Falls Church News-Press 12-30-2021 by Falls Church News-Press

Dec. 30, 2021 - Jan 5, 2022

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FOU N D E D 1991 • VOL. XXXI NO. 46

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Final Court Ruling Puts Simon Back In F.C.

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But State Senator District Has 2 Existing Lawmakers BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

The final order was issued late Tuesday by the Virginia Supreme Court establishing new boundaries for all the state delegate and senate and U.S. congressional districts, and the City of Falls Church’s position was modified from the most recent draft. The final version keeps U.S. Rep. Don Beyer as Falls Church’s representative in the U.S. Congress and Del. Marcus Simon as its representative in the House of Delegates. But it is drawn out of the State Senate district currently held by Sen. Dick Saslaw and into one that is currently occupied by two sitting State Senators, Sen. Dave Marden of Burke and Sen. Chap Peterson of the City of Fairfax. In late revisions made in recent days, Falls Church City was moved out from an earlier draft that placed it in districts otherwise dominated by

Continued on Page 4

LONG LINES appeared in downtown Falls Church this week of citizens looking for scarce Covid-19 tests, re�lective of the national situation as the latest variant of the virus has surged in recent days. (P��: N��-P��)

Meet Falls Church Government’s Mover & Shaker

BY AMANDA SNEAD

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

Finding someone more passionate about city government than Cindy Mester would be difficult. She began working for the City of Falls Church in 2005

and has since moved into the role of Deputy City Manager, a role that includes a wide range of duties which she describes as “facilitating, collaborating and negotiating.” Before beginning to work for the city of Falls Church,

Mester spent over 20 years in Loudoun County, where she interned during her last semester at Longwood, which helped her to realize how much she enjoyed working with and being a part of a community. “My basic function is to help

build community,” she said. “I love local government because of that. I’ve been doing this type of work since 1983. My main role is to facilitate, collaborate and negotiate.”

Continued on Page 11

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After serving on Falls Church City Council for four years, Litkenhous shares a piece of his farewell speech from the recpetion for incoming and outgoing Council members earlier this month.

As 2021 comes to an end, Supervisor Penny Gross of the Mason District in Fairfax shares her plans for projects to be completed next year. This includes pedestrian projects, park maintenance and more.

SEE GUEST COMMENTARY, PAGE 7

SEE REGIONAL, PAGE 8

INDEX

Editorial............................................... 6 Letters................................................. 6 Comment .........................................7,8 Crime Report ...................................... 8 Calendar ........................................... 10 News & Notes.............................12,13 Business News ................................. 14 Comics.............................................. 16 Classified Ads ................................... 17 Critter Corner.................................... 18

PAGE 2 | DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022 | PAGE 3

City of Falls Church Recreation & Parks

Winter-Spring Class Registration City Residents Register January 3

Non-City Residents Register January 10

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PAGE 4 | DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Final Redistricting Maps Keep Beyer, Simon in F.C. City Continued from Page 1

Arlington. Instead, in the case of the House of Delegates, it will remain the center of a “greater Falls Church” territory of eastern Fairfax County that is currently represented by incumbent Del. Marcus Simon. While that will leave Simon in command of his Falls Churchcentric district, it is not known who will lead the 37th Senate district, whether Marsden and Peterson will go head to head in a fight over it. The latest Supreme Courtapproved district maps grew out of a tortured redistricting process that had been approved by the Virginia legislature in an attempt to end partisan-led gerrymandering with a bipartisan committee approach. A Virginia Redistricting Commission was formed to submit a plan but it failed to reach a consensus, kicking the process to the Supreme Court.. As the commission wound up in a gridlock this fall, the result, as written into the law, became a reversion to the state Supreme

Court, a body of seven appointed by the legislature with a majority appointed by Republicans. The Supreme Court appointed ostensibly non-partisan specialists, called “Special Masters,” to craft the new districts in a process that included ample opportunity for public input. In a statement by the Supreme Court, signed by Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons and reflecting a unanimous vote of that court, it was noted that the final redistricting maps “followed the Court’s instructions and have fully complied with federal and state law, encompassing the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.” The final redistricting maps prepared by the Special Masters “are fully compliant with constitutional and statutory law applied, as the Court directed, in an apolitical and non-partisan manner,” according to the Lemons letter, and have been “thereby designated as Supreme Court of Virginia Final Order and Approved Maps adopted and effective immediately.”

DEL. MARCUS SIMON (far left) and his booth at a recent Memorial Day festival in F.C. He will continue to represent Falls Church in new maps drawn for redistricting and OK’d by the Virginia Supreme Court this week. (C�� P��)

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

E.O. Wilson’s ‘Species Love’ & LGBTQs

While the passing this week of towering human rights champion Bishop Desmond Tutu stands as the most significant globally, a more recent death has occured of another seminal figure, entomologist Dr. E.O. Wilson, hailed by many as one of the greatest scientists of our time for his contributions in the areas of conservation, biodiversity and the planet. I drew from Dr. Wilson’s work in my best selling book, “Extraordinary Hearts, Reclaiming Gay Sensibility’s Central Role in the Progress of Civilization” (Lethe Press, 2013), citing Dr. Wilson’s FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS groundbreaking contributions on the central role of altruism in societies and the role of that in defining LGBTQ identity. Quoting extensively from my book here: Chapter Title: ”In Nature We Are Different for a Reason” Our society remains trapped in a male chauvinist paradigm. Boys are raised to be soldiers, either in real wars or in a colorless corporate world, and girls are raised to serve their men and nest. All are held, through relentless cultural and religious bombardment, in a matrix of debt slavery. With student loan debt, mortgages and the costs of raising a family, an illusion of freedom is really debt slavery defining the parameters of “normative” lives. Freedom is limited to choice of beers. The work of E.O. Wilson cited the central concept of “group selection” as an explanation that most evolutionary biologists now dismiss because “the advantages of generosity are much less tangible than the benefits of selfishness.” But Wilson thinks it is the key to understanding altruism. In cases of “cooperating” microbes, plants and even female lions, “clumps of cooperators thrive and replicate, while selfish groups wither and die,” Wilson wrote in 2007. “Selfishness beats altruism within groups. Altruistic groups beat selfish groups.” He concludes that “what makes us human is that our history is shaped by both (altruistic and selfish) forces.” Altruism as a concept, in the context of normative, fundamentally selfish male dominated society, is akin to the preponderant traits of non-normative types, and is indispensable for the success of society. That accounts for us. The thought-through implications of the bio-evolutionary and genetic evidence for what can be called “altruism” as a central, indispensable component for the successful survival and evolution of species are truly astounding and revolutionary, especially as they bear upon questions of the normalcy and necessity of same-sex erotic attraction... Jonah Lehrer’s article about the discoveries of entomologist E.O. Wilson in the March 5, 2012 edition of The New Yorker moved the conversation far beyond the commonly held interpretations of Charles Darwin’s “natural selection” and “survival of the fittest” notions of evolution. Wilson’s work focused on “the advantages of generosity” versus the “benefits of selfishness” in the success of species observed in nature, and found that the former trumps the latter when it comes to the ability of groups to “thrive and replicate…” The stunning discovery being introduced is that the genus of same-sex erotic attraction is not a variant of the heterosexual reproductive impulse at all. Instead, it is a manifestation of “species love.” Evidence from history has shown since ancient Greece a strong connection between such “species love” and social progress. It is a connection inclined to overthrow arbitrary tyranny in favor of an extension of institutions of justice (including for women, orphans and slaves), legally-constituted democracy, negotiation over war, and the promotion of invention, science and universal education against tyrannically imposed superstition and fear. This connection represents in human evolution and progress the operation of the same kind of “altruism” that Wilson observed in his natural studies. As with Wilson’s studies, that impulse is in constant tension with that of selfishness, and especially with a selfishness prevailing in “might makes right” and “survival of the fittest” assertions by the strongest, most always aggressive and deadly males among a species. This tension exists throughout nature and throughout human history. Its pervasiveness and permanence accounts for why forces of “altruism” have always fought to establish lasting institutions as bastions of strength and perseverance against perennial onslaughts of “might makes right” tyrannical impulses....and the best leaders of the Enlightenment saw crafting democratic constitutions as important to overthrowing tyrannies as the revolutions themselves.

