Falls Church News-Press 12-17-2020 by Falls Church News-Press

December 17 – 23, 2020

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Pandemic Slows West End Project Timeline Virtual Town Hall Today at Noon on Revisions BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

The West End Gateway Partners, who over the last two years have come to contract with the City of Falls Church to undertake an ambitious 10-acre mixed use development at the City’s west end, has requested major revisions in their plans under conditions of the global Covid-19 pandemic. A special public town hall to outline the changes is scheduled to be held online this Thursday, Dec. 17 at noon. The Council held two lengthy closed sessions on the subject prior to Monday’s public announcement, which was made in the interest of transparency. The changes involve a reduction in the partnership’s annual

capital ground base payments to the City from $7 million to $4.3 million, and with ground rent increases, a net $3.2 million loss to the City and a six-month delay in its implementation. One major concern by the Council was the group’s commitment to the demolition of the old high school on the site by May 29, 2021, and the developers — representatives of EYA and Hoffman — provided assurances that it would happen by that target date. Otherwise, the developers assured the City Council of its ongoing commitment to the overall project, although some modifications in the mix might reflect changes in the economic trends post-Covid, such as a glut

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ENJOYING THE SNOW on Wednesday — before warming temperatures turned it into rain later in the day — was this family, who went sledding in Cherry Hill Park. (P��: C�� S�� P��)

Downtown Project Returns With Cosmopolitan Redesign BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

Atlantic Realty, which up until the Great Recession of 2007 had won approval for a major downtown Falls Church mixed use plan, came to the Economic Development Committee of the F.C. City Council last Friday

morning with a somewhat more modest revival of that plan and is ready to move ahead. The new plan, which will require four separate special exception approvals from the Council, will cover 5.82 acres at the intersection of W. Broad and S. Washington, directly across that major intersection

diagonally from the equally massive Whole Food-based project that the Insight Property group is moving through the City’s approval process now. Atlantic had the original downtown mega-plan for the City involving $340 million in development and encompassing the bowling alley and a

wider neighborhood before the Great Recession brought it to a screeching halt. Last week, connecting virtually in the online meeting, some of the same principals from Atlantic, including Adam Schulman who is a dozen years older than the last time the Council saw him but doesn’t

look it, laid out their plan to fill the entire City block that takes up the three George Mason Square buildings (anchored by the Ireland’s Four Provinces restaurant), the vacated BB&T bank building, a two-story parking garage and a tailor shop. The plan is to renovate the three George Mason Square buildings and demolish every-

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Mary Jo West, George Mason High School’s music teacher and band director, has been selected for the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. SEE COMMUNITY NEWS & NOTES, PAGE 11

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Scout leader John Neville said sales were good this year — so much, that it matched all the national news stories about soaring Christmas tree sales. Sure enough, three days later and the lot was no more. Every tree they had was sold off. SEE STORY, PAGE 19

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It was a cinch to find parking at short-term Lot B and walk to the beautiful park that hosts the reconstructed ruins of Abingdon Plantation. SEE COLUMN, PAGE 15

INDEX Editorial............................................... 6 Letters................................................. 6 News & Notes................................... 11 Comment ................................ 7,12,13 Crime Report .................................... 12 Calendar ........................................... 14 Business News ................................. 15 Classified Ads ................................... 16 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ......... 17 Critter Corner.................................... 18

PAGE 2 | DECEMBER 17 - 23, 2020

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Dutch Concept of ‘Living Street’ Featured in Downtown Project

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thing else on that block, replacing them all with 264 mostly-one bedroom apartments in a 115foot building. Joining the apartments will be a 26,500 square foot grocery store (for which a letter of intent has already been secured) and a “woonerf.” This Dutch concept of a “living street” would run through the center of the project and allow it to be flanked by small retail spaces on both sides, but would also intend to feature a stage for public concerts and festivals. The woonerf would be directly across from where Mr. Brown’s Park, the popular pocket park renovated last year by the City’s Economic Development Authority, is located. And the City’s Jim Snyder suggested be linked with a crosswalk in the center of the 100 block of West Broad. Thomas Dinneny of Atlantic said the plan is scheduled to be submitted to the City on January 15. He said the fact that yet

another grocery store, this one sandwiched between the Harris Teeter and proposed Whole Foods, will be located in that project is seen by the grocer as an advantage, since face-to-face competition seems to benefit all parties involved. With 88,800 square feet of commercially-oriented use, the project will be one of the most balanced mixed-use projects in the City, being 40 percent commercial and 60 percent residential. The plan met with favor with all three City Council members present at the meeting, including Phil Duncan, Letty Hardi and Ross Litkenhous. “This looks very promising, it is a great plan,” Litkenhous said. Atlantic has a history in Falls Church that goes beyond its earlier downtown plans, having a hand in the development of Pearson Square and the Harris Teeter building. It is involved in the operations of over five million square feet of development in the D.C. area.

THE ORIGINAL DOWNTOWN PROJECT plan, known as the Falls Church City Center, pales in comparison to the more open design that Atlantic Realty Companies proposed to the F.C. City Council last week. (R��: WDG A��)

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VIRTUAL TOWN HALL MEETING

West Falls Church Project Proposed Agreement Amendments Thursday, December 17 Noon to 1:30 p.m. Join the MS Teams Virtual Meeting: www.fallschurchva.gov/TownHall City staff and representatives of the developer will give a 15 minute presentation then answer questions from the audience. Questions may be sent in advance to townhall@fallschurchva.gov. Video of the event will be available later on the project website, www.fallschurchva.gov/WFC.

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West End Project Changes Won’t Affect Next Year’s Revenues or Real Estate Tax Continued from Page 1

of office space. They said they’ve already sunk $13 million into the project and will have invested another $9 million in the next year as evidence they are committed to completing the project. It was also noted by City Manager Wyatt Shields that the changes will not impact the next fiscal year’s expected revenues and the residential real estate tax rate. A final decision by the Council on whether to agree to these modifications will be made on Jan. 11, 2021. Thursday’s scheduled town hall, set up with a minimum of advanced notice but in order to precede the onset of full holiday season, will be online but open to the public and there will be a question-and-answer period with City staff and F.C. Gateway Partners representatives. Following the changes proposed at this Monday’s Council meeting and today’s town hall, the

Council will hold a public hearing on Jan. 11 and take up the matter for a final vote on the proposed non-binding new Memorandum of Understanding. In Monday’s powerpoint presentation, the developers outlined what has not changed with the modifications and what will. Of the unchanged components, the hotel, office, civic space, senior housing, condos and apartments remain in the ratios discussed in the site place, and the developers will carry out the demolition of the high school by May 29. What has changed in the request for modifications include the delivery date (with the exception of the demolition) by about six months, a reduction in capitalized ground lease payments, and increase in ground rent payments over a 99 year term, and new and/ or revised profit share provisions. The capitalized lease payments will be reduced from $7 million to $4.5 million, totalling a reduction from $34.5 million to $25.5 million.

Ground rent payments will start earlier and escalate at a higher rate, with $200,000 in payments starting in 2025 instead of 2029, and escalating at 2.75 percent instead of 2.0 percent, increasing by $25,000 in 2031 and increasing nominal value to $45.7 million. Minus the profit sharing provisions, it results in a $3.2 million decrease in present value against a nominal value increase of $35.8 million. Profit share provisions include a 30 percent City participation in net condo sales over a $750 net square foot average, currently estimated at $2.25 million, 50 percent of “Land Lift” at the closing of the construction loan (increased from 25 percent in the Comprehensive Agreement), elimination of a .50 percent capital administration fee for leasehold elements, and a .25 capital administration fee kept on the condos. Washington Gas or the City will cover the $2 million cost of the Washington Gas Regulator

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Station at the site, and the pilot tax abatement program will remain unchanged. The next payment by the developers to the City will be due Dec. 31, 2021. With these modifications, the City will be able to cover the debt service for the high school as planned and will maintain adequate capital reserves, as previously planned. Between Fiscal Year 2020 and 2030, the reserves will actually grow from $16,7649,121 to

$21,723,057. In addition to the completion of the demolition and rough grading of the old high school property by May 29, 2021, the terms include the completion of the negotiation of agreements with the grocer, office developer and senior component developer on or before March 1, 2021. The identity of the grocer long proposed for the corner of Haycock and Route 7 will be revealed to the Council by next week.

