October 3 — 9, 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. 33
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week New Turf Fields in F.C. Raise Concerns
City officials hope new artifical turf fields at Larry Graves Park will be more durable to the climate as well as to its users, but the recent installation hasn’t been well received by all. See Story, page 5
Candidates for School Board Face Off Tonight
F.C’s Economic Development Authority Calls for Affordable Housing Task Force Urgent Need is Subject of Letter To F.C. Council
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Candidates vying for the City of Falls Church School Board in next month’s election will face off in a forum tonight at Legion Hall. See News Briefs, page 9
F.C. Episcopal’s Rev. Ohmer Plans to Leave
Rev. John Ohmer, who has served as the rector of the historic Falls Church Episcopal Church since 2012, issued a letter to his congregation last week saying he will be leaving his post for a new assignment in Asheville, North Carolina, in November. See News Briefs, page 9
Mason Trounces Sidwell at Homecoming In front of a large, boisterous Homecoming crowd, George Mason High School’s football team defeated Sidwell Friends School 35-7 to capture its first home win of the season and improve to a 3-2 record. See sports, page 17
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT of Falls Church’s New Editions Consulting, Inc., Sheila Newman, has spent over three decades working to give people with disabilities a boost in the labor force by letting them demonstrate their skills as a member of her company. (Photo: News-Press)
Local Organization ‘New Editions’ Wins National Disability Honor
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Index
Editorial................6 Letters.......... 6, 22 News & Notes.10, 11 Comment...12, 13 School News.... 16 Calendar..... 18,19
Classified Ads... 20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword........ 21 Crime Report.... 22 Critter Corner.... 22 Business News.23
“Diversity” is commonly attributed to those from different racial, sexual and religious backgrounds, but New Editions Consulting, Inc. has broadened the buzzword’s meaning to include employing people with disabilities so much that the Falls Church-based government con-
tractor was recognized for its commitment. The National Organization on Disability (NOD) recently announced that New Editions is among 59 organizations nationwide to be named a 2019 NOD Leading Disability Employer, according to a press statement from New Editions released this week. Founder and president Sheila
Newman, whose spent 35 years both advocating and working to enrich the lives of people with disabilities, believes that extended time assisting this population helps remove some of the stigmatized judgment companies less familiar with that workforce may have. That discriminatory view contributes to the gap in
Continued on Page 4
Falls Church’s Economic Development Authority, the influential, semi-autonomous body tasked with advancing the cause of economic development in the Little City, voted unanimously at its monthly meeting Tuesday night to participate in the City’s dialogue over plans to improve its affordable housing stock. It voted to submit a letter to the F.C. City Council urging the formation of an ad hoc committee on affordable housing. “There is urgency to this issue as the current trends are moving in the wrong direction,” a draft letter from the EDA board approved Tuesday states. “In order to develop a comprehensive approach, the EDA is recommending the establishment, by the City Council, of an Ad Hoc Committee featuring all the City’s interested public and private parties, civic organizations, faith-based groups, and more that would come together to tackle this issue and outline a variety of possible solutions,” it added. A sentence was added to the letter at the meeting stating the EDA’s view that affordable housing solutions are not undertaken at the expense of on-going market-based economic development issues. But it recognizes that “housing and economic development issues are intertwined in many ways, including but not limited to the benefits of a diverse population, including diverse economic backgrounds, the impact on hiring and retaining employees, and the
Continued on Page 8
PAGE 2 | OCTOBER 3 - 9, 2019
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Continued from Page 1
employment between able-bodied workers and people with disabilities. “We’ve had a number of people get their start here at New Editions because we didn’t have the bias other workplaces may have. Some have even moved on to new companies, with four or five of former employees who have disabilities now working for the federal government,” Newman said. “I value the contribution of every employee. The diversity is what makes us a good company; and not just the people with disabilities, but all the diversity we have. We’re like a little microcosm of the world with only 65 employees.” Of those 65 who work for Newman at New Editions, she states that 20 percent of her employees qualify as having a disability. This ranges from physical disabilities such as one
employee who uses a wheelchair to get around or another who is blind, to more complex disabilities such as cerebral palsy that one help desk worker on a contract with the Department of Homeland Security has. Newman needs to ensure that each employee who does have a disability receives the proper accommodations to do their jobs. So, for her employees in the wheelchair that means allowing them to use a table instead of a conventional desk in their workspace. And for the blind employee, it means purchasing the screen reader program called “JAWS” so the employee can interact with the computer in a manner that is conducive to them. These adjustments aren’t excessive compared to the demands able-bodied new hires make, according to Newman. For example, a potential new hire may work more efficiently with a different software platform. The
difference between the money Newman spends purchasing the new software and the accommodations she might invest in for an employee with a disability is negligible. However, working at New Editions is no act of charity. All employees are required to have a college degree. And even though some employees do have a disability, that doesn’t mean the company is lowering its expectations for them while on the clock. Newman notes that while employees with disabilities may appear to have unorthodox work methods, it doesn’t affect their productivity — and consumers reward that act of goodwill that employers take. “That’s what I’m trying to show is not true. People with disabilities are just like you and me, they can do their job. They might do it a different way, but they will adapt and do what they need to,” Newman said, while adding,
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
“Research shows that if a company is good to their employees and hires people with disabilities, consumers will tend to purchase from that company.” One case is when Newman had a blind employee that she wanted to put on a Department of Transportation contract. When the client asked how the employee would be able to do their job, Newman simply replied, “I’m not sure, why don’t you ask them?” The client took up Newman’s suggestion and wound up hiring the blind employee. The employee would go on to win an award for being one of the top contractors for the DOT. Another instance was when a programmer, who is legally blind, was applying to work with New Editions. The job candidate had been turned down at other companies simply because the interviewers weren’t sure how the candidate would be able to do the work (nor did they ask to find out, as Newman recalled). During a programming test at New Editions, Newman’s team clearly determined that the legally blind candidate was the best. That person worked for New Editions for 12 years prior to leaving for a
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OCTOBER 3 – 9, 2019 | PAGE 5
New Turf Fields Bring Improvements Along With Concerns
by Matt Delaney
Falls Church News-Press
New artificial turf has been installed at Larry Graves Park, replacing the natural grass field where bad weather contributed to game delays and cancellations. City officials hope the revamped surface will be more durable to the climate as well as to its users, but the installation wasn’t well received by all. The park’s synthetic surface was a joint effort between Fairfax County and the City of Falls Church. As early as 2005 the Fairfax County Park Authority and the City’s Recreation and Parks department began to notice the maintenance required to keep the field intact wasn’t viable long-term. Plans and then funding to follow through with the redesign came a decade-plus later, with the unveiling in September. Adam Roy, a volunteer youth soccer coach who penned a Letter to the Editor in last week’s NewsPress, was happy about the new turf. He believes it gives the team he coaches an even surface to play on and will help avoid serious injury. Roy said any potential problems with the turf weren’t
concerning enough to keep his own kids off it. Removing her children from the surface is an internal debate for fellow park user, Jessica Labukas. “They’re many layers to this,” Labukas, who also penned a Letter to the Editor in this week’s NewsPress, said in an interview. “It’s not just the carcinogenic chemicals, but [the field] also holds a lot of heat. I feel like there are more questions than answers when it comes to the field’s safety.” The carcinogenic chemicals is a reference to the turf’s use of crumb rubber as infill, which comes from decomposed tires. Dibenzopyrenes are a known carcinogen in tires, with other toxic materials such as lead and petroleum products found in them as well. Labukas said other parents she’s talked to are “shaking their heads” over the decision. She recollected about a recent soccer game her son played in, who’s in kindergarten, where he had the crumbs on his body and in his mouth. Josh Mazen, in a letter to the News-Press last week, echoed Labukas’s concerns. “Now we have a plastic field that heats up like an oven in the
sun, vaporizing unknown chemicals into the air,” Mazen wrote. “On top of that, we’ve pelletized car tires and strewn them across the field, allowing them to hitch rides each day in our children’s shoes, hair, and clothing.” Danny Schlitt, the City’s Recreation and Parks director, said that assessing the turf fields for safety was a focal point of the approval process. This concern stemmed from a national story about an assistant soccer coach at the University of Washington who alleged the crumb rubber was a cancer agent after witnessing multiple players she knew, as well as her own son, be diagnosed with various forms of cancer. A study by the U of W, however, found no link between the fields and cancer. Locally, studies conducted by Fairfax County, which has roughly 70 turf fields countywide and helped influence the City’s process, determined that “the concerns about increased risk of negative health effects due to the chemicals in crumb rubber turf fields have not been substantiated in the scientific literature.” “If there was a thought that this wasn’t a safe product it wouldn’t have happened. It’s been through
NEW ARTIFICAL TURF at Falls Church’s Larry Graves Park should help mitigate the effects of inclement weather, but not all see the updated surface as an improvement. (Photo: News-Press) a lot vetting by the City Council,” Schlitt said. Schlitt adds that natural grass fields can only take up to 75 hours of hard use before bumps and bare patches begin to show up. With 65 teams from primarily youth soccer and lacrosse leagues using Larry Graves as a practice and competition site for the fall, the field could deteriorate to unsteady conditions
in a month’s time. Schlitt also mentioned that he spoke with field experts about alternatives other than crumb rubber at a recent conference, and they noted that some serious flaws have been found in them as it relates to athletic injuries. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new field will be held at Larry Graves Park (308 Hillwood Ave., Falls Church) on Oct. 5 at 10 a.m.
