December 21 – 27, 2017
FA LLS CHUR C H, V I R G I NI A • WW W. FC NP. C OM • FR EE
FOU N D ED 1991 • VOL. XXVI I NO. 44
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Liberty Barbecue, the longawaited, slow-and-low restaurant from the group behind Arlington’s Lyon Hall, Liberty Tavern and Northside Social, opened its doors in Falls Church for the first time last Friday night to a gaggle of hungry residents. SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 9
T�� A��-O�� C�������� B�����: R��� �� F���? It may be a new holiday season with new presents to wrap and new meals to whip up but one age-old debate still flickers on — whether locals are buying real or fake trees to decorate their homes this season.
F.C. Planners Lift Height Limit Off Economic Piece of Campus Plan S������� I�
Density Could Go 4.0 FAR ‘Or Higher,’ New Language Proposes
BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
With an apparent dead heat now, to be resolved by a coin flip, the prospect of an unprecedented 50-50 split in the House of Delegates is also now in the air. Further complicating the situation is the fact that another recount, in the 28th House District, is set for today (Thursday), and also faces a legal challenge as 147 voters in the district, which covers Fredericksburg and Stafford County, were given the wrong
Monday night in a unanimous vote, the Falls Church Planning Commission recommended to the City Council that language in the Comprehensive Plan concerning the 10 acres set aside for commercial development on the Mason High School site not be encumbered with any reference to density limits. The draft language for the new location set densities at FARs (floor to area ratios) of “2.5 to 4,” but the commission was in unanimous agreement that two words be added to that formulation: “or more.” Their intention was clear, with the City moving toward opening up to bids on development of the site, the commission thought it unwise to place any limits on how dense the project could be. “This document is to provide a limit on the lower end of the FAR range, not the higher one,” Commissioner Tim Stevens said. “It’s the opposite of what we would want for most of the rest of the City in which we would want to place an upper limit on density,” he said, “But in this location, it is the other way around. We want a lower limit, but don’t want to predispose an upper limit.” The other change the commission made was in language defining the purpose for the 10 acres of dense economic development. The draft language said it is for the purpose of covering the cost of the new high school planned for elsewhere on the site of an overall 36 acres. “But is is also for other purposes, so we would not want language to restrict it to that purpose,” the commission concurred.
Continued on Page 4
Continued on Page 4
SEE PAGE 8
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Family values. How long have we been subjected to that subjective phrase, championed by Republicans who equated it with heterosexuality, fecundity and Christian piety — and who appointed themselves the custodians of those? SEE PAGE 14
M���� B���’ U�-���D��� S���� C�������� Finishing off their third week of the season, George Mason High School’s boys basketball team earned a hearty 66-52 win over Loudoun County High School on Dec. 14 followed up by a 78-67 loss to Washington-Lee High School on Tuesday. SEE SPORTS, PAGE 20
INDEX Editorial.................6 Letters...................6 News & Notes10–11 Comment ....... 12–14 Business News ...15 Calendar .......18–19
Sports .................20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ..........21 Critter Corner......22 Classified Ads .....23
FALLS CHURCH SHERIFF deputies were sworn in at City Hall ceremony Tuesday by Clerk of the Circuit Court Paul Fergeson. He also swore in to new four year terms the City’s Sheriff Steve Bittle, Treasurer Jody Acosta and Commissioner of the Revenue Tom Clinton who were reelected to new terms last month. (P����: N���-P����)
Race Recounts This Week Throw State’s Delegate Balance Up in Air BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
A recount of the votes in the razor thin outcome of the Nov. 7 election in the Tidewater area’s House District 94 has thrown the issue of the balance of power in the Virginia state legislature into the air. According to the latest report on the recount Wednesday, what was a 20 vote lead for the Republican going into the recount evaporated into a dead heat. On Tuesday, it was announced
that the result had been reversed, with the Democrat Shelly Simonds shading her Republican rival David Yancey by a single vote of 11,608 to 11,607. That outcome, which Republicans appeared to accept at the time, was short-lived, however. A single ballot that had been discarded in the recount was deemed to be a vote for Yancey and was added back in Wednesday. As a result, the Newport News Circuit Court refused to certify Simonds as the winner.
PAGE 2 | DECEMBER 21 - 27, 2017
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7:30 p.m. Candlelit Service of Holy Communion in the Historic Church
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PAGE 4 | DECEMBER 21 - 27, 2017
Joy to the World! te The Birth of Jesus Christ here at Dulin. Celebra
Sunday, December 24th CHRISTMAS EVE WORSHIP 10am - Morning Worship 5pm - Family Service with glow stick lighting and Holy Communion. 8pm - Lessons and Carols; Brass and Choirs. Brass music begins at 7:45pm. Candlelighting and Communion Sunday, December 31th NEW YEAR’S EVE WORSHIP 8:45 & 11am - Morning Worship 7pm - Evening Worship A service of Silence and Reflection.
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Planners Advise vs. Density Limits Continued from Page 1
The action by the commission came just days after the first informational briefing was held on the first stage of the campus project, the new high school construction, held at the George Mason High School cafeteria on Dec. 13. A total of 56 developers and architects piled into the cafeteria for the signal event. “I am very pleased at this show of interest,” F.C. Schools Superintendent Peter Noonan told the News-Press afterwards. “These design and build teams asked all the right questions and we’re very excited as this process actually gets underway.” The “request for qualifications” notice was sent out on Nov. 30, on schedule, to, in the language of the document, “solicit conceptual-phase qualification proposals from experienced and qualified private entities for the design and construction of a new George Mason High School.” Interested parties have until Jan. 18, 2018 to submit a response, with a Jan. 11 deadline for submission of questions prior to that deadline. From the field of respondents then, three finalists will be chosen by Feb. 22, 2:29 PM and invited to respond to a more detailed “request for proposal”
Va. Recount Continued from Page 1
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ballot to cast, and the margin of difference in the election was only 87 votes. No matter how this all shakes out, hopefully before the new legislature is sworn in on Jan. 10 but not for sure, it is clear that Democrats came through the November election breathing down the necks of their Republican rivals, closing the gap from a seemingly insurmountable 66-34 Republican majority in the House of Delegates to a virtual, if not actual, tie or about as near to it as one can get. According to Del. Marcus Simon, in a late revision to his column printed in this week’s News-Press, “If it ends up being 50-50, Democrats seem likely to be in a position to insist on a power sharing arrangement that allows us to Chair committees and possibly control the speaker’s gavel. As of this writing, many of those details remain to be worked out (including the outcome of this latest recount).” The recounts this week have
LEADERS OF THREE of the Falls Church City Schools’ employee advisory organizations came before the School Board at its work session Tuesday to spell out their groups’ needs for the upcoming budget cycle. David Sikora (center) of the Professional Employees Advisory Committee was joined by Mason High School principal Matt Hills (left) of the Administrative Educators Advisory Committee and Shea Wakeley (right) of the Support Employees Advisory Committee. All three urged a salary “step” plus a cost-of-living adjustment be included in the coming budget. (P����: N���-P����) that will result in a final choice by July 2018, with actual construction on the project set to begin in July 2019. Noonan welcomed the 56 participants in the informational briefing, advertised as a “Non-Mandatory Pre-Proposal
Meeting,” on Dec. 13, that included the likes of Clark Construction, Turner Construction, Grunley Construction, Phillips Construction, Smoot Construction, O’Connor Construction, and others, as well as teams of architects and designers.
generated new elation among the Democrats, who held a media conference call late Tuesday afternoon where discussions of “power sharing” with the GOP was mulled. The prospect of a 50-50 tie situation “is unprecedented in the 400 year history of the Virginia legislature,” said House Democratic leader David Toscano. Foremost on the Democrats’ legislative priorities in the new situation will be to reverse Virginia’s opposition to the expansion of Medicaid to cover an additional 400,000 residents, something that the Republican controlled legislature had blocked despite losing millions in federal funds daily to cover its cost. Gains in women’s health, education, economic opportunity and gun control are also being contemplated, they said in Tuesday’s media call. The Medicaid expansion, something which Gov. Terry McAuliffe has sought in each of his proposed budgets, including the one he presented this week, was always seen as dead in the water because it was seen by the GOP as a part of Obamacare. But now, the opposition could be reversed, flying in the face of President Trump’s declaration
yesterday that the new GOPbacked federal tax reform constituted a repeal of Obamacare. It was noted in the November election that over 200,000 more Democrats voted than Republicans in the state, and Republicans are being cautioned not to try to take a highly-adversarial stance as the details are sorted out among the virtual tie situations that currently exist. The Richmond TimesDispatch editorialized yesterday, if Republicans “don’t become a minority party this year, they could in the not-too-distant future,” noting that, “the Republican brand currently is so toxic it borders on poisonous. Republicans don’t hold the high ground, to put it kindly. They need to start reclaiming it, or at least trying to. But they won’t reclaim it if they hold onto their last vestige of power in state government like a snarling dog that won’t let go of a bone.” The Virginia House Democratic Caucus, in a statement following the change in the recount outcome in the 94th District yesterday, quoted the editorial in denouncing the Republicans for “changing their minds” from accepting the recount results on Tuesday to challenging them yesterday.
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City Notifies F.C. Residents of Real Estate, Property Tax Pre-Payments With the passage of the new federal tax reform legislation yesterday, the City of Falls Church’s Treasurer’s Office announced that citizens may make pre-payments on their real estate and personal property taxes. Pre-payments are accepted for real estate and personal property taxes. Payments will be marked as received in 2017 if they are delivered to the Treasurer’s Office (300 Park Ave., Falls Church, VA 22046) by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 29, 2017, according to the office of City Treasurer Jody Acosta. “Because Falls Church bills for real estate taxes on a fiscal year basis, taxpayers already have the amount of their installment payment that is due on June 5, 2018 — it was on the bill they received in November,” the statement noted. “The installment due in June 2018 may be paid at any time, but tax payments will be recorded as received in 2017 only if they are delivered to the Treasurer’s
office by 5 p.m. on December 29, 2017.” Acosta added that “taxpayers may also pre-pay their December 2018 real estate tax installment,” saying, “They should estimate the tax amount based on the installment due on June 5, 2018, as the January 1, 2018 assessment data is not available yet. If citizens need help estimating what their payment will be, they should contact the Treasurer’s Office for assistance. 703-248-5046 (TTY 711) or treasurer@fallschurchva.
DECEMBER 21 - 27, 2017 | PAGE 5
gov.” Residents may also pre-pay their personal property (car tax) bill if they choose to do so, Acosta added, noting, “There are caveats to this above information. The steps listed are guidelines on how to make a tax pre-payment, and should not be interpreted as tax advice. For information on how any tax prepayment may affect an individual tax return, a tax attorney or other tax professional should be consulted.”
