliant and dynamic sound. The ensemble brings virtuosity and color to their take on the expressive side of Beethoven’s musical heirs. Tickets are $40 and may be purchased at the door or online at amadeusconcerts.com. Students 17 and under and active military are admitted free of charge. A pre-concert lecture by Music Director A. Scott Wood will begin
at 3:15 p.m., 45 minutes prior to the start of the concert. A reception will follow the concert, at which attendees may meet and chat with the performers and fellow concert goers.
2nd Annual Coat Drive Commences Oct. 12 In Celebration of Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 14, the second annual coat drive for the Lakota people of Pine Ridge, South Dakota will take place from Oct. 12 – Oct. 24. Those who are interested in donating should prioritize these items: Gently used hooded coats, all sizes, hoodies, all sizes and baby blankets. New items that are also badly needed include: Bars of soap,
3..2..1..FUN! Saint James Catholic School held a successful Nun Fun Run on Sept. 28 to benefit the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary’s (IHM) Camilla Hall home for retired nuns in Malvern, Pennsylvania. St. James School students and staff, along with St. James parishioners, raised over $4,500 to benefit the care of retired IHM Sisters. (Photo: Duane Hyland)
toothpaste, toothbrushes, new socks for adolescents and teenagers. Drop off sites: Community Center (223 Little Falls Street, Falls Church) and Mary Riley Styles Public Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church).
New Board Members, Call For Volunteers at F.C. Shelter Friends of Falls Church Homeless Shelter, Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide winter shelter and other services to individuals with need in the Greater Falls Church area, recently elected new board members and officers and appointed a new executive director. In conjunction with New Hope Housing, Friends of Falls
Church Homeless Shelter operates the City of Falls Church’s winter hypothermia shelter on Gordon Road in Falls Church. Board of Directors Elections — Five new members were elected to Friends of Falls Church Homeless Shelter’s board, including John F. Krotzer, James O’Keefe, Hye Joon Pak, Margaret Stauth, and Kay Zacharias-Andrews. All have been long-term committed volunteers at the Shelter Board of Directors Officers — Frankie Clogston was elected as vice-chair of the board; Rick Johannsen was elected as treasurer of the board; and Martha Mothershead was elected as corresponding secretary of the board. The officers were elected for twoyear terms, beginning immediately. Robert Fletcher will con-
tinue as chair of the board and Pat Derwinski will continue as recording secretary Executive Director — The Board of Directors approved Julene Jarnot as its new executive director. Jarnot brings an extensive background in nonprofit management experience to her new role. She has worked as a nonprofit consultant, as director of student programs at New Futures DC, as an educational adviser with Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, and as a manager with Baltimore City Head Start and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s The Choice Program. She received a nonprofit management executive certificate from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in English and political science from Marquette
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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
University. The Falls Church Homeless Shelter is also seeking volunteers to help keep the shelter open during the upcoming winter season from Nov. 15 – April 1, 2020. Volunteers assist professional staff each night between 5:45 p.m. and midnight to keep this vital service available to those in need. If any interested residents have not volunteered before, they are advised to attend one of two training sessions: Oct. 24, 6:30 p.m., or Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m., at the shelter (217 Gordon Rd., Falls Church). For more information about volunteering at the shelter, visit fcshelter. org.
World-Renowned Pianist Performs for Odeon In honor of its 20th season, Odeon Chamber Music recruits another skilled pianist to perform for local audiences, Rachel Naomi Kudo, with a concert at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church (3241 Brush Dr., Falls Church) on Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. Kudo was one of the finalists in the International
Chopin Competition in Warsaw. She won the first prize of the 2018 International Bach Competition in Leipzig. The program is: “Prelude and Fugue No.16 BWV88” / J.S. Bach; “Bagatelles Op.126” / Beethoven; “Invitation to the Dance Op.65” / Weber and “Diabelli Variations Op.120” / Beethoven. Admission is free, though a donation of $20 is suggested for concert goers. A wine and cheese reception follows the concert. For more information, visit odeonchambermusicseries.org, or e-mail at marikohiller@gmail. com
Free Home Selling Seminar Held Next 2 Saturdays McEnearney Associates is hosting a free two-hour Home Seller Seminar on consecutive Saturdays, Oct. 12 and 19, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. “This seminar is designed for ‘Over 55” homeowners who are thinking about downsizing, seeking an urban or country lifestyle change or considering a retirement
LO CA L community,” said Bruce Fall, Associate Broker. Attendees will be covering a few case studies on how brokers helped former clients make successful transitions. The seminar will also focus on various real estate decisions facing seniors. All are welcome. For more information or to reserve a seat, call 703-967-9987. Complimentary lunch included. This seminar will take place in McEnearney’s Arlington Office located at 4720 Lee Highway.
Presentation on Election Officer’s Perspective On Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m., Bill Lewers will give a presentation on “A Day at the Polls as seen through the eyes of the Election Officers,” at the Patrick Henry Library (101 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). Lewers is the author of the Gatekeepers of Democracy series that celebrate the women and men who volunteer to serve on election day. These novels were inspired by Lewer’s quarter-century of election day service in Fairfax County.
USING A STANDARD PROCEDURE PHOTO OP to bless his audience with a joke is News-Press editorin-chief, Nicholas F. Benton (center). Benton and the News-Press’ news editor, Matt Delaney (left), made an appearance at the Falls Church City Public Schools’ school board meeting Tuesday night to be recognized for making the Virginia School Board Association’s Media Honor Roll. Benton’s quip about not wanting to break the “fourth wall” for the photo drew a laugh from school board chair Erin Gill and the rest of the board members. Delaney, who’s been punched by the line a few too many times, just wanted to get back to work at the of�ice. (P����: C������� J��� W����� B����)
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
A Penny for Your Thoughts
News of Greater Falls Church By Supervisor Penny Gross
The sun was shining brightly on a mountain of discarded glass bottles at the I-95 Transfer Station last week for the announcement of a major change in recycling collections in Fairfax County. Effective last week, glass no longer will be accepted in curbside recycling bins. After much research and experimentation, Fairfax County’s Solid Waste Management Program arrived at a decision, and a new program, to handle glass recycling. Unlike familiar plastic bottles, which can be recycled in the curbside bins, glass is both heavy and subject to breakage in the collection process. When glass breaks, the shards contaminate the rest of the recycled items, often causing the entire bin of items to be handled as trash, not recycling. Broken glass also presents a potential severe hazard to personnel who collect the bins, as well as those who sort out recycled items at regional MURFs (also known as Materials Recovery Facilities). It’s dusty, dirty, and backbreaking work, and broken glass makes it much more dangerous. Glass also is a heavy commodity, making it more expensive for haulers to collect and transport to a MURF for processing. Enter Big Blue, an awesome machine that can crush up to 20 tons of glass per hour. Contrary to some opinions, glass bottles are not simply sanitized and re-used; they are crushed. I was told that the glass mountain I saw at the transfer station could be processed into cullet (small glass pebbles) and sand in about a day and a half if Big Blue ran constantly. A big yellow front loader picks up a large quantity of glass bottles, lifts the load into an elevated hopper which begins the process, moving glass up a conveyor belt to a cylinder that hammers
From the Front Row: Kaye Kory’s
Richmond Report
the glass to smithereens. No longer looking much like glass, the pieces on the conveyor belt continue to a large concrete bunker where the fine sand shakes out into a smaller mountain, and the cullet proceeds to the next bunker, also in a large pile. The sand and the cullet handled by Big Blue are used in construction projects, especially as ballast for pipe bedding and road projects. A staff worker told me that the cullet and sand are so popular for local construction projects that Big Blue has trouble keeping up with demand. According to the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council, bottle glass is 100 percent recyclable. Glass can be melted and recycled over and over again, without loss of quality, and the glass cullet can be mixed with other raw materials to make new glass. Surveys indicate that, unlike Europe, where 90 percent of glass bottles are recycled, only about a third of glass is recycled here in the United States. What can you do with glass bottles? Recycle them in the Purple Cans — large dumpsters painted bright magenta — that are located in several Northern Virginia locations. The closest Purple Can for Mason District (and greater Falls Church) residents probably is at the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike in Annandale. The large dumpster is easily found in the parking lot, and accepts glass bottles any time. Light bulbs, window glass, and other glass items are not accepted, and should be wrapped and disposed in your regular trash. Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.
CHOOSE CAR SEAT: BY AGE & SIZE
THE ONES
WHO ACTUALLY DO.
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
WHO THINK THEY HAVE THEIR CHILD IN THE RIGHT SEAT.