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PAGE 6 | OCTOBER 3 – 9, 2019
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E D I TO R I A L
Not McMansions, But ‘Granny Flats’
The inspiration for the now-famous Railroad Avenue Cottages in the City of Falls Church came in part from a housing solution developed during the Great Depression, that of low-cost bungalow clusters that became a huge fad in the greater Los Angeles area because they could be built for so little and the climate cooperated with an open-air feel of the units. Many a Hollywood movie was centered around a bungalow cluster in the 1930s and owning one, despite their small size and modest amenities, became very chic among the cultural elites of that time. Modern forms of such auxiliary units built on existing residential properties are called “Granny Flats.” The Railroad Cottages are much more expensive, though more reasonable than the average single family home in Falls Church, and designed to be a “downsizing” option for the single family homeowners who are selling their properties for well over a million to developers who are constructing mega-mansions on them. The City already has more than 130 such mega-mansions, also known as “McMansions” in the spirit of mass-produced fast food, and more than 2,000 existing lots that could be converted in a similar manner. Going that route, the City could become a tightly-framed assemblage of homes for the very rich, without serious regard for the consequences. It is encouraging, in the face of this outcome, that the current F.C. City Council seems unhappy with such an inevitability, and is looking for ways to avert it. The market will determine the need for more “micro unit” apartments in the style of the 100 or so that the EYA, Hoffman and Regency team is planning for the Little City Commons 10.3 acre project at the City’s West End. Those units would also emulate developments in the 1930s, when Great Depression conditions severely restricted the kinds of housing people could afford, often after being forced out of their previous homes and farms due to foreclosures. They moved to big cities, and the oneroom with sink and shared bath facilities sprung up. Hopefully we are not facing another Great Depression, but there is a serious disconnect between the wealth accumulation of the super rich and the struggling households of most of the rest of us. The famous statistic is that 80 percent of the American public is one paycheck from the street. This places Falls Church (and the nation as a whole, of course) at a very critical crossroad, and the small size of the Little City gives it the advantage of greater dexterity to address it. In the back rooms at City Hall this very day we hope diligent City employees are crafting zoning changes that the City Council will take up later this fall for the purpose of enabling City residential landowners to build small auxiliary dwelling units on their property.
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New Turf Fields Are Not an Improvement
Editor, It’s a new day in Falls Church when I have to get my soccer playing son in the shower immediately after his first game at Larry Graves’s new turf fields to get the black tire rubber “dust” off his arms and legs. It’s another thing when he has to run to the sidelines in the middle of the game to have me get the same
rubber pellets out of his mouth after a spill. He’s a kindergartener and young kids fall a lot during games. My mom gut is telling me this absolutely can’t be safe. Many questions surround the safety of these fields and so far, studies have been limited. I cringe to think about the long term consequences. It’s no secret what this stuff is
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comprised of — petroleum, metals, and chemicals. That sounds like a recipe for disaster to roll around in every week. Erring on the side of caution for the sake of the kids sounds like a good idea to me. It’s not ok to use them as science experiments; let’s think about our future, please. But, hey, the fields are pretty to look at and we won’t have as many rain cancellations. I guess that is supposed to be forward progress, right? Madison Park, I miss you. Jessica Labukas Falls Church
F.C. Cut-Through Traffic is Bad, But Speeding is Worse Editor, Your article last week on the traffic traveling through the back streets of Falls Church was inevitable once Route 66 announced it would start tolls a couple years ago. Broad St is a mess. It is too narrow to be a “through street” but the City allowed businesses
Letter Continues on Page 22
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
G u e s t C o m m e n ta ry
CO MME NT
OCTOBER 3 – 9, 2019 | PAGE 7
Will Shreve Road Hit-&-Run Finally Spur Official Action? By Bonnie Kartzman & Jeremy Hancock
One Saturday last month, an impaired motorist driving on Shreve Road in Fairfax County struck and killed a 60-year-old member of our Falls Church community while she was walking along an adjacent path. This was a shock for our quiet residential neighborhood, which is home to an elementary school and two crossings for the W&OD trail. But it was no surprise. Indeed, neighbors have complained to local officials for years about safety concerns on and near Shreve Road. In addition to speed and congestion, we lack guardrails to protect us at sharp turns in the road. Our access to the West Falls Church metro and WO&D trail is limited due to lack of sidewalks. At the bike trail crossings, cyclists and motorists vie dangerously for the right of way without traffic lights or stop signs to guide them. For many of our children, walking to school or accessing the bike trail is not an option. These safety concerns are underscored by publicly available crash data. Between 2015 and 2019, there were 40 crashes on Shreve Road, with 17 that involved injuries. In contrast, on West Street, which serves as a similar thoroughfare, there were seven crashes during the same period. On Haycock Road, which runs just to our north, there were 17 crashes. The data also highlights specific areas of concern on Shreve, where there were six crashes at
both sharp turns and trail crossings. It’s evident that Shreve Road is inadequate for the traffic and pedestrians it carries. Without improvements, it will only get worse. Shreve is already a major
“It’s evident that Shreve Road is inadequate for the traffic and pedestrians it carries. ” cut-through for commuters. We anticipate additional traffic and further demand for pedestrian access from “mixed-use” area projects bordering Shreve on either end. To our north, Falls Church City is quickly moving ahead with West Falls Church Economic Development Project at the current site of George Mason High School. To our south, Fairfax County is planning to redevelop the Merrifield Suburban Center to make way for an expanded INOVA campus and Fairview Office Park. We have not seen coordination among governmental jurisdictions or a willingness to address the implications for the broader area. Tired of inaction, we formed the Shreve Road Community Working Group, an organization of nearly 150 neighbors committed to spurring officials to pay attention
to the serious dangers on Shreve and protect our families and community. Here is what we have done so far: • Worked with Delegate Marcus Simon’s Office to participate in a Town Hall on August 27, 2019, encouraging members of our community to attend; • Opened a dialogue with other official stakeholders, such as the Fairfax County Police Department and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), which advised that it is conducting a speed study on Shreve; and • Signed on to a letter submitted by various neighborhood and community associations in support of a Safe Routes to School grant application for crosswalks connecting neighborhoods to Shrevewood Elementary School and the W&OD trail. In addition, to solicit the input of our community, we circulated an online survey to better understand concerns about Shreve Road. Here is a sampling of what we heard: On the lack of walkability: “Even walking to Metro is a nightmare. This neighborhood needs to be walkable.” “[We need] somewhere (other than the one trail crossing) where Shreve Road can be crossed safely by pedestrians (crosswalk). Kids dart across the street and I really worry about that.” On the danger at the trail crossings: “I’d like to see a light at the W&OD cross[ing] . . . . The sheer volume of traffic and blind spots, and unwillingness for all partici-
pants to yield to one another creates such a tremendously stressful and dangerous intersection.” On the need for community-focused planning: “[we need] . . . comprehensive planning for walkability as the great community changes. This isn’t simply about a road – it’s about how people want to live now and future years.” In addition to serving our immediate community, we believe that the Shreve Group could serve as a citizen-driven model for advocating smart, sustainable development for similar older neighborhoods across Fairfax County like us: left behind amid explosive population growth and commercial interests. In turn, we are calling on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the VDOT, the City of Falls Church Council, and Virginia elected officials, starting with Delegate Simon, to treat fixing dangerous Shreve Road as an urgent priority — not just one of many county road projects. At the Aug. 27 Town Hall, representatives from each of these offices committed to engaging with the community. But before anyone else is hurt or killed, we need more than a verbal commitment. We need a plan, and immediate action. Pedestrian safety can never be an afterthought. Bonnie Kartzman and Jeremy Hancock are co-founders of the Shreve Road Community Working Group.
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& 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 3 - 9, 2019
EDA Letter
Continued from Page 1
impacts on community, education, transportation and the quality of life for residents, business owners and employees of City businesses. The increasing regional costs of living impact residents and therefore affect businesses and business opportunities. The recent,
LO CA L and forecasted, decline in market affordable housing in the City impacts the entire community.” Over the summer months, the issue of “affordable housing,” also described as “affordable living,” rose to the level of an urgent concern, not only in the deliberations of the Falls Church City Council, but also on a regional and national level. A severe shortage of affordable units has caused the problem
to be described as a “crisis” in a lot of the deliberations. As reported last month, the regional Council of Governments adopted the conclusions of a report by the Urban Institute indicating that there is an urgent need for 374,000 new housing units in the region by 2030, a 31 percent increase over previous projections, and that three fourths of the units will need to be “affordable” for low and middle
Join Us for a Harvest Brunch Open House at The Kensington Falls Church Sunday, October 13, 2019 from 11am-2pm Family & Friends Welcome
RSVP to (703) 992-9868 or conciergefc@kensingtonsl.com
E
very day, we have the distinct privilege of being surrounded by extraordinary individuals. They are tellers of stories, keepers of traditions, makers of memories and founders of legacies. They are our residents—our family. We are better for knowing them, and we’d all love to share some time together with you. Please join us for a harvest brunch open house. While you’re here, take a tour and explore our programs of care that promote joy and wellness. And, introduce yourself and someone you love to us.