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DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022 | PAGE 5

Nicholas F. Benton

Our Man in Arlington By Charlie Clark

Curse you, Covid. You blew up our year-old assumption that 2021 would bring improvements over plague-year 2020. Still, this year brought many historic events (some positive!) to Arlington, prompting me to exploit my columnist’s prerogative with a personal list. On the now-infamous Jan. 6, Arlington police agreed, under a Metropolitan Police mutual aid agreement, to send officers to Capitol Hill to help quell an insurrection still being investigated. In March, George Mason University demolished the building that housed the beloved Kann’s Department Store. Just weeks later, the estate of homebuilder Randy Rouse brought in bulldozers to take down the 150-year-old FebreyLothrop House. In the building-up-not-tearing down department, VDOT reps on March 12 joined with Arlington and Falls Church leaders to cut the ribbon on the new W&OD Bridge bicyclepedestrian bridge. County Manager Mark Schwartz on June 4 announced he was making permanent the appointment of acting Arlington Police Chief Charles “Andy” Penn, who replaced the retired Jay Farr. Arlington House, the Potomacside 19th-century manse conceived by George Washington Parke Custis, was reopened by the National Park Service on June 8 after a three-year renovation of the exhibits (delayed by the pandemic). Come see fresh interpretations of the enslaved com-

munity, Custis and Robert E. Lee. Lee took a further demotion on July 19 when the county board, after years of discussion, changed the name of Lee Highway to Langston Blvd. A week later, the board addressed police reform by creating a Community Oversight Board with power to subpoena officers and launch probes. The Arlington branch of the NAACP complained that the group’s powers did not include disciplining errant cops. On Aug. 30, Arlington Public Schools opened the Cardinal School in Westover, after three years of rapid construction and controversy over school names. The Central Library auditorium— its audience augmented by Zoom— on Oct. 16 hosted the first symposium on Arlington’s Latino history. Five pioneer elected officials of that heritage participated. County brass and history curators gathered at Lubber Run Community Center on Oct. 19 for the pandemicdelayed marking of the 100th year anniversary of Arlington taking its name in 1920. And two weeks before Veterans Day, French visitors and Arlington’s Sister City reps combined at Arlington National Cemetery to mark the 100th anniversary of the selection of an unidentified deceased American WWI doughboy for internment in what is now the Tomb of the Unknowns. Continuing demolition news, December brought the demise of the Highlander Motel and the 130-yearold Fellows-McGrath House. Most languishing from my own

p.o.v. was the covid-caused postponement of the 50th-year reunion of my Yorktown High School Class of 1971. Long planned for October, it was reluctantly re-set for next June. Lots of cool 50th anniversaries could have been marked at that gathering: the creation of Amtrak, NPR, Masterpiece Theater, Wolf Trap, the Kennedy Center, Disney World. 1971 was also a standout for reverberating news events: Release of the Pentagon Papers, President Nixon’s floating of the dollar, Henry Kissinger’s secret trip to China, the May Day anti-war protests, the first microprocessor. 1971 is also considered a pivotal year in music lo these 50 years since: Think of Carole King’s “Tapestry,” Joni Mitchell’s “Blue,” John Lennon’s “Imagine,” Marvin Gaye’s “What Going On?,” all in a book (and recent Apple TV documentary on 1971—”The Year that Music Changed Everything”). Together, we’ll recall these in better health—in 2022. *** Our thespian jurist: Circuit Court Chief Judge William T. Newman Jr. wowed an audience this month with his one-man performance of August Wilson’s play “How I Learned What I Learned.” The autobiographical work by the celebrated African-American dramatist was staged at the Avant Bard Theatre at the Gunston Performing Arts Center Dec. 1-19, with support from Arlington Cultural Affairs. My friend the attorney George Dodge was impressed. Newman stood and acted for “two solid hours without a water break and without cue cards,” Dodge told me. Newman afterwards explained that he practiced three hours a day for several months.

PAGE 6 | DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022 

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Vol. XXXI, No. 46 Dec. 30, 2021 - Jan. 5, 2022 • City of Falls Church ‘Business of the Year’ 1991 & 2001 • • Certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia to Publish Official Legal Notices • • Member, Virginia Press Association •

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‘Don’t Look Up!’ Vs. Look Way Up

The interesting thing about the new film just released over this holiday season, “Don’t Look Up,” is the breadth of its satirical critique of our modern society. There is really very little that is left unscathed in our current society by it, and every bit is deserved. As such, the film, chock full of top-drawer acting talent, sends a powerful holiday message: America, stop acting like idiots because the very existence of our species and our planet are at stake. People can argue over whether the extinction event such as portrayed in that film, earth being hit by a large meteor, is a metaphor for the Covid pandemic, climate change, a nuclear war, the re-election of Trump or some other catastrophe. Or, maybe somebody knows there is a big meteor heading our way and is trying to soften the blow ahead of time. The underlying reality the film tries to get at is how stupidly insensitive our society has become, and most singularly with respect to a lack of respect for science and the truth. The film is a painful tribute to how far we’ve come away from respect for such basic things, being the failures that led to the election of Trump and the continuing menace he represents. It’s the kind of film that begs to give all the actors who are participating in the inability to face reality a huge slap in the face. Wake up, people! So that bracing slap might be the best gift we get this holiday season, after all. It corresponds with the softer critique offered by Jason Sudakis, the comedian and actor who stars in the year’s most popular TV sitcom, “Ted Lasso.” On “Saturday Night Live” when asked to explain the success of the show, Sudakis quipped, “I don’t know, because it’s about two things our society hates: soccer and kindness.” Take that as another dig at what has become of our culture. Our culture has been numbed by the substitution of real heroes (like our front line scientists and health care workers) with fake ridiculous ones, cartoon ones, whether on the screen or the national ritual of heroes sacrificing the one thing that defines them as important, their minds, to dozens of grunting collisions on mock fields of battle, in so-called football. It should be called “brainball,” instead, to identify the organ most impacted by it. Yet as some, at least, are looking to do more to sound the alarm for the health, present and future, of human civilization, a game changer may have come in the event this month – the launch of the James Webb Telescope – which if it functions as planned, is going to light up the nighttime sky from our perspective, with images that will be vastly beyond anything even the best work of the Hubble Telescope has been able to show us. We predict we’ll learn conclusively that there is intelligent life out there this coming year!

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VA Liquor Sales Laws Questioned Editor, Returning to Virginia after a few years away, I am freshly stunned by the usury of the Virginia alcohol control board, or whoever sets the tax levels for liquor. My host asked me to bring some bourbon when I visited, and I absentmindedly thought to pick some up at the local grocery store…Ah, no, not in Virginia..yikes, what gouging prices! Has anyone looked into the profits the state makes the versus the amounts lost to sales to Virginians who run to the District or Maryland for cheaper prices? My home state, California, like most sensible states, turns the liquor sales over to grocery stores, and avoids the wasteful losses of the overhead of state run liquor stores, salaried clerks and managers, while simply reaping solid profits from the taxes alone..and the prices are much lower. And the selection is infinitely better..doesn’t that make more sense? why on Earth would a capitalist state like Virginia have state- run (i.e., socialist) liquor stores…?