These are demanding and often confusing times for all of us. Fulfilling our daily obligations to live a responsible life can be difficult in and of itself. Bearing up under the constant barrage of news makes this even tougher. And the pressure that in Virginia, we are facing a very consequential election in a little less than a month with many campaigns asking for attention and help — our money, our time — and all described as “Urgent!” Are we really expected to put aside our regularly scheduled lives for this? The answer is YES. The outcome of the election on Nov. 5 is quite likely to change those regular schedules and daily lives. Let’s take the obvious effects first: How much do you value the condition of the roads you drive on? How frustrated are you with the increasingly obstructive congestion you have to navigate every day? How is this tied to the upcoming election? Well, our transportation funding comes from two sources: local and state. Candidates are running for offices at every state and local level and many of those offices determine the amount of money invested in our roads. Do you drive your children to school? Wait for them at the school bus stops? The amount of time spent by you and/or the bus driver transporting children is a direct result of road conditions and congestion. Add in the air pollution that is emitted by car and bus driving and the extra pollution coming from idling in traffic. Did you know that Fairfax County is one of a very few counties in Virginia that received an F in ozone pollution as rated by the American Lung Association? This rating is based on the number of days that ozone reaches an unhealthy level. Again, we are back to combustion engines and our roadways. Back to the decisions made by our state and locally elected officials; all of
whom — State Senators, State Delegates, County Boards of Supervisors, Commonwealth Attorneys, School Board Members, and Soil and Water Conservation District Members — will be elected in less than a month. Decisions about transportation are not made in isolation, one elected at a time. They are made by bodies of elected officials working together or refusing to do so. It is important to view this election with a wide lens, as well as with both long-term and short-term results in mind. One more daily life effect: children in school. Are your children’s classes overcrowded? Is your children’s teacher overworked and under-paid? Are your children learning what they need to know to achieve the future you envision for them? Education funding is determined by local and state officials. Teachers’ salaries and the curriculum content taught in our overcrowded classrooms are determined by local and state officials. Are you planning to send your children to a community college or a state university? Do you have a 529 account to assist with the tuition? Universities and community colleges are partially funded by state officials, tuition for state universities is determined by state officials and 529 accounts are held and managed by state officials. I hope I have demonstrated the “Urgent!” nature of our elections on November 5th; the urgency of participating in campaigns and the urgency of voting. Some folks say “If you don’t contribute or vote, don’t complain”. I say do both and then complain. Finally, I remind you that when and where you vote, as well as your eligibility to vote is decided by the state and local representatives you elect. “Urgent!” Delegate Kory represents the 38th District in the Virginia House of Delegates. She may be emailed at DelKKory@house. virginia.gov.
KNOW FOR SURE
IF YOUR CHILD IS IN THE RIGHT CAR SEAT.
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VISIT SAFERCAR.GOV/THERIGHTSEAT
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
FALL 2019 | PAGE 13
R���F���E����� 2019
Between Customized Vs. Template Homes, Choice Comes Down to $$
BY CHRISTOPHER JONES
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
Many homebuyers wonder whether it’s wiser to invest in building a custom new home from scratch or to purchase a portfolio home with pre-set elements. While it tends to be more expensive to secure an architect to design and build a unique home, buying one with pre-set features may not be as satisfying in terms of aesthetics, scale, livability, and craftsmanship in the long run, though it can yield a more profitable real estate investment. According to the Northern Virginia Realtors Association,
for the year ending in August 2019, average home prices for Falls Church soared to $801,342. Zillow notes that “Falls Church home values have gone up 2.2 percent over the past year.” Rising home prices in the Falls Church area incentivize new home shoppers to maximize the square footage and features they purchase to yield maximum assessment value. So, new home buyers tend away from fully custom designed projects they might otherwise dream of taking on, toward purchasing portfolio homes. What advantages come with a portfolio home? According to the National
Association of Home Builders, these firms “build all types of housing; and generally build for all price points.” As “production builders,” they tend to produce a high volume of similar home types per year, “based on a library of floor plans.” Because they are so large-scale, they can negotiate substantial discounts on construction materials and take full advantage of a wide range of in-house services to increase efficiencies and bring down overall costs. For Jennifer Landers, the President of New Dimensions Inc. headquartered in Fairfax, the choice to invest in a new portfolio home makes the most financial
NEW DIMENSIONS, INC. has a noticeable footprint in the City of Falls Church, with its predictable price scale giving consumers a clear idea of what they’re purchasing. (P����: N���-P����.) sense for new home shoppers. “We really do have a wide variety of homes” in size and price, she said, “and we do that so we can provide an easy entry point for any budget.”
New Dimensions customers can select one from a set of 30 pre-set “portfolio designs,” or, they can choose to slightly tweak
Continued on Page 14
INSIDE: F.C. Misses Lodging Revenue ���� 17 | Dying Tax Write-Off Not Slowing Market ���� 19 | F.C. Real Estate Market #s ����� 20-21
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R EA L E STATE
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Custom Homes Appreciate Over Time, Despite Higher Cost Upfront
Continued from Page 13
one of those designs, or, they can start from scratch and, for a higher price, order a complete custom design. Among the great benefits of pre-set designs, she emphasizes, are predictability, efficiency and lower cost. “We’ve built our portfolio designs over and over, so we know, down to the nickel, what is involved.” New Dimensions’ website showcases a range of attractive home models with their costper-square-foot prices (land not included). For example, their more affordable 1,967 squarefoot home,”The Madison,” lists, with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, at a turn-key price of $294,900. And, their larger 4-bedroom, 3.5 bath model, “The Berkshire,” lists at a finished price of $339,900. For custom architects, however, the stock portfolio home is not necessarily an attractive investment. Chief architect and owner Jeff DuBro of DuBro Architects and Builders on S. Maple Ave. in Falls Church, rejects the notion that people should want to live in “soulless” and unsustainably large pre-planned dwellings that tend to blight the distinctive architectural heritage of the community. “The experience of our Homes is a holistic one that has deeprooted meaning,” Dubro’s website proclaims, “Architecture can enrich how we live; it can strengthen our connections to nature and each other; it can improve the function of our daily tasks; and, it can enhance healthy and sustainable living. Our Homes can be alive — teaming with life and engaging our senses. This is Living Architecture.” For DuBro, the idea of comparing fully customized homes against templated portfolio homes based on estimates of costs-persquare-foot is a misleading venture. Although he acknowledges that a custom designed home may be 15-20 percent more than what a buyer might otherwise spend for a portfolio builder. However, DuBro counters by noting that the return on investment is going to be much larger in terms of the quality of life equity and the long-term market value. He points out that when his firm designs a smaller scale and more sustainable living space, customers enjoy a better lived experience. Equity, he argues, is about more than a bank appraisal. “We want to build homes that
are truly homes where you can build the experiences that make a home special and truly a home with a capital “H,” he states, “If you can do that in a way that is special to you as a homeowner and at the same time build real market value with a truly distinct property then that’s totally a winwin situation.” DuBro emphasizes that a family’s quality of life can be increased by scaling to the family’s unique economy. “Quality of life happens on many different fronts,” he emphasizes, “and it’s important to think of scale and proportionality including how the house fits into the fabric of the neighborhood it’s in.” At the architectural firm Greenspur on Broad Street in Falls Church, founder Mark Turner acknowledges that the templated home may be cheaper but argues new home customers should still explore the fully customized option, both for themselves and the community. “While there is definitely value-added to using a templated model, that’s not the kind of business we’re in,” he said, “Our reservation is that it’s not fun for us to build, it’s not unique, and it certainly takes away from the overall character of certain small towns.” Turner sees a generational trend with both millennials and baby boomers turning toward smaller scale customized homes built with craftsmanship, unique design and proportional scale. He has heard many customers say, “I don’t want a 5,000 square foot home as much as I want a welldesigned 2,000-3,000 square foot home. I want to be close to my kids.” Turner is passionate about trying to design homes for customers who share a longing for pleasurable home living spaces rather than seeing their homes as simply a place to reside while building equity. “These people are doing it for the long haul,” he says, “They’re designing spaces for their families to grow old in and they’re not left with a big house when their kids go off to school…. They’ve got a real love affair with their house.” So, what is the new home shopper in the Falls Church area to do? Clearly, one must balance financial and equity needs with the possibility that a dream home, built to the proper scale and proportionality, may be within one’s grasp.
CUSTOM HOMES are believed to appreciate in value from a long-term view, according to their architects. That’s why splurging for a full-blown custom exterior (top) could net a serious return -on-investment if the owner ever decides to sell. The same thinking goes for individual features, such as a skylight (bottom).Falls Church architect, Jeff DuBro, likes to think that equity exists outside of a bank appraisal, and can be calculated by how well the home environment fits with the owner’s lifestyle as well. (Photos: Courtesy DuBro Architects and Builders.)
