Falls Church News-Press 11-24-2022

by Nicholas F. Benton Falls Church News-Press

An ominous graphic attended the submission of a report by Falls Church’s talented young Planning Czar Paul Stoddard and Jessica Hegenbart of the City’s Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation (CACT). Its straightforward title is its demonstrable conclusion, that, “The Likelihood of Fatalities Increases Exponentially With Vehicle Speed.”

It demonstrates, based on data, that of citizens hit by a moving vehicle, if that vehicle is traveling at 23 miles per hour, 10 percent will be killed. If the speed is 32 miles per hour, then 25 percent of those hit will die. And, if the vehicle is moving at 50 miles per hour, not that uncommon even on residential streets in Falls Church, a stun ning 75 percent of those hit will die.

This coming Monday night, the Falls Church City Council is

by Nicholas F. Benton Falls Church News-Press

In one of the strongest pro grams yet devised to support small businesses in the City of Falls Church, the City will begin deploying resources from

Arlington Turkey Trot: 17 Years of

Helping Locals

The Arlington Turkey Trot draws more than 4,000 participants each Thanksgiving morning. Learn about the history of the trot and how it’s helping local charities and organizations.

federal Covid pandemic relief funds for a “Little City Gift Card” program in time for the holidays. Gift cards will go on sale on Small Business Saturday this Saturday, Nov. 26, that will offer sizable discounts for shop pers. Funds from the federal

American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) will be used to reim burse the small businesses that have signed up to participate.

The cards will come in digi tal form that participants can obtain at the City’s website at fallschurchva.gov/GiftCard.

The cards offer truly sizable deals for patrons of the local small businesses. Someone buy ing a $100 gift card will get a free $50 gift card from the City. In other words, for $100, a

Church

F.C. Annual Lighting of Broad Street Trees is Monday

The annual lighting of the Broad Street trees in Falls Church at a new location: Modera Founders Row (110 Founders Ave.) on Monday, November 28 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

City officials and friends will gather for hot chocolate and cookies from Rock Star Realty Group. The City of Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department will escort Santa as well. Giveaways and treats from future Founders Row busi nesses Chasin’ Tails, Roll Play, Nue, 4EverYoung, and Ellie Bird will be included.

Barbie’s Doggie Bakery and Barkley Square will be on hand with treats. Dinner can be had from the I Smoke You Eat food truck.

Parking instruction are as follows: Enter garage entrance via West Broad Street OR turning from Park Avenue to Founders Avenue. Please note that access to Founders Avenue from Broad Street will be closed.

Fairfax Dems Again Boost ‘Foster Kid Gift Drive’

The Fairfax Democratic Committee is again seeking support for its annual Foster Kid Gift Drive. Last year, the committee set a record for number of donations and money raised for the cause with over $48,000 in gift cards, presents, candy, and contributions going to sup port the county Department of Family Services and the teens and children it serves.

Co-Chaired by Fairfax County Board chair Jeff McKay and State Senator Barbara Favola, this year’s drive will help over 200 teens and children in the foster care system in Fairfax County. Contributions are being accepted in the form of monetary gifts, Amazon

Wishlist and Target Gift Cards. Any can be given at the Dec. 10 FCDC holiday party in Lake Barcroft.

F.C. Economic Development Committee to Meet Dec. 1

The usual monthly meeting of the Falls Church City Council’s Economic Development Committee co-chaired by Council members Letty Hardi and Phil Duncan will combine November and December meetings into a single Thursday, Dec. 1 meeting at the Oak Room in the Falls Church City Hall at 1 p.m., it was announced yesterday.

F.C. Education Foundation Seeks Year End Contributions

The Falls Church Education Foundation is appealing for year end contributions to continue its work in support of the Falls Church City Public Schools. This year. the FCEF disbursed over $250,000 in support of the schools.

Over $31,000 was disbursed through the Family Assistance Fund which remained a vital source of support for at-risk populations including those most impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Working closely with FCCPS Social Workers and the FCCPS Food Services team, the Family Assistance Fund was able to provide rapid assistance.

News-Press’ Annual Holiday Party Set for Dec. 15

The News-Press announced this week that its annual holiday party, with all friends of the paper invited, will be held at the Art Space of F.C., 700 W. Broad, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15. It will feature live music by the Meridian High School jazz band and will be catered by Anthony’s Restaurant.

No RSVPs are needed.

F.C.’s Gift Card Program ‘Most Comprehensive’ Subsidy Program

Continued from Page 1

patron receives $150 in buying power. A $30 card will get a free $15 gift from the City and a $50 card will get a free $25 from the City.

Patrons are limited to three bonus gift cards each and the cards will expire 90 days from the date of issue.

A long list of local busi nesses are participating in the program. It is the most com prehensive subsidy program since the City’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) offered a direct grant program to qualifying small business es using ARPA funds to offset severe losses resulting from the pandemic the last two years.

The list of businesses quali fying in the “Little City Gift Card” program is extensive. Broken down into categories of goods and services, they include:

Beauty – Great Lengths DC, Kess Hair and Skin Care, Mai Van Hair Salon, Nash Hair Design, Perfect Endings Hair

Salon, Rejuvenate Hair and Skin, Salon 7 Nails Spa, Snip Snip Barber Shop.

Entertainment – Clay Cafe Studio, Creative Cauldron, Falls Church Arts, The State Theatre.

Grocery – Babylon Market.

Healthcare – Ascension Chiropractic, Body Dynamics, Comfort First Family Dental, Dr. Poorvi Shah, Osteopathy and Integrative Medicine, Falls Church Foot and Ankle, Falls Church Pharmacy, Vision Consultants and Surgeons.

Retail – Action Music, Bikenetic, Brown’s Hardware, Coleman PowerSports, Dominion Jewelers, Doodlehopper 4 Kids, Falls Church Antique Center, Falls Church Hydroponics and Garden Supply, Galleria Florist, Lemon Lane Consignment, Dominion Camera by Ace Photo, New To You, The Toy Nest, Victory Comics, Vida Ciclista Bicycles and Service, Washington Diamond, Zoya Atelier.

Fitness – Falls Church Jazzercise, Jhoon Rhee Tae

Kwon Do, YogaSteady.

Food and Drink – Audacious Aleworks Brewery, Borek-G, Cafe Kindred, Clare and Don’s Cuates Grill, Dominion Wine and Beer, Fanny’s Restaurant, Harvey’s, Kaosarn Thai, Liberty Barbecue, Lil City Creamery, Mr. Wish Eden, Northside Social Falls Church, Preservation Biscuit Company, Rare Bird Coffee Roasters, Robeks Fresh Juice and Smoothies, Tea With Mrs. B, the Happy Tart, Thompson Italian, Vivi Bubble Tea.

In addition, for a limited time and while supplies last, the City of Falls Church will match gift card sales for shop pers:

Customer buys a $30+ gift card and gets a free $15 gift card from the City.

Customer buys a $50+ gift card and gets a free $25 gift card from the City.

Customer buys a $100+ gift card and gets a free $50 gift card from the City.

Bonus gift cards expire 90 days from when they were

Black-Native identity and its expression through art

Children’s Drawing Workshop with Monica Rickert-Bolter

Saturday, Dec. 3 10:30–11:30 a.m. Recommended for ages 5–10.

Artist Discussion: Ancestors Know Who We Are Saturday, Dec. 3, 2 p.m. Join five artists featured in the museum’s online exhibition Ancestors Know Who We Are for a discussion about Black-Native identity and its expression through art.

Event livestream: AmericanIndian.si.edu/ livestream

issued. Customers are limited to three bonus gift cards per person.

An eDelivery fee of $1.00 + 5% of the gift card (non-bonus) will be applied. Unless prohib ited by law, a $3.00 fee will be deducted monthly from eGift balance starting the first day after 12 consecutive months of inactivity. Activity means any action resulting in a change in eGift balance, other than fee imposition, or adjustment due to error or prior transaction reversal.

