While a lot of variables and as-yet-unknown factors prevail for now, the Falls Church City Council and School Board got together for their annual early-December launch of a new annual budget cycle at City Hall Monday, and learned that, at least for now, to meet current projections will require about a 4 cent increase in the real estate tax rate next year.
But that is as yet a long way from certain, with Mayor Letty Hardi getting the final word when she said, “The big unknown is what happens across the river.” She was referring to the arrival of the new president and administration in January.
The other major unknown is what enrollment in the Falls Church School system will look like come next September. The current enrollment in the five schools in the Falls Church system is at a record high this school year at 2,714, having grown by 80 students from the year before, Superintendent Peter Noonan reported at the combined work session.
While the projection of the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia has an additional 49 students enrolling next fall, that of the Steven Fuller Institute at George Mason University, whose representative Dr. Keith Waters attended the work session, is much higher at 283 new students.
A WINTER WONDERLAND
by Nicholas F. Benton
U.S. Rep. Donald S. Beyer Jr., who represents the 8th District of Northern Virginia that includes Falls Church, participated in an online press conference and panel presentation yesterday sponsored by Protect Our Care Virginia. The focus was on the danger that the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy
Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services would represent.
“The future of health care is under threat from one of Donald Trump’s most extreme Cabinet nominations,” Beyer said at the event yesterday. “I won’t mince words, RFK Jr. is an existential threat to our health care.”
In addition to Rep. Beyer, the panel of speakers consisted
of Katie Baker, State Director of Protect Our Care Virginia, Nurse educator and Medical Reserve Corps vaccinator Mary Wright Baylor of Springfield, Community health specialist Pablo Moulden of Arlington, and cancer survivor Laura Packard of Alexandria.
Baker, who moderated the forum, said, “To say RFK Jr. is a threat to our health care
would be an understatement. He is a threat to the many years of scientific progress made in our country.”
Rep. Beyer added, “RFK Jr. is not qualified to lead an agency or workforce of the magnitude of HHS. In fact, he’s already said that on Day 1 he’s planning to fire 600 National
City
Falls Church’s new annual tradition called “Winter Wonderland” at the plaza in Founders Row 2 complex. It was cold, just not really cold! The fact that so many people showed up there was proof. Lots of things to do, and Mayor Letty Hardi was there to hit the switch to officially turn on all the lights hugging the trees all along West Broad Street. (Photo: Gary Mester)
Falls Church News-Press
Falls Church News-Press
The Fuller Institute number is so much higher, Dr. Waters explained, because “Falls Church is such an incredibly desirable community.”
It is based on an evaluation of the new housing types that are coming on line with the new developments in the city.
The Broad and Washington, West Falls Church and Founders Row 2 combined are expected to result in an overall increase in the numbers of households from 5,042 in 2015 to 5,534 in 2020, to 6,596 in 2025 and to 7,432 in 2030.
West Falls has 126 condo units and 400 apartments, traditional and “micro” units under construction. Broad and Washington has 318 rental units and Founders Row 2 has 280 units.
However, although the new multiple dwelling projects have already resulted in more City residents living in them than in single family detached homes, the growth in the student population is still coming
predominantly from the single family homes, especially due to the teardowns of smaller homes and their replacement by much larger ones.
Meanwhile, a factor that used to be more flexible in calculating what the schools will need, that of salaries and benefits, is now more baked in, the result of collective bargaining agreement. It has established that a step increase and 2.5 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) are fixed, as well as allocations for health insurance and private day programs. The step and COLA increases are estimated to be about $1.2 million each.
While those factors add up to about a 5 percent increase, they still are not competitive with surrounding jurisdictions, where raises are projected to be 7 percent in Fairfax and 8 to 9 percent in Arlington and Alexandria.
But as Dr. Noonan stressed, Falls Church has the benefit of being the No. 1 school district in Virginia, No. 2 in the D.C. Metro area, and No. 3 among best places to teach in Virginia. It is also one of only 8 in the entire
U.S. offering an International Baccalaureate Continuum from pre-school through 12th grade.
The bottom line for the schools is that they need close to $5 million in additional funds in the coming fiscal year.
Overall, the outlook for the economy in the entire D.C. region is not rosy, especially with the new leadership in D.C. calling for what would result in massive layoffs of government employees, and with uncommonly high vacancy rates in commercial properties.
But Falls Church, as Dr. Waters reiterated, is insulated not by moats or mountains, but by its “desirability,” the fact that “people want to live here.”
Mayor Hardi noted that the last decade of development in Falls Church has added $2 billion to the value of real estate here.
The City’s Chief Financial Officer Kiran Bawa presented a preliminary revenue forecast that showed revenue from real estate taxes (at the current rate) rising 6.9 percent and all other taxes by 3.8 percent, for an over-
all 5.9 percent rise, bringing in $5.9 million in new tax revenue.
Falls Church’s real property values, including new construction, are rising by 7.3 percent compared to net decreases in the value of commercial and apartment properties in Arlington (as much as minus 2.6 percent) and Fairfax County (as much as 1.27 percent).