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
R EA L E STATE
FALL 2019 | PAGE 15
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De l i g ht • R e ve l • A spi re
PAGE 16 | FALL 2019
R EA L E STATE A Falls Church News-Press Advertorial
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
M e e t Fa l l s C h u rc h’ s Re a l E s t a t e E x p e r t s A����� B�����, K����� W�������
I, like many others, have chosen to live, work, and raise my children in the Little City ™. I am such a strong advocate of our wonderful community and I bring over 10 years of real estate experience in sales, rentals, and renovation. Bred from a family of small business owners I understand the importance of consistently delivering a high level of customer service to all my clients. Prior to setting down roots in The Little City™, I began my real estate career over a decade ago in New York City where I held a sales position at Douglas Elliman in Manhattan. After leaving New York, I settled in the United Kingdom. I specialized in luxury residential real estate in Prime Central London working for top agencies and one of the largest privatelyowned property businesses — the Grosvenor Estate. Leading real estate teams, driving marketing and branding initiatives, I successfully negotiated hundreds of real estate transactions while representing buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants. After returning stateside several years ago, I decided the time was right to utilize my experience and wealth of knowledge from larger national and international markets, to create a brand with a focus of providing the right advice to clients, backed by the highest level of customer service, and the best marketing. To show your house in the best light, we hire top designers, writers and photographers. Which is why The Bitici Group attracts forward-thinking clients and exceptional real estate to prove that fantastic results are achieved with a bespoke, tailored approach. For an intelligent, personalized approach to buying and selling, contact The Bitici Group at Keller Williams.
Albert Bitici, The Bitici Group, KW Metro Center 2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 100, Arlington, VA, 22201 • (571) 775-0468 thebiticigroup.com
B������ E����, L��� ��� F����� Bethany Ellis is a full time and professional Residential Real Estate Agent serving all of Northern Virginia, specifically Falls Church, Falls Church City, McLean, Arlington, Herndon, Reston, Fairfax and Great Falls. Bethany is passionate about helping her clients smoothly transition through the buying or selling of a very precious commodity, their home! Bethany is tech savvy with a personal touch. Using modern technology as well as timeless tools, Bethany is a local selling and marketing expert. She will be present with you every step of the way from preparing your house for sale to negotiating the contract on your behalf. Bethany’s goal is to help guide you through the buying and selling process with expertise and experience while ensuring you are at ease. Bethany has sold over $140 Million of Real Estate and she can help you too! If you have Real Estate questions, Bethany has the answers. Call or text Bethany for a free, confidential meeting. It would be Bethany’s honor and privilige to have the opportunity to to help you buy, sell or invest in real estate.
Bethany Ellis, Long and Foster 1355 Beverly Rd., #109 McLean, VA 22101 • 703-307-7003 buyandsellwithBethany.com
T��� M�K�����, K����� W������� Tori McKinney LOVES being a Realtor—perfectly blending her passion for Falls Church and finding her clients their dream homes in her beloved community. After moving to Falls Church in 1998, McKinney immersed herself in community advocacy and served as Housing Commission Vice-Chair. McKinney is on the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation Board, Executive Producer of Tinner Hill Music Festival occurring on June 13, 2020, and is a 6-year member of Falls Church City Public Schools Business in Education Foundation. While maintaining her NVAR Lifetime Top Producer, she is a Top Producing Real Estate Agent featured in the Washingtonian and Arlington Magazines. Named Pillar of the Community by Falls Church Chamber of Commerce, she is annually voted Best Realtor by Falls Church News-Press readers.
McKinney is Falls Church’s expert, eager to provide home buyers and sellers ROCK STAR service.
Tori McKinney, ROCK STAR Realty Group, KW Metro Center 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201 • 703-867-8674 • ROCKSTARRealtyGroup.com
A����� M�����, K����� W�������-F���� C����� C��� I have been in the DC and Virginia residential real estate market as a full-time professional since 2008 as a buyer, rehabber, seller, commercial property owner, and Keller Williams Falls Church agent helping others buy and sell. I love all aspects of real estate and want to share that excitement with you when you sell or buy a home or investment property. My 360-degree experience allows me to see lots of different options and offer both traditional and creative solutions to my clients. Prior to going into real estate full time I earned an MBA degree with dual concentration in information technology and real estate finance. I worked for 25 years in the information technology industry as a Senior Manager and Director for organizations including Marriott International, Fannie Mae and Rice University. I enjoy getting involved in the Falls Church City community, and volunteer with the Village Preservation and Improvement Society and the Falls Church City Public Schools Business in Education Partnership. I am also a member of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. Let me put my strong combined real estate and technology skills to work for you to create a smooth and enjoyable selling and buying experience.
Alison Miller, Keller Williams 105 W Broad St, #200 • Falls Church, VA 22046 • 703-298-9495 amatkw.com
A��� N����, P������ S���� R����� As a Transition Navigator with Home Transition Pros, I offer a one-call approach to help empty nesters, seniors, and those tasked with closing out an estate complete a low-stress home transition. I collaborate with a wide range of experts to offer guidance, tools, and referrals for quality professionals for every step in the process. In my work with empty nesters, I have seen that the job responsibilities and lifestyle goals of the “sandwich generation” can create a need for moreor full- service moves. In 2017, I began building a network of qualified, trustworthy professionals to help my clients with all of their home transition needs: from navigating the decision of where to move, to organizing and managing belongings, making delayed repairs, and completing the home sale process. I leverage those same business relationships in my work as a Senior Real Estate Specialist; helping older people downsize, age in place, or move to assisted living. I introduce my clients to professionals with experience handling complicated moves and specialty training in working with seniors and caregivers. This collaborative approach earned recognition from the National Association of Professional Organizers DC Chapter, when I was named the 2019 Business Partner of the Year. Security and trust are the cornerstones of my approach. I maintain the highest level of integrity in my real estate practices, and seek out like-minded professionals in my network. As an extra measure of reassurance for seniors and others with security concerns, I am backgroundcheck cleared, and many of my business partners also submit to a background screening process as well. Downsizing a lifetime of belongings and selling a well-loved home can be a daunting task. Call Home Transition Pros for secure, personal attention to your entire project, start to finish.
Anna Novak, Pearson Smith Realty 8315 Lee Highway, Fairfax VA 22031 • 703-402-0471 hometransitionpros.com
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
R EA L E STATE
FALL 2019 | PAGE 17
TWO PROPERTIES right outside of City of Falls Church limits have been bringing in additional revenue for Fairfax County, which has a policy in place to handle short-term lodging requests, such as Airbnb and Vacation Rentals By Owner. One sits off Arlington Blvd. just south of the City (left) and the other is closer to the Merrifield near Jefferson District Park. (Photos: Left — Patricia Leslie/Right — Vrbo.com).
F.C. Stands Idle as Neighbors Cash In on Short-Term Lodging by Patricia Leslie
Falls Church News-Press
If the City of Falls Church had a short-term lodging policy, it might be earning revenue just like the City of Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax County have collected for their treasuries with their new short-term regulations. Although several places to rent short stays can be found online with Falls Church addresses, it’s unknown until final booking in most cases whether accommodations lie inside city limits. Falls Church has no codes on its books for rental regulations like Airbnb and Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO), although Nancy Vincent, the director for housing and human services for Falls Church, says her office has received no complaints. Since it implemented its new regulations last year, Fairfax County has collected $132,211 in transient occupancy taxes and $22,400 for 112 applications, according to county spokesman Brian Worthy.
Arlington adopted its policy in 2016 and has collected between $150,000 and $200,000 in the program in the last 12 months, said Ingrid Morroy, Arlington’s commission of revenue. Meanwhile, an Aug. 2018 article in Alexandria Living claimed Alexandria earned three times the expected income from its program. Last month, Herndon hosted a public hearing on short-term rentals which it’s considering. The reason for Falls Church’s inaction is unclear. Mayor David Tarter, members of City Council and other city officials could not be reached for comment, but Susan Finarelli, director of communications for the City of Falls Church, emailed a statement: “Right now the City does not have specific city code that addresses regulations for shortterm rentals beyond hotels and bed and breakfasts — nothing new has been developed since Air B&Bs [sic] and other brands have become popular. There is nothing specifically on the Council’s
schedule to discuss this, but staff and Council are aware that other jurisdictions in Northern Virginia have added to their codes to address these types of rentals. If that happens in the City, staff will conduct appropriate research and the public will be welcomed to submit comments and input.” Room rentals start around $40 per night (before fees) in the City of Falls Church, and many have a shared bath. Prices can reach $400 (or more) for four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms (Mary Street, outside the City limits). In total, less than five lodging units are available for rent in the City Most owners charge a cleaning fee, a service fee (for the “platform”), and state, regional and local taxes which go to general budgets, tourism and transportation. Fairfax County charges $200 for a two-year permit. Arlington has issued about 125 permits (at $65 each) since last October, according to Jessica Margarit, a manag-
er at Arlington’s Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development. Prices and places can fluctuate daily at the rental sites hosted by lodging brokers. The Falls Green community, part of the Oakwood complex on Roosevelt Boulevard inside City limits, had several listings on Airbnb, varying from a studio to two beds for one night. However, final charges could not be determined. An apartment close to the State Theatre and likely within City limits, goes for $125 a night at Airbnb without a cleaning fee, but charges $65 for service and $30 for occupancy tax and fees for “general sales and use tax (Falls Church),” according to the listing. Based on the estimated map location, “Pixie’s Place” appears to be within the city limits, too. It has a minimum two-night stay and a rate of $75 per night for an apartment of one bedroom and one private bath, $75 for cleaning, $29, service fee, and $14
for ”occupancy taxes and fees” which includes state and regional taxes and “general sales and use tax (Falls Church).” Another Falls Church address two miles from the East Falls Church Metro, which appears to be inside the City limits based on the Airbnb map, has a four-night minimum for $40-$42 per night for one bedroom, one private bath and a cleaning fee of $25, service, $25, and “occupancy taxes and fees” including those for Falls Church at $12. Outside city limits, an address is advertised off Arlington Boulevard for a room with a private bathroom for $60 or $65 per night, depending upon date requested. Airbnb offers owners the option of collecting taxes to pay jurisdictions. While the City’s interest in creating a policy for the rentable properties remains ambiguous, neighboring localities continue to bring in thousands of additional dollars to support their own citizens.