Status Update on Monday, December 14

City of Falls Church Date Monday, December 14 Thursday, December 10 Monday, December 7 Thursday, December 3 Monday, November 30 Wednesday, November 25 Monday, November 23

Cases Hospitalizations Deaths # Cases per 100,000 People 142 16 6 961.3 134 16 6 907.1 122 15 6 825.9 112 15 6 758.2 103 14 6 697.3 97 14 7 656.2 90 14 7 609.3

*NOTE: These numbers went down as the Virginia Department of Health found that the individuals lived in the Fairfax County part of Falls Church, not the City of Falls Church.

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E D I TO R I A L

Give Up Trump ‘Cold Turkey’

We couldn’t agree more with Washington Post columnist Margaret Sullivan’s latest column, calling on her media colleagues to break up “cold turkey” with the defeated Donald Trump. Yes, it is more than true that the media gets as much credit as anyone for the unleashing of Trump on us, as much as he has used the “relationship” to bash us relentlessly — not just the media, but the American people who rely on it, and truth itself. Students of the rise of totalitarian regimes in history and the repression that they impose on their subjects (victims) are well aware of the essential primacy of the suppression of a free press to stabilize their power. It is mandatory that the version of truth as expounded by a tyrant be the only legitimized one, so if a news organization is not willing to be a tyrant’s lapdog, it must be marginalized and discredited. We can be certain that when Trump takes his last trip away from the White House next month, and he contemplates his options going forward, he will not let up on his attacks on “fake news,” that is, the free press. So, it would be a manifest disservice to the American people and the rightful role of the media in our society to continue to call attention to the outrageous things Trump says, tweets or otherwise expounds. Reporting on his legal, financial and criminal woes as they close in on him, of course, is an exception. The American people deserve to discover the whole ugly truth of how this two-bit con man imposed his reptilian will over all of us having been invited in to occupy the most powerful perch in the world. His niece, best-selling author and psychological professional Mary Trump, confirmed again during an online talk organized by Fairfax School Board member Karl Frisch last weekend, Trump’s diagnosis as a hardened sociopath means that he harbors no empathy or feelings of warmth toward anyone — period — so to say he is “heartless” implies incorrectly that he is in any way associated with a heart. The nation sorely needs a massive repair job to undo the last 40 years of postmodern “truth is in the eye of the beholder” nonsense that set the table for what we got in Trump. When truth and science take a back seat to political advantage, democracy cannot endure, because it depends on the public having a clear idea of what its options are at every point. If one deconstructs what has passed for our popular culture the last half-century, what’s found is a massive offensive of fantasy and unscientific, uncivil and dystopian narratives from seemingly harmless sitcoms to epic mega film series and virtual reality games. The truth-telling media has always been a cornerstone of democracy, the more focused on truth and courageously “speaking truth to power” the more vital its service to the people, to those who properly rule, the empowered and enfranchised voting citizens.

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Changing School Names Covers Up City’s Lack of Racial Progress Editor, As a parent of former George Mason High School students, I read about the renaming of the City schools with a rich sense irony over the hand wringing. It’s such a classic exemplar of the Falls Church bubble. The renaming of the schools, to salve the conscience of an ever so “woke” community, when in fact it’s a total whitewash. Several have noted that Falls Church City has a funda-

mental, foundational legacy of white supremacy, a city that literally tailored itself to preserve white supremacy in its voting booths. The City coughed up one third of its land so as to exclude blacks, which accounts for the reason why it is today the smallest city jurisdiction in Virginia. And the wealthiest. And the most white in the entire D.C. area, according the The Urban Institute. Among the black majority land it pushed back to Fairfax

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County is Tinner Hill, which today the City nonetheless extols in an annual festival tribute. The point is that while it argues amongst itself, the City is the epitome of white privilege, something that it actually has no intention of changing despite “window dressing,” such as changing the names of schools. Because if the City of Falls Church was truly interested in righting its injustice, if it was truly engaged in doing more than tongue flapping about equity, it would ask Fairfax County to expand to include the residential areas, made up largely of minorities, that it pointedly excluded in the first place. For Falls Church City then could take on the real work, to actually share its

wealth, its built up white privilege and resources — such as its high performing high school that could actually then serve with a more diverse and economically needful population Of course, this would threaten the comfort of the sanctimonious name changers, perhaps erode their home values and the average household income in what is the richest little jurisdiction in America. So, righting its foundational wrong amd addressing the original sin of the City is moot. Better to just change the name of a school, and carry on as usual. After all, “we’re allies.” Just let’s be careful where that town boundary is. David Smith Falls Church

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DECEMBER 17 – 23, 2020 | PAGE 7

G � � � � C � � � � � �� Webb Says Goodbye to Public Service in The Little City B� L�� W��

THANK YOU! It has been an honor to serve the residents of the City of Falls Church for 11 years on both the City Council and School Board. When Clifton and I moved into Falls Church, I began to seek opportunities to become active in the community and joined the Falls Church City Democratic Committee. This group introduced me to longtime city residents — namely Edna Frady and Ed Strait who provided me with a wealth of knowledge within the inner workings of the city. My initial involvement into city government was an appointment to the Parks and Recreations Board where the team worked to complete the parks master plan and the renovation of several parks in the city such as: Big Chimneys, West Broad, and the Creation of Howard Herman Park. The City of Falls Church has some amazing spaces that have continued to improve and I am very happy to have played a role in these quality outdoor grounds. In 2008, I took a leap of faith and ran for the City Council, but little did I know this path would change my life and create opportunities to leave my mark on the city. During this period, I met so many really good people who helped guide and educate me on what is known as the Falls Church Way. To introduce myself to the public, I participated in candidate forums

hosted by The Citizens for a Better Community (CBC) to gain their endorsement. After which I was off and running and was blessed to have been elected as the first African-American openly gay elected official in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“Clifton and I have fond memories in Falls Church and it is bittersweet to be leaving; however, I look forward to returning and celebrating the opening of the new facility.” During those four years were some of the toughest the city faced due to the historic recession that occurred and decisions such as laying off staff members and raising taxes were made. To say that I received a crash course in governing is an understatement. Some of the issues that stand out during my tenure were the Atlantic Realty project and the

change of the election date from May to November. These events significantly impacted me especially the most important being the change of election date from spring to fall. I brought up this topic for community conversation because we have engaged residents from all over the country and world who choose to live here and most recognize election time in November and municipal elections are important and impact the daily lives of citizens. Although controversial, I felt strongly about this change and wanted to ensure more of our citizens had an opportunity to voice their opinion at the ballot and I was willing to take this on. To that end it was a referendum the citizens voted and our elections were moved to November. Following the referendum, participation in local elections increased and I am very proud to have taken the lead on that fight. I want to thank so many people who during my first campaign and over the next four years became my sounding boards and mentors. Tom Clinton, Melissa Teates & Gordon Theisz, Phil Duncan, and last but not least, the great Cathy Kaye whom I miss daily. If not for these individuals, and a few others, I would not have been able to accomplish what I was able to during those four years. As an elected official, taking some

positions has its challenges and I took my chink in the armor and lost reelection to the City Council yet that did not deter me from continuing my involvement in the place I called home. After a year hiatus, I made the choice to return to public service and ran for the school board. My seven years on the board has truly been a great experience. We have seen tremendous progress in our schools which I feel really proud of. I was honored to have been selected twice by my colleagues to serve as school board chair during some of the most challenging times from Mount Daniel’s renovations and negotiations to the referendum to build the long overdue high school. Lastly the decision to change the school names has been the toughest and a subject I did not want to undertake yet is very meaningful personally. As I prepare to step down, we are opening a much anticipated high school and I am so proud I was able to collaborate with members of the city council and school board to provide this much needed upgrade to the community. Clifton and I have fond memories in Falls Church and it is bittersweet to be leaving; however, I look forward to returning and celebrating the opening of the new facility. Lawrence Webb is a member of Falls Church’s School Board

Q�� W�� Do you agree with the modifications to the West End Project? • Yes

• No

Last Week’s Question: Are you satisfied with the F.C. School Board’s decision to drop the names of Mason & Jefferson?