The Economic Development Office (EDO) and Economic Development Authority (EDA) created The Little City Gift Card program to assist busi nesses and non-profit organi zations recovering from the impacts of Covid-19, as well as to encourage local spending in the City’s diverse business community. The Little City Gift Card Program is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

For details about The Little City Gift Card pro

gram, visit fallschurchva.gov/ LittleCityGiftCard.

The Little City Gift Card will be available for purchase at fallschurchva.gov/GiftCard starting on November 26.

Monica Rickert-Bolter (Prairie Band Potawatomi, Black, and German, b. 1986), Mothers Uplifting, 2021. Pastel.

Guest Commentary: A Gay Man on ‘Stayin’ Alive’

by Fabrice Houdart

When I came out to the first per son in my family, my grandmother — finally safe 4,000 miles away from my home — she told me “not to get AIDS”. It was a pretty usual reac tion in 2001. She did not instruct me to be happy now that I was free, she instructed me to stay alive.

I told her I would be careful and I have been. It was not hard for me. Because I have always looked at the world as a dangerous place. Shared animosity against Jews, Gays and Arabs was the glue of social cohe sion where I grew up. I lived with my parents rue Copernic down the street from the Synagogue which exploded in 1980.

A decade later when I told to my mother how hurt I was by my family members posting pictures of them selves at “La Manif Pour Tous”, the street protest against same-sex mar riage and adoption, she suggested I: “develop a thick skin because it’s go ing to be like that all [my] life”.

Even today and here, there is a fatalistic consensus that being gay or trans means being headed for a life of trouble.

And an unconscious belief that we have nobody else but ourselves to blame for it: did we really have to be that stubborn about violating norms?

In 1980, after the rue Copernic bombing, Prime Minister Raymond Barre declared himself “full of indig nation” in front of “a heinous attack which wanted to strike Jews on their way to the synagogue and struck inno cent French people who were crossing the street.” A very telling lapsus about the responsibility for the attack…

When someone asks me how I would react if one of my sons was trans, I often say I would really prefer them not to. It’s a hard life, I think.

I have written too many times about the Gay people who died around me.

My friend Lee quotes me in her book on the cost of homophobia as “seeing another side of gay life on Facebook. [I] received news of friends lost to liver disease, suicides, addic tion, or accident.”

But of course death is only the tip of the iceberg. Because for every pre mature death, there is so much more widespread and invisible suffering. A slower agony.

“What is done to us is not insignif icant,” I like to tell LGBTQ+ people wherever I speak. “It’s child abuse” I say. That there are still children going to bed at night having lied about who they are to their parents, teachers and

priests praying for their lives to end is unfathomable. It’s truly a shame that I have to remind gay people of that. They often look uncomfortable. I tell them that what is done to us in child hood is also not repairable. Not every thing that is broken can be repaired. They feel I am dramatic.

How different our lives would be, if children were told that it is fine to be attracted to people of the same sex or to identify with a different gender. That gay and trans people are worthy. That we are lovable. The very thing Ron DeSantis just made illegal in Florida. It would not take much effort.

The reality is that most gay men and women minimize what is done to them. Particularly, the ones who thrive in this antagonistic environment because they often develop a level of complicity. I often think of Andrew Sullivan as having written nothing but “get over it!” for the past decade. And so we make it easier by our silence.

Yesterday, before the shooting, I posted about Qatar 2022. This time because President Macron encour aged us not to “politicize the World Cup” while announcing he would travel there if France got into the fi nals. I wrote a lot about the World Cup in the past few weeks because it is an other reminder that people really don’t get it. It was best illustrated when Brit ish Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that LGBTQ+ soccer fans should “be respectful” and show “flex and compromise”.

Flex and compromise? Haven’t we forgiven enough? Haven’t we bent backward to have straight people tolerate us? Haven’t we appealed enough to our common humanity?

I remember when the Orlando shooting happened that I modified a trip I was on to stop by New York and hug my children. I am not sure if it was because straight people were killing our children in a night club the previous night, because they would turn their back on millions of LG BTQ+ children that night or because so many were still opposed to us hav ing children.

The shooting in Colorado Springs is not the culmination of the latest series of verbal campaigns waged against LGBTQ+ people in the Unit ed States, as GLAAD mechanically denounced today, it is the continuation of a World engagement in a criminal enterprise against LGBTQ+ people. Every time we minimize it, we step away further from a solution. There cannot be true reconciliation until there is an acknowledgement of the gravity of what was and is being done to LGBTQ+ people everywhere.

Our Man in Arlington

By Charlie Clark

The religious element in the debate over Missing Middle housing was on dramatic display November 17th, as 257 advocates packed the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington.

Put on by the Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement—a coalition of 50 faith and civic groups—the evening of speakers, music and song came amid continued angry division over the proposal to allow more multifamily structures in single-familyzoned neighborhoods. The Arlington Committee of 100 cancelled its November 9th examination of the topic “because it found itself, at the last minute, unable to present a highquality, balanced program,” I was told.

And that was before anyone knew the results of the November 8th elec tion that resoundingly reelected proMissing-Middle county board mem ber Matt de Ferranti. Though inter pretations differ, Sun-Gazette editor Scott McCaffrey and former county treasurer Frank O’Leary agreed that the anti-Missing Middle voter senti ment was not in evidence.

The groups excited by the plan filed into the Unitarian sanctuary to drum ming, hymns and call-and-response rituals from the chancel. Their roll call included congregants for Our Lady Queen of Peace (50 attendees), the Unitarians (45), the NAACP (20) and the YIMBYs of Arlington (20). Also represented were St. Mary’s and St. George’s Episcopal churches; Trinity, Clarendon and Arlington Presbyterian churches; NOVA Catholics; Rock Spring Congregational; Temple

Rodef Shalom; Iglesia Episcopal San Jose; the Dar AL-Hijrah Islamic Center; the League of Women Voters, Juntos en Justicia; CASA Mariflor, Aspire Afterschool Learning; and staff and teachers from Arlington Public Schools.

Unsuccessful independent county board candidate Adam Theo was there, telling me he viewed his 10 percent of the vote as “a cherry on top” of the push for Missing Middle.

“When all the voices sing out loud, it can be done!” sang the gath ering, led by ushers in purple shirts reading, “The Voice: Building Power in We the People.” Their pastor Carol Thomas Cissel said, “We gather to resist and reject injustice,” backing a commitment to “look at how all piec es of Arlington housing fit together.”

Policy analysis came from Unitarian Pat Findikoglu, citing the “general wealth gap” and housing demand that outweighs supply.

Pentagon City renter Sara Mitchell, studying to become a men tal health professional, worried about “getting priced out of the county.” And Chip Gurkin, a PTA dad and soc cer coach, said he “loves his duplex in the Bluemont neighborhood. It’s easy to clean, and it takes only 10 minutes to mow the grass.”

Rev. Ashley Goff of the virtual Arlington Presbyterian asked board members present to “take a prophetic stance” and include the controver sial six-and eight-plex buildings. Board member Christian Dorsey wel comed the hope demonstrated by the “diverse” roll call before shifting to the practical. Zoning in the past “was weaponized” to “separate us,” he said, “and it makes no sense to have

three-fourths of the land not includ ed” in efforts to rebalance. “The details are well-understood, and we know the path. But it’s not always quick.”

Asked to respond, Peter Rousselot of Arlingtonians for Our Sustainable Future, told me that, while churches can play an important role, ASF’s concern is the “degree to which the participants in the event may be sup porting the government’s proposal because they believe it will add racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic diversity, or add affordable housing.” ASF’s research “has demonstrated that none of these desirable outcomes will occur.”

Board member Libby Garvey, a Quaker, said she was “lifted up” by the poems and songs. “There’s been a lot of catastrophizing, and change is tough,” she said. “Please stay with us. I’m not saying we will do it all at once, but we will get it done.”

