Falls Church News-Press 11-17-2022

PIPPIN IT OFF Festive Holiday Season Begins

by Nicholas F. Benton Falls Church News-Press

This Tuesday, the fellowship hall at the historic Falls Church Episcopal was jammed to the hilt by members of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce and invited representatives of over 30 City of Falls Churchbased non-profit community service organizations for a festive kickoff to a holiday season of giving and sharing.

The event was organized by the Chamber as part of its nowannual “Live Local” initiative that was endorsed by the Falls Church City Council with a special proclamation encouraging the Falls Church public to do just that, to focus holiday gift buying but also dining and contributing to good causes to City of Falls Church-based institutions and opportunities. For a city of Falls Church’s size, 2.2 square miles and 14,800 people, there are a stunning number of such opportunities.

2022 HOLIDAY PET GUIDE

Falls Church’s Meridian High School students are presenting the Tony Awardwinning musical play, “Pippin,” in performances this weekend

Don’t miss this year’s Holiday Pet Guide. This section features stories on the dos and don’ts of holiday pet adoption, popular and pet-friendly gifts and holiday hazards for animals and how to prevent them.

See Pages 8-15

eval Frankish king, “wrote out the barbarous and ancient songs, in which the acts of the kings and their wars were sung…” While the musical “Pippin”

tion and fact but rather to the imaginations of composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz and librettist Roger O. Hirson. This Tony Award winning

this weekend at Meridian High by students under the guidance of Shawn Northrip. The

Club Fruit Sale For Charity

F.C. Council Proclaims Transgender Awareness Week

In a proclamation presented at Monday’s Falls Church City Council meeting, the Council declared Nov. 13-19 as Transgender Awareness Week and Nov. 20 as Transgender Day of Remembrance, saying it “supports the bodily autonomy and human dignity of all members of our community.” It acknowledged the statements earlier adopted by the F.C. School Board and Superintendent to the same end.

“The City Council has demonstrated support for community members of all backgrounds and identities, including transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming persons,” the proclamation read, including a prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation adopted in 2002, “which has historically been linked to discrimination based on gender expression and identity.”

F.C. Council in Preliminary OK of Lower Speed Limits

The Falls Church City Council voted unanimously a preliminary OK to authorize City Manager Wyatt Shields to set out a new scheme for lowering the speed limit in some residential areas of the City from 25 to 20 miles per hour. The Council will vote on final adoption of the policy at its Nov. 28 meeting.

The Council also gave a preliminary OK for the allocation of surplus general fund revenues as proposed by the City’s chief financial officer and City Manager of $5,848,773 to a combination of employee bonuses ($1,000 per employee for challenges met during the pandemic), an array of transportation infrastructure and public safety steps (including $425,000 for the W&OD Trail), “small town character” investments (including $803,000 for development of three “parklets” in the S. Washington Street commercial zone, and $992,159 for an “affordable housing strike fund,” among others.

Tarter Urges “Bus Rapid Transit Plan” to Stop at West Metro

Falls Church Mayor David Tarter, following a update by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission of an “Envision Route 7” plan for the institution of a “bus rapid transit” (BRT) route from Alexandria to Tysons Corner through Falls Church on Route 7, urged NVTC spokesman Xavier Harmony at Monday’s meeting that the plan be revised to include a stop at the West Falls Church Metrorail Station. The plan does cover a stop at the East Falls Church station along what Harmony said is the second busiest bus rider corridor in Northern Virginia.

No stop at West Falls Church “is a huge mistake,” Tarter said. “We’ve designed our roads so you can use them.”

F.C. Councilman David Snyder, the City’s representative on the NVTC, said the BRT

plans “will further establish Falls Church as one of the best located jurisdictions in the region. With this week’s opening of the Silver Line to Dulles Airport, that takes off at East Falls Church, and the completion of the BRT, it will be possible for us to travel conveniently and quickly almost anywhere in the region without a car.”

Metro Opens Silver Line Dulles Airport

Tuesday, the WMATA’s Metrorail service celebrated the opening of the Silver Line Extension, connecting customers to six new stations, adding 11.4 miles of track to the Metrorail system, and beginning operations at a modern rail maintenance facility. The Silver Line Extension gives customers a new connection to Washington Dulles International Airport. This week’s grand opening also marks the completion of the Silver Line project, a generational infrastructure investment in Northern Virginia.

Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke was joined by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other federal, state, and local officials, including from Falls Church, for the grand opening ceremony at Washington Dulles International Airport Station.

F.C. School Board ‘Office Hours’ at Cuates Grill

The Falls Church City Public Schools’ elected board chair Laura Downs and vice chair Tate Gould will hold “office hours” at Cuates Grill, 502 W. Broad St., on Tuesday, Nov. 29 from 6:00 — 8:00 p.m.

Parents, students, teachers, staff, and community members may drop by (no registration required) to ask questions and offer feedback in a casual environment.

F.C. Police Seeking Carjacking Suspect

City of Falls Church Police are looking for a suspect described as a black male wearing a light blue or gray shirt. Before 7 p.m. in the 6700 block of Wilson Boulevard, the suspected attempted one carjacking, then carjacked a second vehicle, described as a dark blue 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Virginia tags UGF2955. Anyone with information should contact the City of Falls Church Police, 703-248-5053 (TTY 711) or police@fallschurchva.gov.

Help With Water Bills Offered to Public

Thanks to the Virginia Department of Social Services’ Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, Fairfax Water can now offer assistance to eligible customers who need assistance with their water and wastewater bills. Eligible customers are asked to apply soon.

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with us in-person and from home

2022 Native Cinema Showcase | Online, Nov. 18–25

Watch online the best in Native film representing 30 Native nations in 8 countries. At the Museum

Film Screening—Imagining The Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting Saturday, Nov. 19, 2 p.m. Panel discussion will follow the screening.

Native American Heritage Program with Tony Duncan

Friday, Nov. 25 | 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.

Demonstration by five-time world champion hoop dancer Tony Duncan (San Carlos Apache/Mandan-Hidatsa-Arikara).

AmericanIndian.si.edu/calendar

Photo by Alan Karchmer for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

City’s Gift Card Program Aimed at Helping Local Businesses

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Recognizing this, the Chamber of Commerce, beginning with the inventive leadership of now-retired Sally Cole, set up a format to bring local businesses and local nonprofits together to optimize the potential for win-win situations. This is the first time since the pandemic interrupted everything that a full roster of local nonprofits were invited to set up display tables in the church’s large lobby area and adjacent fellowship hall, and to invite a dialogue between the local businesses and those nonprofit entities.

It was a lively affair, to say the least, and a lot of people from one general walk of life got to meet, talk and trade information with a lot from another.

The Rev. Burl Salmon, rector of the historic church, greeted everybody for the first of its kind event at the church, as did the Chamber’s executive director Elise Bengtson, board chair Emily Jenkins and Christopher Fay, the executive director of Homestretch, Inc., one of the City’s most effective and successful non-profits whose mission is to provide the whole array of services that are needed to families with children out of homelessness and into a stable new environment.

A highlight was the news about the City’s “Little City Gift Card Program” that is using federal grant money provided through the America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that is aimed at helping communities recover from the enormous array of dislocations and financial losses resulting from the pandemic.

In Falls Church’s case almost $1 million is being made available for it and related programs, as designated by the City Council and the City’s Economic Development Authority (EDA).

The gift card program is aimed at helping local businesses as well as increasing the buying power of residents. It enables the City to provide a match for gift cards purchased by citizens. For example, a citizen buying a $100 gift card will receive a match from the City of $50, meaning the citizen can buy $150 at any participating local business, while the business receives the full value of the card.

Businesses wishing to participate can sign up with the City, and the cards will go on sale to the public on Saturday, Nov. 26, known as “Small Business Saturday” following Thanksgiving.

“We are thrilled to support this program and thank the City Council for its sponsorship and support,” the Chamber’s Bengtson and Jenkins said in a statement. “We cannot think of a better way for the City to encourage its friends and neighbors to support local business owners and the community.”

As the community careens toward the holiday season in full flower, and as the gift cards go on sale that Saturday after Thanksgiving, so will the annual “Very Victorian Christmas” event at the Cherry Hill Farmhouse, open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., where costumed reenactors will welcome guests to enjoy period decorations and an 1860s Blaisdell family celebration.

The initial highlight after that

kickoff will come on Monday, Nov. 28, when the annual Broad Street tree lighting celebration, launching the lighting of street trees on the City’s main street, Route 7, will commence, running for the first time this year all the way up the road from the Broad and Washington intersection to the new Meridian high school

The festive, lighted trees will make the City an even more desirable destination for families from throughout the wider District, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) region, giving the City’s businesses and citizens an added opportunity to both spread cheer and win business.

The lighting ceremony on Monday the 28th will occur at a new location, at the Modera

Founder’s Row at the corner of W. Broad and N. West Streets at 6 p.m. There will be food trucks on hand, even as a half-dozen new restaurants at Founder’s Row prepare to open for the first time during December.

The Rock Star Realty group will provide hot chocolate and cookies, and the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department will bring Santa in on a fire truck.

Then, a holiday gift and craft show, with a children’s shoppe, will open up at the Falls Church Community Center on the weekend of Dec. 3 and 4. Over 40 local crafters and merchants will be selling unique handmade items, baked goods and more from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. that Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4

p.m. Sunday.

The Children’s Holiday Shoppe, hosted by the Friends of Cherry Hill, runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Community Center and volunteers will help children select gifts for $6 or less for friends and family, while free gift wrapping will also be provided.

Ample free parking will be available at the Kaiser Permanente garage, 201 N. Washington with an entrance on Park Avenue, only two blocks from the Community Center.

Keith Thurston of the Village Preservation and Improvement Society has promised that his group will pull off a Watch Night full of activities on New Year’s Eve, and the public should stay tuned for a lot more to come.

CHRISTOPHER FAY of Homestretch (left) at the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the F.C. Episcopal Tuesday that highlighted the work of over 30 nonprofits in the Little City. (P����: N���-P����)

Commentary: F.C. Weighs In on Trangender Rights

by Sophie Kachur

(Ed. Note – The following is a transcript of remarks made by Ms. Kachur at Monday’s Falls Church City Council meeting on the occasion of the Council’s adoption of a proclamation declaring this Transgender Awareness Week and Nov. 20 as Transgender Day of Remembrance. Ms. Kachur is a public meetings assistant for the City of Falls Church.)

It’s hard to say the right thing. We know the right thing, but it’s hard to actually say it, especially on an issue like this which is so nuanced. It’s difficult to decide how much we want to give away to the world, in fear of how it may be twisted against us. Do we quietly support in hopes that we won’t face pushback from a prejudiced world? Or do we unequivocally stick up for our values? I think it’s better to try, and make mistakes along the way, than to be silent.

So I’m going to try.

I’m not trans myself, but as a member of the queer community. I have a deep affinity and connection with the trans community. I know that coming out is a hard decision, and being out is often a harder experience. And I know that it shouldn’t be something that distinguishes the queer community, especially trans people, from others in society any more than saying you’re from Fairfax County versus the City of Falls Church. But that is not the case. In the world we live in, we know that being trans often comes with a lot of pain. And through this proclamation we acknowledge that. We recognize the violence that society inflicts on transgender people and we honor the memory of those we’ve lost to transphobia and bigotry.

At the same time, we cannot forget the joy and beauty of the transgender experience. The pain I’ve just mentioned doesn’t come from being trans, but from the lack of understanding and inability to accept trans people as equally deserving of life and autonomy. The trans experience itself is amazing.

There is nothing more fulfilling than watching another human being discover who they are and come into their own. There is no one way to be trans and there is no one journey to becoming who you are meant to be. Through the varying experiences our trans community members have we are reminded of the beauty of diversity. The more we cherish the diversity of gender and gendered experience, the more opportunity we give to our community members to be who they

are without a second thought. Not only do we welcome trans community members when we defend their right to live here, but we welcome and free everyone who lives in this community from the shackles of the traditional gender binary system. And that’s one of the most beautiful things about the trans community. The fight for their rights brings not only peace and power to their cause, but acceptance and freedom for all gender identities and expressions, trans, cis, or otherwise.

So finally, I want to ask you to imagine the reactions you expect to receive from this proclamation. Namely, the negative, because that is what I’ve heard the most of in crafting this document.