• Not sure

Visit www.FCNP.com to cast your vote

[WRITE FOR THE PRESS]

3% Not Sure

54% Yes 43% No

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The News-Press welcomes readers to send in submissions in the form of Letters to the Editor & Guest Commentaries. Letters to the Editor should be no more than 350 words and writers are limited to one appearance every four weeks. Guest Commentaries should be no more than 800 words and writers are limited to one appearance every four months. Because of space constraints, not all submissions will be published. All submissions to the News-Press should be original, unpublished content. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length, grammar and accuracy. All submissions should include writer’s name, address, phone and e-mail address if available.

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DECEMBER 17 – 23, 2020 | PAGE 9

News BRIEFS Covid Vaccinations to Begin in F.C. Next Monday Covid-19 vaccinations will begin for targeted members of the Falls Church community on Monday, Dec. 21, F.C.’s Emergency Operations Director Joe Carter told the F.C. City Council Monday night. He said the plan currently is for 480,000 doses to come to Virginia and front-line health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities are targeted to be the first to get vaccinations.

Old Mason High Stuff Being Auctioned Dec. 21-28 With the help of The McGuire Group Auction House, the Falls Church City Public Schools are holding an online auction of items from the old George Mason High School building. The online auction will be open online Monday, Dec. 21 through Monday, Dec. 28. Items to bid on include classroom furniture, athletic equipment, vintage items, nostalgic treasures, industrial surplus. The link to the auction can be found at www.fccps.org starting tomorrow.

F.C. Native David Meredith Named CEO of Year Falls Church native David Meredith has been named among the year’s top 50 CEOs of large companies based on employee surveys by Comparably announced this week. Meredith’s company, Evenbridge, was also named for Best Company Culture for 2020. He was named to the Top CEO list just a year after assuming the CEO position at age 48 with Evenbridge. Meredith wrote an exclusive guest commentary on the importance of public warning systems in the News-Press last March just as the pandemic’s impact began to hit. For Comparably, Evenbridge ranked in the Top 50 in the largest company category, including Adobe, Apple, Google, Microsoft and Zoom, for Best Company Culture and Everbridge CEO Meredith was listed in the Best CEO. Everbridge received exceptionally high rat-

ings from its employees including an overall A Rating for Company Culture and a CEO Rating of A+.

F.C. Man Dies in 1-Man Crash A Falls Church man died early Sunday morning after his car went off the road and hit a tree in the Annandale area, according to police. Fairfax County Police said that Dixon Joel Martinez Rodriguez, 27, was the only person in his car when it left the road and struck a tree near the intersection of Little River Turnpike and Duncan Drive just before 7 a.m. Sunday morning. Police said Rodriguez died at the scene of the crash. Authorities said they are still investigating whether speed, alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash.

F.C. Residents Ranked ‘Most Charitable’ in Virginia Residents of the City of Falls Church have been ranked the most charitable in Virginia, according to a study by Smart Assets, a financial consulting firm. The study measured the percentage of residents who itemized charitable donations on their tax returns and the percentage of net incomes of such donations. Falls Church Topped all Virginia jurisdictions in both categories to earn an Index rating of 87.51, ahead of (ranked in order) Loudoun, Fairfax County, Goochland, Fairfax City, Alexandria, Prince William, Stafford and Arlington.

Creative Cauldron’s First Telethon Nets $14k Falls Church’s own theater troupe and non-profit educational resource, the Creative Cauldron, executed a new, live-streaming technology for the first time to pull off a five-hour live telethon with over 600 households tuning in and over $14,000 raised to keep the lights on at the theater. The remarkably successful telethon was hosted by playwright Matt Conner and Cauldron founder

Laura Hull. The Cauldron is also hosting a series of live, online cabaret performances leading up to Christmas, where for a nominal fee, the public can tune in to the Cauldron website to witness the performances.

F.C. Projects 2.5% Revenue Growth For Coming Year At this Monday’s final business meeting of 2020, the Falls Church City Council heard a presentation by Chief Financial Officer Kiran Bawa on revenue projections for the next fiscal year, and heard the surprising news that, even with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the City’s revenue base is projected to grow by 2.5 percent, mostly coming from ongoing plans for new developments. So far, the City is the only jurisdiction in the region with such a projected positive revenue growth. Still, in the context of this projection, the Falls Church City Public Schools’ board signaled at its Tuesday meeting this week that it will need more than a 2.5 percent increase in its budget due to needs for basic employee compensation increases, urgent post-pandemic planning, including the need for a divisionwide reading specialist to help students throughout the system restricted to at home and some hybrid learning in the last year to catch up. The school board and Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan added that it will also need added funds for the move-in process at the new high school campus and its added 300,000 square feet of spaces needing custodial and other maintenance.

Organizers Announce Cancellation Of Watch Night Falls Church’s “Little City CATCH Foundation,” a coalition of volunteer arts organizations that have contributed most to the annual New Year’s Eve Watch Night celebrations, issued a statement this week announcing the cancellation of this year’s event due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The statement is as follows:

A VIEW OF THE WINTER’S FIRST SNOWFALL IN CHERRY HILL PARK. (Photo: News-Press) “The annual Watch Night Falls Church celebration will not occur this year in deference to our frontline health care workers, who are risking all, and asking us to not create a super-spreader Covid19 event. With an occasion such as our public New Year’s Eve celebration, with no entry gates, it is very difficult to have a limited event, and reduced attendance, as much as we would have liked that. “We’ve had Watch Night in Falls Church every year since 1998, the start of our Tricentennial Celebration, and would love to maintain a solid record for every year. A lot of volunteers and dedicated City staff are involved each year with orchestrating the festivities. We have deeply appreciated their efforts and we do not want to put them or attendees at risk. We want them all back for future years. “With all the hope for the vaccines that are now in the distribution chain, the responsible decision is to not have the Watch Night Celebration this year and have more people healthy for a better year in 2021. So, we can say good riddance to 2020, and make wishes for a bright new year around the fireplace or a cup of cheer at home.”

Noonan Sets New School Name Timeline Falls Church City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan presented a timeline for the process of deciding the new names of two schools in the system that the School Board voted last week to change. The fact that both George Mason and Thomas Jefferson, after whom the two schools were named, owned slaves led to the vote to change the names. When the School Board decided to en-

tertain the issue last July, it said there would be two stages, the first to determine whether changes will happen and the second to adopt new names. While the School Board will have the final say in the new names, the plan is to create two volunteer committees, one for each school, of 15 to 20 people with broad (race, gender, socioeconomic, category) representation for which persons can apply. Applications will be accepted beginning this Friday through January 15, 2021 with committee meetings commencing January 29. By March 23 each committee will present five names for the School Board to consider, and the final names will be decided upon on April 13.

Atlantic Realty Plans to Spruce Up 2 Strip Malls Atlantic Realty unveiled its plans to spruce up its adjacent strip malls of West and East Falls Plaza from the Giant Food store to Staples along W. Broad Street near the City’s western boundary. The plans were outlined at last week’s meeting of the City Council’s Economic Development Committee. Changes to the look of the malls will adopt a “modern farmhouse” look and outdoor seating for 60 to 70 will be added along the length of the pedestrian walkways fronting the retailers there, with a minor loss in parking. Deidre Johnson of Federal Realty spelled out the plans, saying that in the aftermath of the pandemic, retailers will be more effective in the melding of “bricks and mortar” with online components. She referred to a “flight to quality” that she thinks will take place.

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DECEMBER 17 – 23, 2020 | PAGE 11

C�� N�� N�� Mason Music Teacher Chosen As Fulbright Recipient Mary Jo West, George Mason High School’s music teacher and band director, has been selected for the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. West is one of approximately 71 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad through the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected based on academic and professional achievement and a record of service, and demonstrated leadership potential.