Please RSVP
(703) 992-9868 | 700 West Broad Street | Falls Church, VA 22046 www.TheKensingtonFallsChurch.com Kensington Park, another Kensington community located nearby in Kensington, MD
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
income families. It decided not to set goals by individual jurisdictions in the region, but nevertheless sounded a noisy alarm intended to spur local jurisdictions into action. The Urban Institute, in its report, entitled, “Meeting the Washington Region’s Future Housing Needs,” indicated that the three greatest threats to continued economic growth in the region are traffic gridlock, a shortage of qualified workers and a lack of affordable housing. The second and third threats are interrelated. If there is no affordable housing available, qualified workers will locate in places where it does exist. “Housing shortages can undermine worker productivity, increase the difficulty businesses face in attracting and retaining employees, and discourage businesses from locating in the region,” the report stated. It added that someone earning an income of $54,300 or less needs to be able to afford housing at $1,300 or less. But since 2010 only 10 percent of the new housing units built here have fallen into that price range. That rate needs to increase to 38 percent, according to the institute report. Thus, the EDA has raised the issue in a number of its recent monthly meetings, and finally agreed upon a letter Tuesday night that acknowledges the need, but denying it should take the lead role. Instead, it called for the ad hoc committee which could have an advisory role over whatever pool of financial resources are put to the issue by the City Council. It would also weigh in on the matter of whether the City should continue its current practice of requiring a certain percentage of units in new mixed-use projects to be provided by the developer at an affordable rate. Bob Young, a local developer who chairs the EDA, opined at Tuesday’s meeting that he is inclined to prefer taking a cash proffer from developers to deposit into an affordable housing fund over the current policy. Others chimed in, noting that the small number of units the current policy calls for can not keep up with the urgent demands for hundreds of new units. If the percentage of units that must be offered at affordable rates is increased, it also deters new development, it was noted. To date, the City has five approaches on the table. The first is to set up a fund and to pay into it with the goal, in particular, of continuing an arrangement with The Fields, an apartment complex in the West End, that is currently due to expire
by 2027, with the option to use that fund to receive proffers from developers in lieu of a percentage of affordable units on site. The second is to shift City policy from asking developers to set aside a percentage of proposed units for affordable housing to the cash proffer option that would, among other things, allow for leveraging accumulated funds to build a kitty. A third is to revise parking minimums at mixed-use projects to improve the ability of developers to maximize the use of their properties and enable greater participation in affordable housing proposals. The fourth is the encouragement of market rate affordable housing, as in the case of the nearly 100 “micro units” that developers of the West End development project are planning as a component of their dense development of 10.3 acres adjacent the West Falls Church Metro. The fifth is the introduction of changes in the City’s zoning laws to better incentivize the opportunity of single family homeowners in the City to build small “accessory dwelling units” on their property, often called “granny flats” because they could be used to provide housing for aging family members. That option is likely to be the subject of more serious deliberations by the City Council and Planning Commission this fall. Major changes in zoning laws to encourage such developments were voted unanimously by the Montgomery County, Maryland, Council to address the affordable housing issue. Support for the granny flats option was expressed more than once at Tuesday’s EDA meeting. Among other things, it might be a preferred option for many single family homeowners to remain in their existing homes while deriving increased income from their property. That would be preferable to selling lots to interests seeking to build “mega-mansion” housing at $1.2 million or above. That has already happened on more than 130 residential properties in the City and more than 2,000 properties are eligible for similar outcomes. In addition, energy efficiency programs as contained in the state’s Senate Bill 966 enabling Dominion Power to offer discounts can also contribute to the affordability of housing, Tim Stevens noted. Council members Letty Hardi and Phil Duncan were also present at Tuesday’s meeting. At the Oct. 21 meeting of the F.C. Planning Commission, the director of Arlington County’s affordable housing programs will speak to offer his expertise and experience on ways to move forward on the matter.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
OCTOBER 3 - 9, 2019 | PAGE 9
Fa l l s C h u r c h
NEWS BRIEFS F.C. School Board Candidates Face Off Tonight Tonight, Oct. 3, candidates vying for the City of Falls Church School Board in next month’s election will face off in a forum co-sponsored by the Falls Church League of Women Voters, the Citizens for a Better City, the Village Preservation and Improvement Society, the American Legion Post 130, the F.C. Chamber of Commerce and the City’s Republican and Democratic committees. The event is at 7 p.m. at the Legion Hall, 400 N. Oak. Candidates Sue Dimock, Laura Downs, Phil Reitinger and Douiglass Stevens will face off. A similar event for City Council candidates will be held Oct. 24.
Tarter, Shields, Bawa Visit Wall Street City of Falls Church Mayor David Tarter, City Manager Wyatt Shields and Chief Financial Officer Kiran Bawa took the train to Wall Street Tuesday for meetings into yesterday with representatives of the three main credit rating agencies in hopes of reaffirming the City’s top-ranked rating ahead of its plans to sput $123 million on the bond market later this month. The bond proceeds will be used to complete construction of the new George Mason High School and the expansion and renovation of the Mary Riley Styles Public Library. The team is hoping to hear back in the coming days with good news that will optimize a low interest rate cost of the debt.
F.C. Chief Financial Officer Kiran Bawa, Mayor David Tarter and City Manager Wyatt Shields. (Photo: City of Falls Church)
‘Mr. Brown’s Park’ is Official After Monday Ribbon Cutting A large gathering of the City of Falls Church’s big wigs made their way to Mr. Brown’s Park on West Broad St. Monday night for its ceremonial renaming. The park’s name pays homage to Hugh Brown, the former owner and operator of long-tenured Falls Church business Brown’s Hardware, who died last November at age 92. Affectionately known as “Mr. Brown,” his fixture in the community spurred the City Council to commemorate the local icon by naming the park after him during a Sept. 9 vote. The Brown family had operated the home improvement store over multiple generations since 1883 prior to Hugh Brown’s death.
Man Dies in Multiple-Car Crash An elderly man crashed into stopped cars on Leesburg Pike and later died from injuries he sustained, according to Fairfax County police. On Sept. 24 around 3:30 p.m., 92-year-old Donald Buzzell, from Arlington, was driving a 1997 Mercury Marquis east on Leesburg Pike near the 5600 block when his vehicle hit two cars that were stopped in front of him in traffic, police reported. Fairfax Police said the crash set off a chain reaction where an additional three vehicles were hit that were also initially stopped in traffic. Buzzell was taken to an area hospital with injuries that weren’t considered life threatening per the police, however, Fairfax detectives were notified the following day that Buzzell died from those same injuries. One other person was taken to an area hospital for injuries that were not life threatening. Fairfax police report that speed and alcohol were not factors in the crash.
Your Personal Property Tax is Due Monday, October 7 Pay online or via text TODAY! Questions? Call the Treasurer, 703-248-5046 (TTY 711).
fallschurchva.gov/PayOnline
PhiL DunCAn for City CounCiL
CommunitY CiViLitY ProgrESS There is much that’s great about Falls Church, and there are some things we could do better. Let’s keep the best, and improve the rest! Welcoming your input, searching for common ground, balancing competing priorities, and strengthening our City’s traditions as a close and civil community — that’s my record, that’s how I will keep working on Council if you re-elect me.
F.C. Episcopal’s Rev. Ohmer Plans to Leave The Rev. John Ohmer, who has served as the rector of the historic Falls Church Episcopal Church since 2012, issued a letter to his congregation last week saying he will be leaving his post for a new assignment in Asheville, North Carolina, in November. Ohmer has overseen a considerable revival of the church following a contentious seven-year struggle to regain control of the church property from a group of defectors in the church who refused to relinquish it following their vote to defect in 2005. During his tenure, Ohmer has led the restored Episcopal congregation with a number of important initiatives to affirm its commitment to social justice and equality, and to engage the local City of Falls Church community in a wide array of supportive and collaborative activities.
I ask for a chance to continue doing my part, with you, to make Falls Vote Church a prosperous and sustainable community Nov for all generations. 5th
Duncan4FC.com
duncan4fc
duncan4fc@gmail.com
Authorized and paid for by Phil Duncan for City Council
PAGE 10 | OCTOBER 3 – 9, 2019
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Community News & Notes Blessing of the Animals Set For Sunday at Dulin United Dulin United Methodist Church (513 E. Broad St., Falls Church) will hold its annual Blessing of the Animals Service at 4 p.m. on Oct. 6. The church is inviting members of the public to bring their pets to the front lawn of the church to get them blessed by Dulin’s pastor Dave Kirkland.
Weekend Diabetes Conference at Fairview Park
A NEW ALDI opened up in Bailey’s Crossroads on the site of the former Babies R’ Us. Clearly the community was excited for the German grocery store chain to pop up in its neighborhood with the line outside the door. The new location is part of a $3.4 billion investment by Aldi to expand to 2,500 stores nationwide by the end of 2022. (Photo: Courtesy ALDI)
TYING THE KNOT is Emily Diener and Jon Eitler, who held a their ceremony in Front Royal over the weekend. The newly weds currently reside in Centreville. (Photo: Courtesy Michael Diener)
People who either live with Type 1 diabetes or know family or friends with Type 1 diabetes are encouraged to join the nonprofit, Children with Diabetes, at its Friends for Life Falls Church weekend-long event from Oct. 4 – 6 to connect with and learn about this life-long condition at the Fairview Park Marriott (3111 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church). Attendees can visit an exhibit hall on Friday night where they can check out the latest diabetes technology on the market and meet with other vendors in the diabetes space. Saturday morning kicks off with a keynote from author Arther Ainsberg on the breakthrough discovery of insulin and its miraculous impact on Elizabeth Hughes, daughter of Charles Evans Hughes. Next is a day of advocacy, technology, and emotional health sessions. Sunday opens with a full slate of informative programming, including discussions for grandparents of children with diabetes, closing with an update on the Bionic Pancreas from Dr. Ed Damiano and a closing keynote by adventurer Will Cross, the first person with type 1 diabetes to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Attendees can dine at stressfree buffets of carb-counted (and gluten-free, as needed) meals, learn from experts and hang out with friends both old and new.
The conferences are not just for kids — adults with diabetes can support one another through expert-led discussion groups, toddlers and children will learn diabetes basics via play-based learning and parents and grandparents will feel educated after spending the weekend together. Room reservation rates begin at $115/night, plus tax. The Friends for Life room block is available on a first come, first served basis, so act fast as space is limited. For housing reservations, visit cwd.is/FC2019Hotel. For more information, visit cwd.is/fallschurch.
Two Author Events Come To One More Page Books There are two upcoming events taking place at One More Page Books (2200 N. Westmoreland St., Arlington). On Oct. 5 at 6 p.m., storegoers can attend the launch of Tara Laskowski’s new thriller “One Night Gone.” Decades after the disappearance of a teenager, Allison Simpson is offered the opportunity to house-sit in Opal Beach, finding herself drawn into the decades-old mystery as she gets caught in a twisted plot. Part coming-of-age story and part mystery, “One Night Gone” is an atmospheric, suspenseful novel about power, privilege, and sisterhood. The party will be hosted in the WestLee Party room (immediately next door to One More Page). On Oct. 8 at 7 p.m., the store will invite author Leslie Pietrzyk to host a conversation with writers Joana Biggar and Linda Watanabe McFerrin to discuss their new books and their writing, teaching and publishing careers. Biggar is a fiction and travel writer, journalist and teacher whose works have appeared in hundreds of publications, including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and Psychology Today. Her novel
Send Us Your News & Notes!