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DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022 | PAGE 7

G � � � � C � � � � � �� City Council Member Shares Farewell Comments B� R�� L��

Tonight, I am humbled, and inspired. Thankful but also sad. I certainly did not expect such a wide range of emotions as I began to see the fade of twilight on my current council term. These last four years have been a tangible reminder for me of why community service and civic engagement are critical in these difficult times. As one of our nation’s transformational civil rights leaders once said “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?” It is simply not enough to advocate for change through donations or behind keys on a message board. To affect real change in our community we must contribute our time and volunteer our expertise. Without a donation of that finite and precious resource, we are merely pushing the responsibility for change onto others in hopes that someone else will be the change we want to see. There is no substitute for personal contribution in the arena of community service. For anyone out there listening that feels inspired to take up the torch of volunteerism in a more pronounced way, I encourage you to aim high. As a father of three daughters, a husband, a coach, and business owner, taking on this role did not come without costs. That personal sacrifice is real and depending on the day, priorities will shift, and those priorities from yesterday may suffer as you shift your

attention elsewhere. But that’s life. We will always fill our days up with whatever tasks are at hand. Big or small. But, you will always make time for what matters and it is possible to balance a time

“It is simply not enough to advocate for change through donations or behind keys on a message board. To affect real change in our community we must contribute our time and volunteer our expertise.

consuming yet important volunteer role like this with other responsibilities. And as one wise mayor said to me, this job is what you make of it. You can spend 40 hours a week or you can spend four. You’ll get out of it what you put into it. Personally, I gave it everything I could, and I am incredibly proud of what we have collectively accomplished over these last four years. We have navigated some very trying times and completed major capital investments that touch every corner of this city. And we did it all while generating surpluses and lower-

ing tax rates. Given that recent precedent, as a departing member of our budget and finance committee, I find it useful and appropriate tonight, to remember that our primary role here as a council is to act as responsible stewards of taxpayer money and to provide those who have entrusted us, to advance policies and decisions that represent our collective values. We must balance the will of the majority while offering an equal platform for change to the minority. Most importantly, we must remember that the loudest voices in the room are not always the voices that represent the greater community’s will. Which is why, as council, we must always seek the engagement of fellow citizens, beyond our insulated inner circles, engaging neighbors we don’t often see but who deserve equal representation. Those who may not have the time, resources, or ability to speak up. We should strive to be fact finders as much as we are policy makers. I am proud to have served on this council. And as I look across this dais and take stock of our leadership at City Hall, and beyond, I am hopeful and optimistic for our future. A final parting comment to the hundreds of employees that make Falls Church an exceptional place to live. Thank you for everything you do. What you do, day in and day out for the taxpayers, families and businesses in this

community is inextricably linked to the quality of life that we enjoy. Much of what you do is unseen and unknown but please know, as a council member and taxpayer, without your passion, commitment and hard work, the luster of Falls Church would be greatly diminished. I am truly thankful to have been afforded this opportunity to contribute my time and expertise at a unique moment in Falls Church history where that contribution could be used to the best of its ability. Most of all, I am honored to have been given this opportunity by our voters to spend four years doing what has truly been the most rewarding and purposeful thing I have ever done in my career. And to my fellow council members, city staff, school colleagues, and other incredible volunteers on our boards and commissions, thank you for your own contributions. I look forward to working with you in the future in a new capacity to continue the important work we are doing here. Time is our most precious commodity, and I can think of no more rewarding investment than committing that time to improve the lives of those around us.

Litkenhous served as a member of the Falls Church City Council for four years. This piece is a shortened version of his farewell comments from the reception for incoming and outgoing council members on December 13.

Q�� W�� Do you plan to go out for New Years Eve? • Yes

• No

• Not sure

Last Week’s Question: Do you find an increase in real joy this season?

25% Yes

63% No

12% Not Sure Visit www.FCNP.com to cast your vote

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

PAGE 8 | DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022

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A Penny for Your Thoughts

News of Greater Falls Church By Supervisor Penny Gross

Personal New Year’s resolutions – lose weight, stop smoking, learn a new language, save for the proverbial rainy day -- often are set up to be broken before the month is out. Those rely on personal gumption and doggedness. Resolutions on the professional or work side, however, must rely on a team approach to achieve the desired goal(s). In Mason District and Fairfax County, the team may include residents, community leaders, county and state staff, as well as elected officeholders. Some resolutions can be achieved rather quickly; others take much more time. Following are a few examples for 2022. Pedestrian facilities along Sleepy Hollow Road from Bay Tree Lane to Leesburg Pike (Route 7) are intermittent, and it is not safe to walk on the shoulder of the roadway. The Sleepy Hollow Road Walkway Project was first proposed in 1987, but funding was removed by then-Supervisor Tom Davis because of community opposition. The current design has been modified to add sidewalks where there are none today, using some of the under-utilized parking lanes to accommodate the pedestrian walkway, and improve pedestrian crossings. Some sidewalk widths have been narrowed to reduce the loss of tree cover and mitigate the need for some retaining walls. Easements and land acquisition are proceeding, and funding has been identified. Originally, the project was slated for completion in November 2021 but, like so many infrastructure projects, was affected by the Covid19 pandemic. Let’s get it done in 2022! Another pedestrian project, the Annandale Greenway, started earlier this year, when a group of volunteers began exploring green connections in the built environment. Stepping off from Green Spring Gardens Park in Lincolnia, the proposed four-mile Greenway utilizes existing park trails and public walkways through Annandale, ending at Annandale Community Park near Hummer Road. A few crossings will need assistance from the Virginia Department of Transportation, and discussions have begun between the volunteer organization and county and state officials. It’s an exciting idea, and most of it has been there all along!

Park maintenance must be a focus for 2022. Our parks are very popular, but that very popularity places stress on the park environment. Keeping up with trash collecting after a busy weekend can take hours of staff time, even if the trash is properly deposited in designated receptacles. Also needed, hopefully in the FY2023 budget, is a trail crew – designated staff whose job is to maintain the trail system – remove tree limbs and debris, repair washouts, clear invasives from the trails, re-establish wayfinding signs – to make a stroll or a hike that much more enjoyable. Justice High School sorely needs the renovation and expansion that was delayed because of the pandemic and a search for solutions to needed parking requirements. The school system regrouped and filed for a rezoning of the existing school property, a public process that will take several months to accomplish, and that will provide ample opportunity for community input. Falls Church High School’s renovations also are behind schedule; renovations at both schools will benefit incoming students and accommodate growth in the area with updated classrooms and labs, geared for 21st century technology. Thank you to the voters who approved multiple school bond referenda for these capital improvements. The Skyline 1, 2, and 3 office buildings (the 16-story “black” buildings that parallel Leesburg Pike) are being redeveloped into residential apartments. The community response to the proposal was uniformly positive, and the project was able to utilize the county’s new Economic Incentive Program. The actual skyline will remain the same; the interiors of the buildings are being rebuilt and refreshed, and new residents will create an entire new neighborhood in Mason District. Plaudits to Rob Seldin and partners who are ensuring that Skyline remains the vibrant center of activity that was envisioned by Charles E. Smith, the original iconic developer. Happy New Year!  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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CRIM E R EPO RT Week of Dec. 20 — 26 Commercial Burglary, N Washington St, between 4:30 PM, Dec 19 and 7 AM, Dec 20, unknown suspect(s) broke into an office and took items of value. Commercial Burglary, W Broad St, Dec 22, 12:05 AM, two suspects shattered a glass panel, entered a business and took multiple items of value. Suspects described as possibly

male. One wearing a blue jacket and one wearing a black jacket. Assault, Attempt to Stab, Destruction of Property, Ellison St, Dec 25, 7:08 PM, a male, 31, of Vienna, VA, was arrested for Attempt to Maliciously Stab, Domestic Assault and Battery, and Destruction of Property. Drunk in Public, Wilson Blvd, Dec 26, 12:42 AM, a male, 32, of no fixed address was arrested for being Drunk in Public.

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DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022 | PAGE 9

Congratulations to: Philip J. O’Donnell, M.D. Who completed his fourth decennial board certification through 2030, putting him in a select group of fellow internists. The staff at Virginia Health Center, LLC

Accepting New Patients Virginia Health Center, LLC – 513 W Broad St, Ste 100 – Falls Church, VA 22046

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PAGE 10 | DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022

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CALENDAR LOCALEVENTS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30 Baby Storytime. Join TysonsPimmit Library for songs, rhymes, stories and activities for you and your baby. Build an early literacy foundation while enjoying time together in your lap. Space limited to 15 children with one caregiver each. No registration, customers will be allowed in on a first come, first served basis. Check in at the Children’s Information desk for tickets. This class is best for babies 0 — 18 months and their caregivers. (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). 10:30 — 11 a.m. Five & Under Storytime. Join Thomas Jefferson Library for stories, songs, and activities that build early literacy skills. Age: 0-5. Space is limited to ticketed attendees for in-person events. Tickets are free and first-come, first-serve at the information desk 30 minutes before each program. (1545 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 10:30 — 11 a.m. Confetti Launchers. Come make some DIY confetti launchers to help you welcome in the New Year at Tysons-Pimmit Library. All supplies provided. Ages 6 — 16. (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). 2 — 4 p.m.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1 Family Storytime. Share the joy of playful learning together at Tysons-Pimmit Library. Children and their caregivers participate in music, movement and song in this program that promotes bonding and highlights the natural rhythms in language. Ages 0 — 5. (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). 10:30 — 11 a.m.