***

A Halls Hill congregation teamed with the county on a historic marker at a notable graveyard. On November 20th, two dozen gathered for a Sunday afternoon “unveiling” at Mt. Salvation Baptist Church.

Founded in 1884 by African Americans who bought the Culpeper Street land for $80, the church became the burial site for 89 community mem bers—among them influential pastor Deacon Moses Pelham (1874 —1947).

“We have toiled for years, but God sees our strength,” proclaimed parish ioner Beryl Robinson. County board member Katie Cristol, recalling the board’s February vote, honored the church as a “guardian” of a monu ment to a “support system” from the days when that congregation was excluded.

(Published by Benton Communications, Inc.)

Founded in 1991

Vol. XXXII, No. 41 November 24 - 30, 2022

Nicholas F. Benton Owner & Editor-In-Chief nfbenton@fcnp.com

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Kylee Toland News Reporter ktoland@fcnp.com Charlie Clark Columnist Ted White Copy Editor

The Faces of Scrooge

One could argue that the greatest testament to the failure of our soci ety in 2022 is the existence of the massive numbers of homeless people who live out of flimsy tents or worse on the streets of our major cities. Indeed, it is a moral eyesore that too few people are concerned about. As long as one can step over the homeless to get where they need to go, then why make a big deal out of it?

The tragedy of this homeless epidemic in America, as well as the migrant epidemic, is that it demonstrates so much unhappiness. As we enter the holiday season, and families gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, it is becoming more and more evident that the chasm between the haves and have-nots is being breached by families themselves, who are made up of members that have fallen away in one way or another, and are liv ing on the streets, actually or at least metaphorically.

Nobody wants to ask the serious questions about how many of our families gathering for the holidays live with the knowledge that one or more of their number are quite unhappy in their lives, have either fallen into homelessness or into addictions that may, or maybe already have, claimed lives. What we may feel the least likely to acknowledge is that these people have not only fallen on hard times, but that they are pro foundly alienated and unhappy. To one degree or another, they have been abandoned, by society or by their own families, such that they are alone, facing their fates alone and apart from the kind of warmth and compas sion that we all value especially during the holiday season.

It is true that the only ones who are likely to step in and show warmth and compassion for such individuals are those who are, or have been, in similar situations, and it is truly a great credit to organizations like Falls Church’s own Homestretch that have been willing to look this issue straight in the eye and to try to address it in a meaningful way.

Correction Veteran’s Plaque Correction

In last week’s Community News & Notes section, the caption under the photo of Falls Church City coun cil member Marybeth Connelly was incorrect.

The plaque held by Ms. Connelly was the replica bronze plaque dedi cated at the Annual Veterans Day pro gram at the Falls Church Community

Center, not one of the four plaques presented at Meridian High School shortly after that program.

The News-Press regrets this error and wants to thank Steve Callanen for catching this error. Below is a photo of the correct plaque Ms. Connelly was hold ing in the photo.

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It is doubly distressing that, in this time of year especially, that folks recoil in fear and anger at the efforts of well-meaning officials to find a way to draw such persons back into the human fold, to empower them with the resources and the personal engagement that can open up for them a new and better tomorrow. It is a distinctively unattractive posture of resistance to policies that will hopefully revive the hope and will of underdogs in our society on overtly selfish grounds. People turn out in droves at public meetings if they think their franchise might be violated even in the slightest by a new government policy designed to open up opportunities for some of our more disadvantaged.

Persons should recognize that the advancement of such behav iors is not only wrong, but profoundly unattractive and causes wrinkles and ugly markings on the faces of such scrooges.

The Falls Church News-Press is published weekly on Thursdays and is distributed free of charge throughout the City of Falls Church and the Greater Falls Church area. Offices are at 105 N. Virginia Ave.., #310, Falls

Report: F.C. Averages 10 Automative Collisions With Pedestrians Per Year

slated to make a final decision now that it has been empowered by the state legislature to set its own speed limits for its non-state run streets. While the street by street details will probably be left up to City Manager Wyatt Shields and his staff, the Council is poised to act on the graphic described here, and the testimony of some, like Hegenbart, who have described near misses involving speeding cars on the City’s residential streets.

In the report submitted to the News-Press this week, Hegenbart opens with a description of a “near miss” involving her preteen son. “It’s been nearly three years since my preteen son was almost hit by a car walking to school. It was one of the scariest days of my life. A close call like that can make you feel dread and helplessness every time your child leaves the house on foot or bicycle,” she wrote.

She and Stoddard continued in their report, “Despite parents’ best efforts to teach and demonstrate safe walking and cycling practices, children are still capable of mistakes; and so are the drivers that drive around them. Even the most well-intentioned motorists can unknowingly drive hazardously.”

“Decisions that may seem harmless from behind the wheel can easily result in serious injury or even death for pedestrians and cyclists,” they write. “Pedestrian deaths in the United States have increased 62 percent since their lowest point in 2009 according to Smart Growth America, and according to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC), pedes-

trian injuries caused by automobile collisions are a leading cause of death among children aged 5 to 14.”

The report cites the Falls Church Police Department statistics showing that Falls Church averages 10 automotive collisions with pedestrians or cyclists per year.

“These crashes are avoidable but we have to act now if we want to save lives,” they state. “Historically, roads were designed to prioritize vehicles with limited consideration for other modes of transportation. The City of Falls Church’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program can implement the latest street design standards to make streets safer for non-vehicular travelers. Projects can be initiated by concerned residents.”

They continue, “The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration has an online Traffic Calming ePrimer that describes traffic calming tools and their efficacy. Engineers and city planners have learned how to turn roads for cars into streets for people that protect us from our fallible selves.

“We are all capable of mistakes: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. Better traffic designs help keep those mistakes from turning into crashes, injuries, or even deaths.”

“Lowering the speed limit from 25 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour on residential streets, as recently proposed by city staff, will help decrease danger on our streets. This change is in line with efforts in neighboring jurisdictions and cities across the U.S.”

“According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), faster driving

ing they may not even see people starting to cross the street, and drivers can’t avoid what they don’t see.

Lower speeds reduce the time and distance needed to stop, allowing for more reaction time. Higher speeds increase the likelihood of a collision and decrease the chances of survival.”

“Street designs should match the intended speed limit,” they state. “Research shows that wide driving lanes encourage faster driving even with lower posted speeds. Conversely, narrower lanes still allow cars, school buses, and delivery trucks to navigate the streets, while encouraging slower, safer speeds.”

“One solution to narrow driving lanes is to allocate part of the street to other uses, such as cycling and

and cycling lanes can be installed on one or both sides of streets that are wide enough. Other solutions, such as chicanes (described as a “serpentine turn in a road added by design and not by geography with the aim of slowing traffic”), chokers, and speed humps, can also be used to encourage appropriate driving speeds.”

Stoddard and Hegenbart note in their report that “there’s a lot of research demonstrating that speed humps increase safety. In a matched case-control study over a five-year period, the Oakland Pedestrian Safety Project found that “speed humps were associated with a 53 to 60 percent reduction in the odds of injury or death among children struck by an automobile in their

Also, they report, “smart intersection design makes streets safer for all modes of transportation,” as “wide intersections require long crosswalks where pedestrians may be outside a drivers’ view when they enter the intersection, and are then exposed to car traffic for a longer time. Intersections with wide, sweeping curves invite drivers to make rolling stops and high speed turns. So, curb extensions are a tool used to right-size intersections that are too large. They result in shorter crossing distances for pedestrians and increased visibility. They also serve to encourage drivers to make slower turns.”

FALLS CHURCH’S Director of Planning Paul Stoddard co-authored a report submitted to the News-Press on the dramatic impact of lowering speed limits in residential areas of the City that the Council will consider at its meeting this coming Monday. (P����: N���-P����)

24 - 30, 2022

Arlington Turkey Trot Celebrates 17 Years of Helping Local Residents

BY KYLEE TOLAND FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

While normally Thanksgiving is considered to be a day of a lot of food and family, some wake up in the early hours of the morning to participate in what is known as a “turkey trot”— a footrace of a normally long-distanced variety held on Thanksgiving day.