PAGE 18 | FALL 2019
R EA L E STATE
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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R EA L E STATE
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
FALL 2019 | PAGE 19
Nerfed Tax Deduc�on Sidestepped By Savvy Prospec�ve Homebuyers BY MATT DELANEY
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
The “cooling effect” speculated to hit housing markets due to the lowered Mortgage Interest Deduction cap has been avoided by the kind of upper-tier market most prone to experience it, such as the City of Falls Church. Prospective buyers have instead worked around the new law, either by getting creative with finances or making tradeoffs with home buying decisions. When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was passed in 2017, one of the key changes it made was lowering the Mortgage Interest Deduction from $1 million to $750,000. The deduction offered anyone who purchased a home below the cap the option to write off the interest on their mortgage, allowing them to get more home for a more reasonable price. The tax law’s overhaul two years ago had some market observers believing it would splash cold water on the hot hous-
ing market by negating a unique perk of homeownership found in the Mortgage Interest Deduction. A New York Times story from August showed that wasn’t the case, with most markets nationwide continuing their steady growth in activity thanks to the increased standard deduction. Virginia’s abundance of highpriced homes, especially in Northern Virginia, is why it is one of two states that used the deduction the most (New Jersey was the other), according to Northern Virginia Association of Realtors president Christine Richardson. In 2016, per Richardson, 29 percent of state taxes filed took the Mortgage Interest Deduction. State numbers weren’t available for any years after that, but nationally, the deduction’s usage dropped from 21 percent in 2017 to nine percent in 2018. Richardson believes that Virginia would follow suit with the national trend, and notes some of her clients have even mentioned restructuring their mort-
gages to accommodate it during the homebuying process. “I’ll occasionally hear from high-end buyers that ‘Well, I was thinking about putting less down, but what difference does it make if I can’t write off the interest anyway? I might as well put more down and keep my mortgage below $750,000 so it’s all tax deductible,’” Richardson said, who added that the reduced cap hasn’t been any kind of deterrent on a decision to buy or not. Elliott Oliva, a realtor at Keller Williams in McLean, echoed Richardson’s point about buyers’ strong interest in local homes. At team meetings with other Keller-Williams employees, Oliva mentioned that he and other agents haven’t identified that the Mortgage Interest Deduction’s lowered cap as having prevented any sales from closing. Average prices for single-family homes in City have gone up at least 12-14 percent since the new tax law passed. What it has affected, how-
THE HOME ON THE RIGHT is more likely to fall under the Mortgage Interest Deduction’s lowered cap of $750,000, but wise buyers for the home on the left could feasibly qualify for the deduction if they’re able to re-work their mortgage. (P����: N���-P����)
ever, is how much home people are willing to buy. For instance, some must-haves that Oliva cited were three-level houses and the right location. If those boxes are checked, Oliva’s seen buyers skip out on nice-to-haves, such as an updated, open concept-type of kitchen. It’s all about personal circumstances in Oliva’s eyes, and those are subject to each buyer’s situation.
“People will make adjustments to their price-point if need be. Sometimes they might take money out of their retirement if they really want the house, but not everyone has that kind of leverage,” Oliva said. The housing market has been in a gradual upswing since 2008, per Oliva, and the change in the Mortgage Interest Deduction isn’t strong enough to sway that.
Falls Church Real Estate is Up in 2019!
UNDER CONTRACT! The Spectrum, Falls Church 22046 UC before it hit the MLS! • 2BR 2BA 1663sqft Penthouse • Priced at $739,900.
SOLD! 402 Sherrow Avenue, Falls Church 22046 • Sold at $675,000 while still in Coming Soon status.
SOLD! 2800 W George Mason Road, Falls Church 22042 • Sold for above asking in only 2 days and closed in 3 weeks.
But low inventory persists –
I have first time home-buyers looking for a detached house in Greenway Downs or Jefferson Village with • 3/4 BRs, at least 2 full BAs • Fenced yard for a dog • Off street parking • Does not need to be super updated (pink tile ok) but must be in solid move-in condition
The best place may have less space. Call me at 703-298-9495 if you’d like to sell your home!
Alison Miller, Realtor® 703.533.1500 office 703.298.9495 anytime alisonmiller@kw.com www.AMatKW.com
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R EA L E STATE
PAGE 20 | FALL 2019
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Falls Church Area Housing Market — August 2019 Report Zip Code Area Median Price Number of Homes Sold
Average Days on Market
22046
City of Falls Church $771,288
26
22041
Bailey’s Crossroads
$310,000
33
12
22042
Sleepy Hollow
$541,000
30
38
22043
Pimmit Hills
$724,900
23
37
22044
Lake Barcroft
$652,500
8
59
51
Home Sales Vs. 1 Year Ago
Home Prices Vs. 1 Year Ago
Change in # of Homes Sold: August ‘19 vs August ‘18
Change in Median Home Price: August ‘19 vs August ‘18
-18.75%
Change in Falls Church City (22046)
+7.12%
Change in Falls Church City (22046)
-2.94%
Change in Bailey’s X-roads (22041)
+4.64%
Change in Bailey’s X-roads (22041)
-6.25%
Change in Sleepy Hollow (22042)
+0.65%
Change in Sleepy Hollow (22042)
-34.29%
Change in Pimmit Hills (22043)
+20.82%
Change in Pimmit Hills (22043)
-27.27%
Change in Lake Barcroft (22044)
-2.76%
Change in Lake Barcroft (22044)
Source: Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. Copyright © 2019 Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc.
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PAGE 21 | FALL 2019
Real Estate
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Top Falls Church Home Sales
July-September
#2 $1,900,000
#1 $2,100,000
#4 $1,700,000 #3 $1,765,000 Top 5 F.C. Home Sales July 1 – September 30, 2019 Address #1 2236 Whitcomb Pl. #2 6225 Edgewater Dr. #3 2136 Emilys Ln. #4 2301 Providence St. #5 2145 Emilys Ln.