MONDAY, JANUARY 3 Storytime Fun for Preschoolers. Space limited to 15 children with one caregiver each. No registration. Please check in at the information desk at Tysons-Pimmit for tickets. Masks are once again

required at the library regardless of vaccination status. (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). 10:30 — 11 a.m. Maker Mondays. Let your imagination run wild as you build and create with Thomas Jefferson Library’s Lego, Keva Planks, Squigz, Mega Magnets, Magna-Cars, Marble Run, Gears, and more. For school-age children. (1545 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 5 — 6 p.m.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 4 Red Cross Blood Drive. Give the gift of life! To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit the Red Cross website at www.redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code CityOfFallsChurchVA. (223 Little Falls St., Falls Church). 8:30 a.m. — 1:30 p.m. Baby Lapsit Storytime. Books, songs and bounces for TysonPimmit’s littlest friends. Babies will be in their caregiver’s lap while the grownup actively participates. Ages birth — 18 months. (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). 10:30 — 11 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5 Needlecraft Circles. Want to get crafty? Each Wednesday Thomas Jefferson Library teaches a new needlecraft! Supplies provided. This event is intended for adults. (1545 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 1 — 2 p.m. After School Activities and Adventures. Introducing After School Activities and Adventures: the after-school activity of the week at Woodrow Wilson Library. It might be games, activities, or crafts! It’s always a surprise and fun. Ages 6 — 12. Limited to the first 12 participants. (6101 Knollwood Dr., Falls Church). 4:30 — 5:30 p.m. Pajama Storytime. Come in your pajamas and bring your teddy bear for a bedtime story at Tysons-Pimmit Library. Ages 0 — 7

THE LEGWARMERS will be performing at the State Theatre on New Years Eve for an ‘80s dance party to celebrate the new year. (Photo: Mike Stone) and their families. (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). 7 — 7:30 p.m.

LIVEMUSIC THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30 Bela Donna Band. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $35. 7:30 p.m. 703549-7500. Shakin’ Woods Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-2419504. Latent Defect. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 8 p.m. 703-255-1566.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31 Wicked Jezabel Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-2419504. DJ D: New Years Eve 80s Glow Party. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $30 — $40. 8 p.m. 703-255-1566. The Seldom Scene + Eastman String Band + Wicked Sycamore: Live and in Concert. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $40.50. 8 p.m. 703-549-7500. The Legwarmers: New Years Eve Dance Party. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $50. 9:30 p.m. 703-2370300.

Curtis Knocking. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1 Broke Superstar. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-241-9504. Last Train Home + Thomm Jutz. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $29.50. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500. Kreekwater Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504. Dan ‘N’ Friends. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 9:30 p.m. 703-237-8333.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 2 Ivy & Cramer Live and in Concert. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703241-9504. Hot Buttered Elvis + Alpha Dog Blues + Monster Madhouse. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $12 – $25. 7:30 p.m. 703255-1566. Wolf Blues Jam: Live. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-2419504.

MONDAY, JANUARY 3 Tom Saputo Show. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 7:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 4 Open Mic. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 7 p.m. 703-241-9504.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5 Open Mic. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 7:30 p.m. 703-241-9504. Bachelor Boys Band. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 7:30 p.m. 703-2551566.

THEATER&ARTS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30 Rent. La Vie Boheme! The iconic rock musical’s pure rush of adrenaline, passion, energy and joy is boldly and immersively reimagined in Signature Theatre style for a triumphant reopening. At the end of the millennium, a group of bohemians in the East Village of New York City struggle with gentrification, love, loss and legacies amidst the HIV/AIDS crisis. Through songs such as “Seasons of Love,” and more, they embrace hope, find strength and survive. Winner of the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize, Jonathan Larson’s groundbreaking phenomenon defined a generation as it redefined the American musical and has never been more essential in today’s world. November 2 — January 2. Performance times vary. (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington). 703-820-9771.

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DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022 | PAGE 11

Cindy Mester’s Impact on Local Falls Church Government

Continued from Page 1

As Deputy City Manager, Mester takes on a wide range of responsibilities and various projects including the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which “identifies capital needs of the community and indicates how these needs will be funded over the five year period” according to the City government website. Overseeing the CIP includes “everything from developing the plan through the planning commission and Council, working with staff to implement and get grants,” she said. “Capital could be facilities like the library and City Hall or deal with transportation such as South Washington, and parks.” Legislation is also a huge part of Mester’s day-to-day function. The City of Falls Church does not have a full-time legislative liaison so it has become one of the duties of the Deputy City Manager. She does this work predominantly at the state level with local politicians but during the pandemic this work now involves more at the federal level due to the pandemic and federal relief money.

Additionally, she works as the Pension Plan Administrator for the City, overseeing pension plans and other post-employment benefit plans for current and former City employees. She also serves as the Risk Manager for the City, overseeing insurance and claims as well as training staff to operate as safely as possible. She also works to make sure ADA and Title VI are followed, has the IT department report directly to her, works on environmental sustainability in the City and has helped with a variety of special projects in Falls Church. “Where I get seen in the community a lot is through special projects,” said Mester. “I get to work on a lot of special projects and that’s what I love doing. I get to work with affordable housing, ARPA, the Smart City partnership with Virginia Tech and more.” The Smart City Partnership “aims to analyze the needs of the community, select technologies that can address these needs, and implement them in a Smart City test bed for evaluation in a realworld environment.” This includes several technolo-

gies being implemented including adaptive lighting, smart parking and payment, smart intersections, data access and evaluation tools, and roadway and infrastructure development. One of her passions is working with the arts community in Falls Church. She has worked with Creative Cauldron, the Falls Church Arts & Humanities Council and the Little City CATCH Foundation on a variety of projects including helping Creative Cauldron get into their current theater space for shows and camps. “That isn’t because I’m an artist or actively involved in the arts community,” she said. “It goes back to facilitating and negotiating contracts, leases, partnerships with the City and getting Council approval on things.” She was heavily involved in City Hall expansion and renovation, a project that was 12 years in the making and completed in 2019. “It’s really fun, it’s diverse and no day is ever the same, which is something I love,” said Mester about her job. She always knew she wanted to work with people but originally

saw herself in a “more structured” program until she spent a semester-long internship with Loudoun County in college. “What I found was that I really liked being out in the community,” she said when asked about how she became interested in local government. “This internship gave me a cool opportunity of being a counselor in a group home and learning how to adapt recreational activities and events for persons with disabilities so that they were inclusionary.”

After seeing what a difference she could make on people’s lives at the local level, she decided to stick with local government and work in Loudoun. Mester has many exciting projects coming in the future, including working to bring more affordable housing options to the city and much more, particularly as things move back to being in-person. Next time you see Cindy Mester around the city, make sure to thank her for all of her hard work.

Help Wanted/P-T Sports Writer The News-Press seeks a part time sports writer who will be compensated on a pay-per-word basis to cover Meridian High School sports. Inquiries with resumes can be sent to NGatz@fcnp.com.

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C�� N�� N�� City Advises on Hypothermia Risks and Shelters As temperatures drop, the risk of hypothermia rises. If you see an unsheltered person in the City of Falls Church at night or on a weekend, call the police non-emergency line at 703-241-5053; if during the weekday, call Housing & Human Services at 703-248-5005. The person will be helped to a shelter. If you see an individual in distress, please call 911.

Watch Night Statement on Event Cancellation The following statement is from the volunteer organizers of the Watch Night event: “Watch Night, the New Year’s Eve event, is being canceled this year by its organizers the CATCH Foundation. Local Covid-19 case counts are increasing significantly just before family holiday gatherings — which presents an unpredict-

able scenario in the ability to have an event in 10 days that is safe for all. “While there was a ground swell of support earlier to celebrate Watch Night this year, the situation has now changed for us, our partners, and ultimately the potential visitors that may or may not attend such an event, even if outdoors. Modified plans for the event were underway, but there have been significant increases in the in the number of local COVID19 cases in Arlington and Fairfax Counties in the last 10 days. That in turn is having multiple secondary impacts on our vendors, perform-

ing bands, and our sponsors. The universe is telling us to wait for a better year. “We appreciate our partners and the City staff that have been planning with us. “Watch Night is organized by the Little City CATCH Foundation, a non-profit organization, financially supported by local businesses and non-profits - and supported by the City of Falls Church. See you next year, and stay safe.”