Think for a moment about your worst fears of who may hear this and what they may do, but think not as a servant of the City of Falls Church, not as a Council member or representative of the community, but as an individual. Imagine yourself as one person bearing the brunt of societal rejection of who you are at your core. Can you carry that weight alone? It is one thing to stand up to transphobia as a united community, and another to face it alone, as a personal attack.

And so while we may face bigoted responses, I want to highlight that we will face them together. This proclamation demonstrates that as representatives of the city, as a workplace, and as a whole community we will help lift the weight from our trans community members who for so long have carried it alone.

This isn’t the end. This proclamation is not the solution to our problem, but a stepping stone on the way.

If we said nothing, this hate would continue to exist. And even though we are saying something now, this hate will continue to exist. The fight for trans rights has been going on for decades in the United States and won’t soon be won if we continue to take half measures and backslide into silence. This region is making progress, from the Falls Church City School Systems’ commitment to serving its students with respect and dignity regardless of transphobic and hateful legislation passed from above, to the welcoming leadership City-led programs are run with that respects the gender identity of all participants.

With this proclamation we encourage these measures, and commit ourselves to continuing to do the work that will ensure Falls Church is a welcoming and inclusive community that thrives with the acceptance and involvement of all its residents.

Our Man in Arlington

By Charlie Clark

Our county’s 80-plus churches have roots in the 18th century (remember that Glebe Rd. is named for a church’s slice of income-producing land, and the Glebe House on N. 17th St., rebuilt in the 1850s, still stands).

The first on our soil was likely George Washington Parke Custis’s “Chapel of Ease,” constructed in the 1820s on the grounds of Arlington House, followed by Mount Olivet Methodist in 1860.

But one could argue that the church “most central” (geographically and perhaps in congregational loyalty) is First Presbyterian at 601 N. Vermont St. in Ballston.

Founded in 1872 at the central intersection of Ball’s Crossroads, that dynamic church is now marking its 150th anniversary. A service and potluck luncheon this Sunday, Nov. 20, at which county board members are slated to attend, forms part of a year’s activity that includes a special logo, a photo gallery of all 26 pastors (all found but one), picnics, tree plantings, a curated “memory walk,” and “Snowball” prom for all ages.

“Our vision is to use our 150th for an opportunity to reunite our church and involve as many volunteers as possible, in small or one-time things so we don’t overextend anyone,” I’m told by co-organizer Lynnette Yount (daughter of the

church’s longestserving pastor George Yount, who led it from 1944-80). The faith mission is to “re-ignite our commitment to Christ and our church, and inspire us for the next 150 years.”

A detailed history of First Presbyterian appeared 50 years ago in the Arlington Historical Magazine , where writer Donald Wise marked the church’s centennial by situating it within the broader history of Arlington (then Alexandria County) as farmland recovering from the Civil War.

In February 1872, 29 founding congregants met at the home of Malvina A.G. Hayes, contributing fees as charity. By June, an arrangement with the Presbytery of Washington City had the minister of the Falls Church Presbyterian Church, Rev. David H. Riddle, preach at 3:00 p.m. every other Sunday. By December, he was appearing every Sunday. A hall above Mortimer’s Blacksmith Shop became the Sunday school, and the group raised $1,200 to buy 11 acres (on the corner that later became Bob Peck Chevrolet). Construction began April 18, 1873, and the dedication by 67 parishioners happened Oct. 22, 1876.

By World War II, the congregation had outgrown the sanctuary. Trustees raised $35,000 to purchase 3.5 acres for building the current structure at Vermont and Carlin Springs Rd. (with later modifications), opening in 1951. By the 1960s, they needed

two Sunday services, and the Sunday School served 500 children.

First Presbyterian made a commitment to social issues. In the 1960s, parishioners were active in the Civil Rights movement. Yount got involved with a citizens group that countered the influence of the American Nazi Party. The church pioneered a special class for children with disabilities, adding a wheelchair ramp in front of the sanctuary. It appointed the first female elder (Jeannette Ragusa) in the 1970s, and in the 1990s welcomed a first openly gay couple.

Today’s church houses a free Head Start program for preschoolers. Congregants bag meals for the homeless and host Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. It shares space with La Iglesia Libertad Sin Fronteras, a Spanish-speaking Church.

After 150 years, the church is plugged into a thoroughly modern Arlington.

***

Melody Miller, for four decades the spokeswoman for the Kennedy family, was my friend and collaborator in the Yorktown High School Hall of Fame and Inspiration. She died Nov. 9 at 77, from a heart attack in her Washington home.

The event that changed her life came during senior year at Yorktown in 1963. President Kennedy invited her to the White House after liking a bust she’d sculpted of him. After graduating from Penn State, Melody would work for Jackie, Robert, Ted (for 30 years), Caroline and JFK Jr.

It was only fitting that she was inducted in the Hall of Fame for the county school she did so much to help establish.

Eminent Domain For W. Broad?

Later this month, the Falls Church City Council will make a final decision on how to spend a huge budget surplus that includes millions in federal relief funds designed to offset the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Council at a work session and at this week’s regular business meeting was presented with a plan devised by the City staff for utilizing these funds by shoring up its reserves (in the event of an economic downturn) and putting the money to a wide array of purposes.

We urge our local citizens to examine these options and to speak out if they think there are better priorities or deserving needs. The City rarely has an opportunity to put millions of dollars to, shall we say, unconventional uses if they are deemed by our local government to be worthy.

For example, we have a few ideas of our own that we feel are good for serious consideration.

First of all, there is the issue of the City’s use of what has become a rarity in the nation’s life these days, a bonafide local newspaper that focuses its coverage on a local community’s events and activities. We, of course, are speaking of ourselves, the Falls Church News-Press. For over 30 years, this paper has been delivered to every household in the City, offering a service for readers and local businesses who advertise a uniquely valid resource in what since the century before the American revolution was recognized by Benjamin Franklin and many others as an indispensable element of a thriving democracy.

Newspapers are under grave pressure and are going out of business at a record pace, due to advertising revenues shifting to online entities, even though those lack the depth and breadth of exposure that a “total market coverage” print newspaper can. In communities where such newspapers continue to exist, it is of utmost importance that efforts are made to enhance the impact of them wherever it can in a way to address the government’s ability to reach its wider public. This isn’t a self-serving suggestion, it is our patriotic duty to state this as much as to exist at all.

There are more ideas on how the City government should “think outside the box” to use surplus funds to community-wide betterment, in addition to the important challenges of providing affordable housing and vital services to the significant number of underserved people even in an affluent town.

For example, how about using the surplus millions to exercise “eminent domain” over the property at the intersection of W. Broad and Little Falls, site of the now vacated and fenced off former Stratford Motel site? By offering the owners a fair market price for that land, the City could utilize the space to create a first-rate downtown gathering place and plaza in the center of what is otherwise an exemplary urban neighborhood of attractive shops and businesses.

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Great & Little No More?

Editor,

Many of us along Park Avenue are very surprised by the lack of timely notice by City officials, and avoidance of seeking timely input from City residents, regarding the proposed amendments to “T-Zones.” The Planning Commission and City Council appear to have been discussing this since June of last year, yet, the first outreach to City residents was just a few days before the City’s November 2nd listening session. There was a good turnout, largely in opposition, but it was quite evident that only a small sub-section of citizens had the time to adequately understand the proposal and/or prepare to present to the Commission.

It appears the only reason for the proposed amendments is to benefit developers (and increase City revenues). I, and many others I’ve spoken to, see this as ceding the look and feel of our City to developers and ignoring residents’ desires. In particular, why (amongst other parts of the City) is Park Avenue being targeted? Between the library and the new Founders Row complex, on the south side of Park Avenue we have Founders Row, a large church and school complex, a hotel, and Spectrum. The remainder of that section is a combination of homes, townhouses and various small businesses (thankfully in previous small homes) which preserve a semblance of the small city atmosphere, despite all the large commercial enterprises. I believe Park Avenue has enough “transition” and encouraging further development on this beautiful street is mind-boggling.

The new proposal would allow 4-story buildings covering 80 percent of the lot with only a 10-foot setback. The worst part is that such development would be “by right,” thus eliminating any Planning Commission (or resident) input and worsening the existing traffic, speeding and parking issues.

Park Avenue is currently designated to become a “Great Street” in the “Little City” that we all love. How can further development be either “great” or “little?” I encourage all City residents to make our voices heard, particularly since the Planning Commission is scheduled to vote on this proposal next month.

Linda Anne Messick City of Falls Church

When F.C. Said ‘No’ to Betting

Editor,

Thank you for the recent recognition of the 30th Anniversary of the Broad Street Bridge (really The Citizens’ Bridge) on October 3, 2022! Our little city lead the way via THE many citizens (thus CITIZENS’ naming) demanding safe crossing for all especially the children on the wonderful W&OD Trail!

There is another 30th Anniversary to recognize in the City of Falls Church that formally brought together, on the ballot, both the local Democratic and Republican parties!! It was a wonderful first…”Just Say NO to Parimutuel Betting Parlors”! Yes back in the Fall of 1992 the horseracing syndicate quietly came to our city to slip into our commercial areas their Offtrack Betting Parlors (OTB). Their goal was not our betterment but to make horserace betting, statewide and nationwide, here! It was their attempt to secure a lone foothold NOVA and DMV. Yeah for the voting citizens of Falls Church as we kicked that deceptive idea out by 82 percent with a whopping 93 percent turnout!! Just prior to election day The City’s Republican Party took the formal position to be against (ie vote NO) the initiative and printed that VOTE –NO on their sample ballots! I brought that to the attention of the Democratic Party leaders and they did the same!! It was so remarkable to get unanimity especially during a national election! We should always be on the lookout for threats to our commercial areas… Did I read that the new Founding Fathers development is going to have an entertainment lobby with the movie theaters?? Lets watch that sort of seemingly innocuous statement. I can still hear then retired USMC Col. George Codrea firmly advising the warning that night at city council hearing “Don’t let the camel’s nose get under the proverbial tent wall!” RIP George as you are still serving the City of Falls Church Citizens!

Craig Day City of Falls Church

MHS Production Called ‘Unique’ for Costuming and Set Design

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student cast will include Hana Saldate as the Leading Player, Matthew Bloss-Baum as Pippin, Alex Steinbach as Charles the Great (Charlemagne), and Emma Hart as Catherine.

Twenty years ago, Mr. Northrip recounted in an interview with the News-Press that he was student-teaching at Lake Braddock High School with R.L. Mirabal. “This was the musical the high school was putting on,” he relayed to the News-Press. “I’ve loved it ever since and have always wanted to do it, but it is a particularly large and challenging show. For the past two years, due to the pandemic, we’ve been doing small shows, with small casts and small bands. This year, when we decided it was time to do something big again, with a large cast and a full pit, this was the show I proposed.”

The high school students in the cast know who Charlemagne was, as they study him in history classes. “To be honest,” Mr. Northrip says, “the show is not really about him or Pippin, historically speaking. It is about

a company of traveling players putting on the story of a young adult trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life, and the kids know this feeling very well.”

The show also has much to offer in its insights into familial relationships, as the father Charlemagne and the son Pippin do not often spend close time together or communicate in a large, busy court of court people and soldiers coming and going. A step-mother and stepbrother also complicate life for Pippin, and there is the matter of whether to conform to his upbringing and his social milieu or whether to rebel against it.

In addition to updating historical personalities and situations to contemporary themes, “this hip, tongue-in-cheek, anachronistic fairy tale,” as “Broadway World Richmond” terms the Meridian High School production, was and is groundbreaking in several ways.

First of all, the music took on less of a traditional Rodgers and Hammerstein orchestral Broadway sound and introduced more of a then-current

MERIDIAN HIGH SCHOOL’S production of “Pippin” is unique due to its elaborate costumes as well as the sets which “evoke” the past. Meridian’s theater director Shawn Northrip updated the classic show’s historical personalities and situations to contemporary themes. (P����: C���� S��/FCCPS C�������������)

tion runs the next three nights, Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 17, 18, and 19, at Meridian High School, 121 Mustang Alley, Falls Church, Virginia 22043. The production goes from 7:30

BE THE LIGHT

BE THE LIGHT

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GIVE THEM HOPE

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OPENING DOORS AND FILLING HEARTS

45,000 lives saved since 2001! With the support of our life-saving community, LDCRF helps homeless dogs and cats find loving homes through rescue and adoption. Together, we can give more homeless pets a chance to live in good health and find love in their forever homes.