The News-Press is always on the lookout for photos & items for Community News & Notes, School News & Notes and other sections of the paper. If you graduate, get married, get engaged, get an award, start a club, eat a club, tie your shoes, have a birthday, have a party, host an event or anything else you think is worth being mentioned in the News-Press, write it up and send it to us! If you have a photo, even better! Because of the amount of submissions we receive, we cannot guarantee all submissions will be published, but we’ll try our best!
Community News & Notes: newsandnotes@fcnp.com | School News & Notes: schoolnews@fcnp.com Mail: News & Notes, Falls Church News-Press, 200 Little Falls St. #508, Falls Church, VA 22046
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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GIRL SCOUTS FROM TROOP 2390 (from left to right) Alexis Niemi, Anna Tibbetts and Sara Rollins were busy over the summer constructing and installing a little free pantry. Though it looks much like the little free libraries around Falls Church, the little free pantry holds food instead of books. The Girl Scouts pursued this project as part of their Silver Award project to help address food insecurity within our community. The troop is asking local businesses as well as members of the community to help keep the pantry stocked with canned goods and other non-perishable food and toiletry items. The little pantry is located on the grounds of The Falls Church Episcopal at 115 E. Fairfax Street in Falls Church (near the Thrifty Church Mouse). For a full list of items the pantry is requesting, visit fcnp.com. (Photo: Courtesy Katie Niemi) “Melanie’s Song” centers on a young woman’s disappearance, and the friend — a reporter — who’s determined to find her. Watanabe McFerrin is a poet, travel writer and novelist, and leads writing workshops around the world. Her book, “Navigating the Divide: Selected Poetry and Prose,” is a career-spanning, multi-genre collection that “navigates the divide” between spiritual and physical, thought and desire, identity and others.
Pickleball Tournament Held in Arlington Arlington’s Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd St. S, Arlington) will change from a community center to a 20-court beehive of pickleball activity to host the 4th annual Mid-Atlantic Open Pickleball Tournament (MAOPT) this weekend. This year, 325 pickleballers from 12 states as well as the District of Columbia are represented. Tournament play starts at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, with women’s and men’s doubles matches. Mixed doubles follow on Sunday, Oct. 6. Spectators are welcome and admitted free. The MAOPT is the largest tour-
nament in the D.C. Metropolitan area and is organized by skill level and age. There are no limits on age. Registrants range from 12 – 80. Pickleball is the fastestgrowing racket sport in the United States. The tournament is organized by Breakthrough Community Sports, Inc., a non-profit group that focuses on promoting active living through playing sports. Several pickleball companies and other organizations will be exhibitors during the event. For more information about the MAOPT, go to maopt.org or contact Helen White at maoptinfo@ gmail.com or 703-472-1076. To learn more about pickleball, go to usapa.org.
McLean 5K Takes Place on Saturday The McLean 5k Run returns on Oct. 5 at the McLean Square Shopping Center (6631 Old Dominion Dr., McLean) at 8 a.m. Hosted by the McLean Community Center, with the support of event sponsors Century 21 New Millennium and The Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce, the race features a USATF certified course through the heart of
McLean and is designed to appeal to runners of all abilities. The proceeds from McLean 5k Run will benefit the McLean Community Foundation (MCF) 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Registration is $35 per person.
OCTOBER 3 – 9, 2019 | PAGE 11
YOU DESERVE TO LIVE SAFE FROM SEXUAL HARASSMENT.
Former F.C. Resident Retires From Foreign Service Former Falls Church City resident Wilbur A. Velarde retired from his position as a Foreign Service officer at the U.S. Department of State officially on Sept. 30. While in the Foreign Service, Velarde represented the United States in Germany, the Netherlands and Mexico plus assigned tours of duty in Washington, D.C. and at the Department of Defense U.S. Southern Command in Miami, Florida. Upon completion of Velarde’s last tour of duty, he was awarded the the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award (medal) by the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Velarde is also a retired captain in the U.S. Coast Guard. He currently works as a political advisor at the U.S. DOD Southern Command.
Sexual harassment by a landlord or anyone related to your housing violates the Fair Housing Act. If you receive unwelcome sexual advances or are threatened with eviction because you refuse to provide sexual favors, you may file a fair housing complaint. To file a complaint, go to or call
hud.gov/fairhousing
1-800-669-9777
If you fear for your safety, call 911.
FAIR HOUSING IS YOUR RIGHT. USE IT. A public service message from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in cooperation with the National Fair Housing Alliance. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability. For more information, visit www.hud.gov/fairhousing.
PAGE 12 | OCTOBER 3 – 9, 2019
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A Penny for Your Thoughts
News of Greater Falls Church By Supervisor Penny Gross
After a late summer hiatus, the Board of Supervisors lost no time in approving a number of significant actions during a marathon 13-hour meeting last week. First on the agenda was consideration of the Fiscal Year 2019 Carryover Review. Carryover provides an opportunity to appropriate and reallocate monies that were not spent or anticipated during the previous fiscal year. Part of the savings included $600,000 unspent in Board of Supervisors office budgets, and returned to the county’s finance office. In a jurisdiction as large as Fairfax County, prudent fiscal management results in a budget adjustment of $54 million, or 1.24 percent of the General Fund budget. Board policy mandates that 40 percent, or almost $22 million, be allocated to the county’s reserves, which helps maintain our Triple A bond rating. In addition to the reserves, Carryover funding included money for infrastructure replacement and upgrades, such as new roofs (roofs also are being reviewed for installation of solar panels), electrical systems, and HVAC units at county and park-owned properties. County facilities get a lot of use, requiring periodic replacements of major systems. One-time Carryover funding for police bodyworn cameras also was approved. The action followed an extensive test period at the Mason, Mount Vernon, and Reston police stations, and will provide additional information and support for interactions between the police and community members. Implementation of the new body-worn camera program will be phased in over a three-year period. Following the recommendation of the Board’s Environment Committee, which I chair, the Board approved $750,000 to support the Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP). Funding will support community outreach, development of an interactive web presence, technical analysis, and plan development, to address global climate change, and Fairfax County’s role in reducing greenhouse
gas emissions. Housing was a focus of the Board’s public hearings that stretched far into the evening. The One University proposal to redevelop 10 acres across Route 123 from George Mason University generated a lot of discussion from the community and Board members. Ultimately, the proposal, which will support affordable housing for students, senior citizens, and working families, was approved. The development will use under-utilized county-owned land to leverage additional housing and financing, as well as new community space. Safe pedestrian crossing at the site was the subject of some public testimony, and addressing that issue will be required in the site plan process. The Board also approved a Site-Specific Plan Amendment for the Merrifield Suburban Center in Providence District. The amendment adds redevelopment options for the Fairview Park and the Inova Center for Personalized Health, and a series of follow-on motions by Supervisor Linda Smyth outlined transportation initiatives that must accompany the Plan. The Merrifield Plan would allow up to 840 housing units, about 20 percent less than recommended by staff. The South County Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) process, which includes Mason District, opened in early September and closes on Dec. 3, 2019. Information about the SSPA process may be found at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning-development/plan-amendments/sspa. Once all nominations are submitted, I will appoint a citizen Task Force to review the Mason District nominations and conduct public meetings to hear from neighbors and nominators about the proposals. Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.
86 million Americans
Maybe even you,
have prediabetes. person-ABOUT-TOFACT-CHECK-THIS-FACT.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Senator Dick Saslaw’s
Richmond Report The Nov. 5 election for state and local representatives is now entering the homestretch. With the political landscape being what it is in Northern Virginia, most of the seats for the House of Delegates and Senate in the region are uncontested in the general election. However, there are a handful of highly-contested seats that will be decided by who votes. I can’t stress enough how very important it is that we encourage people to get to the polls and participate in this “off, off” election year. The deadline to register to vote or update an existing registration (change of address, etc.) is Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019. Absentee ballots must be requested by Oct. 29. And the deadline to vote in-person absentee is Saturday, Nov. 2. In Virginia, we have taken baby steps toward improving voter performance. There is now a litany of legitimate reasons voters can provide to justify an absentee ballot. These include, but are not limited to: • Student attending college or university outside of locality of residence in Virginia • Business outside County/ City of residence on Election Day • Personal business or vacation outside County/City of residence on Election Day • First responder • Disability or illness or primary caretaker for the disabled or sick • Pregnancy • Religious obligation I believe it is time to move toward no excuse absentee voting. Removing barriers to facilitate more voter participation is one of my goals for majority leadership in the statehouse come 2020. I am grateful for your support in the primary and the opportunity to continue working on the important issues that matter most
to Virginians. I have maintained a robust schedule of meetings on many issues that will be part of the 2020 legislative session. In the meantime, I am also working tirelessly to ensure a legislative body from all corners of the Commonwealth that will keep Virginians at the forefront of public policy. Thank you to so many out there who have knocked on doors, sent postcards, contributed financially, and joined me in selfless efforts to flip the majority in the Senate and House of Delegates. It is possible and we have the pathways to go forward. The environment, redistricting, gun violence prevention, and women’s rights are just a fraction of what we will tackle with new leadership come January. I often try to restrain from “piling on” to what is the obvious. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the continued dismay we are subjected to from the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I don’t envy the task ahead of the House of Representatives and sincerely wish there was an alternative to the obvious. This is a test of the basic principles on which our nation was founded. The nation will come out of the process much stronger and be positioned to ensure the integrity of our electoral system. Back to the upcoming November 5 election here in the Commonwealth, we have an opportunity to send a message to the country by voting for Democrats that what is going on in this White House is simply unacceptable. Make sure your voice is heard. I ask for your continued support of our federal representatives and once again, I ask for your vote on Nov. 5. Senator Saslaw represents the 35th District in the Virginia State Senate. He may be emailed at district35@senate.virginia.gov.