BR
6 5 6 6 5
FB
5 5 5 6 4
HB 1 0 0 1 1
List Price
$2,100,000 $2,000,000 $1,800,000 $1,749,000 $1,699,000
Sale Price
$2,100,000 $1,900,000 $1,765,000 $1,700,000 $1,699,000
Zip
22046 22041 22043 22043 22043
Date Sold 8/16/19 9/10/19 7/16/19 7/1/19 7/22/19
Source: MRIS, Inc.; Photos: MRIS, Falls Church News-Press
#5 $1,699,000
PAGE 22 | OCTOBER 10 – 16, 2019
Trump Is a Russian Agent
While 700 words will be going into this commentary, there is only one point that must be made, over and over again if necessary. For all the abuses and crimes of the Trump administration, and his GOP watercarriers, it must be clear as to his motives that our president, Donald Trump, is a full-blown Russian agent, an agent of a foreign power hostile to this nation and all it stands for. It is troubling and puzzling to listen to otherwise-reasonable opponents of the president’s many nefarious and despicable moves say they can’t understand why he is doing the things he is. While many confess to being flummoxed and baffled, it seems the most clear-thinking of them blame his behavior on selfFALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS interest, on his real or perceived financial opportunities. Others blame a personal irrationality driven by psychological factors such as narcissism or general sociopathy. While those may be factors, they ignore the reality that is staring all of us right in the face, that was the only rational conclusion one could draw from the investigations reported in the Mueller Report. It’s the reality that explains everything clearly. He is a Russian agent! If one lines up the evidence by positing this as an operational hypothesis, and one can only wonder how many in the U.S. intelligence community, including Mueller himself, have been operating this way since Trump took office, and certainly since he fired James Comey, then everything readily falls into place. In fact, it’s only approach that does. OK, maybe it’s considered too radical to make it public that the leadership of the opposition to Trump — and sadly but realistically this is what we are now to be called, the “Resistance” or “Opposition” and not merely Democrats or anti-Trump Republicans — must begin to rally the nation against him by identifying him as an active Russian agent of influence. It is not particularly helpful to get caught in the weeds of explaining how this could have happened to this nation, although the explanations are all there in the Mueller Report. (That is, as we know, the Russians pulled off a massive and elaborate interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election to put a man into the White House who received over two million fewer votes than the popular winner). But if we accept the Mueller Report conclusion that the Russians interfered and were effective in getting Trump elected, then should we be surprised that Trump has been acting in the Russian strategic interests? On the contrary, one should be surprised that any other conclusion would apply. Speaker Pelosi has come close in her effort to characterize the issue as Trump Versus the Constitution as she moves the impeachment process forward. But in this characterization, what’s missing is a clear definition of what Trump is. Who, or what, is against the U.S. Constitution in this? It is not just Trump, it is Trump as an active agent of a hostile foreign power. Over the years, I have found useful the book by former KGB agent and defector to the West Stanislav Levchenko, “On the Wrong Side, My Life in the KGB” (Pergamon-Brassey, 1987) useful for, among other things, an appendix where he discusses how the KGB (Putin being a former leader in that agency) recruits spies and agents. He used the acronym, MICE (for money, ideology, compromise and ego), to describe the options used in the KGB method. Trump, clearly, has been a sucker for three out of four of those options. Recruiting spies and agents is a cruel and uncompromising business. As Levchenko wrote, “Mine was the second oldest profession in the world. And it’s not much different than the first. The oldest profession seduces the body; the second oldest seduces the soul.” Trump was recruited long before the Soviet Union was dissolved. In the last decade or so, Putin has seen to its revival, “implacably committed,” Levchenko wrote, “to undermining the position of the free world through military superiority, subversion, traditional espionage activities, active measures, and conventional diplomacy.” “Money, compromise and ego” ensnared Trump, and now he’s in the White House. Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Nicholas F. Benton
Our Man in Arlington By Charlie Clark
A century ago, our suburb was cultivated by many as a rural retreat from the bustling capital city. Dozens of subdivisions later, we’ve grown crowded enough to prompt even deep-rooted residents to escape ever farther out to nature. Take my friends Tim and Beth Reese, Arlington parents formerly living an expanded colonial home in East Falls Church. For decades Tim was a commercial real estate broker-contractor and she a causecommitted teacher and literacy activist. A decade ago, they surprised many by embarking on their “third chapter.” They’re now ensconced on a 77-acre grow-your-ownorganic-food farm a 90-minute drive out in Capon Bridge, West Virginia (pop. 371). They’re surrounded by two of three adult children, and grandchildren born at home with midwives. “It’s like Mayberry, with lots of old families with multiple generations here,” says Beth, who likens their move to the 1970s “back to the land” trend. “There’s arts and music and artisan food, young people with entrepreneurial dreams who want to unhitch from the 9-5 and debts to live a life more hand-crafted.” Alongside the Reese’s own offspring is a steady crop of interns from the nonprofit World Wide
Opportunities on Organic Farms, many of whom grow enchanted with the area’s beauty and stay on after their assignment, Beth says. “We all participate on the small-scale homestead farm in the growing season, with garden planting,” adds Tim. “We grow most of our meat, eggs, selected vegetables and fruits.” The exsuburban farmers raise herbs, hens and hogs, taking fattened hogs to a slaughterhouse, which prepares the carcass, and then to a butcher for steaks and chops. The big change was part serendipity. Born in West Virginia, Tim “had always wanted a place here.” In 2007, the couple bought a parcel intending “to be in Arlington three days a week doing real estate, working toward retirement,” he said. But the 2008 market collapse shook everyone’s plans. “Everything I was doing in real estate was long-term, so I just took stock,” recalls Tim. “Did I really want to spend seven-eight years rebuilding the career? It was time to start that third chapter.” Beth admits “we knew nothing about farming.” But she read case studies about gray-haired folks “becoming novices, who still have vitality, resources, knowledge and their health.” It became clear the Reeses “weren’t crazy,” or alone in their dream. People ask, “What are you, survivalists?” she recounts. “But it’s normal out here.” Instead of
“subcontracting your life,” daily routine is “an adventure. Instead of watching TV, people pick up a banjo, or put up a fence together.” For her 50th birthday, Beth got a tractor. Tim’s work redeveloping aging buildings won an award from the West Virginia Tourism office for helping revitalize the state’s small towns via “artisan food, music and art to attract young people who want to stay,” Beth said. “I don’t want to sound like we’re under a rock, but the pace of life is slower here,” Tim says. “We loved Arlington, but we don’t go to the grocery store anymore. When we run out of food, we go to our freezer, pantry or a local farmer’s market.” Without TV, without checking the news every day, the life “sounds radical, but it’s not,” Beth says. “Some of the dramatic things happening in Washington, D.C., are not as important as we think.” *** Ballston has come a long way, baby, in the 200-plus years since it was a quiet tavern, market and voting station called Ball’s Cross Roads. On Oct. 3, its Business Improvement District staged an afternoon street party to unveil its new logo and slogan “Life Is Full.” I grooved to the rockabilly tunes of White Ford Bronco performing alongside an expanded farmers market across from the Metro. Ballston, planners say, is today an 18-hour neighborhood.
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MARY ELLEN HENDERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL’S seventh grade Civic students hosted the US Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Naturalization Ceremony for 17 people from 15 countries. The new citizens had family and friends in the crowd, with entire seventh grade, their family and Falls Church City Public Schools staff attending as well. (P����: FCCPS P����/ C���� S��)
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S����� N��� � N���� F.C. City Elementary PTA Deadline Extended to Friday The FCEPTA membership deadline has been extended to Friday, Oct. 11. This is interested parents’ chance to make sure they have the PTA produced student/ family directory. Membership benefits include the directory. The deadline for class funds has also been extended to Friday. The onetime donation helps room parents plan and execute activities for and with the teachers all year long. The class funds need to be finalized to complete budgeting and begin the distribution of monies. Both the FCEPTA membership and the donation to the class funds can be done by visiting fcepta.org/ ptamembership.
Timber Lane’s Online Auction Opens on Monday The Timber Lane Elementary School PTA’s 2019 Fall Online Auction will open bidding on Oct. 14 at 7 a.m. and ends on Oct. 21 at 10 p.m. Auction highlights include 15 Disney Park Hopper admission passes, overnight staycations at Ritz Carlton Tysons and Lansdowne Resort, and a private tour of Fire Station 6 by the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department. To view items, and place your bid, visit 32auctions. com/Timber_Lane_2019. Funds generated from the auction will go toward field trips, teacher grants, classroom books
and supplies and other things that directly impact students at the Title 1 school. Auction items include school break camps, kid’s birthday party packages and indoor playground passes. Theater, museum and sporting event tickets are also available to bid on. Additional auction items include restaurant and retail gift certificates, fitness classes and gift baskets. Many local businesses have donated auction items. The online auction is the PTA’s primary fundraiser for the year. Ethnic- and language-minority students compose over 71 percent of the student body at Timber Lane, representing more than 22 countries and 34 different languages. The Timber Lane PTA would like to thank all of the businesses and organizations that have generously supported the school community by donating items to the auction.
Being VIC Member at Harris Teeter Helps F.C. City Schools Falls Church City Public School (FCCPS) parents and students are encouraged to have their Harris Teeter VIC Card registered for this year to help the schools. Last year, FCCPS earned more than $7,000 from the Harris Teeter Together in Education program because several hundred people registered as users. So far this year, fewer than 150 people are signed up. All
VIC Cards must be linked yearly. Visit the Harris Teeter website to register through an individual account, or stop at customer service. FCCPS school numbers are — Jessie Thackrey Preschool 3301; Mt. Daniel Elementary School 5097; Thomas Jefferson Elementary School 5098; Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School 5100; George Mason High School 5693.
Falls Church High Students Place at Skills Competition Students from the Fairfax County Public Schools Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) program returned victorious from the 2019 SkillsUSA Culinary Arts Cake Decorating and Knife Skills competition held at the Virginia State Fair in Doswell. Twenty students throughout the state of Virginia competed in the cake decorating competition. Four Falls Church High School students placed in the competition, with Jazmin Diaz in third, Allison Romero in fourth, Mireylin Garcia in sixth and Maxi Liebisch in tenth. The SkillsUSA Championships are competitive events showcasing the best career and technical education students in the nation. The philosophy of the championship is to reward students for excellence, to involve industry in directly evaluating student performance and to keep training relevant to employers’ needs.
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B������� N��� � N���� Free Fitness Classes at Mr. Brown’s Park This Weekend Two free fitness classes will be held in Mr. Brown’s Park this weekend. Strength Training for Runners will be offered by Sports PT Lab on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 9 a.m. while tai chi will be offered by Karma Yoga on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 10:30 a.m. Running or workout attire is recommended. Water is provided. For more information, visit www. FallsChurchVA.gov.