Locally, the Arlington Turkey Trot draws more than 4,000 participants each Thanksgiving morning in a 5K run or walk through the Lyon Park and Ashton Heights neighborhoods and a portion of Columbia Gardens. According to their website, the Arlington Turkey Trot has the shared goal of “helping neighbors in need” by benefiting local charities and community organizations.

Founded in 2006 by pastor Brian Webster and his wife Diane of Christ Church of Arlington, the Trot has generated over $1 million to help Arlington County residents in need. This year’s theme of the trot is “Community Partners United in Service to Others,” which celebrates the 5K’s tradition of “giving and thankfulness” by raising funds for 18 local nonprofits, including the Arlington Food Assistance Center, Bridges to Independence and more.

Mark Riley is a member of Christ Church of Arlington, as well as being the race director of the turkey trot — also known as the “Chief Turkey” — since 2013. Riley became involved with the trot in 2006 after being on the board for Doorways for Women and Families — one of the two initial beneficiaries of the 5K. He became a part of the organizing committee shortly after.

“The [Arlington Turkey Trot] is a vehicle to organize community resources, to instill family fun and to address charitable needs,” Riley said.

Riley stated his favorite part of being the “Chief Turkey” of the trot is “being with people in the community who love to have fun, who love tradition and who love to help others.”

Jasmine Piggie is the development coordinator at Bridges to Independence, one of the 18 nonprofit organizations that is receiving funds from the Arlington Turkey Trot. Bridges to Independence is the largest operating family shelter in Arlington County and serves individuals, families and traditional youth who are experiencing homelessness.

Piggie said the Arlington Turkey Trot is important to Bridges because it helps the families who use the organization. Some of the programs offered

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Music Students Ready to Work/Perform

Have a yard full of leaves that need raking? Or kids who 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 perform 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

FCCPS School Board Chairs 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 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. As this will not

at Bridges to Independence, such as their youth and workforce development programs, are not funded by government grants. Fundraisers such as the local turkey trot help the organization receive funding to be able to provide for the families who use it.

“Going to events like the Arlington Turkey Trot is important because [people are] helping us make a difference in individuals’ lives who really need it,” Piggie said.

Charles Meng is the CEO of Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), a nonprofit which has been involved with the Arlington Turkey Trot since 2009. AFAC has provided groceries to families in need; Meng said a few weeks ago they served 2,516 families.

When it comes to income, Meng said AFAC depends on food donations, volunteer services and private donations made by individuals and organizations such as the Arlington Turkey Trot. AFAC’s goal this year is to raise $8.5 million with the help of the trot, with Meng stating that every donation “no matter the size” helps.

“Getting our name out into the community always helps build support,” Meng said, “and the [Arlington] Turkey Trot helps us do that.”

Regarding this year’s theme, Riley

said the goal of the trot is focusing on helping people in the community who “need a hand up.” This includes partnering with the church, Amazon, the Arlington Community Foundation and the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, along with the 18 nonprofits, the sponsors, registrants and volunteers .

For this year and for future years, Riley said he recommends people to register for the Arlington Turkey Trot

due to the “fun and joy” it brings, such as seeing the “joyous looks” on people’s faces when they cross the finish line or receive their medals. Seventeen years later and Riley stated he sees former teenage participants taking their children to be a part of the trot.

“The family tradition is amazing,” Riley said. “The people that know it and love it will not miss it and will be here every single year.”

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 Athletics Hiring

The Meridian High School Athletics Department is actively seeking applicants for various positions. They are as listed: Boys Varsity Head Tennis Coach, Boys Varsity Assistant Tennis Coach, Girls Varsity Head Tennis Coach, Girls Varsity Assistant Tennis Coach, Girls Soccer Assistant Coach, Varsity Head Golf Coach, Varsity Assistant Golf Coach and Volunteer Coaches (Fall, Winter, Spring seasons).

OSE Artists at Local Coffee Shop

The artwork of thirty 3rd

graders is currently on display at Rare Bird Coffee Roasters. Check it out between now and November 27th. They used white charcoal and colored pencil on black paper to create their masterpieces.

OSE Teacher Performs at Kennedy Center

Ms. Kay Reid is a member of

the Friday Morning Music Club, an organization of musicians that performs classical music around DC free of charge. The Avanti Orchestra is the orchestral ensemble for the organization. She played her clarinet with the group at the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center. She performed in the Variations on a Rococo Theme, composed by Peter Tchaikovsky, and Le Tombeau de Couperin, composed by Maurice Ravel.

THE ARLINGTON TURKEY TROT draws more than 4,000 participants each Thanksgiving morning . (P����: M��� R����)

PIPPIN was performed at Meridian last weekend, with the help of an amazing group of musicians, cast and crew. (P����: FCCPS)

Northside Social: Maple Pumpkin Pie, Apple Cinnamon Pie, Brown Sugar Pecan Pie. (pictured) northsidesocialva.com

Liberty Barbeque: Maple Pumpkin Pie, Apple Cinnamon Pie, Brown Sugar Pecan Pie. (pictured) libertyfallschurch.com Harveys: Honey Cake (pictured) a fan favorite at Harveys. On the regular menu, sold out for Thanksgiving. harveysva.com Valentine’s Bakery: Cherry pie (pictured), assorted flavors offered. Available FC Farmer’s Market on Saturdays. Bakeshop: Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Bourbon Chocolate Pecan, Macooans (pictured) and various other pastries. bakeshopva.com/menu Grace’s Bakery: Assorted Coffee cakes (pictured), pies and more. Available FC Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.

Nothing Bundt Cakes: Give Thanks cake, Sweetest in the Patch cake, Harvest Hats and varrious seasonal flavors of Bundtinits (pictured). nothingbundtcakes.com/bakery/0299-falls-church-va

Acme Pie Company: Vegan Peary Cherry & Pecan Chocolate Maple (pictured). Various flavors offered and available regularly at Harveys & Acme Pie company. acmepieco.com/

The Happy Tart: Pumpkin Roll, Apple Pie, Sour Cream Apple, Cranberry Linzer Tart (pictured), Pecan Pie, Chocolate Pecan, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Praline. thehappytartfallschurch.com All pies and desserts are subject to availabilty, please contact local restaurants and bakeries for more information.

Grace’s Bakery

Community News & Notes

F.C. Little League Celebrating Anniversary in 2023

As the first Little League in the state of Virginia, the Falls Church Kiwanis Little League is looking for ward to celebrating their 75th anniver sary 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 through out 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 submit ted by December 2nd to be included in the contest.

Falls Church VFW Post Hosts Annual Youth Awards

At this year’s annual Veterans Day open house the Post welcomed in the community including the fami lies and friends of several Marshall High School Alumni who lost their lives serving in the Vietnam war. In

addition to the usual fare and events, members of the DMV Viet-American Community joined Post members in serving a meal that included tradi tional Vietnamese Dishes as they wel comed in the families and friends of these Alumni following the ceremony recognizing their sacrifices at the high school.

Following this the post present ed its community awards including scholarships, Teacher of the Year, and Sponsor of the Year Awards.

Each year the VFW accepts entries for its Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen youth scholarship competitions. This year America’s high school students were required to answer, “Why Is the Veteran Important?” while middle school stu dents had the opportunity to declare, “My Pledge to Our Veterans.”

In addition to the Student awards the Post also recognized a Business Sponsor of the Year and Teacher of the Year from the community.

ArtsFairfax Expands 202223 Artist Program

ArtsFairfax is expanding the Artist Residency Program to new locations throughout Fairfax County. Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the ArtsFairfax Artist Residency Program will embed pro

fessional performing and visual art ists at a Fairfax County park, library, school, community center, and an affordable housing community to bring interactive arts opportunities to neighborhoods underserved in the arts.