Ever yone has the right to marry. Not ever yone has basic rights. In 31 states, it’s legal to discriminate against LGBT Americans.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
The Relevance of My New Book
My new book is out this week. It is called, “Gay Men in the Feminist Revolution: Articles, Pamphlets & Reflections on My Gay Activist Days in San Francisco, 1969-1972.” It is published by BCI Books and is available in print and Kindle editions on Amazon. It is the result of many years of compiling from an array of odd sources including online auctions of memorabilia and scores of original source documents from that era, when the ferment was so strong on behalf of social justice and especially, for many of us, against the oppressive society run by “The Man,” the paradigm of the straight white male chauvinist responsible for war and the oppression of all racial and cultural minorities and, most FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS basically, women. Needless to say, I’d saved nothing of the many published articles, pamphlets and manuscripts I’d produced in that era and had to retrieve enough of them over time in the last two decades to fashion a useful book, augmented by introductory reflections and stories. Yes, it comes in the 50th anniversary year of the Stonewall Riots in New York’s Greenwich Village in 1969. It was quite by coincidence that my “coming out” and the Stonewall Riots occurred within a couple months of each other, my “coming out” being first and at the opposite coast of the U.S. from where the New York riots happened. I had just graduated that spring from the Pacific School of Religion with a master’s degree in New Testament theology. I had been a director Christian Education for three years while in seminary at the Plymouth United Church of Christ in Oakland. In my last year of seminary, I drove from my apartment at that church on the border of Piedmont to my seminary campus north of the U.C. Berkeley campus on roads where the National Guard was out in force, lined up to guard against the many anti-Vietnam War riots and violent marches that were occurring there in those days. I took my time “coming out,” but three years of nonstop radicalism in Berkeley contributed to making it inevitable. It was a social mandate, so I thought, to throw off the moral and cultural chains of oppression and assert your true self. When I confronted my very physical father at a Christmas Eve family dinner with the news, it was the most frightening thing I’d ever done. He was an angry brute and could have crushed me. It was in the form of an intervention, bursting into a family event he’d already banned me from because of my long hair. He didn’t kill me. He sat silently while I railed at him and then left. But on two other occasions later on he did threaten to kill me. Mine was a case, I think, where everybody growing up already knew I was gay except me, and it’s true, I was different. I loved classical music. Where did that come from? And I started producing my own newspaper, The Benton Star, at age 7. I did it to help my mom in her tireless efforts to create concord in the home, but even she was not pleased when I went selling copies for 5 cents to the neighbors. How gay is that? Following my 1969 “coming out,” I aligned quickly with friends who held gay liberation as a facet of a larger movement to throw off all the ills of male supremacy, the feminist movement. But we lost out to those who wanted to limit the focus to gay freedom issues alone. That was a disaster, in my view. “The Man” countered serious feminism with a huge offensive of pornography, “sexual freedom” (i.e. rape) and radical anarcho-hedonism, generally. Sex and porn addiction in the 1970s led to an explosion of sexually-transmitted diseases, and finally a horribly deadly one. But in reality, the gains of our feminist movement were not lost, and began to reassert themselves with many of the themes animating the Obama and Hillary Clinton presidential campaigns. Now, with Trump, it’s a reinvigorated feminist current that is animating the entire mass movement arraying against him and his white male apologists. That’s why I’ve done this new book.
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OCTOBER 3 – 9, 2019 | PAGE 13
Nicholas F. Benton
Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.
Our Man in Arlington By Charlie Clark
When I wade into our county’s cutthroat retail arena, I lean toward the non-chain stores, particularly those that aren’t gimmicky or trendy. So I sipped gourmet Latin American coffee recently amid the woven baskets and hanging colorful fishtail banners on sale at Trade Roots at the Westover Shopping Center. The eco-friendly café and gift outlet for exotic crafts from the developing world operates according to agreed-upon tenets of fair trade. Posted in the store, the principles enunciated by the Netherlands-based World Fair Trade Organization call for commitment to products that create opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers; transparency and accountability; fair trading practices (i.e., not always maximizing profit and protecting local cultures); payment of a fair price; ensuring no child labor and forced labor; commitment to non-discrimination in hiring, gender equality, freedom of association (unionizing); ensuring good working conditions; providing opportunities for product producers to build their capacity; promoting fair trade globally and respecting the environment. After seven years in survival mode, Trade Roots is squeaking by, I’m told by founder and proprietor Lisa Ostroff, as we sat at her cozy wooden tables surrounded by novelty clocks, granola packs, spice bags and metal elephant decorative cut-outs. An alumnae of several nonprofits who once envisioned a
career in overseas development, she is a longtime Arlington Public Schools mom. It was in 2012 when she visited a fair-trade store in Warrenton and read Katherine Boo’s “Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity,” which dramatizes “upcycling” efforts of dirt-poor entrepreneurs in India. She figured she could give back by creating a suburban shop that supports farmers and artisans globally but also caters to Arlington’s taste for idealism. Trade Roots is not a money maker. It is a passion project. “Most small stores aren’t making money, whether it’s those that support fair trade or the bookstore up the street,” she said. “Our rents are high, so it’s not a viable business. But for me it’s about the relationships — the producers help me have a store with great products, and the producers get to work at home and continue their craft in their village.” To support her staff of just 1-2 employees (she is soon to replace a departed manager) Ostroff has to take out loans from time to time. In January 2018, she expanded to rope in a partner in the same space to run Roots & Vines. It serves an expanded menu of fairly traded coffees, teas and biscotti, muffins and Brazilian vegan dishes. Packing the Trade Roots walls and shelves are cookbooks, throw pillows, soaps, jewelry, tagua nuts, greeting cards, “inspirational messages from Ecuador,” silk bags, ceramic mugs and, occasionally, original paintings
or photos by Arlingtonians. In the rear is an array of hand-crafted clothing, from flowing skirts and coats to scarves, silk bags, tablecloths and wall hangings. Ostroff’s mini-community of fair-trade fans also puts on events with guest speakers, documentaries and internationally themed dinners supplied by the local farmers market. Have President Trump’s tradewar tariffs impacted her commerce? Most of his tariffs affect China, Ostroff said, and “I don’t buy from China.” But she does buy from India, and in May President Trump stripped India of its special tariff status. Trade Roots, she agrees, could soon feel it. *** Plenty of signs last Saturday that Arlington is far from achieving a post-racial society. An interactive workshop on “The History of Racism in Housing in Arlington” drew more than 80 to Wakefield High School for a presentation by the instructional nonprofit Challenging Racism, the Arlington League of Women Voters, the NAACP, the Alliance for Housing Solutions, Virginia Humanities and the Kellogg Foundation. Del. Patrick Hope that morning drew 100 to the Central Library for a showing of Arlington native Loki Mulholland’s latest documentary “Black, White & Us.” The film explores cultural and psychological issues that arise when white parents adopt African-American children — eye-opening how those families encounter hateful stereotyping in majority-white communities. An intense discussion followed.
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PAGE 14 | OCTOBER 3 – 9, 2019
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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Dr. Peterson Huang, Board Certified Prosthodontist
The Consequences of Losing Your Teeth When your tooth is lost due to decay, gum disease, or other reasons, the adjacent teeth can start to migrate into that space. Furthermore the opposing teeth can drift into that space also. Soon enough, your teeth become miss-aligned and you have biting issues, leading to headaches or worse. When multiple back teeth are lost and are not replaced, the facial dimensional proportion of the lower face becomes shorter. This leads to a squashed appearance not unlike a rotting apple, caving in on its self. Not only does a shortened lower face create esthetic issues (and wrinkles!), it can also cause pain in your jaw joint (TMJ) resulting in “popping” or “grinding” sounds, or even episodes of a “locked” jaw. All of these can affect your quality of life and in most cases can be corrected by a prosthodontist. A prosthodontist is a dentist who has at least three additional years of education dedicated to dental teeth replacement/reconstruction using crowns, bridges, and or dental implants. If you have oral conditions, such as missing teeth that require dental implants, or a complex bite that requires precise detail, then you need a to see Dr. Huang. Give us a call at 703-532-7586. Peterson Huang DMD, MS, FACP, FRCDC 313 Park Ave. Suite 306, Falls Church VA 22046 novapremierdental.com • 703-532-7586
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OCTOBER 3 - 9, 2019 | PAGE 15
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
SENIORS ETHAN HSAIO (LEFT) AND JACKSON EDELMANN of BASIS Independent McLean (BIM) placed as semi�inalists in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program, by scoring in the top one percent for PSAT scores during their junior years. Approximately, 16,000 across the nation have quali�ied as semi�inalists. Thirteen BIM seniors were named Commended Students by the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program, including: Tad Berkery, Lieselotte Dubert, Miller Hollinger, Kiran James, Pendaar Pooyan, Avinash Sanghavi, Bhavjeet Sanghera, Nathan Shin, Aanika Singh, Kamil Urbanowski, Alan Yu, Andy Zhang and Shang Zhang. (P����: C������� BASIS I���������� M�L���)
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S����� N��� � N���� F.C. City Schools In Need Bus Aides If any residents or parents have three hours a day to spare to help students safely enter and exit buses, they are encouraged to apply to be a bus aide for Falls Church City Public Schools. On their way to and from school, bus aides guide many students across the busy streets at bus stops. FCCPS needs both regular bus aides and substitute bus aides. Interested applicants can apply online by visiting fccps.org, clicking on the “Employment” tab and then scrolling down and clicking on “Job Openings.”