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Noisy Removal Of Height Limit
Rest assured that the unanimous decision of the Falls Church Planning Commission this week has not gone unnoticed in places far and wide. The commission voted to remove any height or density limits from the City’s wish list for the commercial development of the 10 acres on the 36-acre high school redevelopment site (see story, page 1). It was a wise move by the commissioners and although it comes just as their recommendation to the City Council, which will vote on it in February, it bears a lot of symbolic significance. Not that the rules were set in stone already, but this proactive move to change the policy speaks volumes to the development community. It potentially propels the project into an entirely different level, especially if there is some developer out there who wants something big and dense next to a Metro station inside the D.C. Beltway. (Maybe it’s not too late for Amazon!) The other change the Planning Commission recommended was a small revision aimed at making it clear the revenues from development of that site will not go only to paying for the next high school. Now, that change was addressed more to the City residents than to the development world. They need to know that if something big is actually proposed for that site, that the benefits to the City of all that new revenue will not be limited to the high school. This is the way the City should be conducting its business. Those living here may have their own perceptions of what the Little City represents. But it may look entirely different to the outside world. As mentioned, to that world, it is the City’s location, including its proximity to a nexus of transportation options, that constitutes its greatest value. For example, there is nowhere on the entire D.C. Beltway where all the locations around the Beltway are more accessible than in Falls Church. It is also one on-ramp from two major international airports and with two Metro stations that link the City to the entire Metropolitan region. There is also the benefit at the campus site of being adjacent an existing, functioning Virginia Tech and University of Virginia graduate center, as well as one of the best high schools in the U.S. and a school district with an integrated K-12 International Baccalaureate continuum. These advantages accrue not only to what kind of information technology giant might be interested, but also to the families of the highly qualified individuals who might be working there. Behold, all this could be exploited without overburdening the laidback, walkable, tree-laden quality of life that the 14,500 residents of Falls Church enjoy. We will still have our neighborhoods, parks and unique sense of community that come with an involved citizenry benefiting from an independent local government and good local newspaper.
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Will the News-Press Heed Its Editorial in 2018? Editor, It was good to see the NewsPress take a principled stand against “Angry prejudice against “persons unlike ourselves,” based on race, religion, ethnicity, disabilities and economic status” in its “Civil, Compassionate Identity of F.C.” editorial. Perhaps in 2018 we’ll see an editorial in its pages that doesn’t condone angry prejudice against “persons unlike ourselves,” based
on race, religion, ethnicity, disabilities and economic status. Jeff Walyus Arlington
Faulty School Financing Formula Already Impacting F.C. Editor, Less than two months after
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the people of Falls Church voted overwhelmingly in favor of a $120 million bond to finance the construction of a new high school, City Hall is pleading poverty. The faulty formula for financing the high school is already proving to have an impact on the future retention of teachers. This is only the beginning. A final note, please do not characterize this massive financing for a new high school as “renovation” which you do multiple times in your article on “2 Percent Budget Growth Limit in Coming Year.” Curtis Schaeffer Falls Church
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DECEMBER 21 – 27, 2017 | PAGE 7
Is There Any Good News This Time of Year? B� R��. M. D����� K�������
It just looks like it is hard to find any good news these days. After a year now, there is still bad news about the presidential election with all of the special counsel investigations and endless inquiries. There are many reports of abuse of power by politicians and entertainers. There is the problem with North Korea and their missile systems with the potential of reaching the United States. The protest in Charlottesville opened up wounds of racial tensions. The weather hasn’t even cooperated with the devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. And to top it off, we can’t even drive on I-66 without having an EZ Pass with the potential of paying over $40 dollars for one trip. Where is the good news? Well, good news is around the corner. As the carol says, “Good Christian friends rejoice with heart and soul and voice; give ye heed to what we say: News, News! Jesus Christ is born today!” While we have bad news of disunity, disillusionment, tension, and fear, Christmas offers us good news of hope, peace, joy and love. I see this taking place in our little city of Falls Church and the surrounding community during this holiday season! I visit local restaurants and see holiday office party lunches taking place. Everyone
is in great spirits. I visit local eating establishments in the morning, and people come out with huge bags packed with doughnuts, bagels, and gallons of coffee to take to their work. What a way to start the day! I attended the Falls Church News-Press
“While we have bad news of disunity, disillusionment, tension, and fear, Christmas offers us good news of hope, peace, joy and love.” holiday party this past Thursday. Residents and city leaders came out to enjoy goodwill with one another and enjoy the sounds of the band playing. People are attending music and drama productions and are in the stores buying gifts. This is good news! Christmas is a time of giving. December is the largest month for charity donations during the year. Examples are seen as the Salvation Army bell ringer rings his or her heart out at the Giant grocery store. I see
USPS, UPS, and FedEx trucks driving at all times of the day and night delivering packages. Places of worship and civic groups have angel trees to support organizations such as Homestretch and raise money to help those in need. This is good news! I enjoy seeing lights all over our little city. I love the lights downtown on Broad Street wired from the trunk up to the branches and those huge sparking balls! I enjoy seeing the lights in windows and the many light displays at homes with their many colors and shapes. Here at Dulin Church, where I pastor, we have the lone light above the manger on our front yard, witnessing to the hope and promise of the birth of Jesus. Across the street, our neighbor has decorations and lights galore shouting “Merry Christmas.” (Whenever someone asks me for directions to Dulin Church, I simply say, “You know the house on Broad Street with all the lights at Christmas…” I need not say another word.) This is good news! On Christmas Eve, churches will be full of people, including those we call “CMEs” (people who attend Christmas, Mother’s Day and Easter). We will light candles, break glow sticks, and sing “Silent Night, Holy Night.” We will leave and go out into the night with good news of hope: that we can work together to make this world, nation and
city a better place to live. We will be signs and messengers of hope in the world. Don’t give up! We will go out into the night with good news of peace. With all types of tensions in the world and in our lives, we will seek peace with one another and offer reconciliation. We will go out into the night with good news of joy. We celebrate the joy of family and friends. We experience the joy of living in a vibrant city and community full of opportunities of helping others- allowing us to not only give joy, but to receive joy when we see the smiles on their faces. We will go out into the night with good news of love. As Jesus said, the greatest commandment is to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. At the Dulin parsonage I display in the front window, all year long, a ceramic Christmas tree my mother made me years ago. It reminds me, and hopefully my neighbors too, that the message of Christmas is not only for a day or a season, but all year. Let each of us bring good news of hope, peace, joy and love this Christmas season and into the New Year. “News, News! Jesus Christ is born today.” M. Davies Kirkland is the Reverend at Dulin United Methodist Church.
Q������� �� ��� W��� Should the F.C. City Council limit density of commercial development on the school campus site? • Yes • No
Last Week’s Question:
Do you agree with the F.C. Council vote to limit budget growth in FY19?
• Unsure
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PAGE 8 | DECEMBER 21 - 27, 2017
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An Evergreen Holiday Debate: Real vs. Fake Trees BY PATRICIA LESLIE
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
It may be a new holiday season with new presents to wrap and new meals to whip up but one age-old debate still flickers on — whether locals will buy a real or fake tree to decorate their home this season. Statistics suggest most homes prefer organic options, as the National Christmas Tree Association says from 2004 – 2016 Americans continued to prefer natural trees to artificial ones. That trend has remained strong despite a climbing price for real trees and a recent surge in fake tree sales. Higher prices for natural trees this year are a reflection of fewer trees planted seven to 10 years ago due to the bigger supply then as well as the recession. Last year, U.S. buyers purchased 27.4 million farm-grown trees and 18.6 million artificial trees. Since 2006, real tree sales have held steady but last year, fake tree sales shot up by almost 47 percent over 2015 sales. But customers browsing the artificial Christmas trees at Home Depot’s Falls Church store last week had come and gone. A few walked by the row of options when one couple stated, “We’re just looking at the lights.” Nobody was buying. Early on, the retailer’s $1,000, 7-and-a-half-foot tree with thick branches and 10,000 lights sold out, said assistant store manager Blake Storey, and Home Depot ordered more of them and cut the price in half. The home improvement store carries more than 300 varieties of artificial trees with prices ranging from $14.99 to $5,000, dependent upon the number and kinds of lights, height, branches, shape
and remote control capabilities. Home Depot has real trees, too, which outsell their synthetic cousins about 10 to 1, Storey said. Over in the real tree department outside, customers trading dollars for trees proved his point. Virtually every seller and buyer interviewed by the Falls Church News-Press mentioned the Christmas tree smell which Home Depot does not sell in a can. Arlington’s Roberta Thibodaux, who said she tried an artificial tree but gave it up after a year, was there to buy a real one. “I like the idea and the smell of it. It has more memories with the smell of Christmas,” she said. “I like to decorate with the leftover greens.” Another customer, Alex Lizarraga also from Arlington, echoed Thibodaux’s feelings. She had an artificial tree for five years until she and her family ditched it for an earthly grown tree two years ago. “We like the smell. Putting the [artificial] tree back in the box is a real pain” which she said twice to make her point, “and that goes for putting it together and then back in the box.” Over at East Falls Plaza, Chris Anastasio has been selling wreaths and Fraser Firs from North Carolina in the parking lot for 15 years. Anastasio and his assistant Charles Deveaux said customers like to take home tree clippings to use for decorations and some even spread the cuttings in their artificial trees for the smell. Joe Rivera had come from McLean to shop at the lot as he has for years. “It’s a tradition that I buy from these people. They are fair-priced and you avoid the McLean excise tax.”
He buys real because he can afford one, he says, unlike when he was a child and grew up with a rotating silver lighted aluminum tree which is now worth big bucks as an antique. “People collect the weirdest things,” Rivera said. Falls Church’s Julie Andre arrived at the tree lot straight from work. “I always buy a real tree. I buy for the smell, the authenticity of it. I grew up with one,” she said, as she took in the tree fragrance and glanced at branches on the cold and cloudy day. She says she’d never consider an artificial and would pay twice as much in McLean for a real tree. Real trees aren’t for everyone though. Claire Emory of Arlington bought her first artificial tree this year “because I wanted a white tree and natural trees don’t come in white.” White matched her color scheme for the big Christmas party she hosts every year, and she was looking for white, ivory, gold, blue and silver. And sometimes, the convenience of an artificial tree is too enticing to pass up. Jim EdwardsHewitt of Fairfax said he and his wife inherited her parent’s artificial tree which the EdwardsHewitts have had for five or six years. “I like real trees better but we are too lazy to get one. We don’t always put up a tree but we always put up garlands and strings of lights and particularly our Star Trek ornaments.” Consumers justifying their purchase of real trees over artificials, or vice versa, to stymie harmful ecological effects may be overstating any repercussions. In several studies reviewed, the environmental benefits of each are more or less the same when considered over their life spans.
“YOU WANT LIGHTS? I GOT LIGHTS,” says Falls Church Home Depot’s assistant store manager Blake Storey, who’s gesturing to the store’s artificial tree selection. Consumers say they still prefer real trees, despite surges in fake tree sales as recently as last year. (P�����: P������� L�����) Although it takes more resources to make an artificial tree, over its average lifespan, cost for an artificial versus a real trees cost is lower. However, artificials do contain polyvinyl chloride which produces carcinogens when the trees are manufactured and disposed. Real trees are sustainable since 98 percent of them are grown and harvested on farms, birds enjoy
them, they are recyclable (fakes are not), and they soak up carbon dioxide. And there’s the beauty: tree farms are lovely and refreshing to see. To reduce transportation costs (80 percent of fakes come from China), it’s better to buy locally and if it makes you feel better and the smell is critical, buy what you want and don’t feel guilty about it.