McLean Art Society Meeting Held This Friday Jane McElvany Coonce, an award winning local artist and teacher, will be the presenter at the Dec. 18 meeting of the McLean Art Society. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and the demonstration will take place from 11 a.m. – noon. Coonce is a former president of both the McLean Art Society and the Potomac Valley Watercolor Society. She is also an instructor with Arlington County

Adult Education. The art topic addressed in the presentation will be “How to Paint a Rainy Day Scene in Oil.” Both the meeting and the presentation will be conducted on Zoom. Guests are welcome and anyone wishing to participate should contact M.A.S. President at raymgoodrow@aol. com.

New Principal Welcomed To Westlawn Elementary Christoph Hill, who currently serves as assistant principal at Westlawn Elementary, has been named the new principal of Westlawn Elementary, effective Monday, November 30. Hill began his career in FCPS as a classroom teacher, then became a reading specialist at Parklawn Elementary. In 2015, he moved to Glen Forest Elementary as the instructional coach and in 2017, became the assistant principal. In 2020, he joined the Westlawn Elementary staff as an assistant principal. Hill has experience in Title I schools and brings a variety of hands-on academic experiences in reading and math to his new position. As an administrator, he has been able to demonstrate that neither income nor English

THE MCLEAN STAKE of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held its drive-thru nativity scene on Dec. 11 & 12 and used the event to raise over two month’s worth of food for the nonprofit food bank, SHARE of McLean. (P��: C�� V�� P��) language development are barriers for students to be successful. Hill earned a bachelor of science degree in elementary educationinterdisciplinary studies from Radford University and a master of science degree in education leadership from George Mason University.

Locals Fundraise to Support Bailey’s Families in Need A collective of teachers, parents

and community organizers have come together to support families in the Bailey’s Crossroads and Falls Church area. Through donations, the group has been providing food and rent money to families directly impacted by Covid-19. The organizers recognize that this pandemic has impacted families differently. Many of the community members they seek to help no longer have work, their health is at risk or they have additional

needs due to school closures. The group’s goal is to provide support to those families. The organizers will be giving out food weekly and will be giving rent support before the 1st of the month. The fundraiser, which can be found by visiting gofundme. com/f/bailey039s-communitymutual-aid, will be rolling so those who are interested should feel free to contribute as often as they can.

Send Us Your News & Notes!

The News-Press is always on the lookout for photos & items for Community News & Notes, School News & Notes and other sections of the paper. If you graduate, get married, get engaged, get an award, start a club, eat a club, tie your shoes, have a birthday, have a party, host an event or anything else you think is worth being mentioned in the News-Press, write it up and send it to us! If you have a photo, even better! Because of the amount of submissions we receive, we cannot guarantee all submissions will be published, but we’ll try our best!

Community News & Notes: newsandnotes@fcnp.com | School News & Notes: schoolnews@fcnp.com Mail: News & Notes, Falls Church News-Press, 105 N. Virginia Ave #310, Falls Church, VA 22046

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PAGE 12 | DECEMBER 17 – 23, 2020

A Penny for Your Thoughts

News of Greater Falls Church By Supervisor Penny Gross

Last week, I presented a portion of my annual State of Mason District Report, usually given inperson at the annual Mason District Holiday Town Gathering, and promised to include a second portion in this week’s column. Like most community events, the town gathering had to be canceled, so I presented the entire report on Fairfax County cable Channel 16, and on the Mason District website, fairfaxcounty.gov/ mason. In addition to the items discussed last week, land use, the environment, and transportation were significant in any discussion of 2020 although, admittedly, the pandemic caused a slowdown of some activities. Virtual meetings may be efficient, but they can’t replace the in-person field work required to move projects along. An example is the Site Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) process. I appointed a dozen or so residents to the Mason District SSPA Task Force early in the year, and the first meeting was held in early March, in person and with plenty of folks in the audience. Just a week later, Governor Northam’s declaration of a pandemic emergency in the Commonwealth shut down all planned meetings, suspending the work of the fledgling Task Force. By August, virtual platforms had been tested and the Task Force was able to meet remotely; the virtual meetings could be accessed by the public, though the technology sometimes was a bit jerky. The Planning Commission will forward recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in January. Other land use actions included approval for redevelopment of the western portion of Graham Park Plaza (formerly Loehmann’s); the vacant commercial buildings will be razed, and a new residential neighborhood built. The retail uses, including the Giant grocery store, on the eastern portion will remain. In September, an application to repurpose three vacant office buildings in Skyline to residential was approved by the Board of Supervisors. The Skyline proposal will be the first to use the county’s new Economic Incentive Program for revitalization areas. Fire station upgrades, using voter-approved bond funds, include Station 18, on Arlington Boulevard, which is nearing completion, and Fire Station 28, near Seven Corners, which will move to temporary quarters soon. Despite construction, fire and emergency services to the com-

munity will be seamless. Park usage soared this year, as residents sought respite from pandemic-forced isolation. Recycling numbers increased, too, since staying home gave residents opportunities to clean out basements and garages, and change their lifestyle to accommodate remote workspaces and distance learning for their students. The Board of Supervisors/School Board Joint Environmental Task Force (the JET), which began meeting in 2019, switched to virtual meetings, and issued a report and recommendations in October. The report identifies actions that both boards can take in their operations to address climate change, transportation, waste management, and workforce. The JET considered many other environmental issues, but focused its work on these four major items. The pandemic reduced travel and traffic significantly, which also affected traffic counts and field work for traffic-calming measures under consideration in several Mason District neighborhoods. Nonetheless, the Lakewood, Glen Forest, Spring Lane/Robinwood Lane, and Westlawn communities all had measures installed. Eight other neighborhoods are working to achieve community support for their projects. As the pandemic has changed daily life and routines for neighbors, so, too, it changed some of the ways Fairfax County provides services. Although the Mason District Governmental Center remains closed to the public, our office operations never closed. Some staff work is done remotely, but we are physically present, masked and socially distanced, to answer your inquiries via telephone, email, and regular mail. While I miss the in-person contact with constituents via community events, virtual meetings, which are conducted daily, help maintain the connections. Life with the pandemic may be different, but we are so fortunate to live in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia, a diverse and caring community. Working together, we can surmount challenges and continue to move forward. Stay safe and healthy, and wear your mask!  Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.

C i t y o f Fa l l s C h u r c h

CRIME REPORT Week of December 7 – 13, 2020 Fraud - 300 blk Sycamore Street. December 7, 2020 am, a citizen was swindled of $1000 by false pretense. Larceny from Building - 200 blk Gibson Street. December 7, black Schwinn Midmoor commuter bicycle that was left unsecured outside of the residence was stolen by an unknown subject. Drunk in Public, Child Endangerment, Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor - December 7,

0922 am, a male, 30, of Falls Church, was arrested for the above mentioned charges. Identity Theft - 900 blk Ellison Street. December 8, unknown suspect(s) fraudulently used a victim’s Debit card to purchase items of value. Bad Check - 200 blk W Broad Street. December 9, 2:31 pm, unknown male used a fraudulent debit card to purchase high value items. Residential Burglary - 1200 blk Offutt Drive. Between December 7

and December 9, unknown suspect (s) gained access to a residence and stole items of value. Larceny of Motor Vehicle Parts 1100 blk W Broad Street. Between December 5 and December 10, a catalytic converter was stolen from a parked vehicle. Assault - 6700 blk Wilson Blvd. December 11, 908pm, a victim was assaulted by two unknown male suspects. Destruction of Property - 500 blk Roosevelt Blvd. December 11 830 pm, unknown suspect(s) damaged a door to the laundry room. Trespass - 6700 blk Wilson Blvd. December 12, 155 pm, a male, 50, of Falls Church, was issued a citation for trespassing.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Delegate Marcus Simon’s