Music Fund for Area High School Students Established
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At its regular meeting on Sept. 26, the Fairfax County School Board recognized the establishment of the Michael I. Marshall Fund for Music Education. Named after a former Fairfax County resident, the fund has been set up at the Foundation for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) to enable students with financial needs in the Justice, Falls Church, Annandale and Mount Vernon high school pyramids to attend professional music
performances, participate in summer music education programs, gain access to musical instruments and receive financial support for postsecondary music education. Michael I. Marshall passed away 20 years ago, and it was his wish that proceeds from his estate would be used to assist students of modest means to pursue music education. Marshall’s mother and brothers were present at the School Board meeting for the recognition.
Mason Robotics Team Begins Pumpkin Sale Residents who are planning to purchase their pumpkins for jacko-lanterns or doorstep decorations this year are encouraged to do so from the George Mason High School Robotics team. Mason’s Robotics team will be open for business beginning Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Capital Bikeshare end of Mason’s Haycock parking area.
F.C. Elementary PTA Carnival Set for Saturday The Falls Church Elementary PTA annual Fall Carnival is Saturday, Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on the fields at Thomas Jefferson Elementary (601 S. Oak
St., Falls Church). All elementary students and their families are invited to enjoy the Westernthemed activities. There will be inflatables, games, food and raffles. To purchase a ticket, visit fcepta.org/product/2019-western-fallcarnival. The carnival is one of the PTA’s largest fundraisers, and it takes a full complement of volunteers to pull it off. If any residents or parents are interested in helping run the carnival, they are encouraged to visit signupgenius.com/ go/4090f4ea4af2ca64-fcepta1 to sign up.
Afterschool Meals for At-Risk Students at Local Schools Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) will sponsor the At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program to be served at 13 schools throughout the county. The same meals will be available at no separate charge to all participants at each site. Meals will be provided at the following local schools: Falls Church High School (7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church), Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Rd., Falls Church) and Justice High School (3301 Peace Valley Ln., Falls Church).
SPO RTS
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
OCTOBER 3 – 9, 2019 | PAGE 17
Mustangs Have Homecoming Romp Over Sidwell
BY NATALIE HEAVREN
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
In front of a large, boisterous Homecoming crowd, George Mason High School’s football team defeated Sidwell Friends School 35-7 to capture its first home win of the season and improve to a 3-2 record. “Anytime you win at home is a good feeling. You know, it being Homecoming adds to it. It’s a good feeling, I’m happy for the kids,” said Mason head coach Adam Amerine. Mason’s first touchdown came in the middle of the first quarter when sophomore running back George Papadopoulos ran it in from the 10-yard line. Less than 30 seconds into the second quarter junior running back Robert Silva ran it in from seven yards out for another touchdown. After another three and out from Sidwell Friends, the visitors gave the ball back to a redhot Mason squad. On the first play of their ensuing drive sophomore quarterback Evans Rice threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver
Enzo Paradiso to make it 20-0 with 10:12 left in the second quarter. The Mustangs would score once more before halftime when senior running back Connor Plaks ran it in from four yards out with 40 seconds left in the half. After a successful two-point conversion Mason went into halftime with a 28-0 lead. Late in the third quarter, Rice threw his second touchdown of the game, this time to sophomore running back Graham Felgar to increase the lead to 35-0. Sidwell Friends would eventually get on the board with less than five minutes left in the game after quarterback Dallas Lea threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Ward. The offense continues to succeed despite an offensive line that is missing three of the five players who started there this season. The secret to this success is players who are stepping up to play on both sides of the ball. “We have some new bodies in [the offensive line],” Amerine added. “[Junior tight end Paul] Thompson stepped in and started at tackle tonight and he did a
SENIOR WIDE RECEIVER Enzo Paradiso catches a pass en route to a 46-yard touchdown and 35 unanswered points for the Mustangs. (P����: C������� S����� T�����/T�� L����) great job. He played two ways and [Senior] Henry Wildman stepped in and played linebacker for [sophomore] Seth [Stillwagoner], he got hurt last week. So we had a couple guys that stepped in and really did a nice job playing both ways.” One thing that needs to change, however, is the number of penalties. “We lost our composure. They were pushing us and we just couldn’t control our emotions
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there at times,” said Amerine He added, “We told them we’re at the point where if you get a costly penalty, you’re going to come out of the game. So if you make a mistake and you react poorly, and you just don’t play the type of football that I expect, you’re going to come out of the game. And so hopefully they learned that.” The Mustangs plan to get healthy during their upcoming bye week and will play at Warren
County High School on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. CORRECTION In last week’s edition of the newspaper, the News-Press published the incorrect football story under the headline, “Mason Football Snags 2nd Consecutive Win,” for the sports section on page 17. The News-Press apologizes for this mistake and any confusion it caused.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
FALLS CHURCHCALENDAR COMMUNITYEVENTS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3 Candidate Forum. A Falls Church City School Board Candidate Forum. School Board candidate participants include Sue Dimock, Laura Downs, Phil Reitinger and Douglass Stevens. The forum will be a moderated question and answer session with the same lead-off question. Subsequent questions will be randomly selected from audience members. American Legion Post 130 (400 N. Oak St., Falls Church). 7 p.m. For more information, contact Sally Ekfelt at Ekfelt@gmail.com.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 Sunset Cinema: Back to the Future. The City’s Recreation and Parks Department will hold its Sunset Cinema program on select
Fridays in September and October for Sunset Cinema in Cherry Hill Park. Moviegoers are encouraged to bring blankets and picnics. Drinks, popcorn and snacks will be available for purchase. In the case of inclement weather, screenings will be moved into the Community Center as available. The Oct. 4 Sunset Cinema movie is “Back to the Future” (PG, 1985). Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave., Falls Church). 7:45 – 9:45 p.m. 703-248-5077 (TTY 711).
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 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. Personal Property (Car) Tax Due. Car tax is due to the Treasurer’s office by the close of business.
Treasurer’s office @ City Hall (300 Park Ave., Falls Church). 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. 703-248-5046 (TTY 711). Fit at the Farmers Market: Blue Nectar Yoga. Interested residents can attend an energizing flow yoga class that links breath and movement while maintaining a balanced focus on alignment. Students will find sun salutations, back-bends, deep stretches and more during this special event. All classes are free and there is no registration required. City Hall parking lot (300 Park Ave., Falls Church). 9 – 10 a.m. 703-2485027. Habitat Restoration: Frady Park. Interested volunteers can help install native plants that benefit local birds and butterflies. Groups of at least five or more are encouraged to register. Tools, gloves, water and snacks will be provided. This is appropriate
for children, but direct parental supervision is required. Donald South Frady Park (311 E. Broad St. or 108 N. Fairfax St., Falls Church). 10 a.m. – noon. 571-238-5178. Halloween Window Painting Festival. Interested residents can design and paint a Halloween themed window at a designated Falls Church City business. Painting dates are Oct. 5 & 6 and 12 & 14. Clean up dates: Nov. 1 – 4 (painters are expected to clean up their windows). Registration necessary (all concept painting 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.
THEATER&ARTS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 “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 5 “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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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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 7
Demonetized Tour feat. BigJigglyPanda. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $36 – $102. 8 p.m. 703-237-0300. Union Stage presents at The Miracle Theatre: The DC Moth StorySLAM. Miracle Theatre (535 8th St. SE Washington, D.C.). $15. 8 p.m. 703-255-1566. Larryokie! Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-8589186. Thrillbillys. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 Happy Hour: Mars Rodeo. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-2419504. Kindred The Family Soul (encore performance the following night at the same time and price). The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $69.50. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500.
LIVEMUSIC
$5 Comedy Night. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $5. 9 p.m. 703237-0300.
Capstan with Bilmuri + Rarity + Neverkept + Pulses. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $20. 6:30 p.m. 703-2551566. Nathan Cooper. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 6:30 p.m. 703-237-8333. The Paper Kites with Tall Heights. The Birchmere (3701
OCTOBER 3 – 9, 2019 | PAGE 19
Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $25. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500.
“Shear Madness.” First seen in Boston in 1980, and opening here at the Kennedy Center in 1987, the show reinvents itself every performance— pulling from the news of the day, and on-goings of the DMV, to improvise timely witticisms and gags. Set today in the Shear Madness hairstyling salon, this record-breaking comedy is Washington’s hilarious whodunit. After more than 12,000 performances, the show has stayed in great shape. The Kennedy Center (2700 F St. NW Washington, D.C.) $50. 8 p.m. kennedy-center.org.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3
CA L E NDA R
Luke Brindley and Friends (full band show) with Rorie. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $20. 8 p.m. 703-255-1566. Scott & Mollie Unplugged. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-858-9186.
Shartel & Hume Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-2419504. Irresponsible + Rusty Cage + Braddock Station Garrison. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10 – $20. 10 p.m. 703255-1566. High Five. Dogwood Tavern (132
NICOLE BELANUS will be at Jammin’ Java on Sunday. (Photo: NicoleBelanus.com) W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 The Snakefarmers. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-2419504. Tragic Schoolbus. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-858-9186. Karl Stoll & the Danger Zone. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703241-9504. JMM. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 Blue Book Value Band. Famille Cafe (700A W. Broad St., Falls Church). 11 a.m. 703-570-8669.
Nicole Belanus. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 1 p.m. 703-255-1566.
$5. 9 p.m.
40 Dollar Fine. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-241-9504.
Open Mic hosted by Eryc Ryan. Liberty Barbecue (370 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703549-7500.
Open Mic. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-8589186. That 1 Guy. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $23. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566. Gary Puckett & The Union Gap. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $39.50. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500. Linwood Taylor Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-2419504. Karaoke, No Cover. Galaxy Hut (2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington).
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8 MZ Bree & The Funky Soldiers. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9 An Evening With Richard Shindell — Live and In Concert. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20 – $35. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566. Ottmar Leibert & Luna Negra Live and In Concert. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $35. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500.