For Falls Church these include a 6.9 percent increase in real property taxes, a 7.6 increase in personal property taxes and a 4.9 percent increase in sales taxes. The meals tax is flat year-
over-year despite the opening of a significant number of new restaurants.
Estimated cost increases for the City are compensation and benefits of $1.8 million and WMATA and other contractual obligations of $1 million, totalling just under $3 million. This leaves a gap of $2 million, and with a penny on the tax rate now equalling close to $500,000, filling that gap with additional taxpayer funds, as is, will involve about a 4 cent tax rate hike over the current $1.21 per $100 valuation.
RFK Jr. Poses Serious Threat to Health Care, Beyer Says
Institutes of Health workers and replace them with people who share his extreme anti-science views.”
Moulden, identifying himself as HIV-Positive, said he feared that Kennedy would savage the program that many have worked so hard over so many years to create an effective treatment for HIV and that has kept him healthy and undetectable since he was first diagnosed six years ago. RFK Jr., he said, has said he doesn’t believe the HIV virus is responsible for AIDS, a completely discredited claim.
Mouldon said that there are millions of Americans who have HIV, including many who don’t know they have it, which makes continuing the government HIV treatment program so critical.
Packard said she was diagnosed with a particularly deadly form of cancer, but that under the Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare, her illness is now proven to be treatable and curable.
Beyer added that the nomina -
tion of RFK Jr., “is a formula for making polio great again. From advancing anti-Semitic lies about Covid 19 to blaming school shootings on antidepressants, there are countless reasons why RFK Jr. should not be allowed anywhere near the Hubert Humphrey Building. That’s why it’s time for all of us to stand up and fight.”
The Protect Our Care sponsors of the event put out a statement saying, “If RFK is confirmed, it will put Virginians’ lives at risk and jeopardize critical programs like the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid. RFK Jr. is deeply unqualified to serve in this position as he has no leadership qualifications in any role in public health or a government agency. Additionally, his fringe views on vaccines and his disregard of science and public health makes him a danger to the American people.”
The statement went on, “As HHS Secretary, RFK Jr. will push radical policies that will undermine decades of progress to lower health care costs,
conduct research on life-saving cures for diseases, and keep Virginians healthy. Virginians deserve a leader at HHS who believes in science, the efficacy of vaccines, and who is committed to strengthening and expanding health care policies enacted since the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
The speakers yesterday discussed how RFK Jr.’s leadership will affect nearly every Virginian, as “he will prioritize his own interests and bolster MAGA efforts to increase health care costs by slashing Medicaid, repealing the Affordable Care Act, and banning Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices.”
Baylor cautioned that there are potentially two new pandemics on the horizon that RFK Jr. would be wholly incapable of tackling. According to the Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Yonatan Grad, “Is there another pandemic coming? Yes. When? Which pathogen? How severe will it be? No one can say for sure. But the big demographic changes that are coming, due
climate change as well as economic and other factors, will alter the landscape and create
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Vol. XXXIV, No. 43
December 5 - 11 , 2024
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Two worlds are on the brink of colliding in the coming months. First, there is the world of one of the planet’s most favorable places, the City of Falls Church with its world class school system, growing numbers of outstanding and highly rated restaurants, pristine residential neighbor hoods and a colorful, exploding corridor of businesses running through its center. Second, there is the outside world, so to speak, with the incoming Trump administration repeating threats to decimate the federal workforce and savage the economic growth potential here.
Falls Church’s City Manager Wyatt Shields, in response to a question from this newspaper about the importance of that federal workforce here, said this: “The City is home to many dedicated and talented federal gov ernment employees. They are our neighbors and community members and we deeply appreciate their talent and service to the country. And the federal workforce is a key foundation to our regional economy. There are approximately 370,000 federal employees in the national capital region. While the number of federal employees in the region (and nationally) has been relatively flat for years, each federal job here supports three to four additional jobs in our economy.”
Each federal job here supports three to four additional jobs in our economy! So the spectre of a significant reduction in the numbers of fed eral employees the way the incoming Trump administration is threatening to implement as early as next month should be the source of considerable heartburn for us all.
Yes, Falls Church by this time, after a quarter century of aggressively developing both its economic and educational potential, has made itself into such a desirable place to live that that fact alone may spell its saving and surviving grace relative to its neighbors. Falls Church sits well at this point, having avoided the excessive commercial real estate trap that now has almost every other jurisdiction in the wider region sweating record high vacancy rates.
But it is going to take some very creative thinking to weather the com ing storm. The Little City will be far from immune from serious disrup tions to the wider region, whether they are as bad as they could be or, hopefully, are not.
You have the power to stand up to abuse in Virginia. Call #77 to report suspicious behavior and be a human-tra c hero.
For example, the first canary in the coal mine may have been heard from (or not) at Monday’s joint City Council and School Board work session to begin a new annual budget cycle. First, we preface that by exclaiming what a powerful place the Mill Creek folks have created at Founders Row 1 as evidenced by the heavily attended Winter Wonderland event held there Tuesday and its amazing assemblage of truly extraordinary restaurants. That said, the meals tax report this Monday presents a serious challenge. It was not what it should be, and must not become a harbinger of the City’s inability to attract enough bodies to patronize all our new businesses at a level required for their success. Let’s intensify the effort to market the City to the wider region.