Richmond Report This year’s Richmond Reports started out on an optimistic note. Virginia Democrats, at long last, had taken the majority in the House of Delegates for the first time in two decades. In 2019 (and before), I’d been an outspoken-back-bencher, serving on one House committee that rarely met, another committee that did all of its work in subcommittees (I wasn’t on any). And another committee where I was on a subcommittee, but it had been created for troublemakers like me (informally dubbed “the Simon” subcommittee) where only extra mundane bills were ever referred. In 2020, I was appointed to the General Laws, Courts of Justice, and Rules Committees and was named Vice Chair of the House Privileges and Elections Committee. I chaired 3 subcommittees, while serving on 4 or 5 or maybe 6 altogether. It was a very busy time! Early 2020 taught me to be careful what you wish for… I had the privilege of presiding over the committee where we finally passed the Equal Rights Amendment so that it could go to the floor for a full House vote. This same committee passed several critical voting and election related bills, including no-excuse absentee, automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration, and making Election Day a state holiday. In the House General Laws Committee, we passed the Virginia Values Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In the House Courts Committee, we passed marijuana decriminalization and repealed the medically unnecessary ultrasound requirement and 24-hour mandated delay, effectively removing political interference between a woman and her medical provider. I may be most proud of the work I did on another member’s bill, helping to shepherd Delegate Lamont Bagby’s HB 788, which came through my Housing subcommittee. Together we overcame the objections of numerous special interests to craft a bill that allow property owners to remove obsolete and unenforceable racist covenants from their chain of title. Just as we were about to celebrate a triumphant session in Richmond — where we made historic investments in education, healthcare, and public employees as well as raised

the minimum wage and granted public sector units greater opportunities for collective bargaining, plus passed historic gun safety laws to protect our communities from the ravages of gun violence — the grim reality that a global pandemic had arrived in our Commonwealth set in. The Governor announced the first set of pandemic-related health and safety guidelines in early March. In April, we met for a Reconvene Session outside on the grounds of the Capitol, and did our business acting on the Governor’s amendments and vetoes. Unfortunately, that meant rolling back a lot of those investments we’d included in our budget while we waited to see what impact a quarantine and prolonged social distancing requirements would have on our revenues. While we stayed safer at home, glued to our screens, images of the murder of George Floyd made their way into our living rooms and our collective consciousness. In August, we met in a special session to revisit our state budget, take steps to provide relief to Virginians affected by the pandemic, and pass important police and criminal justice reforms. Just this fall the Governor signed laws banning choke holds in most circumstances, eliminating most no-knock warrants, and making it harder for bad police officers to hop from department to department, or be hired in the first place. As the year comes to an end, I think we can all agree we’ve seen far too many of our friends and neighbors depart this life too soon. Far too many stores closed their doors, many never to return again. There is no doubt that our efforts in Richmond to ease the suffering and provide economic relief have been insufficient to meet the need. I’m hopeful that with the inauguration of a new president and administration that believes in the power of Government to be a force for good, for positive change, things will get better. I hope that much needed stimulus payments make their way to individuals, business, and state and local governments. There are great challenges that continue to await us in 2021. I don’t know when we’ll resume the roaring pace that we seemed to get off to early in 2020, but I am confident that we will pull together, though, and make 2021 a far better year than the one we are about to leave behind.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ Perfect for 2020

For me, one of the highlights of the holiday season, in addition to the bright colored lights everywhere, heavily decorated domesticated fir trees, live performances of The Messiah and the Nutcracker, and not a lot but some of the season’s ubiquitous holiday carols, are a couple movies from the post-World War II era when American culture seemed more enchanted, if more corny, than today. My enterprising mother, a saint if ever there was one, sought to make the holidays a memorable treasure for us three boys (dad was always too grumpy), nailing up a cardboard fireplace to the living room wall for Santa to come down, pretending it was Santa’s handwriting and not hers on all the gifts under the tree (I was susFALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS picious but, heck, what’s the “willful suspension of disbelief” all about anyway?), and tons more. As I grew up and moved away, I adopted a couple more favorite traditions I’d never encountered in my youth, and one of them was the Frank Capra film from 1946, “It’s a Wonderful Life” (another being Bing Crosby’s really hokey “White Christmas.” I love it). For as much as “It’s a Wonderful Life” has become a famous holiday tradition in America, I never once saw it until sometime in the 1970s. I came to learn the reason for its absence from my youth was the fact that the FBI declared it to be Communist propaganda! Its popularity the last few years, by the way, seems to be waning again because it doesn’t appeal to religious fundamentalists, on the one hand, or nihilist haters on the other. We’re supposedly more “grown up” with contemporary Postmodern tastes these days to embrace the values on display in that film. But when its latest surge in popularity peaked in the 1970s when I first saw it, nobody thought of it as subversive in the least. It was sentimental and sweet and as Frank Capra himself was quoted saying, its purpose was to enhance the viewer’s belief in him or herself and to buck a growing atheistic trend in the culture. The recent re-waning of its popularity comes in a culture far more cynical today. But given the pandemic quarantines and social displacements of 2020, such sweet things may be coming back into vogue again. That trend was certainly on display last Saturday in an amazing streaming online of a live reading of the “It’s a Wonderful Life” play by a star-studded array of famous actors reading parts from their homes in a benefit performance for the Ed Asner House in L.A. For a nominal fee, supporters of the charity and also hopeless romantics like me were entertained with what turned into an almost five-hour but totally engaging affair. Playing the lead was Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson as George Bailey, a seemingly totally unlikely choice except with a stretch of the imagination, one could see a resemblance to the guy who filled that role in the 1946 movie, Jimmy Stewart. And Davidson certainly had the voice inflections of the part in the dramatic reading, confessing during an interview afterwards that he’d grown up seeing that film, his dad’s favorite, he said, every holiday season. Davidson’s dad had been a firefighter who responded to the 911 attacks on the World Trade Center and died in the rescue effort as did hundreds of first responders when Pete was only seven. Knowing this provided some special import to his brilliant handling of the role from his surviving mom’s basement in Staten Island, where he lives right now. With a big boost from movie maker Judd Apatow, Davidson has grown beyond a limited teen bad boy persona he displayed on SNL, to what can honestly now be called a promising career in film. Seeing a potential there, Apatow guided Pete through a production of “The King of Staten Island,” a pic about Davidson, himself, and after his stellar role as George Bailey Saturday, Pete responded to the praise with mature and humble thanks. Now Davidson is in the process of having all the scores of tattoos he’d had burned into his torso in recent years all removed. He is a story of the holidays, himself.

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Nicholas F. Benton

 Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.

Our Man in Arlington By Charlie Clark

Renamings are unfolding all around us. District of Columbia schools are finalizing a new label for the high school named for pro-segregation President Woodrow Wilson (among the final seven candidates is former Arlington House enslaved worker and later education activist William Syphax). Alexandria’s school board last month voted to remove the names of segregationist T.C. Williams from its high school and that of Confederate naval officer Matthew Maury from an elementary school. The Falls Church school board just voted to remove the names of founding fathers George Mason and Thomas Jefferson from its high school and elementary school because they were slaveowners. Fairfax County is getting started on de-Confederatizing streets, parks and statues, including its section of Lee Highway. In Arlington, the county board on Dec. 12 agreed to re-christen the Lyon Village park named for legislator-duelist Henry Clay to instead honor Zitkala-Ša, a noted Native American activist and writer who lived nearby. The proposal to remove Robert E. Lee’s name from Arlington House was introduced by Rep. Don Beyer on Tuesday night. And on Dec. 10, the 25-member working group of the nonprofit Lee Highway Alliance announced it had narrowed choices for renaming that thoroughfare to five. There’s a preference for Mildred