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NOVA Annandale Looking for Career Fair Participants Businesses interested in participating in the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College’s fall 2019 Career Fair have until 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 14 to register. The fair will be held on Thursday, Oct. 24 from noon – 2:30 p.m. NOVA students from all disciplines will be invited to attend this event highlighting job opportunities at local businesses. To secure a table or to present to prospective employees, visit www.nvcc. edu/annandale.
F.C. Chamber to Host ‘Meet the Candidates’ Luncheon Next Tuesday The Falls Church Chamber of Commerce is hosting a “Meet the Falls Church City Council Candidates” luncheon on Tuesday, Oct. 15 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. at the Italian Café in Falls Church. The event will be moderated by Andrew Painter and include Council first-time candidate Stuart Whittaker and incumbents Mayor David Tarter, Phil Duncan and Letty Hardi. For event information and tickets, visit www. FallsChurchChamber.org.
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Moe’s Raising $ For Grace Christian Academy Moe’s Southwest Grill in Baileys Crossroads is raising funds for Grace Christian Academy on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 5 – 8 p.m. The nonprofit Christian elementary school will receive 20 percent of proceeds from diners who show a special flyer, available under the Support our Schools Fundraising tab at www.gracechristianacademy.org. Moe’s is located at 5855 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church.
Blackfin Purchases Loren Falls Church Building for $70 Million Arlington-based Blackfin Real Estate Investors has purchased Loren Falls Church, a class-A, mixed-use property located at 6410 Arlington Boulevard from New York-based Sachs Companies for $70 million. Blackfin managing partner Doug Root cited the arrival of Amazon’s upcoming HQ2 in Arlington as a reason for the purchase. “We believe Amazon’s decision to establish Northern Virginia as its East Coast headquarters location will drive significant future rent growth in nearby markets such as Falls Church and beyond,” Doug Root said in a press release. “We are thrilled to have an asset uniquely positioned to reap those benefits.” For more information, visit www.blackfinrei.com. The Loren offers apartments, townhomes, a nail salon called Nothing in Between, and several businesses opening soon including Casual Pint and Orangetheory Fitness.
‘Nutcracker’ Ballet Set for Mason High Dec. 7 & 8 The Kintz-Mejia Academy of Ballet will stage its 35th annual “Nutcracker” ballet performance at the George Mason High School Theatre in Falls Church on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7 and 8. In addition to youth students, ranging in age from 3 to 18, there are adult students and several international and U.S. guest artists appearing in this full-length, classical production. The Kintz-Mejia Academy of Ballet trains in classical Russian-style (Vaganova) ballet and is led by two former international prize-winner professional ballet dancers. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to www. kintzmejiaballet.org. 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.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Cross Country
ON SATURDAY MORNING, George Mason High School’s cross country team traveled north of the Mason-Dixon Line and took on some of Pennsylvania’s top teams. The team was fortunate with perfect cross country weather that led to impressive times over the flat, fast 5K course. Overall, the girls placed 9th with 282pts, beating Camp Hill High School and host Gettysburg High School, while the boys finished 16th with 447pts beating Frederick High School and Mountain View High School. The girls had 6 of their runners in the top 100 and the boys had one of the best 1-5 spread in 44 seconds (Photo: Carol Sly)
THE GIRLS were led by Lauren Mellon’s 14th place medal finish in 20:01 and followed by Victoria Lecce (bottom picture) 45th place in 20:59. Both are now 8th and 21st all-time for the Mustangs. The boys were paced by Colson Board’s (top picture) 61st place finish in 17:34, followed by David Meade in 92nd place in 18:03. Congrats to Board who is now 6th alltime at Mason while Meade is 13th, with Jack Brown being 16th, Nick Fiegel being 17th and Troup Jacobson being 21st. (Photo: Carol Sly)
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OCTOBER 10 – 16, 2019 | PAGE 25
Mustangs Make It 8 Straight With 3-0 Win Over Central by Caitlin Butler
Falls Church News-Press
The hot streak continues for George Mason High School’s volleyball team which claimed its eighth win in a row by beating Central High School in straight sets Tuesday night. “We came out with a lot of energy. We haven’t been at home in a while so there was a lot of excitement and nerves heading into the day,” said junior outside hitter Megan Boesen, who was eager to return to the home court after two weeks of road games. Junior outside hitter Catherine Carroll scored the match point off a clean pass from sophomore setter Lily Kulok helped seal the 3-0 victory over the Falcons. The first set began with the visiting team nailing down multiple back-to-back points on the Mustangs. “The first 10 points were a little rough and right off the bat we knew this wasn’t us,” said Boesen. After a crucial timeout called by Mason head coach Derek Baxter, the Mustangs came out strong. The dynamic changed on the court for Mason after the first set. “In the first set we started off really low and then we took a time out and the talk in the huddle was ‘We can be better than this’ we were really silent the first set. Just getting the communication and the energy back,” added Boesen. An ace from junior libero Caroline Poley followed the timeout to cut the Mustang deficit to four points (12-8). A hard fought comeback saw Mason outscore Central 17-5 down the stretch to take the first set with a 25-17 final line. The Mustangs continued to find holes in the opposing team’s defense during the second set. A smooth winning blow by junior middle hitter Roza Gal, who was helped by fellow junior setter Olivia Pilson, allowed Mason to snatch another set victory with a score of 25-18. The third set’s momentum was carried by multiple aces from Boesen. Her talents guided the Mustangs to a 19-15 lead. After hitting the throttle, Mason ended the third set with a swift win 25-19 clinching.
JUNIOR OUTSIDE HITTER Megan Boesen was serving aces all over the court to start the third set against Central High School Tuesday night. Mason held a safe-ish lead at 19-15 before junior outside hitter Catherine Caroll scored the final kill to take the match in straight sets. (Photo: Carol Sly) “I always know Central is going to be a tough team. I enjoy playing them because they play scrappy,” Baxter said. “In the first set we had a lot of errors and after the timeout they handled that. The whole communication was just to play our game and clean up what we have to clean up.”
Baxter’s key to their hot streak is to, “Not focus on it. It’s just ‘What do we have to improve on?’ It’s a matter of what we have to do to get better and focusing on that.” Mason looks to keep their winning streak alive on the road against Manassas Park High School tonight.
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FALLS CHURCHCALENDAR COMMUNITYEVENTS
Falls St., Falls Church). 10 – 11 a.m.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12
Community Forum on Mental Wellness. Attend a conversation with area experts on helping children and teens with anxiety by fostering supportive environments in all forms of the modern family. Virginia Hospital Center (1701 N. George Mason Dr., Arlington). 7 – 8:30 p.m. 703-717-4424.
Farmers Market. The year-round market is filled with fresh, local produce, meat, dairy and much more. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Falls Church). 8 a.m. – noon. 703248-5034.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11 Arm Chair Travel: Australia. Interested attendees can see the world from the comfort a chair. The group will view a video about Australia. No registration required to attend. This program is sponsored by the Falls Church Senior Center & Mary Riley Styles Public Library. Teen Center @ Community Center (223 Little
Strength Training for Runners with Sports PT Lab. Learn the “why” behind strength training and how vital it is to stay healthy and injury free. Learn how exercise can specifically improve run form and performance. Participants are advised to wear workout attire and running shoes. Mr. Brown’s Park (100 block of W. Broad St., Falls Church). 9 – 10 a.m. 703-248-5210. Halloween Window Painting Festival. Design and paint a
Halloween themed window at a designated Falls Church City business. Clean up dates: Nov. 1 – 4 (painters are expected to clean up their windows). Registration necessary (all concept paintings of what will be done are turned in in advance so the windows can be chosen from the participating businesses). Register as an individual or a group. To register and for more details, visit fallschurcharts.org/halloweenstore-window-painting-festival. Mr. Brown’s Park (100 block of W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. 703-248-5491. Farm Day. The 26th annual Farm Day returns to Cherry Hill Park. This family event features blacksmith demonstrations, horse-drawn hayrides and more. Children can learn basic farming skills such as corn-shelling and beekeeping. Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave., Falls Church). 10 a.m. –
3 p.m. 703-248-5171.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13 Sunday Morning Tai Chi with Karma Yoga. Interested attendees can enjoy a free tai chi class with Karma Yoga. Mr. Brown’s Park (100 block of W. Broad St., Falls Church). 9 – 10 a.m. 703-2485210 (TTY 711).
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16 Town Hall: West Falls Church Project. Interested residents can join members of City Boards and Commissions at a special presentation from the West Falls Church Project developer about their Special Exception Site Plan preview. This event will be recorded by FCCTV and posted on the City’s website and YouTube channel. Council Chambers @ City Hall (300 Park Ave., Falls Church). 703-248-5106 (TTY 711).