Through residencies ranging from one to four months, participants of all ages will benefit by working sideby-side with professional artists and receiving arts instruction that other wise might not be available to them. These free, interactive arts experi ences will provide participants with a creative outlet, help them gain skills in the arts, and foster intergenerational engagement and collaboration.

Transurban Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Express Lanes

Transurban North America cel ebrates 10 years since the 495 Express Lanes opened in November 2012 as the first truly dynamically-priced managed lanes system in the United States. Delivered as a public-private partnership (P3) with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the 14-mile initial segment has grown to a 65-mile system of Express Lanes operated or under development by Transurban. Over the decade, the 495, 95 and 395 Express Lanes have saved nearly 10 million

Greater Washington Area (GWA) customers more than 33 million hours of time in one of the fastest growing regions in the U.S.

In commemoration of the Anniversary, Transurban has released a report detailing the significant impact the 495, 95 and 395 Express Lanes have had in transforming the region. In addition to the report, the annual State of the Lanes poll ing research that provides insights on how customers continue to value the expanded travel choices of the Express Lanes is being released.

Nominations Open for Small Business Week Awards

The Washington Metropolitan Area District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has opened nominations for the 2023 National Small Business Week (NSBW) awards program. The National Small Business Week awards issued through the Washington Metropolitan Area District Office include the follow ing categories: Small Business Person of the Year, Northern Virginia (as well as one each, in Suburban Maryland and Washington, DC); 8(a) Graduate of the Year, Small Business Exporter of the Year; Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year; Small

Business Subcontractor of the Year; Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Center Award; and Woman’s Business Center (WBC) of the Year. To access forms, criteria, and instruc tions for submitting a nomination package, please visit https://www.sba. gov/national-small-business-week/ awards. All nominations must be sub mitted online by December 8, 2022.

Little City Gift Card Program to Start for Businesses

Businesses and Nonprofits: Participate in The Little City Gift Card Program! The City of Falls Church invites small businesses and nonprofits to become a part of their exclusive local community net work that accepts The Little City Gift Card. At no cost, the e-gift card works at participating City of Falls Church businesses, boosts revenue, and allows customers to discover and support small businesses.For a limited time and while supplies last, the City of Falls Church will match gift card purchases: Customer buys a $30+ gift card and gets a free $15 gift card from the City; Customer buys a $50+ gift card and gets a free $25 gift card from the City; Customer buys a $100+ gift card and gets a free $50 gift card from the City; The City plans to start selling

THE FALLS CHURCH VFW POST 9274 hosted the annual youth awards, which includes the winner of the Patriot’s Pen essay competition Patrick Scully. (Photo Courtesy: Post Chaplain)

5051 and 50188 recently assembled 33 boxes for Operation Christmas Child to help children ages 3 — 14 this holiday season. The troop has been working on service projects throughout the year. ( Photo: Bethany Scully)

gift cards on Small Business Saturday, November 26.

Learn more about the program and sign up at www.fallschurchva. gov/LittleCityGiftCard.

Annual ‘Cut-A-thon’ to Benefit Homeless Shelters

On Saturday, November 19th from 9:00 a.m. until Sunday, November 20th at 9:00 a.m. The Neighborhood Barbershop held their 4th Annual 24-Hour Chop-‘til-We-Drop Cut-AThon to benefit New Hope Housing homeless shelters.

Each year, all of the members of the barbershop work throughout the night — not in shifts, but marathon style, to execute as many haircuts as they can. All of the money raised is then donated directly to New Hope Housing.

The tradition began in November of 2018 and is typically held on the night of time change — thus resulting in a 25-hour event. The Cut-A-Thon events had a brief hiatus during 2020 due to Covid, but the barbershop was still able to raise money that year by holding an open-air concert at The State Theatre. This year, the barber shop had to break with the tradition of holding the event during time change because several of the barbers were away celebrating Bronwyn’s wedding in Illinois. Bronwyn is one of the barbers.

Many Falls Church based businesses helped with the cause.

Preservation Biscuit, Harvey’s Restaurant, and many friends of the shop kept the barbers fed and caffeinated throughout the night. Disturbingly Delicious Foods donated custom hot sauces that were

sold for the charity. Local filmmak er and photographer extraordinaire John Michael Whalen of Torasu Productions helped film and docu ment the event. Dr. Chris Rivas from Fortify Chiropractic and Sports Rehab Facility in Chantilly and Dr. Ray Solano from Solano Spine and Sports in Falls Church both dropped by during the night to offer help with stretching staff and volunteers’ sore muscles. In all it was a successful event bring ing in roughly $6,000.00 for New Hope Housing. Additionally, many people responded to the request for new and used towels of all sizes for the shelter. According to JanMichael Sacharko of New Hope Housing, the shelter population triples in size during this cold sea son and demand for towels grows exponentially. The Neighborhood Barbershop has offered to remain a drop-off location for new and gently used clean towels on behalf of New Hope Housing.

NATIONAL ADOPTION WEEK took place on November 7th — 13th, with local animal rescue organization Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation partnering with PetSmart Charities and BISSELL Pet Foundation to bring adoptable pets to three PetSmart locations. (Photo: PetSmart Charities)

WASHINGTON NATIONALS PHILANTHROPIES , the official charitable arm of the Washington Nationals, announced its biggest Thanksgiving food distribution to date with 800 turkeys to be given out during Turkeypalooza presented by BetMGM from Monday, November 21st through Wednesday, November 23rd. (Photo: Devon Bridges)

THE NEIGHBORHOOD BARBERSHOP held their annual 24-hour Chop’til-We-Drop Cut-A-Thon to benefit New Hope Housing homeless shel ters. Starting in 2018, all members of the barbershop work throughout the night to execute as many haircuts as they can. (News-Press Photo)

AREA EVENTS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24

ARLINGTON TURKEY TROT

Now entering its 17th year, the Arlington Turkey Trot was founded in 2006 by Pastor Brian Webster and his wife Diane of Christ Church of Arlington. Over

the course of 16 years, the Trot has generated over $1 Million to help Arlington County resi dents in need. The trot starts at the Christ Church of Arlington from 8:00 a.m. — 10:00 a.m.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

NVHG THANKSGIVING ART & CRAFT SHOW

The Northern Virginia Handcrafters Guild (NVHG) will

CALENDAR

hold its annual Thanksgiving weekend show on November 25 — 27, 2022, at the Vienna Community Center in Vienna, Virginia (120 Cherry Street SE, Vienna). This show features 40 – 60 local (Virginia, Maryland, and D.C.) juried artists and craft ers from the NVHG. 10:00 a.m. — 4:00 p.m.

ENCHANT AT NATIONALS PARK

The World’s Largest Christmas Light Spectacular is back at Nationals Park from Friday, November 25th to Sunday, January 1st. Enchant features an immersive and interactive light maze created from over 4 million sparkling lights with one of the biggest and most magical 100-foot-tall holiday trees as its centerpiece. A truly unique ice-skating trail, live entertain ment, Santa visits, and a holi day shopping marketplace with crafts, gifts, culinary treats pro vides a memorable experi ence for all.

TREE LIGHTING & SANTA FIRE TRUCK PARADE

Mosaic in Merrifield welcomes the arrival of the holiday sea son with a merry and bright

tree lighting. Bring family and friends to experience the Jolly Man as he makes his way through Mosaic on a firetruck and greets onlookers. Visitors can also meet and greet Santa in the Target lobby after the tree lighting. Located at Strawberry Park in Fairfax. Holiday parade from 6:30 p.m. — 6:45 p.m.. Tree Lighting at 7:00 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26

A VERY VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS

Start the Christmas Season with a visit to Cherry Hill Farmhouse to see how Christmas was celebrated during the 1860s. Costumed re-enactors wel come friends and neighbors who gather for some holiday cheer amid the conflict. Period decorations, music, and holiday stories are part of the festivities. 10:00 a.m. — 2:00 p.m.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28

LIGHTING OF THE TREES CELEBRATION

Enjoy the annual lighting

at a new location: Modera Founder's Row. Buy din ner from food trucks and kick off the holidays with City officials. Rock Star Realty Group will provide hot chocolate and cookies. Hosted at Modera Founders Row (110 Founders Row, Falls Church). 6:00 p.m. — 7:00 p.m.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29

19TH ANNUAL TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY

The annual tree lighting ceremony in Washington D.C. at the Fairmont hotel’s Courtyard begins at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 29th. Filled with tiny white lights and a shimmering Christmas tree, the court yard becomes a glittering crystal garden — the per fect venue for holiday cele brations. Families can take the chill off next to heat ers as they listen to the award-winning Georgetown Visitation Madrigals perform holiday classics. Children can enjoy decorating holi day cards 2401 M St. NW,

to welcome the

ing. Family and friends can experience Santa as he makes his way through Mosaic on a firetruck and greets onlookers.