& Richard Loving Avenue, honoring the couple who fought for marriage equality for interracial couples. (Other finalists: abolitionist legislator and attorney John M. Langston; Virginia civil rights pioneer Ella Josephine Baker; Dr. Edward Morton, the first Black physician in North Arlington and, finally, the unglamorous but practical “Main Street.”) The problem, as I see it, is that the Lovings — whose drama prompted a Supreme Court ruling in 1967 — lived not in Arlington but in Caroline County. That jurisdiction to our south has an historic marker and a website blogpost honoring the Lovings, but no named street. When I queried Jeff Sili, chairman of the Caroline Board of Supervisors, he expressed reluctance. “It is most likely not widely known, but the children and grandchildren of Mr. and Mrs. Loving are still very much alive. They happen to reside in my district. I am well acquainted with Peggy Loving Fortune, their daughter and only surviving child and hold her in high esteem,” he added. “The problem with these efforts is that the surviving family has strong feelings about these efforts, statues, renaming of roads etc. They do not want this and the attention it brings. We in Caroline try to be sensitive to their wishes and how they view these efforts and the Loving story. I would like nothing better than to see her remembered in this way, but must

defer to the wishes of the family.” Few of these renamings come without controversy. I prefer that we commemorate Arlington personages. I also recall several tips that emerged in past debates. The name should be pronounceable, lest people resist using it. Don’t commission a cost analysis or a survey if you’re going to ignore the results — people tend to embrace these exercises as votes. And during the renaming of Washington-Lee-cum-Liberty High School two years ago, school staff stressed that plantations aren’t cruel to people, people are. If we disqualify slave-dependent plantation names, that would rule out Arlington, Wakefield, Woodlawn, Abingdon and Westover. Which would mean a lot of new signage. *** The Dec. 13 controlled demolition of the Holiday Inn at Rosslyn removed a structure that since 1972 had hosted countless high school reunions and dinners for the Arlington Civic Federation and the Arlington Historical Society. The plan is to rebuild. And get ready for another demolition of a memory-laden Arlington fixture. George Mason University announced that it has begun the process of decommissioning to take down the former Kann’s Department store, which operated at Virginia Square from 1951-75. The dust will fly on March 1, 2021, at which point the university’s Arlington campus will begin erecting its new 500,000 squarefoot digital innovation center.

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FALLS CHURCH

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

CALENDAR LOCALEVENTS

VIRTUALEVENTS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17

Drive-Thru Nativity Scene. The Falls Church Episcopal will be holding a drive-thru nativity scene at the church’s roundabout off its E. Broad Street entrance. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite nativity animal. The nativity will allow cars only (no pedestrians) to enter and exit from the church’s E. Broad Street parking lot. Cars can only enter the lot if they are going eastbound — no cars can take a left turn into the parking lot while going westbound on E. Broad Street. A City of Falls Church police officer will be posted in a marked car at the entrance to church’s parking lot. No parking is allowed in the lot. Falls Church Episcopal (115 E. Fairfax St., Falls Church). 6: 30 – 8 p.m.

Preschool Story Time (online). Those who are interested can join the Mary Riley Styles Library staff live on the library’s Facebook page for a virtual fun time of stories, songs and rhymes. For ages 0-5. Visit facebook.com/mrspl to join in on the activities. 10:30 – 11 a.m.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 Falls Church Farmers Market. The Falls Church Farmers Market runs every Saturday, where attendees will find fresh, local produce, meat, dairy, flowers & plants, honey, music and more. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Falls Church) 8 a.m. – noon. For more information, visit fallschurchva.gov/547/ Farmers-Market-To-Go.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20 R.I.P. — Remove Invasive Plants. Want to restore habitat and increase native species diversity in Arlington? Work parties are held every month and are making a difference with the return of indigenous ferns, wildflowers and the animals to areas once covered thoroughly by destructive and invasive plants. Adults, teens and families ages 8 and up are best suited to join in on the work parties. For information, call 703-228-6535. Registration not required. Long Branch Nature Center at Glencarlyn Park (625 S. Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington). 2 – 4 p.m.

Town Hall: West Falls Church Proposed Agreement Amendments (online). Interested attendees can join City of Falls Church staff and representatives from Falls Church Gateway Partners to learn more about the proposed amendments to the project agreement. There will be a question-and-answer opportunity. To join the meeting, visit fallschurchva.gov/TownHall. The City Council will have a chance to approve the proposed changes on Jan. 11. Noon – 1:30 p.m. Middle School Book Club (online). This meeting’s book is “March: Book 1” by John Lewis. Book club for grades 6-8. This discussion will be held online via Zoom. For more information, email Laura Miller at lmiller@fallschurchva.gov. 4 – 5 p.m.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 Signing Story Time (online). Little Hands Signing: Celebration Signs Sing, sign, dance, and play with Kathy MacMillan, author of “Nita’s First Signs” and “Nita’s Day.” This event is family friendly as the group will learn American Sign Language vocabulary for parties and celebrations. This program will be available on the Mary Riley Styles Public Library Facebook page (facebook.com/ mrspl) from Dec. 19 – 26. 11 – 11:30 a.m.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21 ESOL Conversation Group (online). Interested participants

SOL ROOTS BAND will be at JV’s Restaurant on Saturday. (Photo: Josh Brick Graphics) can practice their English with a weekly ESOL conversation group. This program meets online via Zoom. To request a Zoom invite, email Marshall Webster at mwebster@fallschurchva.gov. 7 – 8:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23 Polar Express Pajama Party Crafternoon (online). Interested attendees can join Ms. Meredith from the Mary Riley Styles Public Library live on Zoom for an afternoon with the Polar Express. Email the library to register, coordinate a pick up time for a goodie bag and snuggle in for an interactive story time. Email juv@fallschurchva.gov to register starting Dec. 9 – 22. All registrants will get a goody bag and an invitation to the Zoom meeting. 3 – 3:30 p.m.

A Song & A Slice (Indoors + Distanced): Rahmein Presents Couples Therapy: A Comedy Show. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566. Charles Darwin Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-2419504.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18 Shartel & Hume. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4:30 p.m. 703-241-9504. Melissa Quinn Fox Music Trio Live at the Still. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 7 p.m. 703-858-9186.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 Wolf Trap Holiday Sing-ALong From Home with “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band (virtual). Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). 4 p.m. 703-255-1900. City Farm Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-241-9504. Mother’s Little Helpers: A Tribute to the Rolling Stones. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-2370300. Sol Roots Band with Guests. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 7:30 p.m. 703-2419504.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17

A Song & A Slice (Indoors + Distanced): Top 40 Reggae Jukebox feat. Bongo District (Live band!). Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566.

Wil Gravatt and Steve Wolf Show. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 3:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.

Moose Jaw Bluegrass. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-2370300.

Kreek Water Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-2419504.

The Field Shaman. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-858-9186.

LIVEMUSIC

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Fa l l s C h u r c h

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Business News & Notes New to You Expanding Its Online Shopping Profile and Cutting Retail Hours New to You is expanding its online shopping profile and cutting its retail hours to accommodate the growing interest in virtual shopping. The 28 year old luxury consignment boutique is now open Saturdays from 11 am – 5 pm and by appointment only Tuesdays through Fridays. New to You, which recently expanded to add gift items, is located at 108 W. Broad Street. To schedule an appointment, email info@newtoyou.net. Shopping is currently available through Instagram at @newtoyouinc and at www.newtoyou.net.

DECEMBER 17 - 23, 2020 | PAGE 15

Feeling Stressed about COVID? Virginia C.O.P.E.S. Warmline

877-349-MHAV (6428)

The Falls Church Chamber of Commerce Posts a Holiday Shopping Guide The Falls Church Chamber of Commerce has posted a Holiday Shopping Guide to help residents shop locally to support the business and larger community this holiday season. The guide includes suggestions for crafts, classes, entertainment, beauty, toys, art, clothing & accessories, health & fitness, home & garden, food & beverage, subscriptions, and memberships. The guide is available at www.FallsChurchChamber.org or in the Live Local Falls Church Facebook Group.

Funding for Rebuild VA Grants Has Been Exhausted

Monday - Friday 9am - 9pm Saturday - Sunday 5pm - 9pm

OPEN TO ALL VIRGINIANS I YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Compassionate Optimistic Person•Centered Empowering Support

Funding for the Rebuild VA grants has been exhausted. Should new federal funds be allocated, additional funding may be added to the program, although terms and conditions may change. More than 2,500 grants have been awarded through this program. Approximately $50 million went to women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses while more than 45 percent were awarded to 997 small businesses and nonprofits in low-income and economically disadvantaged communities. Businesses with less than $2 million in annual revenue received 91 percent of the grant funding and the average award was $35,636. More than 15,700 applications were received. Businesses interested in future funding opportunities can visit www.governor.virginia.gov/rebuildva/ to read more and sign up for notifications.