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Commentary: In Troubled Times, A Stronger Conviction
by
Recent weeks have marked a change in my household. From a kitchen buzzing with the voices of public radio correspondents to mornings of checking polls and political podcasts, an unsettling silence now blankets my days. Did you know that it is possible to take a break from the news? From the lurching chaos of one bombshell after another? From trying to grind every morsel of meaning out of the day’s revelations? Now, I confess this news break will not last forever, for holding the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other, that quaint notion of Karl Barth, is crucial to my faith. I also confess that the quiet can be unnerving. Although I have no appetite for the latest hot take, there are voices and faces that fill my days with a kind of companionship, a sense that we’re in this together.
But beneath the discomfort of silence swallowing my days, a deeper truth has emerged that I want to share with you this morning: I have never possessed more devotion to the way of Jesus Christ than I do right now. My faith is more important to me today than ever before, which says something as my vocation is preaching the gospel. I don’t know quite how to explain it, this deep crevasse of tenderness that has opened up in my heart, this clinging to Jesus as a rock in a weary land, as a north star amidst the churn of our slanted world. Suddenly, it all seems so simple. Our trust in a loving God, our covenant to walk together in the ways revealed by the Holy Spirit, are so counter-cultural to what we see in the world. And with every breath I take, I will praise the God of love. I will proclaim the way of justice; I will build the beloved community. I will walk humbly the path of mercy and grace. I will look for the least and the last and remember
that God dreams of them becoming first, calls them inheritors of the earth, beloved children of the Most High. When progress perishes under the weight of perilous endings in the world, Jesus is the dawn breaking upon us, giving light to all who sit in the shadow of death. Our faith recovers the authentic meaning of the words that guide us in Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.
When I used to teach the Godly Play curriculum to children, we introduced the season of Advent like this: “A King is coming, but he is not the kind of king that people thought was coming. This King had no army and no riches. This King was a baby born in a barn. The King who was coming is still coming. This is full of mystery. A mystery is hard to enter sometimes. That’s why Advent is so important. Sometimes people can walk right through a mystery and not even know it’s there. This time of year, you see people hurrying through shops buying things, but they miss the Mystery. They don’t know how to get ready.” Advent is the time when we prepare our hearts to receive the mystery of incarnation.
And I don’t know about you, but I am in need of the stripped-bare essence of hope, peace, joy, and love this year. So often these words get co-opted by the obligations of the season, by our own shallow longings, by a twisted theology. Hope as the superficial optimism that it will all work out in the end, so why get outraged about what’s wrong with the world? Peace as an absence of critical discourse and fierce protest. Joy as the canned laughter at a holiday party, drink in hand. Love as expressed through consumerism, through protection of “us” against the threat of “them.”
These deep spiritual concepts are turned against their true meaning. It is our task, in Advent, to recover them. It is our task, as we marvel at the
wonder of Emmanuel—God with us—to enflesh hope, peace, joy, and love so fully that, once again, they point the way toward our salvation. Because this year, window-dressing versions will not suffice. This year, watered down notions of these words cannot harbor us from despair. This year, our world hungers for a sturdy, subversive understanding of the Christmas story that speaks to the story unfolding all around us.
Barbara Holmes asserts, “At the center of every crisis is an inner space so deep, so beckoning, so daringly vast, that it feels like a universe, it feels like God.”
The presence of God-with-us in crisis, in pronounced endings and volatile futures, unlocks an inner spaciousness in us. A freedom to look squarely at what is and still to risk, to hope, to root ourselves in God’s abiding love as the eternal truth and final word for all of human history.
With God, all things are possible. About the choice to love others regardless of their actions, James Baldwin wrote, “I know what I’m asking is impos -
sible. But in our time, as in every time, the impossible is the least that one can demand—and one is, after all, emboldened by the spectacle of human history in general, and” African American “history in particular, for it testifies to nothing less than the perpetual achievement of the impossible.”
This is the hope I have tasted in recent weeks, one robust enough to sustain us in the wilderness. It is a hope that as the body of Christ, we will be trustworthy; meeting right here every Sunday, a beloved community to ward off isolation. It is a hope that we will support those laboring for justice and freedom, even if they do it from the inside of hollowed out institutions. It is a hope that though we cannot do everything, we can do something, and we will act strategically, alongside partner organizations, while setting aside time for rest. It is a hope alchemized out of lament, one that has been dashed and born again in one who will be acquainted with sorrow, the healer of nations, the prince of peace.
by Rev. Amanda Hendler-Voss First Congregational, Washington DC
Create new family memories at National Harbor. Explore events like ICE! At Gaylord National, Santa at the Capital Wheel, and holiday movies. On Saturday nights, gather around our 60-foot holiday tree for a spectacular fireworks show. Shop for gifts at the Christmas Market, Tanger, and our unique boutiques. Take a break and savor seasonal delights at 40+ restaurants. Holiday fun starts at National Harbor!
‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ a ‘Live Musical Radio Play’ in Manassas
by Mark Dreisonstok
Rooftop Productions at the ARTfactory in Manassas, Virginia, is currently presenting a very special musical version of “Miracle on 34th Street,” directed and produced adroitly by, respectively, Deb Hansen and Kimberly Kamp. This is not the version by “Music Man“ composer Meredith Willson, who brought “Miracle on 34th Street” to Broadway under the title “Here’s Love” in 1963 with Willsoncomposed Christmas songs such as “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.“
This production is instead based on the script of the 1940s “Lux Radio Theatre” presentation, which was more directly parallel to the film. The original radio version, of course, would be too short to present on stage, as it would only run fifty minutes or so. Therefore, songs have been added, several of them being Christmas carols such as “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and jazz versions of Christmas carols such as “Jazzy King Wenceslas,” performed engagingly by the quintet of Talya Conroy, Kimberly Geipel,
Chris Maulden, Patrick Mulhern, and Garth Porter somewhat in the style of singing groups of the forties such as the Pied Pipers and the Modernaires. Other songs in the show are in the style of commercial radio jingles once ubiquitous on the air. A surprising jingle was one for Miller Toyota, a real Manassas car dealership which is “sponsoring” the Rooftop Productions show!
The performance straddles the difference between a recreation of a live radio broadcast and a stage play with period 1940’s costumes and modest but sincere props and set, such as a dial telephone, retro toys and dolls, vintage Christmas decorations, and classic radio microphones of yesteryear. Audience members (themselves pretending to be members of a 1940’s radio audience) clap and have enormous fun as a flashing applause sign tells them when to applaud! Especially effective is a recreation of a department store setting where children visit Santa in the New York City Macy’s on Herald Square at 34th Street (hence the story’s title).
For those new to the story or who have not seen the classic 1947 holiday film in quite some time,
the plot involves an elderly gentleman with a white beard named Kris Kringle who believes himself to be Santa Claus. Or is he, in fact, really Santa Claus? The story swings back-and-forth between two world views: idealism and imagination on the one hand and common sense and practicality on the other. Kris Kringle and a young idealistic lawyer represent the romantic view of life, which allows for mysteries and miracles. In fact, the lawyer Fred Gailey warns that “practicality can become banality.” Doris Walker, a manager at Macy’s, and her daughter Susan represent skepticism and disbelief in miracles.
The play’s idealism vs. cold reality conflict is broadened in the story as Kris Kringle, who thinks he is Santa, is put on trial to defend his sanity. Characters must take sides and choose between the two opposing viewpoints. As for young lawyer Gailey and Doris, the mother of Susan, will one of them sway the other to his or her way of thinking as they fall in love?
In a production marked by infectious Christmas spirit, Savannah Legana as Doris is an earnest mother trying to protect her daugh-
ter from the harsh realities of the world. Patrick Mulhern, who plays Macy’s employee Shellhammer, is highly effective in the many comic moments of the show. Chris Beatley as Gailey sings and acts well as he conveys the enthusiasm and idealism of his character. An interesting aspect of the community/ family nature of the production is that Noemi Lane, who plays the little girl Susan Walker, is the reallife daughter of Kris Kringle actor Michael Lane. Both perform their roles in fine form.
We would also like to make warm mention of Mitchell Hansen as the Announcer, who introduces the production as “a radio show and live onstage performance” in combination, reminding us that this production offers the best of both of these worlds. He also sounds like an authentic old-time announcer, intoning statements like “we are broadcasting from beautiful downtown Manassas.”
Costume designer Charlynn Mills stands in for high praise in designing 1940s-style clothing for Doris as well as for a group of vintage newsboys hawking “The Rooftop Journal,” with its updates
of the Kris Kringle court case. The choreography of Kelly Delaune is also very strong.
The play, which runs two hours plus a fifteen-minute intermission, conveys effectively an important message for this season and perhaps all others: “Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to.” For more information on “Miracle on 34th Street,” which runs through December 8, please visit: virginiaartfactory.org/ event-directory/actors-theatre/
Ninth Annual Falls Church Tree Fest
A festive fundraiser for our community service organizations, sponsored by the Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS).
Friday, December 6th, 5 pm to 9 pm & Saturday, December 7th, 1 pm to 9 pm*
*Bidding stops at 8:30 p.m. Tree pick-up: Sunday, December 8th, 11 am to 1 pm
Ireland’s Four Provinces 105 West Broad Street, Falls Church
We invite any Greater Falls Church area non-pro t interested in taking part in this fundraising event to contact: lisavarouxis58@gmail.com for more details.
REAL-LIFE FATHER and daughter portray Kris Kringle and Susan Walker in Rooftop Productions’ “Mircale on 34 th Street.” ( Photo: Courtesy of Rooftop Productions)
Delicious Holiday Recipes to Bring Joy to the Table This Year
The holiday season is a time for family, friends, and, of course, food. Whether you’re planning an intimate dinner or a festive feast, having a repertoire of tasty holiday recipes can make your celebrations truly memorable. From traditional classics to modern twists, here’s a collection of recipes to elevate your holiday menu.
Appetizer: Stuffed Mushrooms with Garlic and Herbs
Ingredients:
16 large button mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Clean the mushrooms and remove the stems.
