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News Briefs & Business News
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM LOCAL
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All FCCPS Classes Virtual on Thanksgiving Week
Falls Church City Public Schools Superintendent Peter Noonan announced classes will be all-virtual during the two instructional days of Thanksgiving week. Noonan released the following statement Monday in the school system’s daily newsletter Tuesday morning and explained in detail at the School Board work session Tuesday night: “As we have stated all along, we have and will continue to review data and make decisions based on what we see with respect to health, operational, and instructional metrics. Today’s data we received from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and Fairfax County Health District (FCHD) is not moving in a good direction. While we remain in the moderate category overall, we are continuing to see a rise in the NOVA region data and our home community of Falls Church City. As a consequence of remaining in the moderate range, we plan to continue bringing our elementary students to Mount Daniel Elementary School and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School as planned tomorrow and for the remainder of this week. Our strong mitigation plan and small numbers have supported our reopening efforts in the face of rising metrics. We have had students in schools learning for over a month, with no pauses, exposures, or outbreaks. However, because next week is a short week and we see trends in the data that we don’t like, we will move to online-only for next week for all of our students. Again, we anticipate this will be for next week only and will continue to monitor the data. Students were only scheduled for one day of inperson learning next week due to the Thanksgiving break. This is a temporary pause.”
The City of Falls Church’s Use of Force Review (UFR) Committee has launched a survey to learn more about public perception of and experiences with the City’s Police Department and Sheriff’s office. The survey is available at www. fallschurchva.gov/CFCsurvey and will close at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 4, 2020. This survey will not be statistically significant; rather, it will provide anecdotes to help the UFR Committee inform their work and eventually provide recommendations to the City Council. Once evaluated, this survey’s results will be available on the UFR Committee’s website, www.fallschurchva.gov/UFRC. The UFR Committee was formed by City Council in June 2020 as part of taking the Reimagining Policing Pledge from the Obama Foundation and the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance. The pledge calls on localities to review use of force policies, engage the community, report the findings to the community and seek feedback, and reform the use of force policies. The committee is comprised of seven members from the community, five City employees — including representatives from the Police Department and Sheriff’s Office — and one Public Schools employee. According to the National Institute of Justice, the use of force by law enforcement officers becomes necessary and is permitted under specific circumstances, such as in self-defense or in defense of another individual or group. According to a UFC statement, “There is no single, universally agreed-upon definition of use of force. The International Association of Chiefs of Police has described use of force as the ‘amount of effort required by police to compel compliance by an unwilling subject.’”
F.C. Ed Foundation Auction, Party Box ‘Gala’ Ends Friday
Instead of a party on the dance floor, the Falls Church Education Foundation (FCEF) is bringing the party online to supporter homes. A $100 donation to the FCEF will register a household for an online auction and receive a special Roaring Twenties-themed “Party in a Box” delivery with many surprises to make the evening lively and fun, as well as a gift card for dinner. “Party in a Box” registrations must be completed tonight by 9:00 p.m. to ensure delivery the Friday ‘Gala’ night. The auction is live online through Friday, Nov. 20, with over 160 items, including camp, school perks, fitness, portraits, art, and more items. It’s free and can be accessed at fcedf.org.
Snyder Participates in Vaccine Trial
Falls Church City Council member David Snyder, who has served on the Council since 1994, announced this week that he participated in a trial of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. In a comment to the News-Press, Snyder stated, “Wanting to strike back against this pandemic, I was able to participate in the Moderna vaccine trial. The procedures and medical personnel are first rate and the experience rewarding. I hope now that we can move to full scale production and distribution. Operation Warp Speed has not created a shortcut for the safety and effectiveness phases but has speeded production and distribution once the vaccine is approved. When this occurs, I will be the strongest possible advocate for widespread vaccination so that lives can be saved, our economy strengthened and we can all again live life to the fullest.”
KW United – Falls Church is holding its annual Winter Coat Drive until December 7. New and gently used coats can be dropped off in the lobby at 105 W. Broad Street Suite #200 (upstairs over Ireland’s Four Provinces). Donation pick-ups are available by contacting Alison Miller via call or text at 703-298-9495, or by email at alisonmiller@kw.com. Coats will be donated to the Willston Multicultural Center in Seven Corners. The Willston Center is a Fairfax County facility that provides a variety of services to children and families living in the neighborhood. For more information, visit KW United’s Facebook page.
Conte’s Bike Shop Moves to Falls Plaza
Conte’s Bike Shop has moved to Falls Plaza at 1118 W. Broad Street in Falls Church. The new NOVEMBER 19 – 25, 2020 | PAGE 15
THE NEW FACADE for the Mary Riley Styles Public Library is taking shape following roughly nine months of renovations so far. (P����: N���-P����)
location is larger than its previous location on Leesburg Pike and features a purpose-built bike fitting studio designed to offer advanced, tech-forward fitting and performance testing services. The bicycle seller, which carries top brands like Cannondale, BMC, Specialized, and Pinarello, is open 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit https://www.contebikes.com.
Kensington Falls Church Hosting Virtual Concert
The Kensington Falls Church is hosting Thanksgiving Eve Virtual Concert on Wednesday, November 25 from 6 to 7 pm. The free event features a pre-recorded concert from the Kensington’s Activities Coordinator, Erin Clark, who will perform her favorite opera and theatre pieces. For more information, visit www.thekensingtonfallschurch.com.
Falls Church Distillers Hosting Pop-up Raw Bar
Falls Church Distillers will host a pop-up raw bar with Arielle Oyster Company on Saturday, November 21 from 5 to 9 pm. The raw bar, which features wild organic salty seaside oysters, from Virginia’s Eastern Shore, is on-site the first and third Saturday of each month. Falls Church Distillers is located at 442 S Washington Street in Falls Church. For more information about this and other events, visit www.fcdistillers.com.
Dominion Energy is offering incentives to commercial customers for smart electric vehicle charging infrastructure and data collection through its Smart Charging Infrastructure Pilot program. Smart charging equipment enables charging stations to communicate with the charging network and provide charging utilization data to both site hosts and Dominion. Smart charging equipment also has the functionality to provide future grid services. The pilot program offers rebates to help cover the costs of “make-ready” infrastructure and the purchase and installation of approved charging equipment. Rebates will be available on a first come, first serve basis, while funding lasts. For more information, visit www.dominionenergy.com.
Business News in this section is compiled by Sally Cole, Executive Director of Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at sally@ fallschurchchamber.org.