Fairfax Water Working to Administer Funds From Covid-19 Municipal Utility Relief Fairfax Water has been working with the Fairfax County, City of Falls Church, and City of Fairfax to administer funds from the COVID-19 Municipal Utility Relief Program. Funds are being made available to customers currently behind on water bills. Applications are being accepted until December 30, 2020. More information on the program and application process can be found at bit.ly/Fwoptions. For more information about Fairfax Water, visit www.fairfaxwater.org.

Jody Keenan Receives the Virginia Economic Developers Association’s Award Jody Keenan, Director of the Virginia Small Business Development Center Network, received the Virginia Economic Developers Association’s President’s Award for her exemplary leadership during the pandemic. Keenan was recognized specifically her for transitioning her entire network of 26 SBDC offices from their usual day-to-day activities to disaster control and response. The George Mason University-based operation supports entrepreneurs, economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, trade associations and other organizations. In 2020, the SBDC assisted 9,500 businesses, resulting in $86 million in new capital received and 1,167 loans obtained. For more information about this important business resource, visit www.VirginiaSBDC.org.  Business News & Notes is compiled by Sally Cole, Executive Director of Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at sally@fallschurchchamber.org.

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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To claim any of these items, please provide proof of ownership to:

DIVORCE-Uncontested, $395+$86 court cost. WILLS $195.00. No court appearance. Estimated completion time twenty-one days. Hilton Oliver, Attorney (Facebook). 757-490-0126. Se Habla Espanol. BBB Member. https://hiltonoliverattorneyva.com.

City of Falls Church Police Department Property/Evidence Unit 300 Park Ave., G2 Falls Church, VA 22046 703-248-5060 (please call for appointment)

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FREON WANTED: We pay $$$ for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114.Convenient. Certified Professionals. Call 312313-9671 or visit RefrigerantFinders.com

PUBLIC NOTICE In accordance with VA 15.2-1720, the public is hereby notified that the City of Falls Church Police Department has recovered the following bicycles: MAKE MODEL COLOR Trek MT220 RED MAGNA ANZA GRY/PURPLE MARIN Bayview Trail BLK/BLU UNK UNK BLU/PINK MYSTIC MURRAY PURPLE TRANSEO GT BLK/BLU MONGOOSE MANEUVER BLK/BLU

First Watch Restaurants, Inc., Trading as: First Watch #446, 5880 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, 22041. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) for a Wine & Beer On Premises; Mixed Beverage On Premises. Jay Wolszczak, Secretary, Chief Legal Officer, Authorized Signatory First Watch Restaurants, Inc., the Operating Member of First Watch #446. NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

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Other Services 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 hereb y 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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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Crossword

ACROSS

By David Levinson Wilk 1

14 17

27 29

32 37

42 45

53 59 62

1. City, but not county, leader? 6. TV show with the most Primetime Emmy noms 9. Pictures that can make you dizzy 14. Be of use 15. Roman 1,002 16. ____ Heep (Dickens character) 17. “Thumb! Index! Middle! Ring! Pinkie!” 19. Trace of color 20. Berlin’s ____ Nationalgalerie 21. President ____ (acting head) 22. “Thumb!” 25. Craving 27. Fails to be 28. “Index! Middle!” 29. “Index! Pinkie!” 31. “No seats left” letters at a theater 32. “The Little ____ Once Knew” (1965 Beach Boys hit) 34. Pablo Neruda composition 37. With 40-Across, “Index! Middle! Ring!” 40. See 37-Across 42. Fill a position 43. Vehicle clearing a no-parking zone 44. “Index!” 49. Smart ____ (wise guys) 50. It’s an OK city 51. Lake of “Hairspray” 52. “Thumb! Pinkie!”

STRANGE BREW

57. Away from the office 58. U.R.I. URL ending 59. Ryder rival 60. Possible cause of a swelling 61. “By the way ...” 62. Recurring element

DECEMBER 17 - 23, 2020 | PAGE 17

Down 1. What old couches tend to do 2. Egg: Prefix 3. Mom, dad and the kids: Abbr. 4. Country singer McGraw 5. Juice ____ 6. Most common U.S. surname 7. Big name in skin care 8. Not be straight 9. Have more stripes than 10. Before 11. “____ a stinker?” (Bugs Bunny catchphrase) 12. Was fierce, as a storm 13. ____ park 18. Move like a hummingbird 21. Joe of “GoodFellas” 22. Farewells in Florence 23. Eyebrow’s shape, roughly 24. Instrument in Vermeer’s “The Music Lesson” 25. Pulls a yard prank on, briefly 26. “I’m with ____” 29. B&O and others: Abbr. 30. Time being 32. Experts 33. Agenda particular 35. 1988 Dennis Quaid/Meg Ryan film

JOHN DEERING

Sudoku

36. Mess up 38. Register at the hotel 39. Exchange between pen pals? 40. Gangster 41. Embrace fully 43. Pre-calc course 44. Yells “Heads up!” at 45. Poet who wrote “This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper” 46. Prefix with linear 47. Like a rat’s eyes 48. Listless feeling 52. Playboy founder, informally 53. “The plot thickens!” 54. Cracklin’ ____ Bran 55. Fashion designer Anna 56. 2010 hit Broadway musical with the song “Sparklejollytwinklejingley”

Last Thursday’s Solution A W A Y T H A I L E A P W H E N O I N G T M I N I I N G U P D O H S I T T A T E D B R E A W E A R V I I I A N N E

K V E T C H

L O C H T E

I S N P C H K A N T

I G O R

E I N L T A L A T E L E V A G I R L E D U H A R D R U Y Y H E A O L N T O S A S P V E L I N A

H E D E R E T N A

S C R E E N D O O R

B C R U O Z S M I I T D O S T

O B I T

N I G H

G L E E T E S

By The Mepham Group

Level 1 2 3 4

Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle

NICK KNACK

12/6/20

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk. © 2020 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

LO CA L

PAGE 18 | DECEMBER 17 – 23, 2020

dog. lazy ick qu The fox sly p e d j u m the over dog. lazy is the Now for all time cows good co me to aid to the the ir of t u r e . pas

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BACK IN THE DAY

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Falls Church News-Press Vol. XII, No. 39 • December 14, 1995

It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the p a s their ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up

Falls Church News-Press Vol. XX, No. 42 • December 16, 2010

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

C�� C�� 10 Year s Ago

It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the the ir pas ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up

Application Is Filed For Homeless Shelter In Commercial Zone

Fairfax Co. Demands Falls Church Pay Back for Water ‘Overcharges’

In a late-breaking development Tuesday, a group called the Volunteers of America, Chesapeake, filed for a special use permit with the Falls Church Zoning Administrator seeking permission to use the building at 1115-A W. Broad Street as a homeless shelter.

A letter from Fairfax County Manager Anthony Griffin to his City of Falls Church counterpart, Wyatt Shields, sent late last month called for the City to refund to the county $127,877 in overcharges for water and interest, the News-Press has learned from a source.

Milt Davis, Former Mason English Dept. Head, Dies Fittingly for a high school English teacher, Milt Davis loved a good story, classics like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Of Mice and Men.” His personal favorite, the one he shared often with family and friends, was the story of how he proposed to his wife, Bettie. The young couple was out for a drive one night in 1952 when Milt pulled to the side of a country road to nervously pop the question. Just as he finished speaking, he got a response: “MOOOOOO!” Because of the darkness, the startled couple realized that a cow was standing practically next to the car when it delivered its untimely bellow. Happily, however, Bettie said yes, and their marriage lasted almost 60 years until her death in 2012. George Milton Davis died on Dec. 9, 2020, in Ashburn, after a long illness. He was 90 years old. Born on May 1, 1930, Milt was one of three children to Marvin and Dorothy (nee Cook) Davis in Fountain Inn, S.C. Growing up on a farm, Milt would recall having lots of pets and playing marbles with his younger brother Jack and friends. At Fountain Inn High School he played football alongside his twin brother, Wilt. After graduation, Milt went to Berea College in Kentucky, earning a bachelor’s degree in English in 1951. It was in college that Milt would meet the woman who would become his wife. He and Bettie married on Oct. 26, 1952, and went on to have three children, Lydia, Gary and Dee Dee. College was followed by Officer Candidate School with the U.S. Navy, which led to assignment on the USS Missouri battleship during the Korean War. After leaving the service, Milt earned a master’s degree from Duke University in 1956 and embarked on a long career in education. The first four years, he taught English at WashingtonLee, Wakefield and Yorktown High