Finely chop the stems and sauté them in olive oil with garlic until fragrant.
Mix the sautéed stems with breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Stuff the mixture into the mush-
room caps and place them on a baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
These stuffed mushrooms are an elegant yet simple appetizer that will leave your guests asking for more.
Main Course: Herb-Crusted Prime Rib Roast
Ingredients:
1 prime rib roast (about 6 lbs)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Let the roast sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Mix olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper into a paste. Rub the paste all over the roast and place it on a roasting rack.
Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F (165°C). Cook until the internal temperature reaches 135°F (57°C) for medium-rare.
Let the roast rest for 20 minutes before carving.
This prime rib roast, with its crispy herb crust, is a showstopper that pairs beautifully with roasted vegetables or creamy mashed potatoes.
Side Dish: Maple-Glazed Roasted Carrots
Ingredients:
1 lb baby carrots
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Toss carrots with olive oil, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Spread the carrots on a baking sheet in a single layer.
Roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until caramelized. Sprinkle with thyme before serving.
These sweet and tangy carrots are a delightful complement to any holiday main dish.
Dessert: Classic Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg ½ cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg, molasses, and vanilla, mixing well.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll out the dough and cut into shapes using cookie cutters.
Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes.
Cool completely before decorating.
Decorate these cookies with royal icing for a festive touch, making them as fun to make as they are to eat.
Beverage: Spiced Mulled Wine
Ingredients:
1 bottle red wine
¼ cup brandy
2 cups apple cider
¼ cup honey or sugar
1 orange, sliced
3 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
2 star anise
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a large pot.
Heat gently over low heat, stirring until the honey dissolves. Do not boil.
Let the wine simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
Strain and serve warm with a cinnamon stick garnish.
Spiced mulled wine is the perfect way to warm up your guests and add a cozy touch to your celebrations.
Newspapers: Their Role Beyond Just the News
Nicholas F. Benton
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
A good local newspaper is about a lot more than just the news. In fact, its primary role can be more properly defined in terms of community building and sustaining. It has been my distinct honor and joy to have founded and been in charge of such a local newspaper, the Falls Church News-Press, for 33 years in the Washington, D.C. near-in suburb of the City of Falls Church, Virginia.
In a time when the prevailing view is that newspapers such as mine are relics of the past, and indeed they are dying at an astonishing rate left and right, the need for our society to turn this situation around is critically important. The trend against truth in favor of shallow made-up myths and lies, which has effectively defined our culture for the last decade, has been exacerbated by enemies of democracy in general and the United States in particular, and has a lot to do with the atomization of information in the form of what the Internet and digital alternatives offer.
Historically, newspapers functioned as the social glue that bound communities together, that were the measuring rod by which everyone in a community defined themselves and their aspirations. Newspapers have been the secret sauce, as it were, of democracies, from when Ben Franklin started his paper and everything that grew from it, namely, the American Revolution, to the circulation of the Federalist Papers through the newspapers of the day that enabled the formation of the world’s first shared democracy among enough independent entities, the original 13 colonies of North America, to forge a bastion against the dominant cultural model of rule by a monarchy.
Social progress has been mediated through newspapers in America. There is the stunning image recalled by the Rev. Amanda Hendler-Voss of the First Congregational Church of this Washington, D.C. region, cited elsewhere in this edition, of the theologian Karl Barth’s notion
of advancing humanity carrying a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. That was when religious institutions were inclined to be more focused on the model of the Good Samaritan parable and thereby interlinked with social progress. The “good book” in one hand, and a NEWSPAPER in the other!
In my case, I was undoubtedly born with printer’s ink in my veins, as they say. I published my first newspaper at age seven, the Benton Star, focusing mostly on news of my household, which I went through the neighborhood selling door to door. I founded a homeroom newspaper in junior high, The 214 Weekly Journal, and became editor of my high school paper, The King’s Page, for an unprecedented two years, and for two years of my college paper, The Channels
In my sophomore year in high school I got a part-time job at my community’s local newspaper, the Santa Barbara News-Press (notice where I got the name from in founding my own newspaper).
As a graduate seminarian, during the anti-Vietnam War era, I became the principal reporter for one of the nation’s first alternative newspapers, The Berkeley Barb, and wrote the editorial for the first edition of one of the nation‘s first gay liberation newspapers, The Gay Sunshine, and later founded my own gay community newspaper, The Effeminist
Recently, my hometown paper, the Santa Barbara News-Press went through a horrible demise, and an article about that quoted a top city official on the importance of community newspapers. In “The Death of a Daily: The Rise and Self-Inflicted Fall of the News-Press,” published in the Santa Barbara Independent, Nick Welsh wrote,
“When Santa Barbara’s former Community Development director moved to town in 1978, the first book he read was the Santa Barbara News-Press publication, “100 Years of Headlines.”
“For me, as a new planner who had just moved to town, that longterm institutional memory the News-Press offered was unique and invaluable. And it still is,’ he said.