A Home for the Holidays: The Dos & Don’ts of Pet Adoption During the Season

by Kylee Toland Falls Church News-Press

As the holiday season approaches, one popular gift someone can give to themselves or others is a furry friend. However, the adoption of a pet during the holidays comes with responsibilities and circumstances that may differ from the adoption process any other season.

Adoption agencies and shelters are gearing up for the likely increase in animal adoptions in the next few weeks due to the holidays. The Humane Society of Fairfax County, Wolftrap Animal Rescue and The Little Black Dog Rescue are just some of many local shelters, rescues and organizations preparing their furry inhabitants for finding their forever home during the holidays.

With this possible increase in adoptions, local animal rescues have advice for those considering welcoming a pet into their life this season.

Chelsea Jones is the senior Communications Specialist at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, which sees an increase in adoptions around the holidays due to people having time off of work and having more time to spend with a new pet. Jones said though the animal shelter

encourages people to adopt an animal during the holidays, there are “huge differences” between adopting a pet during this season compared to adopting one any other season.

“One of the biggest things you have to consider is what your schedule is going to look like over the holidays,” Jones said. “Some people are traveling, some people are having lots of family over and those things can be really stressful for a new pet in the home.”

If one decides to travel during the holiday season, Jones stated possible future pet owners should figure out if they have enough time for a pet to become comfortable with their new surroundings before setting them up with a pet sitter or taking them along on their holiday trip. For those who have family coming into town for the holidays, Jones recommends that new pets, such as cats, should be kept in one room of the house during a family visit to limit the potential stress on the new animal. New pet owners should also remind visitors what the rules may be about one’s pet; whether a visitor should approach the animal or not.

One holiday idea local adoption agencies and animal shelters provide for is putting together or wrapping an “adoption kit.” Filling a box with

toys, a bed, leash and more can make it easier for one to decide whether they want to gift themselves or others with a furry friend during the holiday season. If a person is sure of adopting a pet for themselves or someone else, they make an event of visiting a shelter and gifting their new pet with the adoption kit.

Michelle Whitaker, the dog program manager at the Falls Churchbased organization Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation, said people who may be planning on adopting a pet during the holiday season should make sure the animal is “compatible” with their lifestyle instead of getting a furry friend for the “cuteness factor.” For those who want a “calm” home during the holidays, Whitaker recommended adopting an older dog or cat instead of a puppy or kitten.

Although Whitaker stated Lost Dog & Cat Rescue encourages people to adopt, she said future pet owners should “do their homework” and visit local shelters or adoption events to interact with a potential furry friend. Most importantly, Whitaker stated one shouldn’t wait until Christmas Eve to decide whether or not to adopt, but rather take some time deciding whether adopting a pet during the holidays is the right choice for them.

Where to Adopt Pets:

Falls Church Area Adoption Locations

Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation: lostdogrescue.org

Lucky Dog Rescue: luckydoganimalrescue.org/home

The Humane Society of Fairfax: hsfc.org

Animal Welfare League of Arlington: awla.org

Wolf Trap Animal Rescue: wtarescue.com

The Little Black Dog Rescue Group: thelittleblackdog.org

Friends of Homeless Animals: foha.org

To the Rescue, Inc.: totherescueinc.org

DOGTOPIA FALLS CHURCH

108 W Jefferson Falls Church, VA 22046 571-356-9223

fallschurch@dogtopia.com

Text-Call-Email Us!

ADOPTING A PET during the holiday season has its own set of circumstances for possible adoptees . (Photo: Michelle Whitaker)

‘Purr’-fect and Pet-Friendly Presents to Gift a Furry Friend

by Kylee Toland Falls Church News-Press

When it comes to the holidays, most people may be worrying about what to get their family, friends or significant others as a gift. In certain cases, people may be scrambling to make sure their beloved pet can partake in the season with a present or treat.

Whether it be chewing toys, a scratching post or a tasty bone/ treat, pets can join in on the holiday spirit by receiving gifts from their owners. Although the classic frisbee or fake mouse filled with catnip will be enjoyed by a pet, new products and toys have grown popular among animals and their owners, due to their entertainment and petfriendliness aspect.

A creative gift for dogs, cats and other pets is putting together a holiday “goody box.” A pet owner can put their animal’s favorite toys, treats and other items in a box or basket, as well as holiday-themed activities or traditions one can start with their pet. When the goody box is

put all together, a pet owner can give it to their animal, ensuring a sweet surprise for their furry friend.

Brad Kriser is the chief education officer at Loyal Companion, a Fairfax-based pet store that provides both pet food and pet supplies. During the holiday season, Kriser said Christmas and holiday-related themed items are the most popular products bought by customers to give to their pets. Treats and “chews” — an object that makes it safe for an animal to bite on — are also sold at a higher volume during this time, according to Kriser.

For those who may be on a holiday budget, Kriser recommended a silicone baking treat mold, which allows pet owners to freeze or bake treats for their animals in the shapes of Christmas trees, candy canes and other holiday-themed objects.

As for what types of gifts can keep a beloved furry friend safe during the holidays, Kriser said having the “proper safety gear” for an animal during the win -

ter months is “really important.” These can include safety lights and collars, winter apparel to keep one’s pets warm during the winter months and more. One product sold by Loyal Companion called “Musher’s Secret” is a balm-like substance one can put on the bottom of their pet’s pads to help protect them from becoming cold or from the ice melting salt that is common during the winter months.

Although not thought to be a “gift” for pets, gift cards can be given to your furry friend as a pet-friendly present. Falls Church-based animal boarding center Dude’s Dog House and Spa offers gift cards for the services they offer, such as daycare, boarding and grooming. Giving a pet a gift card to a local pet store can also be a great way to take one’s animal to “pick out” an item of their choice.

To those worried about the possibility of losing their pet, an electronic tracker to place on an animal’s collar is a good holiday gift to ensure a pet’s wellbeing. Most

PETS CAN GET into the holiday spirit with their owners by being gifted various items, such as treats, holiday-themed toys, giftcards and warm apparel (Photo: Brad Kriser)

trackers, such as the Whistle GO & GO Explore, use real time location tracking so one can always pinpoint where their furry friend may be. The Whistle GO & GO also can

be used as a health tracker, as it monitors behaviors such as licking, scratching, and sleeping, which then can be emailed to a veterinarian every 30 days.

Holiday Hazards for Pets: How to Keep Your Animal Safe During The Season

Dr. Laura Fink is an associate and intern/ extern director at Columbia Pike Animal Hospital and Emergency Center in Annandale, a family-owned practice. Fink said the most common injury she and her practice see during the holiday season is bite wounds from dog fights. She said this is due to people hosting large gatherings with “lots of people and noisy, excited kids” while also bringing their dogs over.

PET OWNERS should be aware of holiday hazards their pet may unfortunately get into

by Kylee Toland Falls Church News-Press

Although the holidays are meant to be enjoyed by people and even their furry friends, there may be underlying dangers that could put a beloved pet at risk.

Decorations, costumes and even the classic Christmas tree can be a hazard for an animal. Pet owners can avoid any potential injury to their pet by acknowledging and preparing their home so that they and their four-legged friend can enjoy a safe holiday.

“Even the most well-behaved dog may be stressed by that environment and snap at another dog they don’t know well who gets too close,” Fink said. Fink also said Columbia Pike Animal Hospital sees small dogs and cats receiving injuries from being stepped on in tight quarters, and she advises pet owners to leave their animal in the safety of their home to avoid a large gathering at another place. Gastrointestinal upsets are also common during this season, with Fink stating that pets are fed extra treats, “rich table scraps” and visitors feeding the family pets. Along with new foods, the “excitement of it all can cause stress-related diarrhea.” Fink advised limiting the pet’s treats to a couple of items “they have done well with in the past” and giving them a place to “remove themselves from the celebration” can help.

upcoming holiday. Many veterinary clinics are open with limited hours or less staff so they can celebrate with their families as well. Fink said making sure the pet’s regime is not skipped or altered and being proactive about having mild symptoms checked out before the “holiday hit” is a good idea.

Hayley Chaudry is the Chief Operations Officer for Value Vet, a Falls Church-based veterinary clinic. From what Chaudry and the Value Vet staff have seen in past year, the biggest risk to pets during the holidays “typically involves the ingestion of hazardous items.” Certain plants, such as poinsettias — which

are poisonous to pets — and “high-fat holiday foods” that owners aren’t aware of can “wreak havoc” on the gastrointestinal tract.

Another unfortunate risk during the holiday season Chaudry mentioned is that “more pets are misplaced during the holidays than any time of the year.”

To keep their furry friends safe during the season, Chaudry stated pet owners can research pet safety information prior to putting up decorations or plants, avoid feeding their animals “those delicious holiday table scraps” and ensure their pets have a registered microchip with up-to-date contact information.

’s volunteers make a difference by sharing the love of their pets during thousands of hours of visits each year.

Does your pet make people

If you have a lovable dog, cat, or bunny that would put a smile on someone’s face, become an FPOW volunteer and share the power of the human-animal bond.

pet?

(Photo: Laura Fink)

Falls Church’s Perfect Holiday Companions (Awww!)

Falls Church News-Press Pets

Archie is a 9-month-old mini Whoodle (Wheaten Terrier, mini poodle). He is our first family dog. We never thought we’d be able to have a dog because of allergies in the family. We feel so blessed and happy to have met a friend’s Whoodle and to discover that this breed of dog did not make Tiago (aka Dad) react! This is Archie’s 1st Christmas and our family’s 1st Christmas in the City of Falls Church.

Rugby the English Shepherd Chili a Rescue Cat

Eros the Bearded Dragon

Finn & Huck Suever. Huck is on left and Finn is on the right.

This is “Mazey” adopted in 2020 from the Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA) shelter. She lives with the Rambo family in Falls Church City.

Sweetie

A Penny for Your Thoughts News of Greater Falls Church

By Supervisor Penny Gross

Democracy didn’t die last week, as millions of voters rejected the politics of division and hatred. The widely projected “red wave” proved to be barely a trickle, although it appears that control of the House of Representatives will change from a slim Democratic majority to an even slimmer Republican majority. Results of Congressional races in Northern Virginia were as expected: Representatives Don Beyer, Jennifer Wexton, and Gerry Connolly were reelected, and the seat in the hotly debated 7th District, which includes part of Prince William County, was held by incumbent Democrat Abigail Spanberger. Although Virginia had no Senate races on the ballot, the United States Senate remained in Democratic hands, with the Georgia race between Senator Raphael Warnock and former football player Herschel Walker headed for a December run-off.

Candidate quality was a bone of contention in some races, and a reminder that elective politics should be about values, governance, and ability, not show business. While politics today often appears to have an entertainment edge, by virtue of social media, television interviews, and more than enough media ad buys, elective office actually is hard work. After the campaign, the congratulations, and basking in the winner’s circle, the job – at the federal, state, and/ or local level — requires the winner to get down to the business of governance, policy, and constituent service. A myriad of issues, some simple but, more often, more complex, awaits a new elected official and staff, who must grasp and grapple with constituent demands, as well as political party expectations. It can be energizing at times, enervating at others, which also may describe the efforts to maintain our democracy: the fight is amazingly energetic, but also draining. The nation still is fairly

evenly split, so there is more work ahead to find common ground and paths forward for members of both parties. The nationwide results on November 8, 2022 provide a foundation for that work, but it probably won’t be easy.

Just as it wasn’t easy for George Dross, a Greek national who was a Nazi prisoner of war, tortured and shot, and left for dead in his village. Rescued by members of the Greek Resistance and nurtured back to health, George eventually emigrated to the U.S. and, in 1947, opened the Jefferson Restaurant on Route 50 in Falls Church. The small Jefferson Village shopping center was one of the first in the area, but George and his family persevered, and eventually renamed the restaurant JV’s, where it still stands and provides live entertainment nearly every night of the week, a sort of neighborhood “Cheers’” with a very long provenance. JV’s (jvrestaurant.com) is operated today by Lorraine Campbell, George’s daughter, who has continued her dad’s support and commemoration of war veterans and prisoners of war. Décor at JV’s reflects that support, with military memorabilia, including huge dog tags hanging in one corner of the room, and many posters and Rolling Thunder motifs. Contrasting the patriotic theme are the guitars and other musical instruments that reflect JV’s continuing presence on the music scene – a small but important venue for local and not-so-local bands. JV’s is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, a remarkable milestone for any local business, but an especially poignant one as we celebrate the resilience and preservation, for now, of our democracy.