Schools in Arlington. The next 30 years were spent at George Mason High School in Falls Church, Virginia, where he was head of the English department and retired in 1990. Throughout that time he was active in his church, Columbia Baptist Church, where he was a deacon. He also taught an adult Sunday School class with the same core group of members for well over 20 years. As a lifelong educator, Milt was beloved by his students and touched thousands of lives, something they shared in letters to the family and in social media posts. Milt and Bettie also developed a strong bond with an exchange student who lived with the family for a year. The student, Matt, considered Milt to be his second dad. Having a father who taught high school had its benefits. As a little boy, Gary was the lucky recipient of squirt guns, super balls and other forbidden toys Milt confiscated from his students. As teenagers, attending the high school where their father taught was a mixed blessing. On one hand, “if I forgot my lunch money, I could always go to dad,” Dee Dee says. Milt attended Gary’s football games and proofread all the siblings’ essays. But there were awkward moments, too, like when Milt would come upon his son holding hands and kissing a girlfriend in the hallways. And somehow Milt knew to scold Lydia after she skipped a geometry class. In retirement, Milt picked up many of the household duties while Bettie was still working. He also avidly followed his favorite sports teams from his La-Z-Boy recliner. Baseball was a particular passion, and the family shared his joy when the Washington Nationals finally won a World Series in 2019. The Washington Redskins and the Duke men’s basketball team were also high on Milt’s list.

MILTON is a hound mix. He loves sunbathing and drooling, in case you didn’t notice by the stalactite of saliva hanging from the left side of his mouth. Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.

MILT DAVIS Milt was predeceased by his parents, wife and twin brother, Robert Wilton Davis. He and Bettie also lost a son, Keith Ray, in infancy. Survivors include his brother, Jack Henry Davis of Hendersonville, North Carolina, and three children. Lydia (Charlie) Pratt of Sunset, South Carolina, Gary (Maureen) Davis of Fredericksburg and Dee Dee (Mark) Sharron of Rincon, Georgia. Also surviving him are eight grandchildren, Ryan, Joshua and Suzana Pratt; Caitlin Penning and Cole Davis; and Matthew Sharron, Stephanie Turner and Rebecca Sharron. Three great-grandchildren survive him as well: Ella and Chase Pratt and River Turner. As per his wishes, Milt was cremated, and his remains will be interred with those of his wife in Berea, Kentucky. Because of the coronavirus, a memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial donations can be made directly to Berea College or the National Kidney Foundation. Arrangements are being handled by Money & King Funeral Home.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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DECEMBER 17 – 23, 2020 | PAGE 19

Tree Sales Skyrocket in F.C. During Covid-19 Christmas Season by Patricia Leslie

Falls Church News-Press

Sales were as brisk as the nightly wind earlier this month at the Christmas tree lot at St. James Catholic Church in Falls Church. It was after sundown and dark, but strings of lights twinkled over rows of trees. Boy Scouts from Troop 681 rushed to greet arriving customers in cars which piled in the lot to unload family members to check out Fraser firs. Scouts and their leaders were all masked up, practicing social distancing like their customers, some whom have been shopping at the lot for decades, they said. Scout leader John Neville said sales were good this year — so much, that it matched all the national news stories about soaring Christmas tree sales. Sure enough, three days later and the lot was no more. All sold out. The story was the same at tree lots at Idylwood Presbyterian Church and Trinity United Methodist Church where all that remained were straggly limbs and two “Charlie Browns,” as one Boy Scout called the leftovers at Trinity. On their last sale day there, Troop 869 swept up the pine needles in the parking lot and got ready to go home. The church’s youth group and the scouts share responsibilities for tree sales, according to the church and scout liaison, John Dunn. Tree proceeds send the boys to camps, buy equipment and the youth group sponsors an orphanage in Honduras. On the day after Thanksgiving the troop sold twice as many as they sold on the same day last year. “It was our busiest day ever,” Dunn beamed. They sold 65 trees. “As best as I can track it down,” he said, “it’s been about 60 years” that Troop 869 has been selling trees at Trinity. George Marshall’s High School Boosters were experiencing the same mad rush, according to Michele Crone, the leader of the school’s fundraiser for six years. Fairfax County Public Schools prohibited fundraising on school property this year (Covid’s such a grinch), and Idylwood Presbyterian stepped up to volunteer its grassy lot to the Boosters. They only received half the trees they usually order because the Pennsylvania supplier didn’t have enough, Crone explained, which, coincidentally, fit the church’s smaller

AT THE FOUR SEASONS FLOWER MARKET in McLean, a father and son stroll the isles to see which of the firs they’ll take home. Sales have been up nationally starting around Thanksgiving, and Falls Church is no exception to the trend. (Photo: Patricia Leslie) lot just fine. “We sold 88 trees the first day, and that’s a lot,” Crone said. “People aren’t traveling. They’re staying at home and decorating.” The Boosters sold out in eight days and closed two weeks early. The school’s athletic teams unload the trees, build the lot, staff it and take it down. Proceeds are used to buy and replace equipment. Crone credited the community for its support: “We couldn’t do any of this without them. This offers the kids the opportunity to be athletically involved with the school.” At St. James, Neville’s words were practically the same, expressing how grateful he was for the people who’ve been patronizing this lot for a long time since it helps them send the boys to camp. “It’s great that these guys do this every year,” Richard Weinstein from Falls Church said after wrapping up his yearly trip to St. James for a tree. “I hope it’s a good fundraiser for them. That’s wonderful [they use the money to go to camp]. It’s nice to buy where we

know we’re making a contribution to a local organization.” A national report said one of every four tree shoppers has an artificial tree at home, but this year is different. Something natural is desired and real trees help meet that need. Falls Church resident Laura Hodges and her family stopped by St. James after visiting another tree lot she termed “a disaster.” Her family has an artificial tree at home but “it’s not the main one. We always buy a real one. Fraser firs are our favorite by far. We never diverge from them. They are so crisp. This is a great time to come with your family.” Indeed, in this time of Covid, buying a Christmas tree is a fun outdoor event to celebrate with loved ones. The National Christmas Tree Association reports huge numbers have turned out this year at orchards and pumpkin farms to enjoy the outside, nature, greens, fresh air, exercise, and being with each other. At the Four Seasons Flower Market in McLean, Oscar Rivas,

the manager, chatted about Christmas tree sales while he fielded questions from customers. He’s been at the lot five years and this is the busiest year ever. Echoing Crone from Marshall High, he attributed zooming sales to people staying home and not traveling, “They want to decorate their homes. People want to celebrate and be happy because it’s been a rough year for everyone.” Although the lot was filled with trees, Rivas expected them to all sell by day’s end, but another shipment from North Carolina was due. “We’re open until Christmas Eve, and we sell trees even after Christmas,” he said. The “seasonal spokesperson” for the NCTA, Doug Hundley, said there’s no need to worry about enough trees since “we’ve got plenty.” His North Carolina twang is appropriate considering that his state and Oregon supply half the trees sold in the U.S. Hundley thinks 30 million real Christmas trees will sell this year, big sales

“no doubt because of the pandemic.” “It’s a silver lining in a way,” he said in a phone interview. “People being stuck at home and being sheltered the way they are. They may have more time to keep a fresh tree watered and to enjoy it more than they have in the past. They obviously need an uplift after the tough summer and fall. We are glad to be a source of solace and uplift.” Wherever shoppers go, Hundley said, selling trees is a job employees love because buyers are happy and always in good moods, confirmed by two St. James troop members. One, far wiser than his teen years, noted “during this huge pandemic, it’s pretty good that a lot more people are buying Christmas trees now. I guess that means that more people are celebrating Christmas. More people are a little more enthusiastic about it despite all the things that are going on.” His buddy piped up: “It’s really fun selling Christmas trees to very nice people.”

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

PAGE 20 | DECEMBER 17 - 23, 2020

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