“More than that,” he added, “the paper is (was) uniquely equipped to function as a town center. ‘It was the platform where we all could get our shared facts. We could argue about what those facts meant. But it gave us a shared platform for having those discussions.’”
COMMENT
A Penny for Your Thoughts
By Penny Gross Former Fairfax County Supervisor
“You’re not college material. You should just settle for NOVA.” That’s what a high school guidance counselor told our daughter and many of her classmates more than three decades ago. Our daughter opted for a four-year degree at a Virginia school, but did take a couple of summer classes at NOVA (Northern Virginia Community College) to round out her curriculum. In speaking with graduating high school seniors more recently, I often was told “I’m just going to NOVA,” again demeaning, probably unintentionally, our outstanding local community college. My response to those high school seniors, many of whom were the first in their family to graduate high school, I hope, was encouraging. “You’re going to NOVA? That’s wonderful! You should be very proud.”
Community colleges have been around since the 1800s as junior colleges or two-year programs, but community colleges got a real boost in the Higher Education Act of 1965, which expanded access to postsecondary education. Today, more than 1000 community colleges serve students from rural to urban jurisdictions across the nation. NOVA is one of the largest in the country, with six campuses in Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Springfield, and Woodbridge. NOVA serves nearly 75,000 students annually,
City
and 80 percent of those students are under the age of 29.
In a recent meeting of NOVA’s Annandale Advisory Board, NOVA President Dr. Anne Kress noted that the system provides equitable access to affordable and quality higher education, transforming lives of the students and the community. NOVA provides career and student services and works with local businesses for employer recruitment. Every student has the opportunity for an interview with an employer, although hiring is not guaranteed. More than 3000 NOVA students transfer to George Mason University each year through the ADVANCE transfer partnership with GMU.
NOVA students often are the first in their family to enroll in postsecondary classes, and how they attend classes has changed considerably over time, especially since the Covid pandemic. Where in-person on-campus attendance used to be 86 percent, only 56 percent of students are in-person now; on-line attendance was 13 percent, but now is 20 percent, and dual enrollment for high school students has increased from one percent to 20 percent today. In fact, parts of the vast parking lots on the Annandale campus are planned for transition to green space as fewer students need parking. Reflecting economic challenges for students, each NOVA campus offers a food
of Falls Church CRIME REPORT
Week of Novemeber 25 — December 1, 2024
Larceny from Building, S Maple Ave, between 8:00 p.m. on November 22 and 8:00 a.m. on November 25, an unknown suspect stole a red and beige Marin Gestalt road bicycle that was parked at the bicycle rack but left unlocked.
Domestic Assault and Battery, W Broad St, Nov 25, 10:21 a.m., a female, 31, of the City of Falls Church, was arrested for Domestic Assault and Battery.
Reckless Driving, E Broad St, Nov 25, 10:53 a.m., a male, 76, of Great Falls, was arrested for Reckless Driving.
Violation of Protective Order, W Broad St, Nov 25, 11:20 a.m., victim reported receiving a harassing letter from an individual whom they have an active protective order against. Investigation is ongoing.
Theft of Motor Vehicle, W Broad St, Nov 26, 10:03 a.m., victim reported their vehicle, a blue 2022 Nissan Sentra, was stolen. The victim stated they parked their vehicle in front of an auto shop vehicle bay with the keys inside the vehicle as instructed by staff and exited the vehicle. An unknown suspect, described as a male wearing all black clothing, approached and entered the vehicle and drove off. Investigation is ongoing.
Driving Under the Influence, W Broad St, Nov 28, 1:37 a.m., a female, 30, of Laurel, MD, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence and Refusal to Permit Sample Breath Test.
Trespassing, Wilson Blvd, Nov 29, 7:23 a.m., a male, 54, of no fixed address, was arrested for Trespassing.
pantry, grocery and childcare assistance, behavioral health options, and emergency assistance for things like housing, transportation, and car repair.
Annual community college tuition and required fees are about a third of the cost of a four-year state university in Virginia ($5700 for NOVA compared to $13,815 for GMU). Support from the Commonwealth of Virginia, including financial aid, covers slightly less than half of the actual cost of educating a NOVA student. State support for higher education, both community college and four-year universities, has decreased over time, and greater investment by the General Assembly should be in any local jurisdiction’s legislative package for the new session that begins in January. Support from local high school and community groups helps address the funding challenge by raising money for scholarships for graduating seniors. The Justice High School Scholarship Fund awarded a record $300,000 in scholarships for 91 outstanding Justice students. A significant number of those graduates planned to attend NOVA, and some eventually will transfer to a university to complete their degrees. If you wish to support Justice student scholarships, log on to www.JHSScholars. org/contribute. The Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club, Thurgood Marshall Fund, and Casey Shulman Foundation also provide scholarships exclusive to Justice High School students. There is no better investment we can make than in the education of our next generation.
Fraud – False Pretenses, W Broad St, Nov 30, 1:48 p.m., victim reported they contacted a tattoo artist via email, and after agreeing on design and price, the victim scheduled an appointment and sent multiple payments ahead of time. On the day of the appointment, the victim discovered there was no appointment, nor was the email address they communicated with the legitimate business email for the tattoo artist. Investigation is ongoing.