NOVA Central Farm Markets Every Weekend NOVA Central Farm Market, formerly Mosaic Central Farm Market, is a year-round farmers market located on Beulah Road at the Church of the Holy Redeemer in Vienna, Virginia. The market features fresh local pork, chicken, fish, cheeses, produce, dairy, baked goods, prepared foods to go, eggs, flowers, and ice cream. The market also has table seating, live music each week, kids club activities, chef demos, special events and much more! The event takes place every Sunday from 8:30 a.m. — 1 p.m. at 543 Beulah Road in Vienna.

Chamber Networking Lunch on January 18 Join the Chamber of Commerce in person at the Italian Cafe. This is a great opportunity to mix and mingle and meet other business owners and decision makers. Attendees will celebrate the outgoing Board of Directors members

and welcome the new Board members. There will also be a recap of 2021, which was full of the unexpected, both challenging and inspiring. The price for lunch is $30 for members, $35 for non-members. Luncheon tickets included with sponsorship. Registration is required for this event. Please register online at fallschurchchamber.org. Italian Cafe is located at 7161 Lee Highway in Falls Church.

Solace Outpost Hosts Trivia Twice Weekly Join Solace Outpost for live trivia every Tuesday and Thursday from 7 — 9 p.m. presented by Pour House Trivia. Come drink, eat and win prizes. First place teams $30 gift card. Second place teams $20 gift card and it’s free to play. Solace Outpost is located at 444 W. Broad Street.

Passport to the World of Music Next Weekend Join Creative Cauldron on a musical tour of the world in our intimate cabaret space, with a diverse musical line up specially curated by Ken Avis and Lynn Veronneau of the WAMMY Award-winning jazz samba group Veronneau. Enjoy blues, jazz, Latin, fusion, bluegrass, folk and a musical experience only the well travelled know. The 11th installment of the “Passport to the World” concert series promises another first rate music festival that allows you to travel the world without ever leaving Falls Church.

Weekend one will focus on bluegrass, folk and country traditions with performances by Shenandoah Run, No Part of Nothin’ and Raymi. Weekend two will include artists who are new to Creative Cauldron with performances by Nataly Merezhuk, the Joshua Walker quartet and Alex Martin Quintet. Weekend three will focus on world traditions. This will include Sheyda Do’a Band, Project Locrea and Sean Heely Trio. Weekend four includes performances by Alison Crockett, Dave Kline Band and Laura Tsaggris for jazz and song performances. The final weekend of the event will conclude with performances by Irene Jalenti and Veronneau. For more information about this event and to purchase tickets for inperson performances or live streaming, visit creativecauldron.org/passport.html.

Bull Run Festival of Lights Closes This Weekend Every year from November until just after New Year’s Day, you can experience the Bull Run Festival of Lights, 2.5 miles illuminated by holiday light displays. Drive the festival route from the comfort of your car; turn off your headlights and just follow the magical glow. The 2021 Festival of Lights is the season’s best, brightest and socially distant activity to enjoy with your family and friends! The festival is open every night through January 2, opening at 5:30 p.m. every night and closing at 9:30 p.m. Monday — Thursday and 10

p.m. Friday — Sunday and holiday nights. Tickets are $30 per vehicle online and $40 per vehicle at the door. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at https://www.novaparks. com/events/bull-run-festival-oflights.

WRAP SoberRide Offers NYE Transportation Home Washington Regional Alcohol Program’s SoberRide, called one of the nation’s most successful free safe ride programs for would-be impaired drivers, has helped to ensure greater Washington, DC residents have a safe way home on high-risk holidays. Since 1991, WRAP has provided 80,047 safe rides home. Currently, SoberRide operates during the December/January holiday season, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Independence Day and Halloween. WRAP’s SoberRide provides a free Lyft ride home for up to $15. Users are financially responsible for anything over $15. You must be 21 or older to use the SoberRide service. Valid in Lyft’s Washington, D.C. coverage area. You cannot reserve a SoberRide or schedule a pickup in advance.

Mary Riley Styles Library Suspends Room Reservations The Mary Riley Styles Public Library temporarily suspends room reservations and moves all programming to virtual. Due to concerns about the recent increase in Covid-19 transmissions in the area, all

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

in-person library programs and use of library conference rooms are suspended until mid-January 2022. Group study rooms may still be reserved, but are limited to groups of three or less. All visitors aged two and over, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a mask in the library and all other City of Falls Church government buildings.

Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights Closing Weekend The 2021 Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights is open nightly through Sunday, January 2, 2022, including all holidays. Enjoy even more lights this year as Meadowlark Botanical Gardens sparkles with displays of flowers, animals, wrapped trees, and winter holiday scenes. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite by searching “2021 Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights”.

Library Foundation Shirt and Tote Fundraiser Support the Mary Riley Styles Public Library Foundation by ordering your “Little City Big Readers” t-shirts and tote bags! You’ll have

a choice of several different colors for the t-shirts: be sure to explore them all! This fundraiser will help support the library’s mission to enhance library materials, services, programs and equipment, increase our endowment, and provide a future guaranteed stream of income for the library. Visit bonfire.com/store/maryriley-styles-public-library-foundation/ to make your purchase or visit mrsplfoundation.org/ to find out more about the foundation.

Donate Gift Cards for Families in Need The Housing and Human Services team can give gift cards to clients to help buy necessities. Target and Walmart are preferred. Mail or hand-deliver to City of Falls Church, Attn: Housing and Human Services, 300 Park Ave, Suite 102 West, Falls Church, VA 22046 or drop in the yellow drop box outside City Hall, Attn: Housing and Human Services.

City Council Meetings Return Jan. 10 The City Council meets inperson in City Hall’s Council Chambers. In-person capacity may

LO CA L be limited due to COVID-19 safety, and all attendees must wear a mask and stay socially distant at all times. The meeting can be viewed live online (fallschurchva.gov/ CouncilMeetings) or on FCCTV (Cox channel 11, RCN channel 2, Verizon channel 35). Public comment can be made in-person or via MS Teams on any topic; sign-up by noon on the day of the meeting, fallschurchva.gov/PublicComment.

Virtual Addiction and Mental Health Care Now Available Workit Health, the nation’s leading virtual substance use disorder treatment provider, recently expanded into Virginia. The B-corporation has opened an outpatient clinic in the Richmond area at 3001 Hungary Spring Road, Suite C in Henrico. The clinic now offers 100 percent virtual services to the entire state for substance use, mental health and other common co-occurring conditions like hepatitis C. Virginians can connect with licensed clinicians and counselors via live chat and video through the Workit app and receive medication e-prescribed to their local pharmacy. Workit Health uses a medicinefirst, evidence-based approach to addiction treatment. Only 30 percent

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of treatment centers nationwide offer medication, and most people have to drive hours every week to receive it. Clinical evidence supports that FDAapproved medication plays a critical role in recovery from substance use and co-occurring disorders, cutting overdose death rates from opioids in half. When it comes to freeing people from the grasp of addiction, Workit Health prioritizes evidencebased practices that are proven to alleviate withdrawal symptoms, provide necessary emotional support and ultimately reduce the risk of relapse or overdose. After McIntosh and co-founder Lisa McLaughlin personally experienced the dated traditional recovery system and found it lacking, they co-founded Workit Health in 2015. Their mission is to make it easy to access the gold standard of addiction care from home. Giving people the opportunity to receive evidence-based clinical care—including medication for substance use and mental health—leads to improved outcomes, evidenced by Workit Health’s 73 percent retention rate at the 90-day mark. “Focusing on the individual, Workit Health allows members to dictate their end goal, whether that is complete abstinence or moderation,” said Lisa McLaughlin, Workit’s co-

A Happy & Healthy New Year to All!

CEO. “Personalizing addiction treatment through telemedicine opens our services to all who need help, no matter where they fall on the addiction spectrum.”