THEATER&ARTS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11 “Disenchanted!” Ditch the glass slippers, kissing frogs, and charming princes, and enter the magical land of Disenchanted! Watch the princesses you know and love as you’ve never seen them before, in the regional premiere of this musical adventure. Nominated for ‘Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical’ (Outer Critics Circle Awards) and ‘Best New OffBroadway Musical’ (Off Broadway Alliance Awards). Creative Cauldron (410 S. Maple Ave., Falls Church). $35. 8 p.m. creativecauldron.org.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12 “Escaped Alone.” In a serene British garden three old friends are joined by a neighbor to engage in amiable chitchat — with a side of apocalyptic horror. The women’s talk of grandchildren and tv shows breezily intersperses with tales of terror in a quietly teetering world where all is not what it seems. Acclaimed Washington,
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D.C. actress Holly Twyford takes the helm as director for the Washington premiere of this dazzling and inventive masterpiece. Signature Theatre (420 Campbell Ave., Arlington) $56 – $95. 2 p.m. sigtheatre.org. “Trying.” This two-hander explores the author’s real experience working for Francis Biddle at his home in Washington, DC from 1967-1968. Judge Biddle, Former Attorney General of the United States under Franklin Roosevelt and Chief Judge of the American Military Tribunal at Nuremberg is notoriously hard on his staff as he tries to cement his legacy. Can the old Philadelphia aristocrat and his young Canadian assistant bridge the generational divide and come to understand one another in this “comic and touching” play (The New York Times)? 1st Stage Theatre (1524 Spring Hill Rd.., Tysons) $42. 8 p.m. 1ststagetysons.org.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13 “And Then There Were None.” Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion by a mysterious couple. As they gather for dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, one of the guests is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide. The tension escalates as the survivors realize the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again… and again… and again. James Lee Community Center (2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church) $20. 2 p.m. providenceplayers.org
LIVEMUSIC THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10 Elvis with Randoll Rivers. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 5:30 p.m. 703-2419504. Bret Beale Duo Live. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 6:30 p.m. 703-2378333.
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OCTOBER 10 – 16, 2019 | PAGE 27
Lucy Kaplansky. Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). $28. 8 p.m. 703-255-1900. Karaoke. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-8589186. 19th Street Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-2419504.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11 Happy Hour: Merle Haggard Show. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-241-9504. Rockers Sessions: Put Down Your Weapons feat. Nkula + Nappy Riddem + Mighty Joshua. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10 – $20. 8 p.m. 703255-1566. Over the Rhine. Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). $27. 8 p.m. 703-255-1900. Blue Book Value Band. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-858-9186. Kany Garcia. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $42 – $52. 9 p.m. 703237-0300.
19TH STREET BAND will be at JV’s Restaurant tonight. (Photo: Courtesy Photo) Flamenco Legends. Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). $52. 8 p.m. 703-255-1900.
Cactus Liquors. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-241-9504.
Zoso — The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $17 – $20. 9 p.m. 703-237-0300.
Swell. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.
Goodfellas. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-241-9504.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12
Riot Night feat. AJ Perdomo (of The Dangerous Summer) + James Munoz (of The Bled) + Joe Reo (of Hidden in Plain View). Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 10 p.m. 703255-1566.
Leesburg Pike Bluegrass. Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave., Falls Church). 10:30 a.m. The Nighthawks. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20. 6:30 p.m. 703-255-1566. No Reply Live (with new lead singer). Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-8589186.
(6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 1 p.m. 703-241-9504. The Ruins. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-241-9504. Open Mic. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-8589186.
Buddy Guy. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $79. 8 p.m. 703-2370300.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15
D.C. All-Star Funk Band. Clare and Don’s Beach Shack. (130 North Washington St., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-532-9283.
Peter Case with Brian Dunne. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20. 7:30 p.m. 703255-1566.
Chely Wright. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 7 p.m. 703-255-1566.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16
UltraSwayed. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.
King Teddy Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-2419504.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13
MONDAY, OCTOBER 14
Jimmy Cole. JV’s Restaurant
Bittner + Taylor Hart. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 7:30 p.m. 703-2551566.
Sarah
Reeves
with
Nathan
The Collection with Strong Water. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $12 – $25. 6:30 p.m. 703-255-1566. Open Mic with Bob Hume and Martha Capone. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-2419504.
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 28 | OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2019
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Public Notice SUMMARY NOTICE OF BOND SALE $125,435,000* CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA GENERAL OBLIGATION PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT AND REFUNDING BONDS, SERIES 2019B Electronic bids, via BiDCOMP/PARITY® Competitive Bidding System (“BiDCOMP/ Parity”) for the purchase of all, and not less than all, of the $125,435,000* aggregate principal amount of City of Falls Church, Virginia General Obligation Public Improvement and Refunding Bonds, Series 2019B (the “Bonds”) will be received by the City
of Falls Church, Virginia (the “City”) until 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on October 22, 2019. The Bonds are more particularly described in the Preliminary Official Statement prepared in connection with the offer and sale of the Bonds, and copies thereof, together with the Official Notice of Bond Sale (the “NOS”) containing other terms and conditions relating to the requirements for bidding on the Bonds, will be available to bidders on request, on or after October 14, 2019, by contacting the City’s financial advisor, Davenport & Company LLC, at (804) 697-2920. The Bonds will be general obligations of the City, secured by a pledge of the City’s full faith and credit. The Bonds will be dated their date of delivery, expected to be November 7, 2019, and will be issued as fully registered bonds in book-entry form only. The Bonds will mature on July 15 of each year as set forth in the NOS. Interest on the Bonds will be calculated on a 30/360 basis and will be payable semiannually on July 15 and January 15, commencing July 15, 2020. The legal opinion of McGuireWoods LLP, in substantially the form set forth in an appendix to the Preliminary Official Statement, will be furnished at no expense to the successful bidder. The City reserves the right to change the date and time established for the receipt of bids and the principal amounts of the Bonds by providing notice thereof on Parity/www.idealprospectus.com or www.TM3.com not later than 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on the announced date for the receipt of bids. This Summary Notice of Bond Sale does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Bonds, which shall be sold to bidders only following their receipt of the Preliminary Official Statement. CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA By: F. Wyatt Shields, City Manager _____________ *Preliminary; subject to change
CITY OF FALLS CHURCH FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA PUBLIC NOTICE The Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) of the City of Falls Church, Virginia will hold a public hearing on October 17, 2019 at 7:30 PM in the City Hall Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue, to consider the following items: Variance application V1607-19 by Columbia Baptist Church to Section 48-1102(a)(1), to allow a steeple height of 125 feet instead of the maximum permitted height of 70 feet for the purpose of constructing a building addition, and a new steeple on premises
known as 103 West Columbia Street, RPC #51-103-024 of Falls Church Real Property Records, zoned T-1, Transitional. Information on the above application is available for review at: Zoning Office 300 Park Avenue Suite 103 East Falls Church, VA. 703-248-5015 (option 1) zoning@fallschurchva.gov This location is fully accessible to persons with physical disabilities and special services or assistance may be requested in advance. (TTY 711)
Auction ATTENTION AUCTIONEERS ADVERTISE YOUR UPCOMING auctions statewide or in other states. Affordable Print and Digital Solutions reaching your target audiences. Call this paper or Landon Clark at Virginia Press Services 804-5217576, landonc@vpa.net
We are pledged to the letter and spirit 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.