Public Intoxication, Wilson Blvd, Nov 30, 7:23 p.m., a female, 42, of the City of Falls Church, was arrested for Public Intoxication.
Driving Under the Influence, Roosevelt Blvd, Dec 1, 4:37 a.m., a male, 53, of Fairfax County, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence.
Driving on Suspended License, S Washington St, Nov 29, 9:12 p.m., a white female, 29, of Fairfax County, was arrested for Driving on Suspended License.
News-Press News & Notes
‘Expungement Clinic’ Set Saturday in Arlington
The City of Falls Church joins Arlington County under the umbrella of Commonwealth Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti and Clerk of the Circuit Court Paul Ferguson to present an “expungement clinic” this Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for persons seeking to correct or otherwise clarify criminal records. It will be held at the Arlington Presbyterian Church, 918 S. Lincoln St., in Arlington.
Participants are urged to bring warrant of arrest or final disposition paperwork for each charge they’re seeking to be expunged. “Inaccuracies on criminal records can present challenges to access-
ing employment, housing and other important opportunities,” the flier notes. Pro Bono defense attorneys will be present to provide assistance.
Sponsors include the Arlington Presbyterian Church, OAR of Arlington and Falls Church, the Arlington County public defender, Grace Community Church, Restorative Arlington, Spread the Vote Arlington, Virginia LULAC, Arlington for Justice and the Arlington Coalition of Black Clergy.
Fairfax County Earns Top Score for Human Rights
Fairfax County has once again earned a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign
Municipal Equality Index (MEI) for the fourth consecutive year.
“This achievement is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our community in fostering inclusivity for all,” stated Fairfax Board chair Jeff McKay. “Just five years ago, our MEI score was only 53, and I made a commitment then to not only improve it but to ensure we maintain a perfect score. Today, we are proud to have met and exceeded that goal.”
The Municipal Equality Index measures how well cities and counties across the nation are supporting and protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals through local laws, policies, and services.
“Scoring a perfect 100 reflects our County’s dedication to creating a welcoming, equitable, and sup-
portive environment for everyone, regardless of their identity or background,” McKay stated.
Teachers Ranked ‘Most Valuable Workers’ in Virginia
A poll by Careerminds, a global outplacement agency, surveyed 3,000 respondents to find out which professions are most valued across the country, shining a light on those who keep our society going. The top 10 most valued workers in Virginia.were as follows: 1. Teachers, 2. Caregivers, 3. Nurses, 4. Utility workers, 5. Paramedics, 6. Community Outreach Workers, 7. Firefighters, 8. Social workers, 9. Postal workers.
The survey also tapped into how Virginia communities could better
support these hidden heroes. Nearly half of respondents (48 percent) advocated for higher wages and benefits. Public recognition came in as the second most preferred form of support, with 19 percent of people feeling that celebrating these workers’ contributions could foster respect and appreciation. Additionally, 18 percent supported offering mental health and wellness programs to address burnout, and 15 percent pointed to ensuring safer working conditions as essential to preserving both physical and mental well-being.
Vietnam Veterans Spread Cheer Of Holiday Season
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 227 of Northern Virginia fulfilled their founding principle, “Never Again Will One Generation of Veterans Abandon Another,” by providing credit card gift cards to ninety-one veterans in the highly successful Veteran Administration Supportive Housing (VASH) program and filling the Santa list of three local medically impaired veterans and their families.
For the 50th consecutive year, credit card gift cards were provided to 91 veterans in the VASH program which provides stable lodging and veteran benefits for homeless veterans and their families. For the thirteenth consecutive year, three wounded warrior families with their Santa List are adopted for the holidays. Carolyn J. Lehowicz provides the names from her volunteer work with veterans and service organizations. Chuck Harris, Chapter Treasurer, and two of his friends are shopping for the Santa List.
Financial assistance is given during the year for needs from car repairs to rent assistance. Donations are being accepted to assist the Chapter’s veteran outreach throughout the year for veterans in Northern Virginia. Donations can be mailed to VVA Chapter 227, Attn: Chuck Harris, 44020 Pandora Ct. Ashburn, VA. 20147-3844. Check payable to VVA Chapter 227.
Chapter 227 offers veteran camaraderie and opportunities to assist veterans, active military personnel, and the community. Vietnam and Vietnam Era-veterans, and nonveterans can call Len Ignatowski at 703-255-0353.
A CREATIVE NEW WELCOMING sign now adorns the main entrance to the Falls Church City Hall that highlights the City’s pride in being a “Tree City USA” while the shared earth beneath the tree are welcome phrases presented in two dozen foreign languages. (Photo:News-Press)
FALLS CHURCH’S CHIEF Financial Officer Kiran Bawa (center) presents a Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Forecast report to the joint meeting of the F.C. City Council and School Board Monday night at City Hall. School Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan is pictured at the far left. (Photo:News-Press)
A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS was held at the Cherry Hill Farmhouse this past Saturday. Visitors experienced a Victorian era Christmas celebration! Hosted by the Victorian Society of Falls Church, costumed re-enactors welcome friends and neighbors to experience this winter holiday from an 1860s and 1870s point of view. Period decorations, music and Christmas carols, and children’s activities were all part of the festivities. (Photo: Gary Mester)
FALLS CHURCH VOLUNTEER Fire Department visits with Santa at this year’s’ Winter Wonderland in The Little City. (Photo: Gary Mester)
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
THIS WEEK AROUND F.C.