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NEWS BRIEFS Sen. Warner Warns Vs. Firing Mueller Virginia U.S. Senator Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, took to the floor of the U.S. Senate last night to deliver a scathing statement warning President Trump or his allies from interfering with the investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election last fall. He warned Trump not to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller or to pardon anyone Mueller has or will indict, saying such moves will trigger a “constitutional crisis.” Warner called on his Senate colleagues “to make a clear and unambiguous statement that any attempt by this President to remove Special Counsel Mueller from his position, or to pardon key witnesses in an effort to shield them from accountability or shut down the investigation, would be a gross abuse of power and a flagrant violation of Executive branch responsibilities and authorities.” He added, “These are red lines, and we simply cannot allow them to be crossed.” He stated, “Mr. Mueller is a decorated Vietnam War veteran and a lifelong Republican, appointed to his current role by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, also a Republican. In fact, all of the major players to date in this investigation — former Director Comey, current FBI Director Wray, Rosenstein and even Attorney General Sessions, who has recused himself — are all Republicans. The charges of Democratic political bias are baseless, given the makeup of the leadership team.”
Liberty Barbecue Now Open Liberty Barbecue, the long-awaited, slow-and-low restaurant from the group behind Arlington’s Lyon Hall, Liberty Tavern and Northside Social, opened its doors in Falls Church for the first time last Friday night to a gaggle of hungry residents. Debuting at the former location of Famous Dave’s in Broadale Village Shopping Center, the space has been completely renovated, both inside and out, with a new facade, dining room, bar and more. The menu features a full lineup of smoked meats including brisket, pulled pork, ribs and chicken plus turkey, house made beef sausage and char siu-style pork belly. In addition to the barbecue, Liberty will serve pickle-brine fried chicken available in both full and half-bird orders, tenders and as a sandwich. Other menu highlights include shrimp and grits, burgers, barbecued oysters, barbecue meat tacos and a soft serve dessert bar. Liberty Barbecue will be open for happy hour and dinner service starting at 5 p.m. until the end of the year and then expand its hours to include lunch and brunch starting in January.
Del. Simon Wants to End Lethal Injection Secrecy State Del. Marcus B. Simon of Falls Church has introduced HB 100 to end the secrecy around the distribution and acquisition of drugs used for executions in Virginia, his office announced yesterday. The bill would repeal legislation that passed the General Assembly during the 2017 Session after an extremely contentious vote. "Transparency should be a priority at all levels of government. Shrouding executions in secrecy erodes public trust and the death penalty is controversial enough with adding this to it," said Delegate Simon. State Sen. Scott Surovell said,"The public has a right to know how their money is being spent and where it is going. The state-sanctioned taking of a life is among the most consequential acts a government can take and requires maximum transparency, not secrecy." “Until we join the rest of the industrialized Western democracies and abolish the death penalty we ought to shine as much light onto just how these lethal cocktails are concocted,” said Del. Paul Krizek. The 2018 General Assembly Session begins on Jan. 10.
Fairfax Sheriff, 29 Diner Feed Homeless Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid and her deputies proudly joined the 29 Diner’s Season of Giving Holiday Dinner Celebration, benefiting Shelter House families. This week, 29 Diner is closed to the public for five days during the dinner rush to provide a sit-down holiday meal for 60 families residing in emergency shelters. In addition to helping serve meals, the Sheriff’s Office is providing books and making child ID cards for all of the children taking part in the holiday dinner celebration. 29 Diner and its many supporters are distributing gifts all week and ensuring that the families will be well-fed throughout the holiday season. Sheriff Kincaid is a long-time supporter of both 29 Diner and Shelter House. “I have known 29 Diner owner, John Wood, for many years,” said Kincaid. “He is a strong supporter of public safety, active military and veterans. He also hosts fundraisers for schools, their sports teams, charities and local nonprofits. John is one of the most generous persons you will ever meet.” Kincaid is often seen at 29 Diner serving free meals to veterans. Wood said that Kincaid came to him 18 months ago and asked him to help her raise awareness about a project that was near and dear to her heart. The organization was Shelter House. “She said to me, ‘Please help us to help the families who live in the emergency shelters.’”
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Community News & Notes
NANCY BAKER, Falls Church resident and local childcare consultant for au pairs and host families in the area, hosted a cookie exchange and Yankee swap for her group of 20 au pairs at her home last week. Au pairs from all over the world – Colombia, Germany, South Africa, Italy, Thailand and more – baked festive cookies with their host children and shared their family traditions with one another to celebrate the holiday season. (Photo: Courtesy Nancy Baker)
1st Stage Announces Second Extension to Current Show 1st Stage Theatre, Tysons Corner’s award-winning professional theater, announces the extension of their criticallyacclaimed production of “My Name is Asher Lev” written by Aaron Posner, adapted from the novel by Chaim Potok, and directed by Nick Olcott until Jan. 7. Hailed as “engrossing” (The Connection) and “brilliantly written” (MD Theatre Guide), Posner’s imaginative retelling of Potok’s beloved novel follows a young Jewish painter torn between his Hassidic upbringing and his need to pursue his artistic voice. As art and faith collide on this humorous and compel-
ling journey, Asher must choose between his community and his vast artistic promise. This stirring adaptation of a modern classic presents a heartbreaking and triumphant vision of what it means to be an artist. The Washington Post raves, “…a solid production of ‘My Name Is Asher Lev’ peels away any associations of triteness and makes you feel the weight of an artist’s sacrifice.” “My Name is Asher Lev” will now run at 1st Stage through Jan. 7 with show times as follows: Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m.. 1st Stage will offer an additional performance on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $33. Senior (65+) tickets are $30.
Student and military tickets are $15. Subscriptions and Flex Passes are available for savings of up to 40 percent off regular price tickets. Tickets, subscriptions and Flex Passes can be purchased online at 1stStageTysons.org or by calling the 1st Stage box office at 703-854-1856. The run time is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Closed captioning and audio-description will be offered for select performances. Check 1stStageTysons.org for the full schedule.
Community Candlelight Christmas Eve Service Residents are invited to join the congregation of Charles Wesley
ELI AND ALEX VENNEBUSH, fifth graders at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, finished second and third in their age division, respectively, at the International KenKen Championship on Dec. 17 in Pleasantville, NY. KenKen is a grid-based numerical puzzle that uses basic math operations while also challenging your logic and problem-solving skils. Eli and Alex have honed their KenKen skills in practice puzzles with TJ Gifted Specialist Heidi Lang. (Photo: Courtesy Nadine Block) United Methodist Church (6817 Dean Dr., McLean) on Sunday, Dec. 24 starting at 5 p.m. for a special service involving carols and lessons. This event is open to everyone; attendees are encouraged to bring their family and friends. For more information on the event, visit thehungerchurch.org.
Peace Corps Sees Stable Base of Volunteers in VA Peace Corps announced that
Virginia ranks No. 4 among states with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers and No.6 among states with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers per capita, with 4.2 volunteers per 100,000 residents. Among metropolitan areas, Charlottesville ranked No. 2 with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers per capita, boasting 20 volunteers or 9.9 volunteers per 100,000 residents. The Old Dominion State currently has 352 volunteers serving
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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!
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worldwide and 7,917 Virginians have served in the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding in 1961. Virginia has ranked among the top ten volunteer-producing states since 2011, taking a huge leap from No. 8 in 2016 to its current No. 4 position. Earlier this year, Virginia boasted four colleges and universities on the agency’s Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. The University of Virginia ranked No. 15 and James Madison University ranked No. 17 among large-sized schools, the College of William and Mary ranked No. 4 among medium-sized schools, while the University of Mary Washington ranked No. 2 among small-sized schools. Virginia volunteers are among the more than 230,000 Americans who have served around the world in areas such as agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth in development volunteers since 1961. The Peace Corps is unique among service organizations because volunteers live and work at the community level. Service in the Peace Corps is a lifedefining, hands-on leadership experience that offers volunteers the opportunity to travel to the farthest corners of the world and make a lasting difference in the lives of others. Applicants can apply to specific programs by visiting the Peace Corps website and connecting with a recruiter.
Upcoming Events Taking Place in McLean Two upcoming events may be of interest to McLean residents as well as locals from nearby neighborhoods, hosted by the McLean Community Center (MCC). Today from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Uptown Alley (8300 Sudley Road Suite Unit A-7, Manassas) interested attendees can play bowling games throughout the day. Lunch will also be provided at the bowling alley. Afterwards, the group will head to the cinema to watch a newly released film. Games, bowling shoes, lunch and movie tickets are included in the fee, which is $55 for MCC district residents and $65 for non-district residents. On Wednesday, Dec. 27, a group will leave MCC to go to Dave & Buster’s (6655 Springfield Town Center, Springfield) from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to rack up as many tickets as they can at Dave and Buster’s arcade and use them to purchase prizes at the establishment’s in-house gift store. Lunch and a $25 game card with unlimited arcade game play are included with ticket through MCC, which costs $60 for MCC district residents and $70 for non-district residents. More information about upcoming events can be found at mcleancenter.org.