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

City of Falls Church

CRIME REPORT

Drunk in Public, Wilson Blvd, November 7, 2:17 PM, a male, 52, of Woodbridge, VA, was arrested for Drunk in Public.

Shoplifting, W Broad St, November 9, between 6:58 PM and 7:10 PM, two suspects took 41 items, totaling $1,195 and left without paying. Suspects described as: a male, wearing a black hat, black hoodie, black pants, and black shoes and a female, wearing a black hair bonnet, red shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes.

Driving Under the Influence, Hunton Ave, November 10, 6:20 PM, a male, 32, of Falls Church, VA, was arrested for Driving under the Influence and

Refusal.

Trespass, Wilson Blvd, November 11, 7:45 PM, a male, 52, of Ft Belvoir, VA, was arrested for Trespass.

Drunk in Public, S Washington St, November 12, 10:58 PM, a male, 33, of Annandale, VA, was arrested for Drunk in Public

Drunk in Public, S Washington St, November 12, 11:11 PM, a male, 37, of Annandale, VA, was arrested for Drunk in Public.

Drunk in Public, S Oak St, November 13, 4:03 AM, a female, 45, of Falls Church, VA, was arrested for Drunk in Public.

Virginians now celebrate three Holidays in November. Election Day (a State Holiday since 2021), Veterans Day, and next week, Thanksgiving.

First, a couple of quick takeaways from last week’s election.

The modern electorate is nearly impossible to poll accurately, so it’s time we all spent less energy focusing on data models and polling averages and more time thinking about the issues.

Young people showed up and voted in record numbers across Virginia and the Country. Many of them are what I call “unpollable” because they don’t have landlines and don’t pick up the phone for unknown numbers. As any parent of young people can tell you, sometimes they don’t even pick up for mom & dad or even return our texts.

We also learned that voters are a lot smarter than some pundits give them credit for. They understand that inflation is a global phenomenon, they know when politicians are trying to divide them with provocative misleading allegations about social issues, and they know that an individual’s right to control their own body is now a legislative issue that they care deeply about.

As a result, the “red wave” election many expected never materialized. Democrats will continue to hold a majority in the US Senate and may even increase it.

Locally, Don Beyer, Gerry Connolly, Abigail Spanberger, and Jennifer Wexton all won re-election.

Across the country, the biggest wins may actually be at the state-level. Democrats held every state chamber they had, flipped the Michigan state legislature blue, plus the Minnesota Senate and Pennsylvania House. A series of state ballot measures aimed at banning abortion failed and ones that aimed to protect abortion access were successful.

And now let’s talk about the losers.

They usually reveal themselves by their finger pointing over whose fault it was.

That’s how you know the biggest losers of the 2022 Election are both Governor Youngkin, and former President Trump. Our governor spent the last ten months campaigning across the country for extremist candidates, the vast majority of whom lost their elections.

In all three competitive congressional races here in Virginia, Democrats greatly increased their margins over 2021 results. Loudoun County, for instance, increased its Democratic performance fifty percent, going from D+10 to D+15. We saw similar gains for Democrats in Prince William

and Virginia Beach.

Clearly with the benefit of a year of seeing the governor in action, suburban voters in particular are disappointed in what they’ve seen. Voters who thought they were getting a nice guy in a goofy vest are abandoning GOP candidates and the governor in droves because of his controversial policies to ban books, threaten our democracy by questioning the integrity of our elections, reduce abortion access, and use buzz words like “CRT” to weaken our education system or divisive tip-lines to harass our teachers.

In the aftermath of their disappointing showing, some Virginia Republicans, including the lieutenant governor, have started distancing themselves from Trump, citing their losses as evidence that his time has passed and that perhaps his MAGA mantra isn’t such a winning strategy. Meanwhile, former President Trump has pushed back on Virginia’s statewide politicians on Truth Social.

You’ll forgive me if I smell like fresh popcorn next time you see me.

Veterans Day I was so pleased to be able to join members of the Falls Church City Council and community leaders at a special ceremony on Veteran’s Day to recognize our military residents in the Little City. We also revealed a new plaque honoring high school graduates who went on to serve their country abroad and lost their lives in the process.

Thank you, veterans, and all who currently serve in the armed forces. You are an important and integral part of our greater Falls Church Community, and it is my great honor to serve you in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Thanksgiving Speaking of giving thanks, we have a lot of reasons to feel gratitude here in Greater Falls Church. This year I am particularly grateful for a renewed focus on the importance of state legislatures. Whether they meant to or not, the Supreme Court has motivated a new generation of voters to protect abortion access, increase gun violence prevention, expand voting rights, and enact climate change initiatives at the state and local level.

I am thankful to everyone who participated in our great Democracy, thankful that it seems to be resilient and lasting, and thankful to represent all of you in the House of Delegates.

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

Delegate Marcus Simon’s Richmond Report

Falls Church School News & Notes

Music Students Ready to Work/Perform

Have a yard full of leaves that need raking? Or kids that need babysitting? Or a child interested in music lessons? Or a performance that you need someone to play for? Or some other fall project that needs tackling? If so, consider participating in M.U.S.I.C Days -the MHS instrumental music’s annual fundraiser that allows people to hire students for their fall jobs which are then donated to defray the costs of their music performance trip to Nashville. Residents can engage music students for jobs like yard work, babysitting, dog walking, animal sitting, spreading mulch, car washing, musical performance, holiday decorating, gift wrapping, etc.

Money raised during M.U.S.I.C. (Many Useful Students In our Community) Days will be donated to help students pay for travel to per-

form in Nashville, Tennessee, in March. Students will be recording at RCA Studios, performing at Vanderbilt University, and experiencing musical opportunities in Nashville.

The fundraiser runs from October 29th through December 3rd. To request a student for a job or for more information, email Musicdaysgmhs@gmail. com

MEHMS Ceremony for Teacher To Be Hosted

A celebration of life ceremony will take place at the Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School cafetorium for Torey Fay. This event is open to anyone who has cherished memories of Torey Fay. It will be hosted on Saturday, November 19th from 12:00 p.m. — 2:00 p.m.

In addition to celebrating Torey, representatives from Be the Match will be on hand.

Joining the Be the Match regis -

try is a way to honor Torey and hopefully help others who need a bone marrow donation.

Choral Boosters Offer Music Lessons

The Choral Boosters is offering voice and piano lessons to students in 5th grade and up at Mary Ellen Henderson after school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Private lessons are a great way to bring one’s musical skills to the next level. One can join FCCPS Choral Boosters at any time during the year to receive this benefit. For more information, visit https://fccpschoralboosters.org/ voice-piano-lessons/

MHS Honor Four Alum Veterans

On Veterans Day, the Meridian main gym was filled with middle and high school students who joined alums and families to honor four George Mason High School graduates who died serving our country in the military during the Vietnam War. Family members and high school classmates shared treasured memories with current students. The four plaques pictured above were presented to Associate Principal Dave Serensits. They will be displayed in the school so that future generations can learn about and appreciate these members of the Mustang Family.

MHS Boys Volleyball Finishes 2nd Place

The Meridian Boy’s Volleyball Team’s inaugural season ended last weekend with a 2nd place finish in Playoffs. The inaugural season has been a huge success, and Coach Hladky is excited for the team to return to action next Fall.

SCA Hosts Recycled Electronics Drive

The SCA Environmental

Committee at Meridian High School is hosting a recycled electronics drive from November 14th — 22nd. One can drop off their electronics in the box in the Meridian or MEH Main Office. Everything is accepted except for televisions, CRT monitors, batteries and kitchen appliances. Electronics will go to a local recycling center.

OSE Food Drive

Through November

OSES SCA is sponsoring a food drive from Nov 3th-17th. Examples of donations include cereal boxes, canned soup, canned beans, peanut butter, pasta sauce, and canned vegetables. Please drop your items in the OSES front office or Room 219. All food will be donated to an organization called Food for Others.

MHS Introduced to Sustainability

Last week, Meridian students were introduced to the requirements for Sustainability in Action recognition at MHS. The goal as a school is that this recognition helps to highlight and celebrate the work that the students are doing regarding sustainability through the lens of their academic, enrichment, and service experiences–one may review the requirements here.

FCCPS School Board to Host Office Hours

FCCPS School Board Chair

Laura Downs and Vice-Chair

Tate Gould will be holding

“office hours” at Cuates Grill (502 W Broad St ) on Tuesday, November 29th from 6:00-8:00 pm. Parents, students, teachers, staff, and community members may drop by (no registration required) to ask questions and offer feedback in a casual environment. As this will not be a private setting, community members who prefer to have a private exchange with the School Board can locate members’ email addresses at: https://www.fccps. org/page/school-board.

MHS Students Learn About Career Paths

The first of four Career Chats was held on Monday at Meridian HS. A diverse group of presenters spoke to students in the Junior class about their career paths and profession. Presenters came from such varied businesses as Google, The World Bank, Lazy Mike’s Deli/Clare & Don’s, Harvey’s Restaurant, Creative Cauldron, Smithsonian, U.S. Army and Marine Corps, Advantage Gym and Training, Gingernut Thinking, Amazon, Department of State, College Track and more. Many speakers are also parents of students who attend Falls Church City Public Schools.

Virtual Program Hosted For MHS Students

FCCPS will be hosting a virtual parent program called “Parenting Kids Who Worry” on Thursday, November 17th at 6:30 p.m. During this program, they’ll talk about why we worry and how anxiety is expressed in children (and parents, too!), and they will discuss some strategies to learn how to help children cope with and communicate their worries.

THE MERIDIAN BOY’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM inaugural season ended with a second place finish in Playoffs. The inaugural season has been a huge success. (Photo: FCCPS)

THE FIRST OF FOUR CAREER CHATS was held on Monday, November 14th at Meridian High School. A diverse group of presenters spoke to students about their career paths and professions. (Photo: Chrissy Henderson)

Fall Sports Seasons Nearing End George Mason Men’s Basketball Wins 2 at Home

by Ryan McCafferty and Nick Porr

Meridian High School

Field Hockey: The girls’ field hockey team faced York in first round of the state tournament at home on Tuesday. They unfortunately lost 1-0, ending their season.

Cross Country: The cross country team traveled to Salem on Saturday for the state meet, where the girls placed fourth in the state while the boys finished ninth. Grace Crum led the girls with a tenth place individual result while Tucker Albaugh was the highest finisher of the boys, coming in 24th.

George C. Marshall

Marshall Boys Basketball will get their preseason underway with a scrimmage at Meridian on Thursday night. They’ll look to build off a strong season last year where they fell in the Region Tournament finals to Washington-Liberty 55-46.

The Girls team also opens Thursday with a scrimmage at home against Chantilly. Fans will hope this year is a bounce back for the team that finished 14th in the state according to MaxPreps in 2020-2021 only to drop to 193rd last season.

Falls Church

In their first season under new

head coach Darrian Mangum Boys Basketball will look to have a season .500 or better for the fifth consecutive season. Boosters will get their first look during a scrimmage at McLean Thursday night.

The Girls team begins Friday when they play host to Wakefield High School. Last season ended with a 70-43 loss to West Potomac in the first round of the District Playoffs.

Justice HS

Girls Basketball is desperately in need of a winning season, with the team going without one since at least 2006-2007, as far back as MaxPreps records go. They host Pope John Paul the Great for a scrimmage on Thursday.

Boys Basketball hasn’t fared much better, failing to register a winning season since 2008-2009 when they went 20-7. They will travel to Pope John Paul the Great Saturday. That same morning Wrestling will travel to a meet at Meridian.

Zaccack received statewide recognition this week being named to the All-State Second Team. She was also named to the All-Region First Team alongside Keira Fu.

by Nick Gatz

Friday, November 11th in Fairfax, the George Mason Men’s basketball team came out ready to go from the start. The Patriots built an early lead and went on to an 83-69 victory over the Longwood Lancers in front of 5,185 fans inside EagleBank Arena.