Calendar Submissions Email: calendar@fcnp.com | Mail: Falls Church News-Press, Attn: Calendar, 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church, VA 22046
Be sure to include time, location, cost of admission, contact person and any other pertinent information. Event listings will be edited for content and space limitations. Please include any photos or artwork with submissions. Deadline is Monday at noon for the current week’s edition.
PAGE 20 | OCTOBER 3 - 9, 2019
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Announcements EVENTS/SHOWS
BIG ANTIQUES & Vintage Show/Sale, October 11-12. 65th Fishersville Antiques Expo, Expoland, Fishersville, VA (I-64, Exit 91), 300 dealers, five buildings & outside, Friday and Saturday 9-5, www.heritagepromotions.net, 434-846-7452.
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Public Notice CITY OF FALLS CHURCH FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
VOLUNTEERS who live in the City of Falls Church are needed to serve on the boards and commissions listed below. Contact the City Clerk’s Office (703-248-5014, cityclerk@ fallschurchva.gov, or www.fallschurchva.gov/ BC) for an application form or more information. Positions advertised for more than one month may be filled during each subsequent month. Architectural Advisory Board (alternate) Aurora House Citizens’ Advisory Committee Board of Zoning Appeals (alternate)
City Employee Review Board Economic Development Authority Historical Commission Housing Commission Towing Advisory Board Regional Boards and Commissions Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Commission
PUBLIC HEARING Oak Street Bridge Replacement City of Falls Church Monday, October 21, 2019 7:30 p.m. Planning Commission Meeting City Council Chambers, City Hall 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046
The City will conduct a public hearing on the proposed conceptual design for a replacement bridge on South Oak Street over Tripps Run during the Planning Commission meeting. The proposed project would replace the existing Oak Street Bridge with a new steel span bridge that meets current load and safety requirements. Project schedule information will be discussed at the public hearing. Preview preliminary project information prior to the public hearing on the project webpage http://www.fallschurchva.gov/1827/OakStreet-Bridge or the City of Falls Church Department of Public Works, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046, telephone 571-651-0133 (TTY 711). Please call ahead for staff availability. Give your written or verbal comments at the hearing or submit them by November 6, 2019 to Ms. Susan Long, City of Falls Church Department of Public Works, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046. You may also email your comments to SLong@fallschurchva.gov. Please reference “Oak Street Bridge Replacement” in the subject heading. The City of Falls Church ensures nondiscrimination in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For information call 703-248-5004 or (TTY 711). State Project # U000-110-192 and U000-110-200, Federal Project # STP-5A01(795). ACCESSIBILITY TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, contact Ms. Kerri Oddenino, City of Falls Church Department of Public Works, 300 Park Avenue, City of Falls Church, VA 22046, tel. 571-651-0133 (TTY 711). Persons needing interpreter services for the hearing impaired or those with limited English proficiency are requested to notify Ms. Susan Long no later than Monday, October 14, 2019 so appropriate arrangements can be made.
CITY OF FALLS CHURCH FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE Final day of registration is Tuesday, October 15, 2019 for the November 5th General Election for Member, Senate of Virginia, 35th District, Member, House of Delegates, 53rd District, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Member, City Council, and Member, School Board. Sample Ballots can be found online:http:// www.fallschurchva.gov/vote
All citizens, including those who are currently 17 years old, who will turn 18 years old by the November 5, 2019 General Election are eligible to register and vote. Online Voter Registration and early/absentee ballot by mail applications: http://www.vote. virginia.gov/ Deadline for applications submitted online via the Virginia Department of Election website is 11:59 pm on October 15, 2019. Only applicants with a DMV license or identification card can submit an application electronically and these applications may also be untimely if missing material information. Please note: those applications filled out online that are required to be printed and delivered to the registrar should be treated as regular mailed in applications and need to be postmarked by October 15, 2019 to meet the deadline. The 5:00 p.m. deadline on October 15, 2019 applies if any of these are submitted in-person at the registrar’s office. The deadline for mailed in applications remains that they be postmarked by October 15, 2019. Early/Absentee Voting for the City of Falls Church In-Person Absentee voting began in September at our newly renovated office at City Hall, 300 Park Ave, and will continue through Saturday, November 2nd. During that time, residents wishing to vote by In-Person Absentee ballot can do so 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the two Saturdays preceding the election, October 26th and November 2nd. The office is closed Monday, October 14th. Vote By Mail: The recommended deadline to apply for an absentee by mail ballot is Tuesday, October 22nd to ensure USPS delivery of the ballot both to the voter and back to the Office of Elections by Election Day. The legal deadline is October 29th but we don’t recommend that you wait that long. Election Day Reminders for the City of Falls Church Residents are reminded that on Election Day, street parking is available on both sides of Little Falls Street by the Community Center and on Oak, Seaton, Fellows, Parker, Timber, and Jackson near Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. Additional details, including a voter ward map, can be found online at www.fallschurchva.gov/Vote. Contact the Registrar’s office at 703-2485085 (TTY 711) or vote@fallschurchva.govf or more information. The Ward 2 Polling Place formerly known as Oakwood Apartments has been re-named and is under renovation. The Polling Place for Ward 2 will now be called Falls Green Apartments. We hope the polling place will be in the newly renovated Club House in the same location as in the past. However, due to construction schedules we may have an emergency move in polling location. All registered voters will be mailed notice if the polling place is moved prior to Election Day. David B. Bjerke, MPP, CERA, VREO Director of Elections & General Registrar of Voters, City of Falls Church Office of Voter Registration & Elections 300 Park Ave., Room 206C , Falls Church, VA 22046 Office: 703-248-5085; Fax: 703-248-5204; 703-248-5014 (TTY 771) vote@fallschurchva.gov; http://www.fallschurchva.gov/vote
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 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 804-521-7576, landonc@vpa.net
RVA TAX SALE ONLINE AND ONSITE auction for City of Richmond tax delinquent properties. Bidding begins Wed., Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. Preview properties online. Motleys, 3600 Deepwater Terminal Rd., Richmond, VA www.motleys. com 877-MOTLEYS. VAL16
Yard Sale HUGE MOVING SALE DESIGNER FURNITURE, art, lighting,
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KIDS LOVE SCALLIWAG October is going to be a really good reason To draw, paint & learning this season!
A RTS&E NTE RTA I NME NT
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Crossword
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1. Travel aid made obsolescent by GPS 6. Stadium display where you’ll see couples being intimate 13. “Four-alarm” food 14. 1971 hit with no English lyrics 16. Like some Greek columns 17. “Paul Bunyan” and others 18. Governors Michael and Eliot ... caught on the 6-Across! 20. Melt alternative, for short 21. Word in a wedding notice 22. Eskimo boot 26. Street ____ 28. Heed the coxswain 31. “____ Shoes” (2005 Cameron Diaz film) 32. “Eureka”-esque exclamations 33. Jonathan’s wife in “Dracula” 34. Comedians Andy and Robert ... caught on the 6-Across! 37. English school on the Thames 38. Nessie’s home 39. Standard Windows typeface 40. Go green, say 41. Actress Rowlands 42. Hold protectively 43. Words before “gather” or “see” 44. YouTube revenue source 45. Film directors Robert and John ... caught on the 6-Across! 53. Car-pooling arrangement 54. Boxer Ali 55. “Jungle Fever” actress
STRANGE BREW
1. Travel aid made obsolescent by GPS 6. Stadium display where you'll see couples being intimate
Sciorra 56. Finalize, as comic art 57. “Heavens to Betsy!” 58. Underhanded sort
DOWN
1. Word with rain or rock 2. “Wherefore art ____ Romeo?” 3. Something clickable 4. Et ____ 5. Devastating insult, in slang 6. Aquatic source of iodine 7. Cause for squirming 8. Beyond tipsy 9. Pollutant that’s a portmanteau 10. “Born Sinner” rapper J. ____ 11. State as fact 12. What’s more in Madrid? 14. “The Bells ____ Mary’s” 15. Casual greetings 19. Sort 22. Performed with gestures 23. Consensus 24. One of the Kardashians 25. Rock’s Kings of ____ 26. Girl, in Guatemala 27. Dermatologist’s concern 28. Unbending 29. NBA legend whose Twitter handle is @SHAQ 30. Pixar film set in 2805 32. “I Wanna Love You” singer, 2006 33. Sorvino of “Mighty Aphrodite” 35. “Shalom ____” (Hebrew
JOHN DEERING
Sudoku
OCTOBER 3 – 9, 2019 | PAGE 21 greeting) 36. First jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize 41. Elapses 42. Forerunners of MP3s 43. Below-the-belt campaign tactic 44. Not at the dock, say 45. Fanboy’s reading 46. Woman’s name meaning “pleasure” 47. Vitamin-rich green vegetable 48. Not online, briefly 49. “Life of Pi” author Martel 50. Similar to 51. “East of Eden” director Kazan 52. Holed, as a putt 53. “Wicked!”
P I Z Z A S
I S A A C S
Last Thursday’s Solution
S I N G E R H A R R Y
A T E
I S O O P R E D O A B A D M A Y S A N M O I T G I R S A U C E O B S E S
A C T R E S S R E Y N O L D S
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A R R O R A T A G G E T O D D E L A I R I N E R E C T S N E R D S A R E L I Z B L E W T E S H U N T O
By The Mepham Group
Level 1 2 3 4
13. "Four-alarm" food 14. 1971 hit with no English lyrics 16. Like some Greek columns 17. "Paul Bunyan" and others 18. Governors Michael and Eliot ... caught on the 6-Across! 20. Melt alternative, for short 1
21. Word in a wedding notice 22. Eskimo boot 26. Street ____ 28. Heed the coxswain 31. "____ Shoes" (2005 Cameron Diaz film) Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle
32. "Eureka"-esque exclamations NICK KNACK
© 2019 N.F. Benton
1
10/6/19
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.