CHERRY HILL FARMHOUSE will be hosting their holiday event "A Very Victorian Christmas" on Saturday, November 26th from 10:00 a.m. —2:00 p.m. Costumed re-enactors will welcome friends and neighbors who gather for holiday cheer. (Photo: City of Falls Church)

ENCHANT AT NATIONALS PARK hosts the "World's Largest Christmas Light Spectacular," starting on Friday, November 25th at the baseball stadium . (Photo: Zoe Winslow)

LIVE MUSIC

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24

DAVE CHAPPELL BAND

JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:00 p.m. (703) 241-9504

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

SHARTEL & HUME BAND

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

LOST HIGHWAY BAND

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

THE NIGHTHAWKS & THE SOUL CRACKERS

The State Theatre (220 N Washington St, Falls Church, VA) 8:00 p.m. (703) 237-0300

DREW STEVYNS

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

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26

MOTHER'S LITTLE HELPER

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

THE ROADDUCKS

The State Theatre (220 N Washington St, Falls Church, VA) 8:00 p.m. (703) 237-0300

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13

SHAKIN WOODS

JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:00 p.m. (703) 241-9504

THEATER & ARTS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

T he Nutcracker

Kansas City Ballet’s sea sonal tradition, The Nutcracker, returns to the Kennedy Center to con tinue their annual holiday presentation of America’s best Nutcrackers. The com pany’s production, choreo graphed by Artistic Director Devon Carney, continues to awe audiences year after year and is hailed as “posi tively oozing charm” by The Washington Post , promis ing grandeur, laughter, and a snowfall of holiday magic! From the moment of meeting the toymaker Drosselmeier in his work shop, the elaborate story book backdrops, sparkling costumes, and captivating choreography promise an enchanting theatrical expe rience. 1:30 p.m.

Bits & Pieces

Forty-one artists are demon strating how disparate articles can be combined to create an innovative art work during

show at Falls Church Arts gal lery that will be shown until January 8, 2023. The show features 50 pieces that include collage, assemblage, upcycled art, fiber art, jewelry, and more. Artworks can viewed online at www.fallschurcharts.org. All pieces can be purchased at

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27

The Queen's Cartoonists

DREW STEVYNS has recorded and published an impressive body of original works as an accomplished writer, musician, and performer. He records, produces, and masters all of his work, which includes all of the stems, tracks and beats. Stevyns will be performing at Solace Outpost on Friday, November 25th at 8:00 p.m.. (Photo: Bobby Salitrik)

Keenly aware of all things hol iday-oriented and completely ridiculous, musical ensemble The Queen’s Cartoonists have set out to find the best of the best holiday-related cartoons, films, and jazz. This fun and festive performance is set to live projected clips in sync with the music, and it runs the gamut from traditional holiday vocal num bers such as "White Christmas" to "Jingle Bells" paired with jazz arrangements and classic car toon characters such as Bugs Bunny, Betty Boop and more. Performed at the Center of the Arts at Concert Hall on George Mason University's Fairfax Campus. 3:00 p.m.

"B will be exhibited at the Falls Church Arts Gallery from November 19th through January 8th

Local Organization Serves Thanksgiving Meals to Disadvantaged Residents

BY KYLEE TOLAND FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

For those who may not be able to celebrate Thanksgiving in the most traditional way, an Arlington organization is providing meals to local residents who may be disadvantaged.

Beginning thirty-seven years ago, the Knights of Columbus has served Thanksgiving meals for more than 3,000 “disadvantaged neighbors.” Kate Gilchrist McMorrow, whose husband Myles McMorrow is chairing the Arlington Knights of Columbus Thanksgiving initiative, said the organization focuses a lot on “charity and community.” She and her husband have been in charge of handling the giving of meals during Thanksgiving since the pandemic in 2020.

“I had no idea what a massive production it is,” McMorrow said.

McMorrow stated she has tried to grow the giving of Thanksgiving meals, which used to have the Knights of Columbus borrow buses and provide transportation for homeless citizens

to the main hall of the organization to sit down and be able to have a warm meal. This

stopped due to the pandemic, but McMorrow said she’s found that it’s easier to serve more people by delivering meals to people individually.

Knights of Columbus has partnered with Meals on Wheels of Arlington to expand the delivery of the Thanksgiving meals, since Knights of Columbus has the facilities to be able to cook all of the food and provide it to various local counties. This year, 140 turkeys have been purchased by the organization and on Thanksgiving morning, members of the Knights of Columbus will begin making stuffing, mashed potatoes and more to be packaged along with the turkey. At 8:00 a.m., the meals will be delivered to apartment buildings, homeless shelters and other places by 80 volunteer drivers.

One of the local residents receiving a meal from the Knights of Columbus is Cynthia, who prefers to not share her last name. Cynthia said she was con-

nected to Meals on Wheels of Arlington after a knee fracture a month ago limited her ability to make meals on her own. Since Meals on Wheels is partnering with Knights of Columbus this Thanksgiving, Cynthia will

be one of thousands citizens receiving a warm meal.

As for what Knights of Columbus wants to accomplish for this year’s Thanksgiving, McMorrow said the goal is to “love other people” and feeding

is “the way we know how to do it.” Last year, the organization served around 2,500 meals and McMorrow stated she hopes the Knights of Columbus will “continue to grow” since there’s “so much need” for it.

THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS in Arlington began their Thanksgiving meal delivery initiative 37 years ago and have served more than 3,000 disadvantaged neighbors annually

Could I have been premature in declaring the breaking of the MAGA fever by the midterm elections earlier this month? In the case of an illness, when a fever is broken it still requires a lot of care and caution to make sure it does not flare back up even worse than before. So, it is not an option to let up because the election results showed so much promise.

Indeed, the latest mass shooting at a gay club in Colorado Springs last weekend is the sharpest evidence of this. Not only were five patrons of the Club Q there randomly killed by yet another white male terrorist, and more than a dozen more seriously injured, but the news opened the floodgates for thousands of heinous and hateful comments and threats on social media, including, of course, on Elon Musk’s Twitter, which has just welcomed the reinstatement of hundreds of formerly banned markedly hateful accounts, and then there is the categorically ugly role of Tucker Carlson on Fox.

It is true that we are not back at square one thanks to the election, and my declaration of MAGA fever breaking was determined to be seen as evidence of that. Yet, still, this culture war is far from over. It is going to require vigilance and commitment, new levels of each, coming from each and every one of us, to fully turn the tide and restore American democracy to its once great role in our society. When Dr. Martin Luther King stated that “the long arc of history leans toward justice,” he added that it was dependent on the efforts of those pushing it in that direction.

Indeed, Rachel Maddow’s podcast series entitled Ultra, now complete and available in full, is a powerful testament to ways in which this nation was threatened with official treachery in the earlier parts of the last century, and has drawn heavily on Bradley Hart’s book, “Hitler’s American Friends.” As we move into the

holiday season ostensibly of love and good cheer, it is important to remind readers that Frank Capra’s famously generous holiday film of 1946, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” was not without serious controversy in its day, such that FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover actually commissioned Ayn Rand to write a critique of it as a piece of procommunist propaganda.