Evans Inc. Extends Holiday Philanthropic Efforts Evans Incorporated, a provider of Human-Centered organiza-
LO CA L tional and operational consulting solutions located in Falls Church, announced that it is extending its holiday philanthropic efforts to families in need both locally and abroad in Puerto Rico. After Hurricane Maria rocked the island of Puerto Rico in September, Evans Incorporated formed EvansAID for Puerto Rico, a corporate fundraising effort to raise funds for The Hispanic Federation’s UNIDOS Disaster Relief & Recovery Program. Midway to its goal, EvansAID aims to raise $5,000 by Jan. 22, 2018. 100 percent of the funds donated will go to the immediate and long term needs of the residents of Puerto Rico. This Holiday season is the 4th time Evans Incorporated participated in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program, a personalized holiday assistance program that allows sponsors to provide holiday gifts and toys for children 12 years old or younger. This year, Evans Incorporated surpassed their numbers from last year. In 2016, the Evans Incorporated team filled five stockings and adopted 14 Angels. For 2017, they filled 12 stockings and adopted 26 Angels. Since they started participating in the Angel Tree Program in 2014, Evans Incorporated has adopted 59 Angels. Evans Incorporated is also conducting a winter coat drive now through January 2018. For more information about Evans Incorporated and its philanthropic efforts, visit evansincorporated. com
DECEMBER 21- 27, 2017 | PAGE 11
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www.pointofvieweyewear.com FALLS CHURCH’S Felix Chang won the youth submission grappling world championships in both the Gi and Nogi divisions this past weekend at the Thompson Center at Elizabethtown College, PA. This is Felix’s �irst time winning a world championship. He has previously won a national submission grappling championship and 14 national wrestling tournaments. Earlier this year he became the �irst athlete to have won national championships in both submission grappling and wrestling. (P����: D��� K����)
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
A Penny for Your Thoughts
Delegate Marcus Simon’s
News of Greater Falls Church By Supervisor Penny Gross
“The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.” What Santa would put into the stockings always was the question. A lump of coal? Or something nicer, like a candy cane? When A Visit from Saint Nicholas was written, furnace coal was a primary source of heat, not unlike the coal-fired power plants of today. At a national conference in Kentucky, a leading coal producing state, one of the giveaways was a shiny lump of coal. It seemed much different than the coal I remembered as a little girl, when a delivery truck would pour coal through a window chute into a basement holding area. That coal was not shiny, and left a lot of black residue on the floor, and on one’s hands. Lumps of coal don’t appear in holiday stockings anymore, but coal and candy canes are appropriate for the following list. • Lumps of coal for the current administration in the White House, for making the past year one of chaos and despair. The slogan “Make America Great Again” seems to have ratified a “Make America Hate Again” atmosphere, starting at the top. I long for the intelligent, thoughtful comments of a president, regardless of party, on behalf of the nation, instead of the narcissistic, and barely grammatical, rantings of the current White House occupant. • Candy canes for Dan Sheehy, Gail Coleman, Dan Aminoff, Rose Chu, Kate Walter, and Marie Monsen, who were honored this year by various groups for their outstanding service to the community. • A candy cane also for Frank Vajda, who retired this year after more than 15 years as the Fairfax County Park Authority Board member from Mason District. Frank oversaw countless park projects and park bond referenda during his long tenure. • Lumps of coal to thoughtless drivers, who speed
Richmond Report
through neighborhoods like a NASCAR training session. Those speed humps on local roads are the community’s way of saying “slow down and pay attention. We live here.” • Lumps of coal also to anonymous posters on blogs and other Internet media. Trolling just gives permission for others to join you in the moral morass you’ve created. • Candy canes to the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation that underwrote the renovation of the Little League field at Mason District Park. Now named for retired Nationals catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, the new field gives today’s kids, and tomorrow’s, a quality place to learn the fundamentals of the nation’s pastime, build teamwork, and celebrate community values. • A lump of coal to scam artists who prey on vulnerable senior adults, trying to cheat them out of cash and property through a variety of schemes. The Silver Shield campaign educates seniors and their families about scams at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/familyservices/older-adults/fairfax-county-silver-shieldanti-scam-campaign. • And finally, candy canes to all those Mason District constituents who volunteer in the community, through PTA, civic associations, faith communities, the parks, at hospitals, schools, homeless shelters, and so many other organizations. You help make Mason District and Fairfax County a great place to live, work, play, learn, and worship. This season, why not find your volunteer niche, and join in! Happy Holidays!
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Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.
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Photo: Grant Delin
If you always store your firearm safely, no curious kids will put their fingers on it. And no gun will accidentally fire. Which means no screams of pain will be heard. And no 911 calls will be made. And no scars will be left. So please, always remember to keep your firearm stored safely. Visit ncpc.org to determine the best firearms safety solution for you.
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It’s going to be a much different year in the House of Delegates in 2017 with Democrats having potentially secured a 50-50 tie in the Chamber, pending the outcome of a disputed election in Fredericksburg. If it ends up being 50-50, Democrats seem likely to be in a position to insist on a power sharing arrangement that allows us to Chair committees and possibly control the speaker’s gavel. As of this writing, many of those details remain to be worked out, but be assured that I will revisit them in upcoming columns as session approaches. Meanwhile, earlier this week outgoing Governor Terry McAuliffe unveiled his final biennial state budget, and in it, his last and best effort to provide health care to the over 400,000 Virginians who make too much money to qualify for traditional Medicaid coverage and not enough to afford even subsidized insurance in a health care exchange or in the open market by expanding Medicaid in Virginia. The two-year budget plan relies on savings that will be realized only if we accept the roughly $6 million dollars a day that Medicaid expansion would provide and use it to pay for essential services that we’ve paid for from the General Fund instead for the last four years. Two years ago, the Governor introduced a budget that used the savings to be realized from expanding Medicaid to lower the state’s corporate tax rate. The thought was that Republicans love a good corporate tax cut more than they hated Obamacare, and that would give them cover to accept Medicaid expansion while doing something that would help McAuliffe lure more companies to Virginia to help diversify our economy. Only he miscalculated. It turned out Republicans hated Obamacare more than they loved the idea of cutting corporate taxes. This year the approach is different, and with the new make-up of the General Assembly, which now likely includes at last 50 Democrats, and possibly 51 depending on the result of pending recounts and lawsuits, it just might work. Other highlights from this year’s budget include: • Funding to automate the teacher license application system and to support principal recruitment and retention in our hardesthit school divisions. • Updating Virginia’s education formulas including the Standards of Quality, which will add
$436 million in education funding over the next two year. • In the area of workforce development, $1 million in new funding is added to the budget for two-week cybersecurity camps dedicated to exposing high school students to careers in this rapidly growing industry. • Children can’t learn if they are hungry, so we’ve added $2 million to support our breakfast incentive funding, which has dramatically improved participation in our high-need elementary schools. • There is $4 million in increased funding for the New Economy Workforce Credential tuition assistance program to address the high demand of students wishing to participate in the program. • In an effort to make Virginia a little greener, $2 million to support the development of the solar industry in Virginia. $110 million in Commonwealth Transportation Capital Projects Revenue Bonds for mass transit projects in FY 2020 to maintain the state’s commitments to these services. • In addition to expanding Medicaid, the budget provides Full funding for the revised Medicaid forecast for foster care and adoption programs and Children’s Services Act caseloads as well as funding to support 825 additional Medicaid waiver slots over the course of the biennium for individuals with intellectual disabilities. • I’m excited about funds that will allow Virginia to continue to make strides in the way we treat people living with mental illness, including $11 million to begin primary care screening and monitoring at the Community Service Boards, $1 million for the creation and expansion of mental health dockets in jurisdictions with high caseloads, $2.9 million to establish special units and programs for seriously mentally ill inmates and $10 million to support medication-assisted treatment for individuals who seek help with opioid addiction, through our Community Service Boards. • Finally, the budget includes a 2 percent raise for state employees, including teachers, law enforcement, and state agency workers. In years past a budget that includes these priorities might have been viewed as Dead on Arrival. With a 50/50 House, not so fast. Should be an interesting session. Delegate Simon represents the 53rd District in the Virginia House of Delegates. He may be emailed at DelMSimon@house.virginia.gov
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YO U DON T H AV E T O BE SO STRONG BUT IF I’M NOT, WHO WILL?
Being a caregiver takes a special kind of commitment. We know your strength is super, but you’re still human.
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F I N D S U P P O R T F O R Y O U R S T R E N G T H.
Our Man in Arlington By Charlie Clark
Old-school-tie emotions ran high at the Arlington Committee of 100’s examination of the pending question: Should the name of Washington-Lee High School be changed? School Board chairman Barbara Kanninen had put the national-turned-local issue in play after last August’s racial violence in Charlottesville following that city’s plans to remove a statue of Arlington’s own Robert E. Lee. The Dec. 13 talk from the three panelists and an eager audience was civil and informative. I detected a potential values gap between current students and W-L’s intensely loyal alumni. The stage was set with practical advice from Campbell Palmer, a parent and athletics fund-raiser for Fairfax County’s J.E.B. Stuart High School, recently renamed Justice High. Mistakes during Stuart’s renaming process “created divisiveness and pain,” he noted. He described a community vote that was held but disregarded by the school board, and unauthoritative cost estimates. “The Internet is not your friend — you will not persuade or change anyone’s opinion by listserv,” Palmer said. Whoever is assigned to gauge costs (eventually over $400,000) should be believed, he said, and once an authority is tapped to make the final decision, stick to it. “Be nice, it’s just a name,” he added. “Whatever relationships you have with friends and neighbors will go on.” In favor of removing Lee’s
DECEMBER 21 – 27, 2017 | PAGE 13
name from W-L was Michael Beer, a Maywood parent and co-chair of the civic federation’s schools committee. “Hateful and damaging names should be changed as soon as possible to put the needs of children first,” he said. “Stamping out racial supremacy” can also be “a wonderful opportunity to bring people together.” Beer would go further. He’d remove Confederate or plantation names from Arlington streets and neighborhoods – Bedford, Hancock, Jefferson Davis, Stuart, Bryan, Dinwiddie, Stafford, Stratford, Leeway, Overlee, Tara and Randolph. “You don’t need a statue to understand Lee, you need a book,” Beer quoted. He dismissed portrayals of the Confederacy’s top general as a flawed but exceptional American. (George Washington, Beer acknowledged, is more complicated, but “not original” — he cited 88 place names, 55 counties, and 12 colleges named for the father of our country.) Representing W-L’s 40,000 alumni and arguing for keeping the name was “unofficial school historian” John Peck, class of ’96. Displaying an historical timeline, he cited the school’s reputation among the nation’s finest, listing accomplishments in academics, sports and wartime sacrifice. Peck rejected the assertion that W-L was named in 1925 with help from the KKK, citing longtime inclusion of foreign-born students. “I don’t even think of the name” when admiring W-L’s attributes, Peck said, adding that he wouldn’t mind if Lee’s profile came off the logo. “The portraits
C i t y o f Fa l l s C h u r c h
CRIME REPORT Week of Dec. 11 – 17, 2017 Commercial Burglary, 1051 E Broad St (Koon’s Ford), between 5:30 PM, Dec 9 and 5:45 AM, Dec 11, unknown suspect(s) shattered a glass door and took items of value. Investigation continues. Destruction of Property, 100 blk W Annandale Rd, Dec 11, 10:20 PM, a City of Falls Church sign was knocked over and a car part was found nearby. Using information provided by a citizen, vehicle was located in Fairfax County. Investigation continues.