The victory comes on the heels of a 70-52 opening night loss to #15 ranked Auburn. Friday’s victory felt very different from the start; the Patriots came with energy on both sides of the ball. With contributions from 10 players, they were spreading the scoring early. Junior guard Ronald Polite Jr. ran the point and starters Victor Bailey Jr., Davonte ‘Ticket’ Gaines, DeVon Cooper and Josh Oduro got the scoring going early.

Sunday, November 13 the Patriots faced off against the American University Eagles. Mason came away with the win 73-56.

This one was not decided until

the 2nd half. The Eagles opened the game hot, hitting 8 3-point field goals. .

Mason opened the 2nd half with much tighter defense. Bailey Jr. lead all scorers with 23 points. The Patriots finished their 2 game home stand with a record of 2-1. Mason will head on the road to compete in the 2022 Paradise Jam, Friday night with an 8 p.m. contest vs. Boston College on St. Thomas. The game can be seen on ESPN3.

Commentary: All Electric Buildings Will Help Meet Climate Goals

Tim Stevens

Reducing climate-changing greenhouse gases is difficult for local jurisdictions everywhere. State and federal governments control most policy decisions affecting emissions, and until recently, they have been slow to act. Examples of their broad authority are the Inflation Reduction Plan (federal) and the Virginia Clean Economy Act (state).

Further adding to the challenge for local jurisdictions is Virginia’s status as a “Dillon Rule” state that limits the actions of local jurisdictions only to what the state General Assembly explicitly approves. For example, it took Fairfax County five years to get permission from the state to install a solar energy system on a closed landfill that the county owns.

Larger jurisdictions, such as Arlington and Montgomery County have added staff, such as energy managers, to track emissions and implement plans to reduce them. Evidence suggests they have achieved some success. Smaller jurisdictions, such as Falls Church, have taken a lighter touch thus far on implementing actions to reduce emissions, although goals have been

set, and funds have been reserved for a consultant to develop a list of projects the City could implement to reduce emissions.

An important tool for reducing emissions has recently emerged — one with multiple benefits.

With encouragement from the City, developers of several recently approved mixed-use projects have agreed to construct their residential rental units to be all-electric, including appliances, heating and cooling. The developers of Founder’s Row II, Broad and Washington and the West Falls Senior Building have committed to all-electric appliances for their residents.

The benefit of an all-electric approach is tied to the gradual reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the production of electricity by utilities, mainly by phasing out coal and adding renewable sources such as solar. The trend of adding renewable energy to the grid will accelerate over the next decade as more solar, and even wind energy projects are added to the grid, thanks to the Virginia Clean Economy Act.

As grid electricity is increasingly derived from renewable sources over the coming years, emissions in buildings will decline, and will be

reflected in greenhouse gas inventories. Alternatively, buildings that install gas appliances are locked into the emissions released when that gas is consumed.

DOESN’T LEED CERTIFICATION MEAN NO EMISSIONS?

While buildings that are LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), are less harmful environmentally than buildings without LEED certification, this doesn’t mean that a building’s emissions will be in line with what is needed to achieve our overall goals. Use of gas for appliances and indoor temperature control, for example, is allowed by LEED, and is a large source of emissions overall.

Reaching our emissions reduction goals will require elimination of the use of gas in buildings. Existing buildings that use gas will need to convert to electric appliances. Designing new buildings to be allelectric will make the overall task of conversion easier.

Not only will use of electricity result in reduced emissions, but it will also provide other important benefits as well.

Air Quality. Gas appliances

release nitrogen oxides, which add to smog in the atmosphere. The amount of nitrogen oxides from buildings is larger than the amount released from utility power plants using gas to produce electricity.

Health. Much of the gas used in buildings is sourced from underground wells using a process called “fracking.” Extraction of gas through fracking is an intensive industrial process that stresses the environment. The harms from fracking are disproportionately experienced by minority groups living near industrial fracking sites. In addition, burning gas in buildings can also be an irritant to individuals with asthma.

Safety. Transmitting gas through pipelines creates significant fire and explosion risks. In addition, estimates indicate that approximately 2 percent — 3 percent of gas is leaking from underground local distribution pipelines that connect to buildings, further harming air quality.

Economics. Many developers like not having to install costly gas pipelines in new buildings.

HAVEN’T CONSUMERS PREFERRED GAS APPLIANCES?

Historically, gas appliances have

appealed to many consumers as offering better performance versus their electric counterparts. Recent improvements in electric appliances are beginning to change this perspective. Heat pumps, for domestic heating and hot water, have improved significantly in recent years.

Less familiar to consumers are the improvements in electric induction ovens and cooktops. Rather than use slow-reacting heating coils, induction ovens create a magnetic field that sends pulses into cookware. This causes electrons in the cookware to move faster, resulting in heat. The performance is much better than older electric ovens.

Also, induction ovens involve no open flames, thereby increasing safety for children and pets. Cleaning them is also easier, as there are no removable grates or burners to clean.

Finally, the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act will soon make financial incentives for converting from gas to electric available to many homeowners. Details for the IRA are still being finalized, so we will all need to do further research.

MERIDIAN CROSS COUNTRY competes at states. The girls finished 4th place and the boys finished 9th . (courtesy FCCPS)

(Photo: News-Press)

Falls Church News-Press

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Amentum Named Top Military Friendly Employer

The Falls Church-based government services contractor, Amentum, received top recognition in the largest company category for its efforts to hire and retain retired service members. Amentum was named to the top spot of the 2023 Military Friendly Employers list which will be published in the December issue of G.I. Jobs Magazine. Defense contractors accounted for 11 percent of Military Friendly designated employers and Texas was named the top hiring region for military retirees.

East End Small Area Plan: Community Meeting

Saturday, November 19, 9:00 — 11:00 a.m. at Columbia Baptist Church in Stephenson Hall at 103 W. Columbia Street. The City of Falls Church invites the community to attend a meeting and take a survey about the Draft Small Area Plan for the East End of the City. City staff and officials will present the plan, and then attendees can share ideas in breakout sessions. The survey asks about the importance of various goals, like preserving the Eden Center culture and identity, preserving, and providing housing, and which urban designs, if any, to add, like pocket parks and public art. The survey closes on December 1, 2022. The survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ YPLDQV6. It can also be accessed through the project webpage here: https://www.fallschurchva.gov/2128/East-EndSmall-Area-Plan. Comments may also be sent to plan@fallschurchva.gov .

Local Restaurants Highlighted

Several local restaurants have drawn the attention of Eater DC Newsletter. Kamayan Fiesta and Fairfax Inn Restaurant were noted for “fantastic Filipino food around DC”. In another edition, the newsletter also recognized two Ethiopian Restaurants. They are Meaza and Nazret Ethiopian Restaurant. To read the articles on the restaurants and noted dishes, visit https://dc.eater.com/maps/best-filipino-restaurants-food-dc-maryland-virginia and https://dc.eater.com/maps/bestethiopian-restaurants-dc-map.

Settle Down Easy Expands

The local Settle Down Easy Brewing has celebrated its 4th anniversary in Falls Church and now expanded into Oakton. A grand opening was held in Hunter Mill Plaza last week. The Oakton Tasting Room is envisioned as a restaurant as well as a brewery and spot to hang out.

General Dynamics teams with T-Mobile, AWS and others for 5G and edge

General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a business unit of General Dynamics, announced today that it has formed a coalition with some of the nation’s leading technology and telecommunications conglomerates – Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco, Dell Technologies, Splunk and T-Mobile – to accelerate the adoption of 5G, advanced wireless and edge technologies across government agencies. The GDIT 5G and Edge Accelerator Coalition is collaborating with government agencies to identify use cases and develop prototypes and customizable solutions that will make it faster, easier and more cost effective to deploy 5G, advanced wireless and edge capabilities. This will support federal, state, and local agencies’ unique mission requirements from the enterprise to the edge in a wide variety of applications, including military, logistics and supply chain, healthcare, education and smart infrastructure.

Northrop Selects Leidos

Falls Church area-based Northrop Grumman selected Reston-based Leidos to supply infrared sensor payloads for the U.S. Space Development Agency’s missile-tracking satellite constellation in low Earth orbit. Leidos, formed in 2013 as a spinoff of the defense contractor Reston-based SAIC, gained significant expertise in sensor satellites and payloads when it acquired Huntsville, Alabama-based Dynetics in 2019.

Community News & Notes

F.C. Little League Celebrating 75th Anniversary in 2023

As the first Little League in the state of Virginia, the Falls Church Kiwanis Little League is looking forward to celebrating their 75th anniversary in 2023. They are asking for the community’s help to create a special logo for the 75th anniversary and everyone is welcome to enter the Logo Contest.

Be creative and be innovative. One can design whatever they like — it just has to celebrate FCKLL’s 75 anniversary (1948 – 2023) and a love for baseball! The logo will be used on promotional materials, jerseys and merchandise throughout the 75th anniversary year. For full details and for logo submission instructions, please visit www.fckll. org or email erika@fckll.org with questions. Designs must be submitted by December 2nd to be included in the contest.

“Bits and Pieces” Opens at Falls Church Arts November 19th

Forty-one artists will demonstrate how disparate articles can be combined to create an innovative art work during Bits and Pieces, an all-media show at Falls Church Arts gallery from November 19 through January 8,2023. The show features 50 pieces that include collage, assemblage, upcycled art, fiber art, jewelry, and more. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. The Juror’s Choice Award and honorable mentions will be announced during the event. Participating artists will be on hand to answer questions about their processes and inspiration.

A $150 Juror’s Choice Award and a $50 People’s Choice Award were made possible by a donation from DuBro Architects + Builders, 429 S. Maple Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046. The People’s Choice Award will be announced on December 24, based on votes from visitors to the gallery.

Artworks can viewed online at www.fallschurcharts.org. All pieces can be purchased at the gallery or on the website.

LD&C Rescue Prepares For National Adoption Week

Each year, more than 5 million

pets enter animal shelters in need of loving homes. Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation (LDCRF) had been specifically selected as the Northern Virginia rescue group to partner with PetSmart Charities and BISSELL Pet Foundation to bring adoptable pets to three PetSmart locations in support of National Adoption Week (November 7-13).

On Thursday, November 10, BISSELL Pet Foundation organized and funded an airlift transport of up to 60 dogs and cats from Louisiana to Northern Virginia. These pets came from six different shelters faced with the crisis of overcrowding and the threat of euthanasia. Their rescue not only provided the animals with another chance, but also delivered hope to the hard-working staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to care for the animals in shelters in Louisiana. Leadership from PetSmart Charities were on the ground in Louisiana to provide hands-on support for various logistical and care needs.

Volunteers from LDCRF and PetSmart Charities were ready to greet the dogs and cats at the Chantilly Jet Center in Manassas, Virginia on Thursday afternoon. The pets were immediately offloaded from the plane and loaded into shuttles to the Rescue Care Center, located in Falls Church, VA. Upon arrival, all animals were assessed by

a veterinarian, provided preventative care, and observed to determine adoption-readiness.

On Saturday, November 12, LDCRF brought the rescued pets from the Rescue Care Center to three local PetSmart stores for adoption events (Seven Corners, Fair Lakes, and Gaithersburg) as a part of National Adoption Week. LDCRF invited potential pet parents to meet adoptable pets in their area. Opportunities were given to spend time with animals in need of loving homes in a spacious area. Staff and volunteers from LDCRF and PetSmart Charities helped potential adopters learn about caring for a pet and the types of tools, products, and services they may need.

Encore Creativity Hosts Free Holiday Concerts in F.C.

Encore Creativity for Older Adults, the nation’s largest choral organization for adults over 55, is pleased to announce its free holiday concert series that kicks off December 3rd and runs through December 17th, 2022. Encore’s local choral ensembles – Encore Chorales, Encore ROCKS and Sentimental Journey Singers — will perform crowd-pleasing holiday songs with live musical accompaniment in a variety of venues in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., New York City and its two

FALLS CHURCH CITY COUNCIL MEMBER Marybeth Connelly displays one of the four plaques honoring the memory of four Meridian (formerly George Mason) High School students who sacrificed their lives in Vietnam that were formally presented at a ceremony this Veterans Day. (Courtesy Photo)

THE FALLS CHURCH RECREATION CENTER and Parks Department conducted an annual Veterans Day ceremony honoring the communities Veterans at the City’s Veterans Memorial located in front of the Community Center at 11:00 a.m. (Photo Courtesy: Gary Mester)

THE FALLS CHURCH KIWANIS LITTLE LEAGUE is celebrating its 75th anniversary by holding a contest for the community to create a special logo for the team. The logo will be used for promotional materials, jerseys and more. (Photo: Erika Toman)

newest locations in Wilmington, Del. and Santa Clarita, Calif.