We will no doubt run afoul again of the evangelical Christian mantra fiercely opposing those who prefer to refer to the season as “holiday” rather than “Christmas,” a distinctly inhospitable insistence. That is, unless the evangelical movement has been so shamed by its ungodly alliance with Trump in recent years that it has been rendered a slight bit of self-reflective silence. One can only hope. I will undoubtedly be disappointed again this year by the takeover of our airwaves by dull and vapid so-called Christmas carols. Sadly, that will hold even in the case of the Washington D.C. region’s one hold out radio station that usually plays classical music. Time to turn off the radio completely, because even the so-called classical channels on satellite radio become corrupted in this way.

On this score, a setback to the cause in the last week was the untimely death from cancer of former Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson. This man was a graduate of the notoriously Christian evangelical Wheaton College in Illinois and a strident evangelical who became a cornerstone figure among the speechwriting cadres for President George W. Bush. He made his best mark citing the need for a moral rebirth in this country when as a Post columnist, he took fellow evangelicals to task so eloquently and fiercely, and repeatedly, for their grotesque and unfitting support for Trump in the last half dozen years.

I never met Gerson, but felt a kinship with my being a graduate of what was known as the “Wheaton of the west,” Westmont College in Santa Barbara. While I moved beyond my convictions of those days in a way that Gerson clearly did not, I was aware of his moral starting point, and admired his ability to use that to severely criticize his evangelical brethren for selling out their values so fully to back Trump.

Recent events have made clear the need to regulate crypto, an industry that grew from nothing to a $3 trillion market capitalization a year ago, although most of that has now evaporated. But it also seems likely that the industry couldn’t survive regulation.

The story so far: Crypto reached its peak of public prominence last year, when Matt Damon’s “Fortune favors the brave” commercial — sponsored by Singapore-based exchange Crypto.com — first aired. At the time, Bitcoin, the most famous cryptocurrency, was selling for more than $60,000.

Bitcoin is now trading below $17,000. So people who bought after watching the Damon ad have lost more than 70 percent of their investment. In fact, since most people who bought Bitcoin did so when its price was high, most investors in the currency — about three-fourths of them, according to a new analysis by the Bank for International Settlements — have lost money so far.

Still, asset prices plunge all the time. People who bought stock in Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, at its peak last year have lost about as much as investors in Bitcoin have.

So, falling prices needn’t mean that cryptocurrencies are doomed. Crypto boosters surely won’t give up. According to a report from The Washington Post , many of those who subscribed to Twitter Blue Verified, Elon Musk’s disastrous (and now paused) attempt to extract money from Twitter users, were accounts promoting right-wing politics, pornography — and cryptocurrency speculation.

More telling than prices has been the collapse of crypto institutions. Most recently, FTX, one of the biggest crypto exchanges, filed for bankruptcy — and it appears that the people running it simply made off with billions of depositors’ money, probably using the funds in a failed effort to prop up Alameda Research, its sister firm.

The question we should ask is why institutions such as FTX and

Terra, the so-called stablecoin issuer that collapsed in May, were created in the first place.

After all, the 2008 white paper that started the cryptocurrency movement, published under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, was titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-toPeer Electronic Cash System.”

That is, the whole idea was that electronic tokens whose validity was established with techniques borrowed from cryptography would make it possible for people to bypass financial institutions. If you wanted to transfer funds to someone else, you could simply send them a number — a key — with no need to trust Citigroup or Santander to record the transaction.

It has never been clear exactly why anyone other than criminals would want to do this. Although crypto advocates often talk about the 2008 financial crisis as a motivation for their work, that crisis never impaired the payments system — the ability of individuals to transfer funds via banks. Still, the idea of a monetary system that wouldn’t require trust in financial institutions was interesting, and arguably worth trying.

After 14 years, however, cryptocurrencies have made almost no inroads into the traditional role of money. They’re too awkward to use for ordinary transactions. Their values are too unstable. In fact, relatively few investors can even be bothered to hold their crypto keys themselves — too much risk of losing them by, say, putting them on a hard drive that ends up in a landfill.

Instead, cryptocurrencies are largely purchased through exchanges such as Coinbase and, yes, FTX, which take your money and hold crypto tokens in your name.

These exchanges are — wait for it — financial institutions,

whose ability to attract investors depends on — wait for it again — those investors’ trust. In other words, the crypto ecosystem has basically evolved into exactly what it was supposed to replace: a system of financial intermediaries whose ability to operate depends on their perceived trustworthiness.

In which case, what is the point? Why should an industry that at best has simply reinvented conventional banking have any fundamental value?

Furthermore, trust in conventional financial institutions rests in part on validation by Uncle Sam: The government supervises banks, regulates the risks they can take and guarantees many deposits, while crypto operates largely without oversight. So investors must rely on the honesty and competence of entrepreneurs; when they offer exceptionally good deals, investors must believe not just in their competence but in their genius.

How has that been working out?

As boosters love to remind us, previous predictions of crypto’s imminent demise have proved wrong. Indeed, the fact that Bitcoin and its rivals aren’t really usable as money needn’t mean that they become worthless — you can, after all, say the same thing about gold.

But if the government finally moves in to regulate crypto firms, which would, among other things, prevent them from promising impossible-to-deliver returns, it’s hard to see what advantage these firms would have over ordinary banks. Even if the value of Bitcoin doesn’t go to zero (which it still might), there’s a strong case that the crypto industry, which loomed so large just a few months ago, is headed for oblivion.

COMMENT

Thoughts News of Greater Falls Church

A Penny for

By Supervisor Penny Gross

Happy Thanksgiving! When I was growing up, Thanksgiving was a simpler observance. Yes, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade was standard, as was football, and family gatherings, but the rush to start holiday shopping on “Black Friday” was years away. In fact, in those simpler days, stores were closed, including grocery stores, so no dashing out to find a forgotten ingredient for dinner. One thing hasn’t changed, though: every year in school, we had to participate in an exer cise about what we were thankful for in our lives. I always disliked that session, since it seemed very intrusive on personal feelings, especially for a shy girl. But I persevered, and was facetiously thankful when the teacher didn’t call on me!

Decades later, of course, the breadth of one’s personal and professional experiences make the “thankful” list much broader. The introspection still is there, but philosophy and reality combine to prompt sharing more than the usual “thankful for family, friends, health, etc.” So, if that same nun asked the question today, the response would be more focused and much broader, along with some items that might not appear on a traditional list.

Thankful that we live in Fairfax County, with an outstanding school system, safe communities, caring neighbors, a thriving economy, and end less opportunities.

Thankful for our diverse faith communi ties and non-profit organizations, who team up together to provide assistance to lower income residents in times of need. Food pantries, health clinics, rental assistance, and pastoral counseling help augment what local governments can pro vide. We couldn’t do all we do in Fairfax County without these partnerships.

The Covid pandemic forced many local food pantries to pivot and expand their services. Food distributions by ACCA, Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic

Center, Columbia Baptist Church, and many others have made the difference between having nutritious food or going hungry for countless families. The need is year-round, not just dur ing the holidays, so donations of non-perishable foods or cash are always welcome.

Thankful for the Culmore Clinic, county health clinics, and partnerships with INOVA and other health organizations that provide access to healthcare for those who otherwise cannot afford it. The assistance is welcomed, but much more is needed to address the health care disparities, especially for mental and behavioral health, here and around the nation.

Thankful that One Fairfax, adopted by the Board of Supervisors, provides a framework for decision-making, considering diversity, equity, and inclusion, as we move into the future. One Fairfax will not correct the ills of the past, but will provide greater intentionality for decisionmakers, and a better future for our diverse and growing community.

Thankful that democracy didn’t die on Election Day 2022. The nation still is divided almost in half, politically, but the rejection of election deniers, Trump-supported candidates, and restriction of basic human rights resounded through federal and state halls. The battle for democracy this fall was won, perhaps, but there will be many more battles ahead.