Parkinson’s Foundation Club Meets Jan. 3 Parkinson’s Communication’s Club is held every Monday and led by Susan I. Wranik, Board Certified Speech-Language Pathologist. The Club establishes a wellness and prevention program for individuals with Parkinson’s disease and their care partners, with a focus on maintenance of communication skills. The club is not therapy, rather, it is an exercise group designed to improve volume. The approach helps people speak loudly and clearly in order to make themselves heard. Most importantly, this club is designed in a group setting — one for all and all for one — a team effort to be loud. If people can’t hear you, they assume you don’t know. Make your voice heard! This group is appropriate for anyone desiring to improve volume or verbal expression. This event meets virtually, register online on the Chamber of Commerce website. at fallschurchchamber.org/events.

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Fa l l s C h u r c h Business News & Notes Give Staff Bonuses and Get Reimbursed

Have you hired an employee who was previously unemployed? The Return to Earn initiative, launched in June, is an effort to assist small businesses and organizations in finding and retaining talent while also bringing the unemployed back into the workforce. There are basic eligibility requirements and the Skill Source Group, Inc. and Virginia Career Works Northern are available to make access to this program easy and the application, enrollment, and reimbursement process as simple as possible. It is a quick and smooth process. The program encourages a $500 reimbursable bonus as helpful to retention and workplace morale for qualified businesses. To learn more, go to https://vcwnorthern.com/ return-to-earn.

WBC Franchises: What’s New and What’s Next? (pre-recorded webinar) What does it take to be a successful franchise owner in the DC Metro area? For those who are interested in franchising as a full-time business or semi-absentee investor, learn what to look for in a franchise, which franchises do well (and don’t do well) in our region, and state and local regulations to be aware of before signing a franchise agreement. There will be information about franchise trends, future of franchising and the impact of Covid-19 on franchises. This webinar was recorded on December 2, 2021 and is available with registration until February 1. Information is subject to change. Visit The Women’s Business Center of Northern Virginia, a subsidiary of Community Business Partnership.

Anser buys Fairfax Intelligence Firm Falls Church-based nonprofit firm, Analytic Services Inc., operating as Anser, reported the purchase of Fairfax contractor In Tec LLC. Anser offers analysis services to defense and civilian agencies on acquisition programs, risk assessments, project management and other services. The move adds information technology, intelligence and systems engineering and other offerings to its portfolio. In Tec is one of the largest veteran-owned companies in the area and counts the Defense Intelligence Agency and National Reconnaissance Office among its clients. Anser President and CEO Steve Hopkins said, “Because we were established for the purpose of public service and not for profit, we measure our success in the impact of our service. With InTec, our combined client-focused culture and innovative approach enables us to deliver to a broadened client base.”

Happy Holidays Roman Rahim

Inova Receives $3.5M Gift for Behavioral Health Expansion Inova Health System, a Falls Church nonprofit has received a $3.5 million donation from two longtime donors to help fund the expansion of a behavioral health unit at its Mount Vernon hospital. The gift comes from Jeffrey and Amiya Veatch, consistent supporters of the organization and that facility specifically. They commit these funds to the project as the region sees growing demand for mental health and substance abuse services, and will support the construction of a new behavioral health unit at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital.

The Most Posts for #ShopLocalFC Wins Shopping local for the holidays has been key to local businesses. The Falls Church Chamber encourages the community to post their favorite retailers, purchases or experiences in December for a chance to win a $100 gift card to your favorite local retailer. The individual with the most posts by December 31 will receive a gift card to his/her favorite Falls Church retailer. Use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Business News & Notes is compiled by Elise Neil Bengtson, Executive Director of the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at elise@fallschcurchchamber.org.

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Fa l l s C h u r c h

NEWS BRIEFS Tinner Hill Foundation Seeks To ‘Make History Visible’ A pre-New Year statement by the pro-civil rights Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation in Falls Church noted that “by existing in an area of rapid urban growth and fast-paced change, the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation pursues its central mission under the theme of “Making History Visible,” launching programs that allow the past, its lessons and inspiration, to imbue the present.” It proposes a set of public murals for commercial buildings in or near the Tinner Hill Historic District in Falls Church. “The murals will highlight local, regional, and national history, feature faces and events of the past, and showcase themes that provide hope and healing for the present and the future.” It notes the foundation “is working with artists to create public art that will reach viewers and enable them to know, learn, and engage with its dynamic content. We are involving local schools, historic organizations, and other resources in the realization of the murals and in creating interactive programming after their completion. The mural initiative has received initial approval, recognition, monetary support, and other assistance from the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia, the City of Falls Church, and other organizations and individuals.” It asks the public that to discuss a mural for a building, please contact the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation at 703241-4109 or via email tinnerhill2015@ gmail.com

Falls Church Distillers Plan Move to Manassas The Falls Church Distillers that became a popular venue for outdoor live music during the pandemic, drawing some negative feedback from neighbors to its location but prompting the City Council to update its noise ordinance, is moving out of town. The outfit closed on Christmas Eve. It will move to share a space in Manassas with the Tucked Away Brewing Company. “We leave Falls Church having realized so many personal, business and community memorable achievements that our time here will always be remembered with a personal deep well of fondness,” the company said in a message

also posted on its website. The distillery broke ground at 442 S. Washington St. five years ago, eventually making a range of whisky, brandy, rum, vodka and gin. The family-owned and operated business, started by Michael Paluzzi, expects to open at its new location this spring.

Creative Cauldron’s Laura Hull Pitches Local Theater Options In a live appearance on WTTG-TV of Washington, D.C. this Monday, Laura Hull, founder and chief operator of Falls Church’s Creative Cauldron, an award winning non-profit theater and educational arts organization, spoke adamantly to a regional television audience about the importance of local performance art and the need for the community to support it, noting that in the context of the pandemic, use of creative hybrid and carefully rendered live productions have begun to return to her organization’s and other venues.

Rep. Beyer Hails Life’s Work Of Biologist E.O. Wilson U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today celebrated the life of famed biologist Dr. E.O. Wilson, who passed away yesterday at the age of 92. Beyer and Wilson first met in 2016 to discuss legislation based on Wilson’s work, which Beyer later introduced as the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act. “Dr. E.O. Wilson was one of the greatest scientists of our time. Over the course of an extraordinary life this brilliant biologist from Alabama who studied ants came to profoundly change the way we think about biodiversity, conservation, and the planet we live on,” said Beyer. “I am saddened by the news that he passed, but Dr. Wilson’s was a life well lived, and his tremendous contributions will continue to guide the way to a better world long after his passing. I am proud to have known him, and will never forget him.”

for six successful performances of “The Nutcracker.” In addition, over 95 weekly classes for ages three and up were held, including a full array of classes for their amazing adult students. There have been mini themed workshops for the tiniest dancers to bring them back to the studio safely, studio space for local choreographers, performances in the Fredgren Studio Theatre including the return of JAM the Revue, a special gathering under the stars at the Wharf in Southwest DC for the screening of Ballet Nova’s filmed Spring Performance featuring new works by Matthew Powell and Constance Walsh – “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Dear Harriet Strong” and “Symphony One”, free theater tickets and free access to filmed performances for community partners such as the Fenwick Foundation and VetTix.

F.C. Physician Reports Surge in Positive Covid Test Results Falls Church family doctor Gordon Theisz took to social media this week to report a major surge in patients testing positive for the Covid-19 virus. Now, he reported just after Christmas that 30 percent are testing positive and half of those are showing symptoms despite vaccination status. He reported that 21 cases have been reported to the Fairfax Health Department. –

James Webb Telescope Launch Hailed by Beyer & Colleagues In a statement this week, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer joined other congressional

leaders to hail the successful launch of the James Webb Space Telescope from the European Spaceport located near Kourou, French Guiana. Throughout the next month, the telescope will undergo its complex deployment process as it travels nearly one million miles to its destination in space. The main goals of Webb’s mission include searching for the first galaxies formed in the universe, observing the formation of stars, building our understanding of the evolution of galaxies, and measuring physical and chemical properties of planetary systems. It is an international collaboration among the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). “The Webb Telescope’s successful launch is an incredible achievement to celebrate,” said Beyer, chair of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. “I’d like to extend my congratulations and gratitude to NASA, the JWST Team, our international partners, and Northrop Grumman on this success and the hard work that led to it. As a long-time advocate for the observatory, I’m especially glad to see this critical step reached toward JWST’s longawaited science mission. Today’s success and the ones to hopefully follow will undoubtedly inspire an entire generation of students excited to learn and grow from this observatory. I wish NASA and their partners the very best as Webb begins its very challenging deployment and million-mile journey to orbit. I’m looking forward to following the mission every step of the way.”