In addition, after a two-year break due to the pandemic, Encore will return to the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. for its popular annual holiday concert in Concert Hall on December 26th. The event, which is also free and open to the public, will feature more than 400 singers who will join together from Encore’s many local programs.

Mclean Art Society Offers Free Demo of Colored Pencil Artist

McLean Art Society is hosting a Zoomed colored pencil demonstration by a renowned artist, Lis Zadravec available to the public on Friday, Nov. 18 beginning at 11 a.m.

Lis Zadravec’s works are recognized worldwide and she was selected amongst a great international group of artists to be named a Signature Member of the Colored Pencil Society of America and the Coloured Pencil Community of Australasia, Inc. She has been featured in many publications including Cover Artist in Color Magazine where she shares why she does what she does. “My narrative portraits often reflect my philosophy that who we become in life is a direct result of the adversity we battle,” as reflected in her images.

Keegan Theatre Announces 2022 Cast of “An Irish Carol”

The Keegan Theatre is pleased to announce the 2022 cast and team of Matthew J. Keenan’s “An Irish Carol,” Keegan’s own holiday tradi-

tion returning for its 12th year, playing December 15-31, 2022.

“An Irish Carol” is an homage to Dickens’ classic – told as only the Irish can. This comic and touching play, set in a modern Dublin pub, follows one evening in the life of David, a wealthy pub owner who has lost touch with his own humanity in the interest of self-protection and material success. But on this Christmas Eve – challenged by a voice from the past, provoked by those in the present, and faced with the reality of a lonely future – David’s life may change forever.

The cast of “An Irish Carol “features returning favorites Kevin Adams, David Jourdan, Timothy H. Lynch, Mike Kozemchak, Mick Tinder, and Michael Replogle, with Taylor Witt, Jared H. Graham, and Sarah Chapin who join the cast for this year’s production.

An Irish Carol runs December 15-31, 2022 with evening performances Monday — Saturday at 8:00 pm and performances on Sunday, December 18 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. On Friday, December 16, Keegan will host a Young Professionals Happy Hour before the performance. Discounted tickets include a pre-show drink, exclusive access to Keegan’s upstairs lounge, and a seat for that evening’s performance.

Updates to Transition Zones

Proposed in F.C.

The City of Falls Church is considering zoning changes that would allow more housing options in the areas between commercial corridors

and single-family homes. Transition zones, which represent less than 3 percent of the city’s land, could undergo zoning updates to allow smaller residential developments. According to the city’s website, T-1 zoning is mostly on N. Washington Street and Park Avenue with existing uses such as Columbia Baptist Church, Christ-Crossman Methodist Church, Sunrise of Falls Church and single-family houses converted to commercial use and townhouses. T-2 zones include the Kaiser Permanente facility and a small office building on N. Washington Street and Park Avenue near Maple Avenue.

The consideration results from City Council requesting zoning tools to allow development of smaller projects on sites too small for larger developments. The proposed changes in transition zones would include allowing townhouses and multifamily housing options, allowing more neighborhood-serving retail, and allowing larger builders to encourage reinvestment.

The next step in the process is the Falls Church Planning Commission holding a public listening session at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at City Hall, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA. A Planning Commission work session is tentatively planned for Dec. 7 and public hearing on Dec. 21. City Council consideration would be at an undetermined time in the first quarter of 2023.

Sheperd’s Center Seeks Additional Volunteer Drivers

Shepherd’s Center of McLeanArlington-Falls Church (SCMAFC), an all-volunteer organization, is seeking additional volunteers to support its mission of providing free

transportation to seniors for medical and dental appointments or run errands to grocery stores and pharmacies.

The total number of rides provided in 2022 is expected to exceed 2,500, but to fully respond to recent increases in the number of requests, there is a need for more volunteers to join the current team of 60 volunteer drivers. “Of the rides provided, roughly 75 percent are medically related,

25 percent grocery, and one percent for handy helper needs,” said Tom Callanen, Board Chair.

For volunteers there is no minimum commitment. Volunteers are free to choose how often and when they drive.

For detailed information or to apply, please visit the Center’s website https://scmafc. org/volunteer or call (703) 5062199 and leave a message.

FALLS CHURCH ARTS MEMBER and water color instructor

Rajendra KC was named the “Best New Artist” at the En Plein Air Texas Festival in San Angelo, Texas on October 29th. Artists competed for limited number of slots in the juried event. (Photo Courtesy: Susan Hillson)

RIDING ON THE MAIDEN TRIP of the Metro Silver Line’s extension to Dulles Airport Tuesday were these happy local dignitaries: Sharon Bulova, Vivian Watts, Jennifer Boysko, Kate Hanley and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine. (Courtesy Photo)

FORTY-ONE ARTISTS will demonstrate how disparate articles can be combined to create an innovative art work during Bits & Pieces, an all-media show at the Falls Church Arts Gallery from November 19th through January 8th. The show will feature 50 pieces. ( photo Courtesy: Todd Schanvedelt)

LOCAL EVENTS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17

NETWORKING MIXER

Join the Chamber of Commerce as they learn more about the local VFW Post 9274. The Post will host the mixer and provide refreshments. There will be an

opportunity to speak with the Post's leadership about the history of the Post and how to become involved in supporting veterans. 7118 Shreve Road, Falls Church. 5:30 p.m. — 7:00 p.m.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18

2022 ICE & LIGHTS: WINTER VILLAGE

The Winter Village is open

nightly November 18th — January 1st from 5:00 p.m — 10:00 p.m. Ice Skating is open nightly November 18th — January 1st from 5:00 p.m. — 10:00 p.m. Located at Cameron Run Regional Park (4001 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria).

SNACK & PAINT

Whether a beginner or an expert, love snacks or want to get one’s hands dirty with some paint, come on down to the Old Firehouse for their Snack & Paint night. Led by a professional art teacher, one will be able to create their own masterpiece. Located at The Old Firehouse (1440 Chain Bridge Road, McLean). 7:00 p.m. — 9:00 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19

WASHINGTON SINFONIETTA CONCERT

The Washington Sinfonietta will perform Franz Joseph Haydn’s dramatic Symphony No. 78 in C minor and Jan Voříšek’s stately, energetic Symphony in D Major.

virtuosic Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major. Hosted at The Falls Church Episcopal (115 E Fairfax St., Falls Church).

7:30 p.m.

FLEA MARKET/HOLIDAY BAZAAR

Many vendors will be selling — with a variety of antiques and vintage items, from the very impractical (but lovely) to the extremely practical. There will be fine and interesting antique and vintage items, collectibles of all kinds, a stamp and coin dealer, and more. Hosted at 8717 Fort Hunt Road, Alexandria. 8:00 a.m.

CHRISTMAS BAZAAR

The annual Christmas bazaar will be held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, November 19th. Open 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Local vendors selling Christmas gifts and other products, a bake sale, food and drink bar, live music and a visit from Santa. Free admission. Located at St. John the

JBLF 5K & FAMILY FUN DAY

The 8th Annual Jennifer BushLawson 5K and Family Fun Day will be raising funds for economically vulnerable women and their babies to receive high-quality maternal and infant care. Join to enjoy favorites like the certified 5K, kids’ fun run, moon bounces, laser tag, rock wall, balloon animals, face painting, and community performances. Hosted at Knights of Columbus (5115 Little Falls Rd., Arlington). 9:00 a.m.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20 5K/3K RACE TO FEED THE HUNGRY

Join this November for the 11th Annual SPEND YOURSELF 5K Run/3K Walk. The USATF

Certified 5K course is a little something for every level runner. The course also includes a 1 Mile loop for walkers. All participants will receive a race shirt and other promotional items. Hosted at Columbia Baptist Church (103 W. Columbia Street, Falls Church). 8:00 a.m. — 9:00 a.m.

on Saturday, November 19th

JOIN THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE on Thursday, November 17th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. as they learn more about VFW Post 9274. The Post will host the mixer and provide refreshments. There will be an opportunity to speak with the Post's leadership about the history of the Post and how to become involved in supporting vetrans. (Photo Courtesy: Chamber of Commerce Website)

THE WINTER VILLAGE is open nightly from November 18th — January 1st from 5:00 p.m. — 10:00 p.m. It will be located at Cameron Run Regional Park and features ice skating, a light show and more. (Photo: Kelly Gilfillen)

LIVE MUSIC

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17

THRILLBILLYS

JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church).

8:00 p.m. (703) 241-9504

TAB BENOIT

The State Theatre (220 N Washington St, Falls Church, VA) 8:30 p.m. (703) 237-0300

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18

LADYWOOD

Clare & Don’s Beach Shack (130 N Washington St. Falls Church) 6:00 p.m. (703) 532-9283

ROADDUCKS

JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church).

8:30 p.m. (703) 241-9504

THE MERCENARY BAND

Solace Outpost (444 W Broad St., Falls Church). 8:00 p.m. (571) 378-1469

JAMES STEVENS

Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad Street, Falls Church). 9:30 a.m. (703) 237-8333

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19

CLAIRE SHOW

Clare & Don’s Beach Shack (130 N Washington St. Falls Church)

6:00 p.m. (703) 532-9283

CACTUS LIQUORS

JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church).

8:30 p.m. (703) 241-9504

LEZ ZEPPELIN

The State Theatre (220 N Washington St, Falls Church, VA) 9:00 p.m.

(703) 237-0300

continues his year-long 2022 Tour, in concert locally at The State Theater on Thursday, November 17th at 8:00 p.m. Throughout his thirty-plus-year career, Benoit is famous for his guitar tone and his "Otis-Redding-ish" voice, which many say resonates from the speakers of his concerts. (Photo:

THEATER & ARTS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17

Pippin

On November 17th through the 19th, Meridian High School is performing “Pippin,” based on the book by Roger O. Hirson and music by Stephen Schwartz. “Pippin” is the story of Prince Pippin as he tries to figure out how to make his life “fulfilling.”

The story is a “play-withina-play” in which a band of players present Pippin’s story and “promise the greatest finale ever seen on stage.” Performed at Meridian High School.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18

A Christmas Carol

Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. Originally conceived by Michael Baron, this musicinfused production captures the magic and joy of Dickens’s Yuletide classic. Running from November 18th— December 31st at Ford’s Theatre.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20

If It's Monday, Then It Must Be Christmas

The Sterling Playmakers announces the opening of

their holiday mystery fun production of “If It’s Monday, This Must Be Christmas” by Pat Cook. The show closes November 20th, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.. Performances will be held in the theater at Seneca Ridge Middle School, 98 Seneca Ridge Drive, Sterling.

RENOWNED LOUISIANA BAYOU blues guitarist Tab Benoit

Kristine Schnacke)

"IF IT'S MONDAY, THEN IT MUST BE CHRISTMAS" is a holiday mystery fun production put on by the Sterling Playmakers. The show closes on November 20th and will be performed at the Seneca Ridge Middle School theater at 2:00 p.m. (Photo: Alan Price)

The Emperor of Chaos Has No Clothes

of a House majority and are watching their chance of controlling the Senate slip away. Trump has been poison for his party.

Crow” Mitch McConnell, saying they didn’t get him enough money from Congress.

as Trump called McCarthy, to make a groveling pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago.

Ding-dong, the Don is dead. Or is he?

An election storm brought the house down on the Mar-a-Lago warlock and devastated Republican hopes for a rout.

Republicans are blaming Donald Trump for anointing wacky candidates and then using campaign rallies to promote his upcoming presidential announcement. Republican lawmakers privately say those selfindulgent rallies cost them Senate and House seats because many normal Republicans and independents have had their fill of Trump and his crazy train.

The third time should be the charm. Since winning in 2016, Trump helped Republicans lose the House in 2018 and lose the White House and the Senate after the 2020 elections. Now he seems to have rescued Democrats from the traditional midterm shellacking — Republicans are barely within reach

Polls showed that even many people unhappy with Joe Biden voted Democratic, a sign that Trump fatigue has finally set in. It’s so bad, the Murdoch empire has turned on its former fair-haired boy.