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Larceny, 100 blk W Marshall St, between 4:30 PM, Dec 11 and 5:30 PM, Dec 12, an item of value was taken from the front yard of a residence. Investigation continues. Obstruction of Justice, 1000 blk E Broad St, Dec 14, 2:48 PM, following a routine traffic stop, a male, 35, of Falls Church, was issued a summons for Obstruction of Justice. Larceny from Building, 1000 E Broad St (24Hour Fitness), Dec 14, between 6:55 and 7:20
PM, three secured lockers were entered and items of value taken. Investigation continues. Fraud-Identity Theft, 200 blk E Fairfax St, Dec 14, an incident of identity theft was reported. Larceny from Vehicle, 400 blk E Broad St, Dec 15, 6:30 AM, resident reported that between 10 PM, Dec 10 and 9 AM, Dec 11 items of value were taken from an unsecured vehicle. Stolen Vehicle, 205 Hillwood Ave (Marriott TownePlace Suites), between 12:30 AM, Dec 14 and Noon, Dec 15, an unsecured rental vehicle was stolen from the parking lot. Assault and Batter, 500 blk N Washington St, Dec 16, 2:19 AM, a male, 23, of Falls Church, was arrested for Felony Assault and Batter. Tampering with Auto, Linden Ln/Hillwood Ave, Dec 15, 11:16 PM, witness observed a suspect rifling through an unsecured vehicle. Suspect described as a black male in a black leather jacket, grey hoodie, last seen walking on Hillwood Ave toward 7 Corners. Larceny from Vehicle, 100 blk Greenway
mean nothing, it’s the legacy.” Audience members asked for agreement that a school’s name can offend –“imagine a Harvey Weinstein High School.” But another, who brought yearbooks, said she always believed that after the tragedy of the Civil War, W-L’s `blue and gray’ theme “brought us together.” W-L senior Malcolm Douglass, who favors changing the name, told me students are “now more willing to have the conversation.” They are starting a petition. Past records show that two elementary schools in recent decades were renamed for a new mission with scant controversy –Thomas Nelson Page became Science Focus, and Stonewall Jackson became Arlington Traditional School. If the W-L name were to go, I suspect it would not go as quietly. *** A roster of Arlington’s top philanthropists gathered Dec. 12 for the ribbon cutting of the new gym/ wellness center at the discreet Ballston location of the renovated Phoenix House Mid-Atlantic. The addiction treatment center, which has Arlington roots going back six decades, celebrated completion of a $3.5 million campaign by giving guests a rare public tour of the men’s residential therapy rooms and classrooms. Names on plaques — Hitt, Buck, Morgan, Reinsch — credit those who donated most to help the staff of 101 treat 1,900 clients a year who battle opioids, heroin and alcohol dependency. “Physical exercise,” one recovering client told the audience, “is one of the most underutilized antidepressants.” Blvd, between 8 PM, Dec 15 and 12 PM Dec 16, items of value were taken from an unsecured vehicle. Smoking Violations, 6757 Wilson Blvd, #24 (Le Billiards), Dec 16, 8:36 PM, a male, 47, of Springfield, VA, was issued a summons for Smoking in a Restaurant. Smoking Violations, 6757 Wilson Blvd, #15 (H20 Café), Dec 16, 8:29 PM, a male, 65, of Springfield, VA, was issued a summons for Smoking in a Restaurant. Drunk in Public, 200 blk Pennsylvania Ave, Dec 16, 9:14 PM, a male, 19, of the City of Falls Church, was arrested for being Drunk in Public. Destruction of Property/Driving Under the Influence, 1003 W Broad St (Rite Aid), Dec 16, 11:21 PM, an officer on routine patrol discovered a vehicle had driven through the sliding doors into the store, hit the inside wall and damaged shopping carts. A female, 41, of Arlington, VA, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence. Larceny from Vehicle, 100 blk S Virginia Ave, between 6 PM, Dec 15 and 10:51 AM Dec 17, items of value were taken from an unsecured vehicle. OTHER ARRESTS Dec 12, 5 PM, a male, 43, of no fixed address, was arrested on an outstanding City of Falls Church warrant for Defrauding an Innkeeper.
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Clapper Calls Trump A Russian ‘Asset’
The former director of U.S. National Intelligence James Clapper delivered an astounding and direct charge against Donald Trump on national television Tuesday, no longer mincing words or making indirect or suggestive references to what the U.S. intelligence community is thoroughly convinced of. That is, that Trump, our president, is a severely compromised Russian agent of influence. Clapper, in a tone of significant irritation, told CNN reporter James Sciutto on live TV that a recent exchange between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump “was illustrative of what a great case officer Vladimir Putin is. He knows how to handle an asset and that’s what he’s been doing with the president.” FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS Coming from a person of Clapper’s stature and deep connections to the entire U.S. intelligence community, this was a show stopper: no more qualified words, or “possible” this or that. No, Clapper declared Trump to be a Russian “asset,” plain and simple. This bombshell has not received any significant coverage beyond the domain of CNN, itself, for whatever reason. But it comes none too soon, designed undoubtedly to deter Trump from taking extraordinary steps to deter the Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into his Russian ties. Short of the many criminal indictments that are sure to come from Mueller’s office, and no one should assume he will stop short of Trump himself, White House insiders are reporting that Trump is seriously considering one form or another of removing Mueller from his post in a desperate effort to prevent the inevitable. So, Clapper’s very deliberate and forceful identification of Trump as a Putin “asset,” while not new to anyone close to the investigation, has moved a step ahead of Mueller’s deliberate but determined effort to put all the evidence in the proper form for the coming blizzard of arrests. Asked to comment on Clapper’s remarks, House Intelligence committee minority leader Rep. Adam Schiff said on CNN that it is clear to him “how flattery gets you just about anything” when it comes to Trump, and that Putin clearly “knows how to push this president’s buttons, and praise is the way to do it.” He added, “The only surprise is how well this seems to work with the president.” There is a fascinating book by a Russian (then Soviet KGB) spy who engaged in the recruitment of “assets,” ranging from agents of influence to downright spies, prior to defecting to the U.S. in 1979 and working with U.S. intelligence. “On the Wrong Side, My Life in the KGB” was written by defector Stanislav Levchenko in 1988. Among the many revelations in the book is Levchenko’s shorthand for the keys to identifying and recruiting an “asset.” His acronym for this is “MICE,” which refers to “money, ideology, compromise and ego.” Most recruits, he wrote, can be “turned” to become agents of influence for a hostile foreign power by the exploitation of one of those four elements. A person needs money, a person has an ideological predisposition, a person can be compromised (by the threat of blackmail, etc.) and a person can be lured by assuaging his ego. In the case of Trump, it appears evident that three of the four factors are involved. His financial woes in the 1990s, in particular, but probably going back two decades further, his vulnerabilities regarding young women (already the subject of lawsuits), and his gigantic ego all come into play, and have probably all been played like a violin ever since the Russian mafia came into Manhattan. When he was in the spy recruiting business, Levchenko wrote, “Mine was the second oldest profession in the world. And it’s not much different than the first. The oldest profession seduces the body; the second oldest seduces the soul.” His chief remedy to Americans was, poignantly, to “read the front pages of your newspapers, and read them every day. Read news magazines; read important books.” The press in democratic countries, he wrote, “is there to serve the readership. That is why my best advice for the future of the free world is read, inform yourselves, make your own interpretations and draw your own conclusions. Informed readerships will guarantee real freedom of the press.”
Nicholas F. Benton
Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Democrats are the New Republicans Family values. How long have we been subjected to that subjective phrase, championed by Republicans who equated it with heterosexuality, fecundity and Christian piety — and who appointed themselves the custodians of those? Well, they lost any remaining claim to that mantle by embracing Donald Trump and then Roy Moore. Neither won the support of all Republicans, but both won the backing or complicity of enough of them to confirm just how hollow and hypocritical the party’s attachment to conservative morality always was. Quote the Bible. Denounce abortion. Congratulations: You’re upholding family values! No questions asked about the number of your marriages, the extent of your infidelities or the scope of your sexual predation. Fiscal responsibility. How loudly have Republicans harangued us about that? It’s a NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE worthy harangue — or at least it would be if there were an iota of integrity and consistency behind it. But Republicans are poised to enact a sweeping overhaul of the tax code that will add nearly $1.5 trillion to federal deficits over the next decade. In all the news coverage of their need to finesse the math so that they don’t exceed that amount, the fact that they’re plunging the country so much deeper into the red in the first place almost gets lost. This, mind you, is the same political party that fetishized balanced budgets and browbeat Democrats about being the foolishly, fatally profligate ones. Republicans’ actions routinely contradicted their words, and their tax reform is a contradiction on steroids. Where’s the fiscal responsibility in legislation with such budgetary hocus-pocus as the expiration of individual rate cuts that the bill’s authors fully expect other lawmakers to preserve down the road? What pretty lies Republicans tell, most of all about themselves. And what a gorgeous opportunity they have given Democrats to steal that bogus rhetoric right out from under them. Try this on for size: Democrats are the party of family values because they promote the creation of more families. They did precisely that with their advocacy of marriage equality, which didn’t tug the country away from convention but toward it, by encouraging gay and lesbian Americans to live in the sorts of arrangements that conservatives in fact extol. Democrats also want to give families the flexibility and security that help keep them afloat and maybe intact. That’s what making the workforce more hospitable to women and increasing the number of Americans with health insurance do. And
Frank Bruni
Republicans lag behind Democrats on both fronts. Democrats are the party of fiscal responsibility because they don’t pretend that they can afford grand government commitments — whether distant wars or domestic programs — without collecting the revenue for them. Democrats are the party of patriotism, because they’re doing something infinitely more urgent and substantive than berating football players who kneel during the national anthem. They’re recognizing that a hostile foreign power tried to change the course of an American presidential election. They’re pressing for a full accounting of that. They’re looking for fixes, so that we can know with confidence that we control our own destiny going forward. The president, meanwhile, plays down the threat, and Republicans prop him up. Democrats are the party of national security. They don’t taunt and get into Twitter wars with the rulers of countries that just might send nuclear warheads our way. They don’t alienate longtime allies by flashing contradictory signals about their commitment to NATO. The leader of the Republican Party does all of that and more, denying the GOP any pretense to stewardship of a stable world order. Democrats are the law-and-order party. While many Republicans and their media mouthpiece, Fox News, labor to delegitimize the FBI and thus inoculate Trump, Democrats put faith in prosecutors, agents and the system. Democrats are the party of decency and modesty. None of their highest leaders uses the public arena to bully private citizens in the way that the Republican president does. None advances his or her financial interests as brazenly or brags as extravagantly. Democrats are the party of tradition, if it’s interpreted — and it should be — to mean a news media that operates without fear of government interference, an internet to which access isn’t tiered, judicial appointees who have a modicum of fluency in trial law. Under Trump’s thumb and spell, the Republican Party is watching the pillars of its brand crumble. Democrats should grab hold of and appropriate them. And they’re starting to, fitfully and imperfectly. Jettisoning Al Franken as the Republican National Committee reteamed with Moore was part of that effort. Who among us doesn’t care about family values, defined justly and embraced honestly? Who doesn’t see the good in patriotism, tradition and decency? They’re neither hokey words nor musty concepts, and that’s why Republicans have been using (and misusing) them. But in the age of Trump, they constitute a language that Democrats can more credibly speak.
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A Falls Church News-Press Advertorial
Falls Church Holiday Guide
DECEMBER 21 - 27, 2017 | PAGE 15
Where to Shop This Holiday Season City of Falls Church H������ F������ M�����
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The Holiday Farmers Market returns to the City Hall parking lot for four Saturdays in December! Enjoy the produce, meat, dairy, chocolates, flowers and plants you already love, infused to perfection with a little holiday spirit. Stroll along the expanded market, listen to local musicians, gobble on fresh donuts or crepes, sip on hot coffee, and shop for wreaths, gifts, and so much more. Open 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday December 2, 9, 16 and 23. The Farmers Market is open year-round, every Saturday.