Thankful that Nick Benton and the Falls Church News Press has provided me the opportu nity to share so many thoughts for so many years via this column.

May you, your family, and friends, enjoy the blessings of this Thanksgiving, and many more.

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

tered the driver’s side window of a 2022 Honda Accord and removed the steering wheel airbag.

Attempted Carjacking, Stolen Motor Vehicle, Wilson Blvd, November 14, 5:06 PM, a female sit ting in her car was attacked by a suspect described as a 5’8”, thinly built, black male, short hair, wear ing light clothing. After attempting unsuccessfully to remove her from her vehicle, he entered a nearby unoccupied 2014 Jeep Cherokee with its motor still running. Suspect last seen driving away in the Jeep. Vehicle recovered November 16 in Washington, DC. Investigation continues.

Fraud-False Pretenses, 300 Park Ave, November 15, 3:03 PM, a check which had been placed in a USPS mailbox at 300 Park Ave on October 8 was intercepted by unknown suspect(s) and altered. Investigation continues.

Larceny of Vehicle Parts, W Broad St, November 17, between 7:30 and 11:30 AM, unknown suspect(s) shat

Larceny from Motor Vehicle, Wilson Blvd, November 17, between 12:12 and 12:30 PM, unknown suspect(s) broke the passenger window of a Toyota Camry and removed items of value

Larceny from Building, W Broad St, November 17, 1 PM, a known suspect entered a business while the owner was in another room and removed items of value. Warrant pending.

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.

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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Replace your roof with the best looking and longest lasting material – steel from Erie Metal Roofs! Three styles and multiple colors available. Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limited Time Offer - $500 Discount + Additional 10% off install (for military, health workers & 1st responders.) Call Erie Metal Roofs: 1-844-902-4611

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CLASSIFIEDS

LIVESTOCK SALE

TOTAL PERFORMANCE BULL SALE. Friday, December 2, 2022 at Noon. Featuring 175 Angus, Polled Hereford, Gelbvieh and Balancer bulls. Knoll Crest Farm, Red House, VA. Pre-register before sale day by calling 434-376-3567

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DIVORCE-Uncontested, $395+$86 court cost. WILLS-$225.00. No court appearance. Estimated completion time twenty-one days. Hilton Oliver, Attorney (Facebook). 757-4900126. Se Habla Espanol. BBB Member. https:// hiltonoliverattorneyva.com.

Up to $15,000.00 of GUARANTEED Life Insurance! No medical exam or health questions. Cash to help pay funeral and other final expenses. Call Physicians Life Insurance Company- 844-509-1697 or visit www.Life55plus.info/vapress

Portable Oxygen Concentrator May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and longlasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 888-608-4974

DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-888-550-3083 www.dental50plus. com/virginia #6258

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

CELESTE HEATH, CITY CLERK

BACK IN THE DAY

Falls Church News-Press Vol. VII, No. 36 • November 20, 1997

Rivera Launches City Hall Shake-Up

Falls Church City Manager Hector Rivera, shortly after receiving a favorable review by the City Council of his first six months on the job, has unveiled an ambitious and sweeping plan for overhauling operations at City Hall.

Falls Church News-Press Vol. XXII, No. 39 • November 22, 2012

Blockbuster Water-for-Land Swap Agreed to by Fairfax, Falls Church

At 3:45 p.m. EST Tuesday, the City of Falls Church, Fairfax County and Fairfax County Water Authority simultaneously issued a joint press release announcing that a blockbuster deal had been reached.

C ������ C �����

BY RYAN MCCAFFERTY

Both Meridian’s boys and girls will see their basketball seasons begin in the coming days, with the boys opening up at home against John R. Lewis High on Monday, the 28th, and the girls participating in a tournament on the road against West Springfield that same evening. Both teams have high hopes for the season, and are excited to get started.

The girls had an exceptionally successful season in 2021-22, a season in which they made it all the way to the State Finals in Richmond before falling to Carroll County. However, they lost a number of starters from that team, including Regional Player of the Year Zoraida Icabalceta, and will now be led

by seniors Peyton Jones and Elizabeth Creed. Nevertheless, this team has established itself as a top level program in the state, and head coach Chris Carrico looks to have his girls ready to compete with the best once again.

Meanwhile, the boys look to bounce back from a year of growing pains in which they finished 5-5 in league play and lost in the regional playoffs to Skyline. Starters Wyatt Trundle, Grant Greiner, and Jarrett Jardine all return, with a slew of newcomers joining the squad as well including Dylan Martino, Isaac Rosenberg, and Boston Fitzpatrick. Head coach Jim Smith has high hopes for the season and expects to be competing for the District title.

Falls Church Business News & Notes

New Opportunity to Live Local and Shop Local

November has been proclaimed Live Local Month to promote the support of Falls Church neigh bors and friends who own or work at local businesses. Living local benefits local schools and projects and adds job opportunities through your local taxes. Moving towards the holidays, the Falls Church Chamber encourages Shopping Local which is easier than ever with a new promo tion. Kicking off Small Business Saturday, November 26, the City of Falls Church is offering a way to further support local businesses with the sale of the Little City Gift Card program. The digital gift card will carry a match for your first three cards purchases, for use in participating busi nesses. These include entertainment, fitness, healthcare, retail and salons. For more information, visit https://www.fallschurchva.gov/2168/The-Little-City-Gift-Card.

Falls Church Innovation – Artemis

Falls Church-based Northrop Grumman played a role the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket as part of the Artemis I mission on November 16. The company’s two solid rocket boosters helped launch the flight from Kennedy Space Center. Northrop Grumman has been pio neering in space for over 50 years and will continue providing support for Space Launch System and the Artemis missions through 2031.

Local Businesses Highlighted

The latest issue of Arlington Magazine has featured Dominion Jewelers for Rachelle Barimany’s specialty of updating family heirlooms. The publication named Café Kindred and Bakeshop to the Top 9 Coffee Shops.

Cyber Crimes and Crypto Tax Webinar

The IRS Security Summit will host a new webinar on Tuesday, November 29 at 2:00 p.m. as part of its programming on National Tax Security Awareness. Entitled Deeper Dive into Emerging Cyber Crimes and Crypto Tax Compliance, the webinar will cover business email compromise and/or data breaches, identifying the Dark Web and its role in cybercrime and identity theft, general understanding of virtual currency, and the IRS efforts to combat cyber criminals and illicit activity. Participants who qualify will receive a certificate of completion and tax professionals will earn up to 1 CE credit. To register, visit https://www.webcaster4.com/ Webcast/Page/1148/47098.

Proposed Restructuring of Workforce Programs

Virginia Secretary of Labor, Bryan Slater, has proposed a new, central department to manage the state’s efforts to connect employers and employees. The goal is to streamline access to job mar ket information for those seeking work or training, as well as facilitating policy making and data sharing. The new Department of Workforce Development and Advancement would take over 13 separate programs from eight agencies and move management of some federal programs to the new department. The restructuring plan will require General Assembly approval and would let the state set standard goals and measurements on how well the programs perform.

CBP Session on Preparing for Funding

The Community Business Partnership asks: Have you ever applied for a loan and been denied because you were not prepared? Would you like to apply for a loan but have no clear idea what documentation is needed or why they’re important to the financing pro cess? Do you need to prepare a loan package and need guidance in preparing it? This training session will help you understand the fundamentals of preparing for funding learn ing what lenders look for on key financial documents including your personal financial statement, debt scheduled, balance sheet, cash flow, forecasts, and other key financial components of a solid loan package. The free virtual session will be held on Thursday, December 1 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm with Community Business Partnership speaker, Karlene Sinclair-Robinson, Asst. Director, Business Finance Center. For more information, please visit http://www.cbponline.org. Register at https://wbcnova.centerdynamics.com/reg. aspx?mode=event&event=10420108

 Business News & Notes is compiled by Elise Neil Bengtson, Executive Director of the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at elise@ fallschcurchchamber.org.