Ivanka and Jared are moving on and are not interested in being part of a Trump restoration, according to Kate Bennett at CNN. Even die-hard Laura Ingraham seemed to sour on her former hero. “If the voters conclude that you’re putting your own ego or your own grudges ahead of what’s good for the country,” she told her viewers Wednesday night, “they’re going to look elsewhere, period.”

The New York Post ridiculed him on the cover as “Trumpty Dumpty,” with a gratuitous shot about how he not only had a great fall, but couldn’t build a wall.

Trump responded by calling the paper “the no longer great New York Post,” and he blamed his failure to complete the wall on former Speaker Paul Ryan, a Fox Corp. board member, and “Broken Old

But Succession in Murdochworld seems to be well underway. Its new infatuation with Ron DeSanctimonious has obviously enraged Trump, who’s casting spells from his Palm Beach lair, his incoherent nastiness zinging Republican stars and anyone else who makes his combover stand on end.

In his Truth Social posts, he tried to paint the election results as better than they were, sneering that candidates who shunned his support, including Joe O’Dea in Colorado, went down big and had a “Death Wish.”

With a racist crack about Glenn Youngkin’s name, Trump tried to undermine the governor of Virginia, a potential powerhouse, saying he would never have won last year without Trump giving “a very big Trump Rally for him telephonically.”

The former president also had a “Heathers”-like hissy-fit against Ron DeSantis. First, he thuggishly threatened the Florida governor after his Ohio rally last Monday, warning him not to think about get-

An Ode to Stacey Abrams

any one contest, hers included.

ting in the presidential race.

“If he did run, I will tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering,” Trump said. “I know more about him than anyone other than perhaps his wife, who is really running his campaign.”

After DeSantis had a crushing victory in the once swingy Sunshine State, declaring it the place “woke goes to die,” Trump’s puerile jealousy exploded. He posted that he had rescued DeSantis when he was “politically dead.”

“And now Ron DeSanctimonious is playing games!” said Trump, angry that DeSantis wouldn’t rule out running for president in 2024.

Some in the GOP say attacking a younger generation of Republican stars puts Trump in dangerous territory. But that’s how Trump got to the White House, belittling Little Marco Rubio and Lyin’ Ted Cruz.

The moment feels reminiscent of Jan. 6 and its immediate aftermath. Republicans go crazy on Trump, say “enough is enough,” as Lindsey Graham did at that juncture, and act as if they’re ready to toss him aside. But it didn’t take long for “my Kevin,”

a message that should have energized liberals.

Republicans refused to convict Trump on impeachment charges and ban him from running for public office. Now they’re living with the consequences. It’s not hard to imagine that this revolt against the revolting Trump will die down in a few days and they’ll all be back behind this person that they blame for their current convulsions.

“If blackmailing Ukraine, inciting a riot, trying to overturn the election, hoarding classified documents, using overtly racist language for seven years, including at Glenn Youngkin today, was not enough to cause you to walk away from Donald Trump,” political analyst Ron Brownstein said on CNN Friday, what makes people think Trump is toast now?

One of the bright spots of the election is that a lot of people seemed to turn their backs on crazy things. Let’s hope that Republicans will get the message and move on from the King of Crazy before he gets another shot at destroying democracy.

By Maureen Dowd © 2022 The New York Times

As the Bible tells the story, Moses delivers his people from bondage and to the “promised land,” but even with all his efforts, he is not allowed to enter. He must gaze upon it from a distance.

This, I fear, is the story of Stacey Abrams. She built the huge voter registration and turnout machine that helped Joe Biden carry Georgia in 2020 and helped the state elect its first Jewish and Black senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, giving Democrats control of the Senate. If Warnock wins his runoff next month, she will have helped Democrats strengthen their control of the chamber.

It would be easy to be cynical here and say that a woman did the work, and now a man is benefiting from it, again. But that obscures the fact that what Abrams gave to Georgia and the country was so much larger than

Georgia is a state transformed. Liberal Georgians have tasted power, and there is no turning back from it. It is no longer a fantastical possibility, a hope and a prayer among people prisoner to their numerical disadvantage. Georgia now has the proof and validation that not only could it be flipped, it was flipped.

Much of the credit belongs to Abrams.

So what went wrong? I wish I had a comprehensive answer and could articulate it briefly, but I don’t, and I can’t.

All I know is that every time I asked people about Abrams’ chances this cycle, they’d demur, or roll their eyes, or give an incredulous and worried “I don’t know.”

In fact, “worried” was a word I heard too often. It seemed to me contagious and self-perpetuating: People became worried because others were saying they were worried.

I simply couldn’t find enthusiastic Abrams voters in my everyday interactions. I live in midtown Atlanta, but I also wasn’t seeing many yard signs

or window placards. I wasn’t seeing many TV ads.

I figured my news consumption had become like that of many young people: I was mostly watching national news or getting news online, including through social media. So I turned back the clock to my younger self, and I started watching more local news and listening to more radio. There were ads!

Still, to me, that was a problem. If I had to go searching for her ads, plenty of people — many younger than me — weren’t hearing them at all. This baffled me. This was her moment. She was supposed to reap the fruits of her labor, but instead, it was a worry that ripened.

In September, I made it clear to the campaign that I would like to interview Abrams for this column, but the campaign wouldn’t make a slot available for that. That’s fine. A candidate’s time is precious. Still, I wanted to know from Abrams herself why the fire hadn’t caught this cycle. She was clearly the better candidate. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of the issues. And she had

But she just couldn’t get enough traction. Her message lacked momentum.

This was in part because her opponent, Gov. Brian Kemp, went out of his way to appear more moderate than the national party and more moderate than he truly is.

First, he leaned into the fact that he had resisted Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results in Georgia in 2020. People remembered that. It wasn’t that Kemp was pro-democracy and pro-voting — he signed the voter suppression law his Republicanled legislature passed after the 2020 election — but being prodemocracy in that moment when the transfer of power hung in the balance left a lasting impression.

Kemp was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but his sheep suit was impeccably tailored. So much so that at one point during the campaign, Atlanta rapper and organizer Killer Mike praised Kemp for “running an effective campaign” and reaching out to Black voters and suggested that Abrams should go “everywhere Mr. Kemp just went.”

This made Abrams’ efforts to highlight Kemp’s extremism all

the more difficult. People started to come to the false conclusion that Kemp was “not that bad.”

Kemp, who has been horrible on the issue of women’s reproductive rights, was caught on tape being asked about banning Plan B and answering, “Yeah, you can take up pretty much everything.” When asked if that was something he could do, he said: “I think I’d have to check and see. There’s a lot of legalities with all that stuff.”

It also didn’t hurt that just months before the election Kemp rolled out a program of cash payments of $350 to low-income Georgians. It wasn’t exactly money for votes but money to mitigate anger. Kemp paid for placidity.

All of this hurt Abrams. But I’m sure that this is not the end of her story. She is relatively young, incredibly smart and a brilliant tactician. She has a future that only she can write. But one thing is clear: She has made it possible for the people of Georgia, many of them Black people, to enter a reality where state power is attainable and accessible.

By Charles M. Blow © 2022 The New York Times

The MAGA Fever Has Been Broken Elon Musk’s Twitter Train Wreck Has Global Implications

Nicholas F. Benton

With the crucial midterm election outcome last week, the MAGA fever over the land has broken.

Despite the last couple of days’ developments – that is, the likelihood that the GOP will still wind up in control of the House if only by a couple seats and the regrettable Trump announcement of a new presidential bid – there is no erasing the fact of the powerfully transformative nature of this month’s election result. It was left once again to the American electorate to pull the nation from the brink of a descent into authoritarian chaos and to restore the wondrous benefits of democracy.

I know of no fair-minded person who has not expressed a great sigh of relief in the wake of the election. Now, we must press on, and the immediate goal we have yet to realize is that, with a Democratic win in the runoff election in Georgia coming up, the Democrats will no longer be susceptible to being held hostage by Sen. Joe Manchin because they will be able to get their way even without his vote.

Things have been looking up in this whole period. As I noted in a social media post last week, the array of lead stories on the front page of the Washington Post last weekend cited more than just the midterm election results. The headlines taken in aggregate told an amazing story about the direction the world may hopefully now be headed in. I gloated by citing the headlines on six stories that appeared on the front page on Nov. 12, even before Nevada’s senate seat was called for the Democrats assuring them control of the U.S. Senate.

I wrote, “Wow! Plethora of positive news on Wapo front page today! Headlines include: 1. GOP in panic as hopes dwindle, leaders facing farright rebellion, path to win majorities in Congress narrows; 2. Ukraine celebrates return of Kherson; Russia retreats from the capital it captured during the war; 3. CEO resigns as major crypto exchange nears bankruptcy; 4. Biden’s climate pledges met by pleas for aid;

5. Twitter blue halted as fake accounts plague platform; botched rollout punctuates Musk’s first weeks at helm; 6. Europe aims for rail renaissance; one train trip from Sweden to France puts plan to cut carbon-heavy flights to the test.”

I was heartened by the crypto development because it was inevitable and the fewer people to get hurt by it the better. It was the product of the Trumpian mindset which said that image matters as much, if not more, than substance because truth itself has been rendered suspect.

I remain struck by the lack of understanding of so many of the pundits about what happened with the election even as I was solidly applauded by my weekly lunch crowd last Monday for having “called” the outcome so accurately in favor of the Democrats, a lonely prediction matched only by Michael Moore.

Not in 20 years had the party that won the presidential election in the previous election done so well, or the opposition party done so poorly. In the nation’s history, only the midterm elections in 1934, 1963 and 2002 had been so dramatic in this way, and of course 2002 was punctuated by the extraordinary circumstances of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks just the previous year.

First, the pundits failed to recognize the impact of President Biden’s achievements in the months leading up to the election. To sum it up, Biden delivered the largest economic recovery plan since Roosevelt, the largest infrastructure plan since Eisenhower, the most judges confirmed since Kennedy, the second largest health bill since Johnson and the largest climate change bill in history. Pundits were misled into thinking that age was the big issue with Biden, not his ability to lead.

Second, and this was the biggest factor, the “experts” grossly underestimated the role the Supreme Court decision ending Roe Vs. Wade would have. Here was a huge disconnect as the “experts” weren’t able to recognize the ballot result on the subject earlier in the year in, of all places, Kansas.

The matter, in fact, is not a matter of opinion polls, but much more critically, of women’s rights to their very own bodies.

With the benefit of ample hindsight, it has come to feel inevitable that Twitter would turn into a cesspool of abuse and misinformation and that the powerful — governments, politicians, corporations, celebrities — would find ways to control and manipulate it to their own benefit.

But as I’ve watched the platform descend into chaos over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about how being on Twitter felt back in May 2009, when I arrived in India as a correspondent for The New York Times. I had signed up for an account about six months earlier, but it wasn’t until I landed in Delhi that I truly understood the platform’s potential.

Twitter was an intoxicating window into my fascinating new assignment. Long suppressed groups found their voices and social media-driven revolutions began to unfold. Movements against corruption gained steam and brought real change. Outrage over a horrific gang rape in Delhi built a movement to fight an epidemic of sexual violence.

“What we didn’t realize — because we took it for granted for so long — is that most people spoke with a great deal of freedom, and completely unconscious freedom,” said Nilanjana Roy, a writer who was part of my initial group of Twitter friends in India. “You could criticize the government, debate certain religious practices. It seems unreal now.”

Soon enough, other kinds of underrepresented voices also started to appear on — and then dominate — the platform. As women, Muslims and people from lower castes spoke out, the inevitable backlash came. Supporters of the conservative opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and their rightwing religious allies felt that they had long been ignored by the mainstream press. Now they had the chance to grab the mic.

And grab it they did. By 2014, when the BJP first won national elections, driven in

no small part by its innovative use of social media to tap into middle-class discontent with the status quo, Indian Twitter was well on its way to becoming one of the world’s most vitriolic online spaces, filled with ad hominem attacks and incitements to violence. And having used social media so adroitly to win power, the new government realized that controlling platforms like Twitter would be crucial to suppressing dissent.

Into this stew steps Elon Musk.

In buying Twitter, Musk has garbed himself as a free-speech warrior. He had been deeply critical of the company’s content moderation decisions, the most controversial of which was blocking Donald Trump from the platform after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Viewed from the United States, these skirmishes over the unaccountable power of tech platforms seem like a central battleground of free speech. But the real threat in much of the world is not the policies of social media companies, but of governments.