City of Falls Church Holiday Farmers Market www.fallschurchva.gov/Holiday www.facebook.com/FallsChurchFarmersMarket
Dorothy and Ralph “Curly” Fox first opened Foxes Music in Falls Church on President Eisenhower’s Inauguration Day in 1953, and the store has remained a proudly independent and locally owned operation ever since. Many of you know Foxes as the place to go for the best deal on rental instruments for your child’s school band and orchestra. But you might not be aware that we also have an extensive selection of competitively priced intermediate and professional level instruments when your child is ready to advance. If you have a current or potential guitarist in the family, you should check out our vast guitar inventory, ranging from $99.00 beginner models to top of the line custom shop instruments.
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We are the area’s largest dealer for Fender and Martin guitars, and our knowledgeable staff can help you choose the perfect instrument for your needs. Also keep us in mind for banjos, mandolins, ukuleles, keyboards and beginner drum sets. Ukes make the perfect stocking stuffer – both economical and easy to learn. Once you’ve chosen your instrument, we have all the accessories you will need as well as the largest selection of sheet music in the D.C. area. Our faculty of experienced and professional private instructors are available to help you get started out on the right foot or help carry you to the next level of proficiency. Learning a musical instrument can be a personally fulfilling and even life-altering experience. Consider giving someone the gift of music this holiday season!
Foxes Music 416 S. Washington St., Falls Church, VA 22046 703-533-7393 • foxesmusic.com
Business Journal Seeking Nominees for Best Places to Work
B������� N��� � N���� Cyclebar Ribbon Cutting Set for Today A ribbon cutting will take place on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. to officially welcome Cyclebar to Falls Church. A ride at the premium indoor cycling studio has been scheduled for 6:15 p.m. and will be followed by a reception. Cyclebar, which opened Nov. 20, is located at 301 W. Broad Street. Visit fallschurch.cyclebar.com for a schedule or to register.
Dancing Mind Hosting Class on Buddhist Teachings
The Washington Business Journal is seeking companies that “go beyond the norm to foster an enjoyable and meaningful work environment for their employees” for its 2018 Best Places to Work. The nomination survey evaluates a number of criteria including team effectiveness, retention, trust in senior leaders, personal engagement, and more. Nominations to bizj. us/1perx1 are due by Jan. 19 at midnight. The Washington Business Journal will recognize the finalists and announce the top companies at its May 17 Awards Celebration at MGM National Harbor. The leading companies will also be profiled in the Washington Business Journal.
F.C. Chamber Offers Discounts from Local Businesses A number of special offers and discounts from local business are available via the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce on its website at www.fallschurchchamber.org/hotdeals. There are currently Hot Deals available to the general public at Dogwood Tavern, Dogfish Head Alehouse, Falls Church Distillers, Hilton Garden Inn, Italian Café, Mad Fox Brewing Company, and Supercuts. The mission of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce is to promote local business interests in order to foster economic prosperity and civic well-being in the greater Falls Church community. For more information, visit www.FallsChurchChamber.org.
Dancing Mind is hosting Buddhist Teachings – Mindfulness & Meditation Practices on Thursday, Dec. 28 from 7:30 – 8:15 p.m. The event will include a guided meditation, information, and a discussion. Dancing Mind is located at 929 W. Broad Street, Suite 101, Business News & Notes is compiled by Sally Cole, Executive Director of Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She mayClothes be emailed sally@fallschurchchamber.org. Falls Church. For more information, go to www.dancingmind.com. Pancake House Still Collecting &atToys
SPOT A STROKE StrokeAssociation.org
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News-Press Holiday Party Ends the Year Strong
THE 28TH ANNUAL News-Press Holiday party saw a plenty of new friends mingling with old ones as the night was filled with laughs, libations and surprisingly few leftover pizza slices once it was all said and done. A special thanks is extended to all those who attended and helped make the party memorable, especially the George Mason High School Jazz Ensemble who took time out of their busy schedule to brighten everyone up with their tunes. (Photos: Shaun Van Steyn and News-Press)
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DECEMBER 21 - 27, 2017 | PAGE 17
Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Concession Payment Projects Public Hearing Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018 Open house at 6 p.m.; hearing begins at 6:30 p.m. VDOT Northern Virginia District Office 4975 Alliance Drive Fairfax, VA 22030 If cancelled for inclement weather, the alternate date will be Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. The Commonwealth Transportation Board invites you to comment on projects to be funded by a concession fee to the Commonwealth as part of the financial agreement with Express Mobility Partners for the I-66 Express Lanes Outside the Beltway project. At a future meeting, the CTB will vote to amend these projects in the Commonwealth’s Six-Year Improvement Program.
GETTING THEIR TIME in the spotlight were members of Thomas Jefferson Elementary’s chorus and band, who performed for parents and neighbors at the school’s annual holiday concert last Thursday. (P����: C������� FCCPS P����/C���� S��)
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S����� N��� � N���� Henderson Students Place 1st in Stock Market Game
Volunteers Needed for Upcoming Science Fairs
The Mary Ellen Henderson (MEH) Middle School Stock Market Game team of Ryan Green, Elijah Pelton, Graham Gaskins, and William Jacobson placed first in the George Mason University regional competition. This was one of 11 MEH teams of sixth and seventh graders participating. Susan Deal’s team turned their virtual $100,000 into $106,377 over the 10-week game. There will be another challenge beginning in February. More information is available at the Virginia Council on Economic Education’s website.
STEM volunteers are needed to mentor teams and serve as judges at both Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School and George Mason High School for upcoming Science Fairs. Mason Science Fair Expo – Friday, Jan. 19 from 10 – 11 a.m. Henderson Science Fair – Thursday, Jan. 25 from 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Mentors are also needed to help students prepare their projects in the next few weeks. If you are available to visit the classroom or answer questions by email, you are encouraged to share your expertise with the students.
Selection Process for Geography Bee is Underway The annual competition to represent Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in the National Geography Bee has begun. On Monday, the sixth grade hallway was filled with contestants in chairs chosen through preliminary testing. The school’s nine finalists, three from each grade, will compete in front of the entire school in January. The winner earns their way into the state level competition by demonstrating their knowledge of U.S. and world geography as well as map questions.
GIVE Day to Help Hungry Families Coming in January The Falls Church Elementary Parent-Teacher Association (FCEPTA) is organizing GIVE Day ahead of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday event where “power packs” are assembled for distribution through Food for Others. Over 67,000 power packs are provided to 28 elementary schools in Fairfax County each year by Food for Others. Elementary school students can help ahead of time and on GIVE Day on Jan. 15.
The FCEPTA is also working to make Hurricane Care Packages for students in Houston and students from Puerto Rico now living in Florida. School supplies, clothing and shoes are being collected. Students, parents and community members alike are encouraged to consider donating supplies at the elementary schools or help through a monetary donation.
Falls Church High Football Players Earn Region Honors Falls Church High School recently announced that a number of the team’s varsity football players earned All Region recognition for their efforts during the 2017 season. For Region 5C, the following players were selected to the All Region first team: Dakwandre Marshall – Running back; Keyshaun Reaves – Defensive End and Luke Saia – Defensive Back. For Region 5C, the following players were selected to the All Region second team: Omar Tamimi – Center; Adrian Mitto – Offensive Line; Jason Sorto – Offensive Line; Luke Saia – Receiver; Roberto Argueta – Kicker; Bryan Giron – Defensive Line; Davon Marshall – Defensive Line and Elijah Rochon – Linebacker
Information related to the following projects will be available:
Rt. 234/Balls Ford Road interchange and relocation in Prince William Virginia Railway Express Manassas Line upgrade - Phase I Balls Ford Road widening from Groveton Road to Route 234 Business (Sudley Road) in Prince William I-66 median widening at Route 29 for WMATA in Fairfax Commuter parking garage at Fairfax Corner George Synder Trail in Fairfax City Widen Jermantown Road bridge to four lanes over I-66 in Fairfax Western bus maintenance facility in Prince William East Falls Church Metro Bus bay expansion in Arlington Monument Drive bridge pedestrian improvements in Fairfax Rt. 50/Waples Mill Road intersection improvements in Fairfax Construct Poplar Tree Road bridge to four lanes over Route 28 in Fairfax Lee Highway pedestrian improvements in Fairfax Nutley Street SW multi-use trail to Metro in Vienna
If you cannot attend the hearing, email comments to meetingcomments@vdot.virginia.gov and reference “I-66 Concession Projects” in the subject line, or mail them to Maria Sinner at VDOT’s District Office, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 through Jan. 8, 2018. VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact VDOT’s Civil Rights Division at 703-259-1775 or TTY/TDD 711.
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FALLS CHURCHCALENDAR COMMUNITYEVENTS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21 Made in Arlington Pop-Up Shop. This pop-up retail market is dedicated to selling unique items that are beautiful, wearable and edible from innovators and artisans in Arlington. The vendors are: Kingsbury Chocolates sweet confections; Mira Jean Designs home décor textiles; Can You Solve Me brain teaser puzzles; Arlington Weaves hand woven yoga mat straps; Commonwealth Joe locally roasted coffee; Dennison Lane hand stamped table linens; Gary Trusty hand lathed wood topped wine stops and Ham Smith artist designed t-shirts. Plaza Branch Library (2100 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington). 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
ries, songs, rhymes, fingerplays and flannel boards and introduces children to listening skills, picture books, the library, and the joy of reading. Ages 0-5. No registration required. Attendance is first-come, first-serve until seating capacity is reached. Central Library (1015 N Quincy St., Arlington) 10:15 – 10:45 a.m. 703-228-5946. English Conversation Class. A comfortable place for non-native speakers to practice their English language skills and techniques, led by experienced library staff and volunteers. Beginners and advanced learners are welcome. All classes are free; no registration required. Aurora Hills Branch Library (735 S 18th St., Arlington). 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. For more information, visit arlingtonva.libcal. com/event/3431722.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23
Stop in for Stories. This fun and interactive program combines activities such as read-aloud sto-
Holiday Farmers Market. Residents can attend the regular award-winning market –
with the produce, meat, dairy, chocolates, flowers, and bakedgoods that frequent the market throughout the year – as well as holiday specific items such as wreaths, gifts and more. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Falls Church). 8 a.m. – noon. 703-248-5027 (TTY 711). For more information, visit the Farmers Market’s website at fallschurchva.gov/fm. Toy Palooza. Local children and their parents/guardians are invited to play with the library’s toys. Recommended for ages 0-5, but all ages are welcome. Event takes place in the library’s large meeting room. Aurora Hills Branch Library (735 S 18th St.,Arlington). 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. For more information, visit arlingtonva.libcal. com/event/3531188. American Red Cross Blood Drive. Residents are encouraged to donate blood to help out needy medical patients in the area. Appointments can be scheduled or as walk-ins. If you’ve never
donated before, you can find out if you’re eligible by visiting redcrossblood.org. Shirlington Branch Library (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington). 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. For more information, visit arlingtonva.libcal.com/event/3637380.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26 Teen Winter Break Camp. An indoor camp intended to keep middle and high school-aged students from being too sedentary during their school’s winter break. Camp will include a variety of active, recreational events such as intramural sports as well as offbeat competitive games. This is a two day camp that starts on Tuesday and runs through Wednesday at the same times and at the same location. Recommended for ages 10-14. To register: use Activity Code 720528-A. Registration deadline is Friday, Dec. 22. Thomas Jefferson Community & Fitness Center (3501 S 2nd St., Arlington). 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 703-228-7783.