Ballet Nova Cites Achievements Despite Pandemic Pressures Ballet Nova of Northern Virginia itemized achievements in its programs despite the pandemic this past year, highlighted by a return to the theater

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ACROSS 1. Fine sand 5. Donate 9. Offbeat 12. Smell 13. Generations 14. Very small 15. Be overly fond 16. Clears, as profit 17. Type of wood 18. Proclaim 20. Video’s partner 22. Side streets 25. Toward the back, matey 28. Some toothpastes

29. Imprint with acid 33. Depict 35. Wrestler’s surface 36. Chance 37. Nitwit 38. Send forth 40. Bodybuilder’s place 41. Change the title of 43. Defame in print 46. Hinted 51. Verse poem 52. Work on copy 55. Acclaim 56. Bar order

57. Road marker 58. Applies frosting to 59. Animal’s shelter 60. Lean 61. ____ up (make lively) DOWN 1. Fizzy beverage 2. Wedding vows: 2 wds. 3. House sites 4. Birch or willow 5. Wellmannered guys

30. Price mark 31. Blubber

(everyman) 54. Stopover spot

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 115

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS USE AMERICAN SPELLING

PAGE 16 | DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022

ACROSS 1. Real 5. High point 8. Medicine 12. Charged atoms 13. Hooter 14. Luxury 15. Long narrative 16. “____ More Night” 17. Wineglass part 18. Reattach a label 20. Fearful admiration 22. Dad 25. Bert’s friend on “Sesame Street”

59. Drove very fast 60. Towel off 61. Ruby and cerise

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 116

DOWN 1. Cake layer 2. Strong cord 3. Group of soldiers 4. Run away 5. Also 6. ____ up (confess) 7. Not guilty, e.g. 8. Arid land 9. Hamelin pest

A RTS&E NTE RTA I NME NT

PUZZLE NO. 117

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS USE AMERICAN SPELLING

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

PUZZLE NO. 118

7. Policeman 8. Saga 9. Poison-ivy result 10. Annoy 11. Husky’s load 19. Above, in verse 21. Toss 22. Physicians, shortly 23. Milky jewel 25. Strikeout number 27. Cancel a space launch 29. Tennis stroke 30. Finds a total

21. Serious plays 23. Snarl 24. Skirt style 25. Bird of ill ____ 26. Titanic’s foe 27. Mama’s fellow 28. Amazed 29. Egg beverages 30. Toil

31. Eagle’s dwelling 34. Dig up 39. Part of a circle 41. Cuban Castro 43. Catholic leader 44. Worshiped object 45. Christmas 46. Music and literature, e.g. 48. Shortcoming 51. Mine rock 53. “____ Are My Sunshine” 54. Discontinue

28. Female pronoun 29. Cooling device 32. Fuel guzzler 33. Beast of burden 35. Work by Shelley 36. Stallone’s moniker 37. Smallest bill 38. City divisions 40. Great Barrier ____ 42. Take a breather 43. Fiesta decor 47. Foot part 49. Stink 50. Galloped

52. Sailor’s response 55. Bard 56. Tall, woody plant 57. Negative prefix 58. Room extensions 59. Contained 60. Flop

DOWN 1. Mas’ mates 2. Lodge member 3. Sparkling 4. Cockeyed 5. At liberty 6. Moreover

33. Vulgar 36. Least common 39. Involved with 40. Crate 42. Client 43. Flat hill 44. Pound 45. Beret 46. Tint 47. Pen and ____ 49. Contend

STRANGE BREW

ACROSS 1. Wooden nail 4. Palo ____, California 8. Is mistaken 12. The whole amount 13. Dog’s bark 14. Bucket 15. Glide over snow 16. Housetop 17. Land amid water 18. Dolls and yo-yos, e.g. 20. Yearned 22. Be overly fond 24. Imprint firmly 26. Met musical

29. Provided food 32. Yarn 33. Hearth residue 34. Unwanted breeze 36. Foot digit 37. “War and ____” 39. Fake 41. Moth-____ 42. Ripped 43. Solicit 45. Full of gossip 49. Woeful word 52. ____ a boy! 55. Yarn 56. Foolish person 57. Brief sleep 58. Constant

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 117

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS USE AMERICAN SPELLING

SPORTS QUIZ By Ryan A. Berenz 1. How many points did Ernie Nevers score in the Chicago Cardinals’ 40-6 victory over the Chicago Bears in November 1929? 2. After refusing a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies, what St. Louis Cardinals outfielder filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball that was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972? 3. What Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender, who won two Stanley Cups for the Montreal Canadiens from 1910-25, had his career -- and eventually his life -- cut short by tuberculosis? 4. What West German tennis player stunned Martina Navratilova in the 1982 Avon Championships WTA finals match at New York City’s Madison Square Garden? 5. In 1985, Lynette Woodard became the first female player in the history of what famous basketball team? 6. In how many consecutive matches did Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy score to set the English Premier League record during the 2015-16 season? 7. A football trick play in which the quarterback fakes a pass while handing the ball off to a runner is named after what national landmark?

Last Week’s Answers 1. The Portland Trail Blazers • 2. “Stump the Schwab.” 3. Homer Bailey • 4. Ruud van Nistelrooy • 5. Kevin Dyson. 6. Lorena Ochoa • 7. “NFL SuperPro.” (c) 2021 King Features Syndicate, Inc

ACROSS 1. Night hooter 4. Apiece 7. Sailing vessel 12. Big hairdo 13. “Where the Boys ____” 14. Royal headwear 15. Blow upon 16. Disappointed 17. Transform 18. Tired 20. Anxious 22. ____ space 24. Riot crowd 27. Scenic view 30. Shade of green 31. Roused

32. Complainer 34. Wooden pins 35. Snatching 37. Newspaper spots 38. Lariat 39. Bakery worker 41. Morsel 45. Fine dishes 48. December 31, e.g. 50. Briny expanse 51. Cousins’ moms 52. Moral crime 53. Hazardous curve 54. Type of tea 55. Golf gadget

56. College cheer

DOWN 1. Not ons 2. Covering 3. Sole 4. Meadow 5. Memorable time 6. Exchange for cash 7. For men only 8. Easter flower 9. Cookie grain 10. Prospector’s find 11. Accepted standard 19. Cozy corners

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 118

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS USE AMERICAN SPELLING

JOHN DEERING

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

PUBLIC NOTICE

Variance application V1629-21 by Karen Stoll and Scott Hiromoto applicant and owner, for variances to Sections 48-238(3)a. and 481102(e)(1)c, to allow: (1) a front setback of 25.2 feet instead of 30 feet along the Jackson Street frontage, and (2) a side setback of 10.1 feet instead of 15 feet for the purpose of constructing a second story addition, and (3) a front porch setback of 18.7 feet instead of 22 feet for the extension of an existing porch extension on premises known as 600 Jackson Street, RPC #52-205-001 of the Falls Church Real Property Records, zoned R-1A, Low Density Residential. Public hearing on the above matter is scheduled for January 13, 2022, 7:30 PM, or as soon thereafter as the item may be heard. All participating members of Board of Zoning Appeals will be present at this meeting through electronic means. Public comment and questions may be submitted to zoning@fallschurchva.gov until 4:30 pm on January 13, 2022. Virtual meeting link, agenda and application materials will be available the week prior to the scheduled hearing at: http:// www.fallschurchva.gov/BZA Information on the above application is also available for review upon request to staff at zoning@ fallschurchva.gov.

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PAGE 18 | DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022

BACK IN THE DAY

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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25 � 10 Y�� A�� N��-P�� Falls Church News-Press Vol. VI, No. 41 • December 26, 1996

Falls Church News-Press Vol. XXI, No. 42 •December 29, 2011

Early

Clear Sky, Crisp Temperature Due for F.C.’s New Year’s Eve ‘Watch Night’

The Falls Church School Board is in negotiation with Superintendent Dr. Patricia Dignan for the early termination of Dr. Dignan’s contract, the News-Press has learned through reliable sources. The process was initiated by the School Board.