Nowhere is that clearer than in India, where before Musk’s acquisition Twitter had been fighting a legal battle to protect its users from government censorship. The real question now is if Musk’s commitment to “free speech” extends beyond conservatives in America and to the billions of people in the Global South who rely on the internet for open communication.

Last month, Freedom House released its annual report on freedom on the internet. Allie Funk, one of the researchers who wrote the report, told me that while much of the focus has been on countries like China, which overtly restricts access to huge swaths of the internet, the real war over the future of internet freedom is being waged in what she called “swing states,” big, fragile democracies like India.

The winning side will not be decided in Silicon Valley or Beijing, the two poles around which debate over free expression on the internet have largely orbited. It will be the actions of governments in capitals like Abuja, Jakarta, Ankara, Brasí -

lia and New Delhi. Across the world, countries are putting in place frameworks that on their face seem designed to combat online abuse and misinformation but are largely used to stifle dissent or enable abuse of the enemies of those in power.

“Some laws are introduced with good faith to tackle disinformation and harassment,” Funk said. “But other governments are passing laws just to increase their power over speech online and to force companies to be an extension of state surveillance.” For example: requiring companies to house their servers locally rather than abroad, which can make them more vulnerable to government surveillance.

Over the summer, when Musk was still trying to wriggle out of buying Twitter, his lawyers filed a countersuit against the company that included a grab-bag of justifications for scuttling the deal. One of the claims went largely unnoticed in the United States but caught my eye: His lawyers argued that Twitter had engaged in “risky litigation against the Indian government,” and put one of the largest markets in jeopardy.

Twitter had indeed sued the Indian government in July — and for good reasons. In 2021, India had created a raft of rules that gave the government much more power to order technology platforms to remove content on command, and also hold employees of tech platforms criminally liable for speech that appears on their services. Exactly the kind of laws Funk was referring to.

India’s government had demanded that Twitter block tweets and accounts from a variety of journalists, activists and politicians. The company went to court, arguing that these demands went beyond the law and into censorship. Now Twitter’s potential new owner was casting doubt on whether the company should be defying government demands that muzzle freedom of expression.

Maybe Musk was just trying to escape a purchase that he knew would be disastrous. (And it certainly has been disastrous, at least so far.) But it seems that

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CITY COUNCIL CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

The following was given first reading at the November 14, 2022 City Council meeting. A public hearing, second reading, and final City Council action is scheduled for Monday, November 28, 2022 at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard.

(TO22-21) ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 26, “MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC,” ARTICLE I, OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH TO PROVIDE AUTHORITY TO THE CITY MANAGER TO REDUCE THE SPEED LIMIT ON CERTAIN LOCAL CITY STREETS TO 20 MPH

(TO22-18) ORDINANCE TO AMEND ORDINANCE 2024 AND 2045 REGARDING THE BUDGET OF EXPENDITURES AND REVENUES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023 FOR THE GENERAL FUND, SCHOOL OPERATING FUND, AND THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FUNDS

(TO22-19) ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 30, “PERSONNEL,” ARTICLE IV, “PENSION PLANS” OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH TO EXPAND THE DUTIES OF THE CITY’S RETIREMENT BOARD TO INCLUDE INVESTMENT OVERSIGHT OF DEFINED CONTRIBUTIONS RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLANS

All public hearings will be held in the Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, Virginia. Remote participation information at www.fallschurchva.gov/publiccomment. Comments may also be sent to cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov. For copies of legislation, contact the City Clerk’s office at (703-248-5014) or cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov or visit www. fallschurchva.gov/councilmeetings. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5014 (TTY 711).

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We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-8530. Toll free call (888) 551-3247. For the hearing impaired call (804) 367-9753.

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this is actually what he believes. In April, he tweeted: “By ‘free speech’, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law. If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people.”

Musk is either exceptionally naïve or willfully ignorant about the relationship between government power and free speech, especially in fragile democracies. That should worry anyone who cares about the future of free expression on the internet for billions of people. The combination of a rigid commitment to following national laws and a hands-off approach to content moderation is combustible and highly dangerous.

Independent journalism is increasingly under threat in India. Much of the mainstream press has been neutered by a mix of intimidation and conflicts of interests created by the sprawling conglomerates and powerful families that control much of Indian media. Like the United States, India has a big election coming up in 2024. Preserving a free and open public square for

debate will be critical to protecting India’s democracy.

Twitter has historically fought against censorship. Whether that will continue under Musk seems very much a question. The Indian government has reasons to expect friendly treatment: Musk’s company Tesla has been trying to enter the Indian car market for some time, but in May it hit an impasse in negotiations with the government over tariffs and other issues. India’s Economic Times reported last month that one of Musk’s other companies, SpaceX, would seek government permission to offer its Starlink satellite internet service there.

As Twitter plunges into ever more mayhem under Musk’s erratic management, the big question is whether it will survive at all. I hope it does.

Social media has absolutely deepened polarization and abetted extremism across the globe. But it did so by breaking sclerotic and easily manipulated monopolies on speech. Musk is right that the world needs a digital public square; unfortunately, he seems to have little idea that creating one involves balancing free speech against abuse, misinformation and government overreach. Twitter had just barely managed to get the hang of that difficult, important work in the past couple of years. Musk has left little doubt that rather than continue that work, he’d rather burn it all down.

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF A PETITION BY VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY FOR REVISION OF RATE ADJUSTMENT CLAUSE DESIGNATED RIDER SNA UNDER § 56-585.1 A 6 OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA CASE NO. PUR-2022-00162

•Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion”) has applied for approval to revise its rate adjustment clause, designated Rider SNA.

•In this case, Dominion has asked the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) to approve Rider SNA for the rate year September 1, 2023, through August 31, 2024.

•Dominion requests a revenue requirement of $49,797,391, which would decrease the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity by $1.14 per month.

•A Hearing Examiner appointed by the Commission will hold a telephonic hearing in this case on April 25, 2023, at 10 a.m., for the receipt of public witness testimony.

•A hearing on the Petition shall be convened at 10 a.m. on April 26, 2023, in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, to receive the testimony and evidence of the Company, any respondents, and the Staff.

•Further information about this case is available on the Commission website at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/CaseInformation.

On October 6, 2022, Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion” or “Company”) filed a petition (“Petition”) with the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) for revision of a rate adjustment clause (“RAC”), Rider SNA, for the costs associated with the preparation of the applications for Subsequent License Renewal (“SLR”) to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the operating licenses (the “SLR Component”), and the projects reasonably appropriate to upgrade or replace systems and equipment deemed to be necessary to operate safely and reliably, Dominion’s Surry Units 1 and 2 and North Anna Units 1 and 2 in the extended period of operation (the “Capital Upgrade Component”) (collectively, the SLR Component and the Capital Upgrade Component comprise the “Nuclear Life Extension Program” or the “Program”).

The Petition explains that in Case No. PUR-2021-00229, the Commission approved Phase I of the Program, consisting of the Company’s subsequent license renewal applications and 33 Capital Upgrade Component projects. The total estimated costs for Phase I are approximately $1.2 billion. The Company filed its Petition as the first annual update to: (1) inform the Commission of the status of the Program; and (2) update Rider SNA for the recovery costs associated with the Program.

In its Petition, Dominion states that the Program is proceeding on time and on budget, and that the Company received license renewals for the Surry Units on May 4, 2021. The Company states that it submitted the North Anna site-specific supplemental environmental information on September 28, 2022, and believes it will receive the subsequent license renewals for the North Anna Units.

The Company asserts it has continued to implement the Capital Upgrade Component projects consistent with the scheduled station outages and outage events at both stations. In 2022, the Company began implementing seven Capital Upgrade Component projects – four at Surry and three at North Anna.

In its Petition, the Company presented a new project for Phase I of the Capital Upgrade Component projects: the Cathodic Protection Project at Surry Units 1 and 2. The Company asserts the Cathodic Protection Project is necessary to obtain the SLR.

In this proceeding, Dominion has asked the Commission to approve Rider SNA from September 1, 2023 through August 21, 2024 (“Rate Year”). The two key components of the revenue requirement for Rider SNA are the Projected Cost Recovery Factor and the Actual Cost True-Up Factor. The Projected Cost Recovery Factor consists of projected net plant balances as of the month-end immediately preceding the Rate Year (i.e., as of August 31, 2023) in determination of the rate base and the calculation of financing costs on rate base. Dominion has included no Actual Cost True-up Factor in its filing and anticipates that any true-up for calendar year 2022 will be included in a 2023 update filing. The total revenue requirement requested for recovery for the Rate Year through Rider SNA is $49,797,391. The Company asserts that it has allocated costs to the Virginia jurisdiction and customer classes using its 2021 Production Demand Allocation Factor, consistent with the way production plant costs for the Surry and North Anna facilities are allocated in the cost of service.

If the proposed Rider SNA is approved as proposed, it would incrementally decrease the residential customer’s monthly bill, based on 1,000 kWh per month, by $1.14 compared to the current Rider SNA.

Interested persons are encouraged to review the Petition and supporting documents for the details of these and other proposals.

TAKE NOTICE that the Commission may apportion revenues among customer classes and/or design rates in a manner differing from that shown in the Petition and supporting documents and thus may adopt rates that differ from those appearing in the Company’s Petition and supporting documents.

On April 25, 2023, at 10 a.m., the Hearing Examiner appointed to this case will hold a telephonic hearing, with no witness present in the Commission’s courtroom, for the purpose of receiving the testimony of public witnesses. On or before April 19, 2023, any person desiring to offer testimony as a public witness shall provide to the Commission (a) your name, and (b) the telephone number that you wish the Commission to call during the hearing to receive your testimony. This information may be provided to the Commission in three ways: (i) by filling out a form on the Commission’s website at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting; (ii) by completing and emailing the PDF version of this form to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov; or by calling (804) 371-9141. This public witness hearing will be webcast at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting.

On April 26, 2023, at 10 a.m., in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, the Hearing Examiner will convene a hearing to receive testimony and evidence related to the Petition from the Company, any respondents, and the Commission’s Staff.

The Commission takes judicial notice of the ongoing public health issues related to the spread of the coronavirus, or COVID 19. The Commission has taken certain actions, and may take additional actions going forward, that could impact the procedures in this proceeding. Consistent with these actions, in regard to the terms of the procedural framework established below, the Commission will, among other things, direct the electronic filing of testimony and pleadings unless they contain confidential information, and require electronic service on parties to this proceeding.

An electronic copy of the Company’s Petition may be obtained by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company, Timothy D. Patterson, Esq., McGuireWoods LLP. 800 East Canal Street, Richmond Virginia, 23219, tpatterson@mcguirewoods.com.

On or before April 14, 2023, any interested person may file comments on the Petition by following the instructions found on the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit Public-Comments. Those unable, as a practical matter, to file comments electronically may file such comments by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. All comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2022-00162.

On or before January 6, 2023, any person or entity wishing to participate as a respondent in this proceeding may do so by filing a notice of participation at scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling. Those unable, as a practical matter, to file a notice of participation electronically may file such notice by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Such notice of participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel. The respondent simultaneously shall serve a copy of the notice of participation on counsel to the Company. Pursuant to Rule 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice, any notice of partic- ipation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action. Any organization, corporation, or government body participating as a respondent must be represented by counsel as required by Rule 5 VAC 5-20-30, Counsel, of the Rules of Practice. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2022-00162.

On or before February 17, 2023, each respondent may file with the Clerk of the Commission, at scc.virginia.gov/clk/efillng, any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its case. Any respondent unable, as a practical matter, to file testimony and exhibits electronically may file such by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Each witness’s testimony shall include a summary not to exceed one page. All testimony and exhibits shall be served on the Commission’s Staff, the Company, and all other respondents simultaneous with its filing. In all filings, respondents shall comply with the Commission’s Rules of Practice, including 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service, and 5 VAC 5-20-240, Prepared testimony and exhibits. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2022-00162.

Any documents filed in paper form with the Office of the Clerk of the Commission in this docket may use both sides of the paper. In all other respects, except as modified by the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, all filings shall comply fully with the requirements of 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and formal, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice

The public version of the Company’s Petition and other documents filed in this case, the Commission’s Rules of Practice, and the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing may be viewed at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information.

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