THEATER&ARTS
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22 “Madeline’s Christmas.” She’s Back! After a sold out run at the Cauldron in 2014, the theatre welcomes back everyone’s favorite precocious little Parisian. “In an old house in Paris, covered in vines, lived 12 little girls in two straight lines.” And with that familiar phrase, author, illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans sets in motion the adventures of the brave and resourceful Madeline! In this musical adaptation, Madeline’s schoolmates and tutor are all sick in bed on Christmas Eve, unable to go home to be with their families. So, it’s Madeline to the rescue! And with the help of a magical rug merchant she takes her friends on a Christmas journey they will never forget. Creative Cauldron (410 S Maple Ave., Falls Church). $25. 7:30 p.m. creativecauldron.org.
THURSDAY, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY DECEMBER 223 “Nina Simone: Four Women.” Velvet-throated songstress Nina Simone hypnotized audiences with her signature renditions of standards from the American
Fender | Martin | Jackson | Eastman Cordoba | Seagull | Schecter | Godin
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songbook. But on September 15, 1963, a devastating explosion in Birmingham, Alabama rocked our entire nation to the core, and from the memory of the four little girls who were lost in this unimaginable tragedy came “Four Women” Through storytelling and song, “Nina Simone: Four Women” reveals how this iconic chanteuse found her true voice — and how the “High Priestess of Soul” helped define the sound of the Civil Rights Movement. Arena Stage (1101 Sixth Street., Washington, D.C.) $56. 7:30 p.m. arenastage.org.
“My Name is Asher Lev.” Adapted from the celebrated novel by Chaim Potok, a humorous and compelling journey of a young Jewish painter torn between his Hassidic upbringing and his desperate need to fulfill his artistic promise unfolds. As art and faith collide, Asher must choose between his cultural roots and his vast artistic promise. This stirring adaptation of a modern classic presents a heartbreaking and triumphant vision of what it means to be an artist. 1st Stage Theatre (1524 Spring Hill Rd., Tysons). $33. 8 p.m. 1ststagetysons.org.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24 ”Crazy for You.” Beloved songs meet sensational dance in the ultimate feel-good musical comedy for the holiday season. A musical-loving banker sent to foreclose on a small-town theatre decides to revive it instead with the magic of the Follies, some slapstick comedy and a whole lot of charm. Flush with mistaken identities, a classic love story and 1930s glamour, The Gershwins’ and Ken Ludwig’s “Crazy for You” radiates with playful humor and highenergy show-stopping numbers. Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington). $40. 5 p.m. sigtheatre.org.
LIVEMUSIC THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21 Andrew O’Day. Clare and Don’s Beach Shack. (130 North Washington St., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-532-9283. Clauster
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Jammin
Java
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Songwriters Circle Holiday Edition featuring Todd Wright, Anthony Fiacco, Luke Brindley and Scott Simons. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $16. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566.
DECEMBER 21 – 27, 2017 | PAGE 19
A John Waters Christmas. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $55. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500. The David Kitchen Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-2419504. Chris Diller. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 9:30 p.m. 703-237-8333.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22 Jean’s TV & Beanstalk Library. Café Kindred. (450 North Washington St., Falls Church). 7 p.m. 571-327-2215. Steez Promo Presents…WOW! COOL! Tour feat. Ookay. 9:30 Club (815 V St. NW, Washington D.C.) $20. 9 p.m. 202-265-0930. 2nd Soul Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-241-9504. Dark & Stormy. Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $5. 9:30 p.m. 202-667-4527. The Days. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 The Mini-Clauster Family Holiday Happy Hour. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10 – $30. 2 p.m. 703-255-1566. Memphis Gold. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-241-9504. Shartel & Hume. Clare and Don’s Beach Shack. (130 North Washington St., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-532-9283. Freddie Jackson. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $49.50. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500. Jammin Java presents Todd Wright’s 15th Annual Santa
ANDREW O’DAY will be at Clare & Don’s in Falls Church today. (Photo: Rappahannock.com)
Clauster-f@%! Christmas Spectacular. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $30. 8 p.m. 703-255-1566. Next Up II Echelon The Seeker, Dreamcast, OG Lullabies, Redline Graffiti, FootsXColes and Flash Frequency. 9:30 Club (815 V St. NW, Washington D.C.) $15. 8 p.m. 202-265-0930. The Obsessed with Rezin and The Messthetics. Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW Washington, D.C.). $20. 8 p.m. 202-667-4527. Adwela and the Uprising Reggae Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-241-9504. Arnell Byrd. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24 Dixieland Direct. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls
Church). 1 p.m. 703-241-9504.
The Colliders. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-241-9504. Good For The Jews: Featuring Rob Tannenbaum + David Fagin. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $25. 7 p.m. 703-2551566. Sookie Jump. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 7:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 25 Downtown Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26 Charles Esten with N’est Pas. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $55. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500. Back To The 90’s feat. Dammit
Josie (Blink 182 Tribute) + Brain Stew (Green Day Tribute) + Getchoo (Weezer Tribute). Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 8 p.m. 703255-1566. Wolf Blues Jam Weekly Show. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27 Charles Esten with Jones Point. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $55. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500. Deanna Bogart Band with the Rick Jones Jazz Emporium. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $22. 7:30 p.m. 703-2551566. Open Mic with Bob Hume and Martha Capone and The Band. JV’s Restaurant (666 Arlington Blvd., Arlington) 8 p.m. 703-5228340.
Calendar Submissions Email: calendar@fcnp.com | Mail: Falls Church News-Press, Attn: Calendar, 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church, VA 22046 Be sure to include time, location, cost of admission, contact person and any other pertinent information. Event listings will be edited for content and space limitations. Please include any photos or artwork with submissions. Deadline is Monday at noon for the current week’s edition.
PAGE 20 | DECEMBER 21 - 27, 2017
SPO RTS
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Mason Girls Keep Finding New Ways to Win, Now 6-2
BY MATT DELANEY
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
As the season marches along, George Mason High School’s girls basketball team had another positive week, going 2-1 over three games with a 49-46 win over Washington-Lee High School on Tuesday and a 51-31 win over John Paul the Great Catholic High School on Dec. 15, preceded by a 50-32 loss to Bishop Ireton High School on Dec. 13. The wins haven’t been pretty, but Mason (6-2) has been effective at making key situations swing in their favor to decide contests. Whether it’s been a timely defensive stop or a big bucket at a critical juncture, the Mustangs have shown a collective feel for the game that’s been honed as the core starters are in their third season together. Against W-L, the maturation process was on full display. A 17-2 run to end the first half put Mason up 34-23 and appeared to set up a lead-padding stretch to
start the third quarter. Instead, the Mustangs put up a clunker and were outscored 11-5, with 60 percent of their points in the quarter coming on a midcourt, buzzer beating three from senior guard Victoria Rund. “Our approach [coming out of the half] was the same, we just couldn’t buy a bucket,” Mason head coach Michael Gilroy said. “We got to the spots we wanted, we were working the highlow game, but we weren’t being aggressive by getting to the rim. We were settling for three foot jumpshots.” Entering the fourth up 39-36, Mason and W-L’s offenses were reliant on converting their free throws to keep pace with one another. After one of the Generals players sank both her shots to put W-L within a possession at 46-43 at the 2:25 mark, madness ensued. Rund drove the lane, only to be stripped in the paint and start a Generals break the other way. Junior guard Maddie Lacroix snatched the ball right back
and set up senior guard Nicole Bloomgarden’s chance to seal the game. But Bloomgarden missed her layup, and then a three consecutive putback attempts by senior forward Kaylee Hirsch and sophomore forward Daria Douglas doinked off the backboard until the Generals secured the rebound, moved swiftly upcourt and drained a tying threepointer. Bloomgarden was then fouled and split a pair at the line to put the Mustangs ahead 47-46 with less than a minute remaining. On W-L’s go ahead possession, a Generals guard drove right for a short elbow shot but was denied by Douglas, who recovered the loose ball and passed to Lacroix, who was then fouled. Lacroix nailed both her free throws and Mason’s defense held strong on one last attempt to ensure the victory. The drama of Tuesday’s game wasn’t matched by either of last week’s. Mason led John Paul the Great 27-16 at the half and 39-27 by the end of the third quar-
LOCKING DOWN her man is sophomore forward Daria Douglas. Douglas had a key block late that helped Mason seal their 49-46 win over Washington-Lee High School. (P����: C���� S��) ter, but a 12-2 final frame for the Mustangs put the kibosh on any comeback attempt for the Wolves. Facing Ireton, Mason was down 33-17 by halftime and failed to close the scoring gap in
any meaningful way throughout the third and fourth quarter. Mason won’t play again until Dec. 27 against Fairfax High School at a holiday tournament hosted by Fairfax.
Mustangs Continue Early Trend of Home Victories and Road Woes BY MATT DELANEY
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
Finishing off their third week of the season, George Mason High School’s boys basketball team earned a hearty 66-52 win over Loudoun County High School on Dec. 14 followed up by a 78-67 loss to Washington-Lee High School on Tuesday. It’s been an up and down start to the year for Mason (3-5) as they’ve faced multiple out-ofconference opponents with a mild level of success. One thing that has held true for the Mustangs has been their ability to hold home court, where they are 3-0 on the year, but transferring that
confidence on the road has been troublesome. A bit more growing is in order, but it’s comforting for Mason to know there’s one court where they typically rule. “We’ve got kids who can play, and they love to play here,” Mason head coach Chris Capannola said. “That’s a big thing with us; they protect the home court.” When facing Loudoun County last week, the Mustangs took advantage of an early 15-10 lead in the first quarter to a 36-23 advantage by halftime thanks to hot shooting from senior guard Anish Chatterjee and junior forward Hollman Smith, who both connected from long range frequently in the quarter.