The forecast is for clear skies and temperatures in the 40s this Saturday, when a huge turnout is expected in the center of the City of Falls Church, at its Broad and Washington intersection, for its annual Watch Night festival. Like last year, the economy is expected to keep more people closer to home

School Board Negotiating Termination of Dignan Contract

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RUGBY, an English Shepherd, is ready for the New Year! Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.

AS THE SECOND WOMAN EVER to head a police department, Police Chief Mary Gavin joined the Falls Church Police Department in 2007 after she transferred from the Arlington Police Department with more than 20 years of service. I bumped into her just outside the 4 P’s. (P��: J. M�� W��)

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

R E STAUR A NT SPOTLI GHT

DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022 | PAGE 19

LA COTE D’OR is a classic French bistro located in Arlington. Pictured on the left is hachis Parmentier, a dish similar to shepherd’s pie with beef, mashed potatoes and various cheeses. Pictured on the right is the “floating island” dessert, a light and airy dish with almonds, caramel and vanilla sauce. (Photos: Patricia Leslie)

Ring in the New Year with French Food from La Cote d’Or Cafe

by Patricia Leslie

Falls Church News-Press

New Year’s Eve celebrants may still have time at La Cote d’Or Cafe for a cup of kindness yet to ring out 2021 with a special prix fixe dinner for $75 and, if New Year’s reservations are closed, there’s always the daily “twilight prix fixe” dinner next year for $25. Northern Virginia Magazine named La Cote d’Or as a Top 50 restaurant this year, and having once enjoyed its food, guests will know why. On New Year’s Eve, merrymakers will begin their culinary ecstasy with “amuse bouche,” complimentary appetizers of devilled quail eggs, cheese crackers, and peaches wrapped in prosciutto. (No a la carte items will be available Friday.) Next, customers will choose from hors d’oeuvres (ranging from salmon caviar to duck foie gras “en basket”), then, one of six entree choices (Chilean sea bass, “incompliant” beef Wellington, venison, veal, vegetarian, or branzino filet) and finally, a dessert of “Pavlova Romanoff” (mixed fruits and cream) or “Poire Belle Helene Velvet” (with pears, dark chocolate mousse, fruit sauce, and vanilla ice cream). Earlier this month, my friend, Mary, and I rushed to LCD to take advantage of its “twilight prix fixe” ($25; available from 5 — 6:15 p.m.) which Chef Jacques Imperator called

“the best deal in the world.” I must agree, especially compared to a salad (a salad!) at one of McLean’s better-known restaurants which last summer charged $25 for mostly lettuce. At his restaurant, Chef Imperator sat down for an interview and said he would not recommend an entree for the twilight dinner since “everything we do is made well,” and when it comes to quality, “I am not flexible. I am rigid. It’s against my religion.” LCD serves “French classics modern cuisine,” always made from scratch, always fresh, naturel bien sur. For the twilight special, Mary and I settled on hachis Parmentier and Toulouse sausage, wintertime “comfy” foods. Each was excellent, but my favorite of my three-course meal was the beet salad with vegetable slices, orange, onion, garlic, and mesclun salad in a vinaigrette, the total experience to die for. (Well, almost.) My hachis Parmentier (the French version of shepherd’s pie) came out in a single-serve iron skillet with the traditional beef, mashed potatoes and Swiss and Parmesan cheeses, and despite its great taste, I was encumbered by a (small) piece of coconut cake (‘tis the season!) I had eaten about two hours before our dinner date which impeded my intake of everything hachis Parmentier. (Dumb me!)

The dish was not overly rich, like so many of these pies heavily ladened with too much meat, but this was the best hachis I could recall (last having eaten it about 15 years ago in Ireland), very hot (temperature; not spicy, praise the kitchen!) which took a few moments to cool. (Option: Add a few ice cubes sur la table.) Mary’s Toulouse sausage was accompanied by cannellini beans mixed in a Bordelaise sauce, her entree she deemed hearty, tasty and was able to finish. Completing our meal was the last but not the least selection, dessert, and how could anyone resist a “floating island”? It was a light and airy concoction with toasted almonds, vanilla sauce, and caramel which nicely complemented the meal, leaving us pleasantly satisfied without a heavy, bloating physical sensation as if we had just eaten coconut cake. The night we dined at LCD, the service matched the food with a wait staff devoted to every guest and smallest details. I had the impression of a possessive crew, keenly interested in customer satisfaction and the restaurant’s reputation, all which contribute to success. Imperator took over the restaurant almost six years ago, keeping the original name which he is changing to “LCD.” Besides, it is not a cafe, he said, which I confirmed and had found confusing. The chef

explained French restaurant differences, from bistros, brasseries, cafes, and more. (LCD is more like a bistro.) At LCD, he has modernized the interior, removed tablecloths, updated the bar, the menu, and his wait staff’s apparel. “The food was pretty square,” he sighs, and “the crowd was older. It’s taken me years to turn it around” which he has done by often changing the menu and offering a variety of choices, but still, there’s no escape from “oldies, but goodies.” Those would be onion soup, beef bourguignon, and coq au vin which customers like and he keeps. “I am pretty creative,” he smiles: “That’s what a French chef is.” Reproductions by Vincent van Gogh and pieces of art from Burgundy hang on brightly colored walls, the effects which lessen wintertime’s darkness and where guests, in imaginary scenes, become part of the art. The restaurant’s translated name means “golden coast,” reflecting the beautiful fall colors found in Burgundy in September when evening falls, Imperato says. His lineage includes French, Italian, and Spanish heritage. He was born in Nigeria and moved with his family to Germany when he was a toddler. At age 10, his family settled in France where he later studied culinary arts and gained

restaurant experience before coming to the U.S. 40 years ago where he’s been involved in area restaurants since. He tried the business in D.C. (“it’s not for me”), but Northern Virginia is where his reputation for pristine passion for his food and guests have taken root. Whether your taste buds are aflame and your mind takes you to LCD’s fete, a fast ride on Santa’s sleigh is necessary since, at press time, the only reservations open for New Year’s Eve were at mid-afternoon. Look at it this way: More time to work off calories and go dancing, and there’s always next year. As Robert Burns used to say in 1788: “And surely you’ll buy your pint cup! And surely I’ll buy mine!...And we’ll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne.” The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 pm. and 5:30 - 9 p.m. every day except Monday and lunch on Tuesday. 6876 Langston Boulevard (formerly Lee Highway), Arlington 22213, at the corner of North Westmoreland, at the Falls Church City line, ph. (703) 5383033, lcd6876@gmail.com. • This article is part of the “Restaurant Spotlight” series, which will feature one local restaurant and its menu each month. To suggest that your restaurant be covered, contact Amanda Snead, News Editor at asnead@fcnp.com

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

PAGE 20 | DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022

Traveling for the Holidays?

Enjoy 10% OFF Cargo Boxes and Load Bars Maximum Discount of $100. Coupon must be presented at the time of purchase. Does not include installation or tax. Not valid with any other coupons, discounts, or offers. Limit one coupon per customer. Cannot be applied to any previous purchase. Not redeemable for cash. Expires 12/31/21

For Rent in Falls Church City! Congratulations To the Winner of our Annual Unique Sweater Contest Jorene Stull!

Beautifully updated 2bed/1bath condo in the heart of Falls Church City. Beautifully updated with an outdoor patio, updated kitchen and bath, new flooring, and is walking distance to all the joys of living in The City of Falls Church. The open living space is filled with natural light from the large floor-to-ceiling windows. Updated kitchen has new stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, white cabinetry, and a breakfast bar. Both bedrooms have large closet space allowing for extra storage. The updated bathroom has a spacious double vanity and detailed tile throughout. This unit is an easy walk to West Falls Church Metro, shopping, restaurants, and both the middle and high schools as well as the newly expanded W&OD Trail. Easy commuter access to 66, 267, 495, and minutes away from Tysons and DC. Walk Score - 85. Rent is $2,100 and includes all utilities except electricity. Both short and long-term leases are available. Available immediately.

Falls Church News-Press 12-30-2021

Articles inside

News & Notes .............................12,13 Business News

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Comics

Comment .........................................7,8 Crime Report ...................................... 8 Calendar

Critter Corner