HUGE INDOOR GARAGE SALE OCTOBER 12-13, Fredericksburg Expo Center. Admission 1 day $4 2 day: $5 Oct 12: 9am-5pm and Oct 13: 10am-3pm. www.everythingbutthegarage.com
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A RTS&E NTE RTA I NME NT
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Crossword
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© 2018 David Levinson Wilk
Across
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1. With 69-Across, less than 300 dots per inch, commonly ... or a hint to this puzzle’s theme 4. Jackson of country music 8. Extinguish 12. “____ robbed!” 14. “The ____ All Fears” (2002 movie) 16. “Hahahahahaha!” 17. Actress Suvari 18. Trekkies’ genre 19. State said to be “high in the middle” 20. “Toy Story” boy 21. ____ Soliloquy (Act 1, Scene III speech in “Othello”) 22. Have-____ (the poor) 23. Hypotheticals 25. Expressed wonder 27. It’s the law 31. Anastasia’s love in Disney’s “Anastasia” 35. Presidential retreat whose name is Spanish for “Sea to Lake” 37. Once dominant cell phones 38. “... ____ saw Elba” 39. Chinese menu assurance 41. Female name that’s an anagram of “male” 42. Marketing space 44. Tell the world 46. Concern for a lifeguard 48. Played awhile onstage 49. Drum kit component 51. Ending for rocket or racket
STRANGE BREW 1. With 69-Across, less than 300 dots per inch, commonly ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme 4. Jackson of country music
OCTOBER 10 – 16, 2019 | PAGE 29
52. Eleven’s preferred breakfast brand on “Stranger Things” 55. Time off, informally 57. Perlman of “Cheers” 61. “The Alienist” novelist Caleb 62. Spanish 101 verb 63. Long and slippery 64. Mötley ____ 65. Do military duty 66. After-Christmas event 67. Flows back 68. Colors, as Easter eggs 69. See 1-Across
DOWN
1. Peru’s capital 2. Actor Wilson who has appeared with Ben Stiller in a dozen films 3. Prop for a magician 4. Helper takes a chance? 5. ____ Brasi, enforcer in “The Godfather” 6. Pal 7. Sign by a pool 8. Dance studio aids in the Yukon territory? 9. “Here’s what I think,” in textspeak 10. Café au ____ 11. Elton’s johns 13. “Please don’t tell me they’re skin lesions”? 15. Anglers Cardin, Salinger and Trudeau? 24. Suffix with ear or arm 26. Music genre for Weezer 27. Mascara misadventure
JOHN DEERING
Sudoku
28. Late, in Livorno 29. “Your 15 minutes of fame ____!” 30. Freudian subject 32. Cultivates land 33. Easily-wrinkled fabric 34. “All I gotta do ____ naturally” (Beatles lyric) 36. “4 real?!?” 40. It can cover a lot of ground 43. “Am ____ your way?” 45. Quiet end? 47. Like 18 1/2 minutes of the Watergate tapes 50. Diary passage 52. “____ homo” 53. Duds 54. Chow 56. Singer/songwriter Matthews 58. Get wind of 59. Magazine that’s weekly in France but monthly in the U.S. 60. All those in favor A C I D M I M E D
R A D
T H O U
Last Thursday’s Solution
L I N K
A L I A
S I C K B U K L U N H E R I L O N T O N G Y E S O Z E M E I D E S N N A B E A R Y
K I O Y E C F O L K I S S P I L T N K C R E A H A S A K I S S L O C H E N A C I A D C K I S S H A R E E L L A M E
S O T T E D
S M A Z E
M M I A R R A S A Y L A I N S N
C O L E
A M V A E S R
R I G I D
O N E A L
W A L L E
L I K E
E L I A
S A N K
By The Mepham Group
Level 1 2 3 4
8. Extinguish 12. "____ robbed!" 14. "The ____ All Fears" (2002 movie) 16. "Hahahahahaha!" 17. Actress Suvari 18. Trekkies' genre 1
19. State said to be "high in the middle" 20. "Toy Story" boy 21. ____ Soliloquy (Act 1, Scene III speech in "Othello") 22. Have-____ (the poor) 23. Hypotheticals Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle
25. Expressed wonder NICK KNACK
© 2019 N.F. Benton
1
10/13/19
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 sudoku.org.uk. © 2019 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
LO CA L
PAGE 30 | OCTOBER 10 – 16, 2019
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Falls Church News-Press Vol. XIX, No. 32 • October 15, 2009
Falls Church News-Press Vol. IX, No. 31 • October 14, 1999
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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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
Face Off on Cherry Hill Park Referendum Set for Tuesday
Mayor Gardner Says F.C. Fiscal Shortfall is ‘Serious, But Not Dire’
Next Tuesday night, just two weeks before Election Day 1999, citizens of Falls Church wil have their one and only opportunity to see proponents and opponents of the City’s “Cherry Hill Park Supermajority” referendum face off on a public platform. The event, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Council chambers at City Hall.
Surprisingly, just one week after the Falls Church City Council and School Board were introduced to the staggering $4.2 million shortfall in the CIty’s $66 million annual budget, not one citizen stepped forward to comment during the public petition period of this Tuesday’s City Council meeting to voice their concern about how the City will fare in the near future.
Former Music Teacher, Linda White, Dies Linda Kaye (Boyte) White, a nationally recognized elementary music teacher, passed away peacefully on Oct. 1 at age 71. Surviving are her husband of 45 years, William White of Fairfax; daughter Margaret and husband Patrick Campbell of Falls Church; son Matthew and wife Tessa White of Fairfax and four grandchildren. Linda has two surviving brothers, Grayson and his wife Lona Boyte of Maupin, Oregon and Henry Boyte of Laredo, Texas. Linda was a music specialist for 11 years in Columbus, Indiana public schools; a founding mother
of Paradiddles Music Consulting Team with Bonnie Draeger and an elementary music teacher at Wolf Trap and Haycock Elementary Schools in Fairfax County for 18 years. She was the recipient of numerous local and national fellowships, grants and awards, culminating in her induction into the National Teacher Hall of Fame in 2006 and her selection by USA Today as one of the top teachers in the country in 2007-08. Linda participated in several international teacher exchange programs, including Fulbright
C � � � � � F� � � � C � � � � �
CRIME REPORT Week of Sept. 30 – Oct. 4, 2019
Public.
Fraud, 100 blk Lounsbury Pl, Sept 30, 3:26 PM, an incident of fraud was reported.
Larceny, 100 blk N Washington St, Oct 2, between 1:30 and 4:30 PM, unknown suspect(s) took unattended items of value.
Drunk in Public, 300 blk W Broad St, Oct 1, 8:37 PM, a male, 51, of Culpeper, VA, was arrested for Drunk in Public and Drinking Alcohol in
Prostitution, 300 blk W Broad St, Oct 4, 11:03 PM, a female, 42, of Brooklyn, NY, was arrested for Prostitution and for Residing at a
Hays Fellowships, to New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Ukraine, China and Egypt. A memorial service will be held at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, In Arlington on Oct. 14. from 2 – 3 p.m. with a coffee reception from 3 – 5 p.m. There will be a receiving time at 10 a.m. – noon for those who cannot attend the service. In lieu of flowers, the family askes that donations may be made online to the children’s cancer 503(c) charities, either “Makea-Wish Foundation” or “Special Love.” Bawdy Place for Immoral Purposes. Destruction of Property, 700 blk Park Ave, between 4:30 PM, Oct 4 and 1:19 PM, Oct 5, unknown suspect(s) smashed out the front driver side window of a Ford Fiesta. Drug/Narcotic Violation, 100 blk N Maple Ave, Oct 6, 12:26 AM, following a traffic stop, a male, 24, of Dumfries, VA, was issued a summons for Possession of Marijuana. Urinating in Public, 300 blk Hillwood Ave, Oct 6, 1:55 AM, a male, 33, of the City of Falls Church, VA, was issued a summons for Urinating in Public.
Share Curiosity. Read Together.
OH SWEET LILI, OH SWEET GURL! Look at those eyes! They say “Love.” (And also, “Can I have a snack? How about a walk?”). But she is irresistible in her new neighborhood with dresses like the one she has on today! Miss Eileen and Janine, along with friends, tend to her every whim. Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.
Benton Publishes ‘Important’ New Book on Gay Men, Feminism BY J. ROSLYN
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS
With his 2013 book, “Extraordinary Hearts: Reclaiming Gay Sensibility’s Central Role in the Progress of Civilization,” Nicholas F. Benton established himself as one of the pre-eminent scholars in the field of LGBT studies. In “Gay Men in the Feminist Revolution: Articles, Pamphlets & Reflections on My Gay Activist Days In San Francisco, 19691972,” Benton demonstrates his bona fides once again. He was not only there in the beginning when the gay rights movement exploded on the national scene, he helped to give voice to that movement in contemporaneous writings published in the Berkeley Barb and in the leaflets and pamphlets handed out by like minded young people.
Benton was there, he knew Harvey Milk and others like Milk. Through his writing, Benton helped to support those who were brave enough to declare themselves in the face of the sneering judgmental condemnation of Nixon’s “silent majority,” including his own father. By supporting these brave young men and women, Benton helped to mobilize college students and faculty to take a stand in support of the burgeoning gay rights movement. “Gay Men in the Feminist Revolution: Articles, Pamphlets & Reflections on My Gay Activist Days In San Francisco, 19691972,” should be required reading in every college course that touches on women’s rights, feminism, LGBT rights and the history of all of the above. This is an important book.
Make Your Pet a Star! Critter
Corner
Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Snap a pic of your critter and email it to: CRITTERCORNER@FCNP.COM
www.read.gov
OR mail it to Critter Corner c/o Falls Church News-Press 200 Little Falls Street #508 Falls Church, Va 22046
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OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2019 | PAGE 31
SMARTEST, HEALTHIEST & WEALTHIEST
PEOPLE IN THE NATION. DO YOU? The City of Falls Church: #3 Healthiest Community in America, 2019 U.S. News & World Report #4 Richest County in America, 2019 Forbes 80%+ F.C. residents 25 years+ with Bachelor’s Degrees or Higher, U.S. Census Bureau Also... #1 Best County in the U.S. to Live In, 2018 USA TODAY #1 Fastest Growing County in America, U.S. Census Bureau #1 Traditional High School in Virginia (George Mason H.S.), 2018 U.S. News & World Report
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© 2019 Tori McKinney, LLC