Coming out of the half the third prong in Mason’s offense, junior guard Max Ashton, found his rhythm and joined Chatterjee and Smith in helping keep a cushion from the pressing Raiders. Loudoun County’s offense – which moved at a rapid clip – is predicated on driving to the hoop then either finding a cutter for an easy bucket inside or kicking the ball out to the perimeter for a three-ball. The latter approach was favored by the team as they tried to cut down the Mustangs’ consistent seven to 10 point margin throughout the contest. As the game entered the fourth quarter with Mason up 52-40, the Raiders began selling out for long
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range buckets. The strategy, while effective throughout the most of the game, became predictable to the heady Mustangs by the later stages as they began to clog passing lanes once Loudoun County’s guard’s entered the paint. “I was up last night watching two of [Loudoun County’s] games, watching their point guard and learning all his moves, so I felt prepared guarding him and all of them,” Smith said. Foul trouble ultimately did the Raiders in. Six of Mason’s final eight possessions wound up at the free throw line, where they went seven for 10 and closed the game out. Chatterjee’s corner three and a breakaway layup from Smith
following a steal put the finishing touches on the win. Against W-L on Tuesday, the Mustangs continued their road struggles. A slow start left them down 17-11 after one quarter and 35-21 by halftime. The large deficit proved to be too much for Mason. They shortened the Generals’ lead to 50-41 entering the fourth quarter, but the Mustangs and W-L exploded for 26 and 28 points, respectively, and prevented Mason from being able to mount a comeback. The Mustangs will play their next game on Dec. 27 as a part of the opening match of the Joe Cascio Holiday Classic at Falls Church High School.
Live Trivia Every Thursday Night
A RTS&E NTE RTA I NME NT
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Crossword
ACROSS
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Across
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1. One calling the shots 5. Louvre pyramid architect 10. "No need to wake me!" 14. A penny is a small one 15. Erin of "Happy Days" 16. Break 17. Figure in academia 18. Of ____ (somewhat) 19. 1960s civil rights leader ____ Brown 20. St____ 23. "Treasure Island" monogram 24. Italy's equivalent of the BBC 25. "____ your style" 28. Fl____co 32. Pro 34. Auditioner's hope 35. Loki or Thor 36. R____ 41. Notorious 2008 bailout recipient, for short 42. "... ____ saw Elba" 43. Question 44. L____t 49. Cuisinart setting 50. Female in a pasture 51. HBO competitor 54. "Who agrees with me?" (or this crossword solver's cry while deciphering the clues for 20-, 28-, 36- and 44-Across) 59. Cumming of "The Good Wife" 61. Determined to do 62. Dive shop rentals 63. Sushi bar soup 64. Haughty 65. French I verb 66. Rounded hammer end
STRANGE BREW
1. One calling the shots
DECEMBER 21 – 27, 2017 | PAGE 21 45. Use for support 46. 2017 Jordan Peele horror film 47. Where primatologist Dian Fossey worked 48. It was a dark period for Poe 51. Most common surname in the U.S. in 1990, 2000 and 2010, according to the U.S. Census 52. Painter Matisse 53. Start 55. Kids' road trip game 56. Richard of "American Gigolo" 57. George Orwell's alma mater 58. Some 59. Crank (up) 60. Fib
67. Gossipmonger 68. Tiny amount
DOWN
1. Negative attention from the press, briefly 2. He's @SHAQ on Twitter 3. There are five on China's flag 4. Transmitted 5. "Your work is wonderful" 6. Tile art 7. Grad student's mentor 8. Rank below marquis 9. Fascinated by 10. Aid after a computer crash, say 11. "They say ____ are made in heaven. But so is thunder and lightning": Clint Eastwood 12. Actress Thurman 13. Oomph 21. British singer/actress Rita 22. Smartened (up) 26. Mall stand 27. Squash or squelch 28. ____ Plaines, Illinois 29. Singer of a famous bath time song 30. Tic-tac-toe winner 31. ____ Rida ("My House" rapper) 32. "Goodbye, mon ami!" 33. Cuban's home? 37. Hunt in Hollywood 38. Suffix with deposit 39. "Oh, ____ cryin' out loud!" 40. Back muscle, informally 41. Artist Jean who pioneered in Dadaism
JOHN DEERING
5. Louvre pyramid architect
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V A D E R
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Sudoku Level:
10. "No need to wake me!"
Last Thursday’s Solution I M O F F
S E M I Z E A V G O I N R L A V I A R T M A A R
E G G N O G L A M E D U C K
S A R A N M A N O L O
L I E V I G S E A T V I E T S M R E A G F Y A N
G A R D E N E D
M I K A D O
A R L O O N M I E I N
C O R P R I E R E L L Y D G S T R I T A A J A R L O C A E E K S S E M T A M O R N O V A D J E D S I R E
By The Mepham Group 4
14. A penny is a small one 15. Erin of "Happy Days" 16. Break 17. Figure in academia 18. Of ____ (somewhat) 19. 1960s civil rights leader ____ Brown 20. St____
1
23. "Treasure Island" monogram 24. Italy's equivalent of the BBC 25. "____ your style"
LOOSE PARTS
DAVE BLAZEK
28. Fl____co 32. Pro
Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle
NICK KNACK
1
© 2017 N.F. Benton
12/24/17
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 www.sudoku.org.uk.
© 2017 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
LO CA L
PAGE 22 | DECEMBER 21 – 27, 2017
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Critter Corner
BACK IN THE DAY
dog. lazy ick qu The fox sly p e d j u m the over dog. lazy is the Now for all time cows good co me to aid to the the ir of t u r e . pas
20 s Yearo Ag
is the Now for all time cows good co me to aid to the the ir of t u r e . p a s is the Now for all time cows good me to to coaid of the their.
20 & 10 Years Ago in the News-Press
Falls Church News-Press Vol. VII, No. 41 • December 25, 1997
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. XVII, No. 42 • December 20, 2007
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
Loud Public Outcry Puts City Charter Changes on Hold
F.C. Council Goes Behind Closed Doors in Push to OK City Center
A large and vocal parade of Falls church citizens stepped up the microphone in front of the City Council Monday night to speak out against nine proposed City Charter changes The force of the opposition was enhanced by the participation of three former City mayors, and the entire current membership of the City’s School Board and Planning Commission who were in attendance
A hastily-called meeting, calling together the Falls Church City Council, Planning Commission and Economic Development Authority behind closed doors at City Hall tonight, will mull some new elements added to Atlantic Realty’s City Center plan as the clock ticks toward deadline which, if missed, would call the whole thing off. “My hardest task has been to convince the City Council that the deadline we face is real,” Atlantic Realty’s Adam Shulman told the News-Press this week.
SIMBA is a huge fluff-ball with a ton of personality. He loves the outdoors and chilly winter air, and if you see the Blanton family walking him around town, he’ll surely say hello. Simba loves everyone, and if you give him some cheese, you’ll be his favorite person (until the next cheese donation comes along). Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.
MILO (second from left, played by Talia Cutler) walks through the Word Market with Bah Humbug (center, played by Derek Bradley) as Tock (left, played by Amanda Ranowsky) looks on. (Photo: Courtesy Providence Players)
Providence Players’ ‘Phantom Tollbooth’ Does Novel Justice by Orrin Konheim
Falls Church News-Press
With its use of wordplay and clever symbolism, “The Phantom Tollbooth” is a spiritual cousin of sorts to “Alice in Wonderland” though, disappointingly, a far less famous literary work Norton Juster, who wrote the book in 1961 while procrastinating from another book project, truly creates a wondrous world that sparks a child’s imagination. This is a world where people eat their words quite literally, where a spelling bee is literally a giant
insect who spells words (fortunately this one is more dedicated to education than using her stinger), and when a character is on trial and asks for a short sentence, the judge mercifully grants him “I am” but then adds 6 million years for good measure. Juster’s story follows a bored school child named Milo who finds a portal into another world ruled by two parallel kingdoms: King Azaz the Unabridged rules over Dictionopolis, the land of words, while his brother the Mathmagician rules over the land of numbers. Accompanied
by a watchdog (key word: watch, he wears a giant clock) and a snooty insect called the Bah Humbug, Milo undergoes an intellectually trippy version of Joseph Campbell’s standard hero’s journey (the narrative arc most famously copied for “Star Wars”) where he has to rescue the princesses appropriately named Rhyme and Reason. The stage adaptation (by Susan Nanus) allows for such a conceptually challenging book to really come to life. Because the book is dialogue-heavy, the words leap off the page and the
rhythm (particularly with the five assistants to King Azaz who echo everything he says with a different synonym) allows younger audiences, who might not get every detail of the book, to get the jokes. Another joke that only works on stage: As the trio is fleeing from demons, they encounter a “census taker” who holds them up by asking them frivolous questions about their lives before sending them into a trance. The twist? It turns out he’s a malicious “SENSES” taker and he intends to strip them of their senses including their sense of purpose and sense of duty. The Providence Players of Fairfax and the Young Hearts production, directed by Chip Gertzog, takes advantage of a cast diverse in ages to make this feel like a true reflection of the community and having older actors playing King Azaz (Bob Thompson) and the Mathmagician (Stuart Fischer) helps cement. Milo is played by 12-year-old Talia Cutler, a Kilmer
Middle School student who has appeared in local productions and performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. According to assistant director Charlotte Gertzog (Chip’s daughter) the casting team looked for the best actor rather than consider gender and there’s little lost here. The cast is capable all-around with a few highlights. Susan Kaplan, playing the spelling bee and the ever-present word snatcher, knows how to project to a younger audience while looking like she’s having fun with the part. Her nemesis, the Bah Humbug, Derek Bradley, has a wonderful theatricality. The two-act play is presented economically with a combination of video screens and painted sets to provide a sense of depth to the visuals. But this is a play that’s all about the words (and, in the second act, the numbers) and this is a cast that does a good enough job bringing those words to life, that it’s definitely worth seeing.
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DECEMBER 21 - 27, 2017 | PAGE 23
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Public Notice ABC LICENSE
JATUPATS, LLC., Trading as: Side St & Sushi Bar by I-Thai. 8603 Westwood Center Drive, Suite 100, Vienna, Virginia 22182-2230. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) for a Wine, Beer and Mixed Beverages On Premises license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. Gunlaya Boonyaket, Owner. 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.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CITY COUNCIL CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA A public hearing regarding the resolution referenced below is scheduled for Monday, January 8, 2018 at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as may be heard. (TR18-01) RESOLUTION TO INITIATE EMINENT DOMAIN PROCEEDINGS AGAINST THE FOLLOWING PROPERTIES: 301 FELLOWS COURT; 306 PARKER AVENUE; 304 PARKER AVENUE; 302 PARKER AVENUE; 502 S. OAK STREET; 302 FELLOWS COURT; AND 304 FELLOWS COURT (REAL PROPERTY CODE NUMBERS 52-206-090, 52-206-091, 52-206-092, 52-206-093, 52-206-094, 52206-095, 52-206-096) (TOGETHER FORMERLY KNOWN AS 604 S. OAK STREET.) These properties are also known as Lots 1-7, Oak Park Subdivision, Section Three, in the City of Falls Church, Virginia, as created and shown in the Arlington County Land Records, Instrument 20170100003424. All public hearings will be held in the Falls Church Community Center, 223 Little Falls Street, Falls Church, Virginia. For copies of legislation, contact the City Clerk’s office at (703-248-5014) or cityclerk@fallschurchva. gov. 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). CELESTE HEATH CITY CLERK
We are pledged to the letter andspirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-8530. Toll free call (888) 551-3247. For the hearing impaired call (804) 367-9753.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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