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dog. lazy ick qu The fox sly p e d j u m the over dog. lazy is the Now for all time cows good co me to aid to the the ir of t u r e . pas
20 s Yearo Ag
is the Now for all time cows good co me to aid to the the ir of t u r e . p a s is the Now for all time cows good me to to coaid of the their.
BACK IN THE DAY
20 & 10 Years Ago in the News-Press Falls Church News-Press Vol. IX, No. 30 • October 7, 1999
It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the p a s their ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up
Falls Church News-Press Vol. XIX, No. 31 • October 8, 2009
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Critter Corner 10 Year s Ago
It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the the ir pas ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up
Forum on Referendum Set By City LWV for Oct. 17
Reeling From News of $4.2 Million Shortfall, F.C. Seeks Outside Help
A public forum where representatives of both sides of the issue on the Nov. 2 referendum in the City of Falls Church has been scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 19, by the Falls Church chapter of the League of Women Voters it was announced this week. The forum will beheld in the Council chambers of City Hall at 7 p.m.
Reeling from the unexpected news last Friday of a $4.2 million shortfall out of the $66 million budget last year that concluded June 30, the Falls Church City Council, School Board and City Hall officials have been engaged in a frenzy of activity, with the latest move an announcement late yesterday of plans to hire an outside consultant for help.
C i t y o f Fa l l s C h u r c h
CRIME REPORT Week of Sept. 23 – 29, 2019 Weapons Law Offenses, 300 blk Douglas Ave, Sept 23, 3:59 PM, following a traffic stop, a male, 24, of Fairfax, VA, was charged with Felony Possession of a Firearm (previous conviction of a violent felony), Possession of a Controlled Substance, Carry a Concealed Weapon, and Possession of Marijuana. Larceny, 100 blk W Broad St, Sept 25, 4:06 PM, an item inadvertently left on an outside table was taken by unknown suspect. Suspect described as a 6’ black male with long dread locks.
Larceny from Vehicle, 200 blk N Washington St, Sept 26, between 1:15 and 3:05 PM, items were taken from an unsecured vehicle. Tampering with Auto, 200 blk N West St, Sept 27, 12:48 AM, unknown suspect rummaged through an unsecured vehicle. Driving Under the Influence, 200 blk N Washington St, Sept 27, 6:09 PM, following a Hit and Run investigation, a male, 31, of Falls Church, VA, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence, Felony Hit and Run and Drinking While Driving. Driving Under the Influence, 1100 blk S Washington St, Sept
News-Press
TO LETTERS THE EDITOR Continued from Page 6
to build too close to street not thinking of the future. Not only will drivers continue to “cutthrough” neighborhoods, the speeding is worse. The speeders on Broad St. alone are horrible. There are more drivers going over the 25 mph than not and it is more adults, not teenagers. Never do I see the police doing anything about it. My worry is you will drive people off Broad St. and the local businesses could falter. Barb Molino Falls Church
F.C. Rec & Parks Thankful for a Successful Summer Editor, We at the City of Falls Church Recreation & Parks Department wanted to thank the community, our participants, our staff, and everyone else involved for a fantastic Summer 2019. We had 5,501 enrollments, 241 programs, 33 contracted camp providers, and 23 seasonal staff members join us for a busy summer! As a department, we are thankful for the parents/guardians, par-
28, 2:22 AM, following a traffic stop, a male, 37, of Woodbridge, VA, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence (2nd offense), Refusal (2nd offense), Possession of a Controlled Substance (THC), Drinking While Driving and Possession of Marijuana (2nd offense). Driving Under the Influence, 900 blk Hillwood Ave, Sept 28, 3:10 AM, responding to a 911 call, a male, 38, of Manassas, VA, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence, Refusal, and Possession of a Controlled Substance (THC Oil).
IT WAS A BIRTHDAY BASH for Buddy, who turned 10 with all his doggy dawgs in attendance. While Buddy acknowledges he’s getting up there in age, he also knows that it will never stop him from getting down. Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.
Larceny-Shoplifting, 200 blk S Washington St, Sept 28, 8:04 AM, unknown suspect took an 18 pack of Corona and fled the scene in a white van. Suspect described as a Hispanic male, possibly 18 YOA, and wearing a dark gray hoodie. ticipants, and contractors who were understanding of the many changes happening in the City, particularly to the George Mason High School campus. We could not have navigated the beginning of construction and smooth camp season at the George Mason High School campus without the continued support of school staff and the School Board. The greater Falls Church community is what makes our programming possible and without your support for the Summer 2019 season, we would not have been so successful. Whether you participated in a sports camp, excursion camp, classroom camp, or Summer Fun, we hope to see you back next year! If you have a camp you’d like to see us offer next summer, let us know by emailing camps@ fallschurchva.gov. City of Falls Church Recreation & Parks Department
Jimmie & Mindy Married February 14, 2016
Jimmie was fired from her job as a teacher because of who she loves.
In 31 states in this country, it’s legal to discriminate against LGBT Americans. That means you can be fired from your job, evicted from your home, or even denied medical services because of who you are or who you love. Everyone has the right to marry. Not everyone has basic rights.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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B������� N��� � N���� Upcoming Tysons Whole Foods Interviewing for Positions
OCTOBER 3 – 9, 2019 | PAGE 23
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Whole Foods Market is holding group interviews on Friday, Oct. 4 and Saturday, Oct. 5 for its new store opening soon at 1635 Boro Place in Tysons Corner. Available positions include cashiers, grocery and overnight team members, cooks, bakers, cake decorators, pub supervisors, experienced bartenders, baristas, juice bar team members, produce cutters, meat and seafood staff, sanitation/housekeeping, and catering liaison. Excellent benefits with pay of at least $15 an hour. Apply online at www.JoinWholeFoods.com/tysons-corner to secure an interview.
Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Celebrating 1,000th ‘Dogventure’ Saturday Several Falls Church businesses are helping Lost Dog and Cat Rescue celebrate its 1,000th “Dogventure” on Saturday, Oct. 5. Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation created their Dogventures program in order to help reduce kennel stress and provide the dogs at their Seven Corners Animal Care Center with enrichment and increased visibility. In its second year, participation in the program has exploded. With approximately 1,000 outings completed just in 2019, the program may be the largest of its kind nationwide. In celebration, the organization is hosting an all-day Dogventure this Saturday, featuring one of their longest-stay dogs, Ariel. The day will be packed with fun activities such as hiking, a spa bath, visits to downtown Falls Church businesses including Kiln & Custard, Body Dynamics, Falls Church Distillers, and the Tinner Hill Target. For more information about the organization or to learn more about Ariel, visit www. LostDogRescue.org.
Vienna’s Oktoberfest Set for Saturday The 12th annual Vienna Oktoberfest will take place Saturday, Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on historic Church Street. Presented by the Vienna Business Association and the Town of Vienna, the free event will include live entertainment on three stages, two beer/wine/food gardens, children’s activities, a hand-makers market, a business expo showcase, vendors, and a German auto show. For more information about the event, visit www.viennaoktoberfest.org. For information about parking options, visit www.viennava. gov.
Free Essential Oils Seminar at Ekoe Health Sunday Ekoe Health sponsors free, monthly health and wellness community events on the first Sunday of every month. On Sunday, Oct. 6, Essential Oils 101 will be offered from 3 – 5 p.m. Essential oils can help provide emotional support, increased energy, physical needs, beauty and aging, cleaning and cooking. Attendees will learn how and when to use essential oils aromatically, topically, and internally and sample various oils. Ekoe Health is located at 254 North Washington Street in Falls Church. For more information, visit www. ekoehealth.com.
Celebrate Vietnamese New Year at Eden Center This Saturday Eden Center is hosting Tet Trung Thu on Saturday, Oct. 5 from noon – 5 p.m. at the primarily Vietnamese shopping center in Falls Church. The family-friendly Moon Festival will celebrate the Vietnamese culture from noon – 5 p.m. at 6751 Wilson Boulevard.
F.C. Dental Studio Hosting Grand Opening for New Location Smile Makers Dental Studio is hosting a grand opening for its new location at 5659 Columbia Pike, Suite 100 in Falls Church on Thursday, Oct. 10 from 4 to 7 p.m.. Refreshments will be provided and a ribbon cutting will take place. With dental offices at Tysons and in Fairfax, this is the third location for Geith James Kallas. For more information, visit www.smilemakerscenter.com. 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.
Join us on 10/6 for Neighbor Night! Use code NEIGHBOR for $10 OFF Adult Admission & FREE drink at our pre-show reception before the 7pm show
October 3-27
703-436-9948 creativecauldron.org
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
PAGE 24 | OCTOBER 3 - 9, 2019
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No security deposit required. Monthly payment of $489, based on $50,090 MSRP of 2019 XC90 T5 FWD Momentum with Heated Front Seats, Heated Steering Wheel and Metallic Paint, includes destination charge and application of $2,000 Volvo Allowance. Lessee is responsible for excess wear and mileage over 10,000 miles/year at $0.25 / mile. General Disclaimer Take new retail delivery from dealer stock between September 1, 2019 and October 3, 2019. Car shown with optional equipment. Advertised lease payment and financing excludes taxes, title, and registration fees and is available for qualified customers based on FICO score through Volvo Car Financial Services. Payments may vary, as dealer determines price. Offers available at participating dealers. Applicable vehicles are subject to retailer availability and may need to be ordered. See dealer for details. Loyalty Disclaimer: The Loyalty Bonus is available towards the lease or purchase of any new 2019 Volvo. The Loyalty Bonus varies by model and whether vehicle is leased or purchased. Customer eligibility requirements must be met for the Loyalty Bonus offer.
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SOLD! Charming beautifuly maintained sunny townhouse in sought after Wrens Corner! 3 bedroom, 2 full and two half baths. Updated eat in kitchen with stainless appliances and granite counters. Large separate dining room and living with fireplace. Family room with fireplace and French door lead to private patio. Newly refinished hardwood floors and freshly painted throughout. Garage and basement for extra storage! 304 Wrens Way, Falls Church.
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