THURSDAY
DECEMBER 5
Vivid! Falls Church Arts
Vivid!, an all media exhibit, heralds in the holiday season from November 23 to January 5 at Falls Church Arts. For this exhibit, participating artists were invited to submit their boldest, brightest pieces. The event is free and is open to the public. Barbara Januszkiewicz, juror for the show, is a Washington, D.C.-based American multimedia artist, creative activist, and teacher known for her stained neo-Color field abstract expressionism paintings. Vivid! will be on view at the Falls Church Arts gallery at 700-B West Broad St. (Route 7), Falls Church. Admission is free and the gallery is open Tuesdays – Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays – Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Masks are optional and guests are asked to postpone their visit if they are not well. Artworks can also be viewed online at fallschurcharts.org. All pieces can be purchased at the gallery or on the website.
FRIDAY
DECEMBER 6
Falls
Church Holiday TreeFest
Celebrate the Season, Support the Community: Get into the holiday spirit while giving back at VPIS’s Ninth Annual Holiday TreeFest! Head to Ireland’s Four Provinces Restaurant Dec. 6-7 for a festive two-day silent auction showcasing 22 uniquely decorated holiday trees— each crafted by a local charity. Bid on these beautiful, one-ofa-kind trees and bring a bit of Falls Church magic home! All proceeds benefit the inspiring work of our local charities. Don’t miss your chance to support these incredible causes with your donations and silent auction bids. Musical performances by Meridian High School Chorus (Dec. 6, 5-7 p.m.) Bach to Rock McLean (Dec. 6, 7-9 p.m.) and Arlington Philharmonic Flutists (Dec. 7, 6:30-7:30 p.m.)
SATURDAY
DECEMBER 7
Creative Cauldron's Madeline's Christmas
A Holiday tradition at Creative Cauldron! In an old house in Paris, covered in vines, lived 12 little girls in two straight lines. And with that familiar phrase, author and 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 for Christmas 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. 410 South Maple Avenue, Retail 116, Falls Church, VA 22046. Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.
Open Studio Celebration At 307 Studios
Holiday Market and Open House from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Unique Gifts, Original Art, Treats, Music, and more. Studios @ 307, 307 East Annandale Road, Falls Church VA 22042
F.C. City Holiday Gift and Craft Show
Deck the halls during the holiday season with special gifts from the annual Holiday Gift and Craft Show at the Falls Church Community Center (223 Little Falls St.). Nearly 50 crafters and merchants show their wares selling unique handmade items, baked goods, and more during the first weekend in December. The Children's Holiday Shoppe hosted by the Friends of Cherry Hill Farmhouse takes place Saturday only with more fun and games for kids on Sunday! Saturday, December 7: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Sunday, December 8, 2024 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 8
Washington Symphonia At FC Episcopal
Annual Family Holiday Celebration — featuring familiar holiday tunes, a caroling sing-along, and a visit from Santa! There’s also plenty more in store this season that you won’t want to miss, including Mozart's Clarinet Concerto with Betty Bley in February, Bruch's Violin Concerto with Ava Pakiam in April, and Bologne's Sinfonia Concertante with Marcolivia in June at 4:00 p.m. Falls Church Episcopal, 166 East Broad Street, Falls Church, VA 22042
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 11
F.C. Chamber Networking Mixer
Holiday networking mixer will be at the Creative Cauldron. This is a great opportunity to catch up on long term business relationships, and make new ones. Creative Cauldron. 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. 410 S Maple Ave, Falls Church, VA 22046
THURSDAY DECEMBER 12
Annual Tree Lighting At The Kensington
Kick off the holiday season with joy at our 3rd Annual Tree Lighting! Join us as we light up the tree and welcome a special guest, Santa Steve, for festive fun and cheer. This family-friendly event is the perfect way to celebrate the holiday spirit with your loved ones. 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at The Kensington Falls Church. 700 W Broad St, Falls Church, VA 22046
YOUR EVENT HERE! Send Event Details to calendar@fcnp.com!
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JOIN THE CITY of Falls Church at the Falls Church Community Center for a festive, two-day Holiday Gift & Craft Show—and it’s free to attend! On December 7-8, 2024, nearly 50 crafters and merchants will showcase and sell unique handmade items, baked goods, and more. Enjoy live holiday music throughout the event, along with free crafts, cocoa, and fun activities for kids on both days. Saturday only: Don’t miss the beloved Children’s Holiday Shoppe hosted by the Friends of Cherry Hill Farmhouse! Kids can shop for special gifts (priced at $6 or less) for friends and family, with free gift-wrapping assistance from volunteers. (Photo: Gary Mester)
NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE
The Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) of the City of Falls Church, Virginia will hold a public hearing on December 12, 2024 at 7:30 PM in the Council Chambers, located at 300 Park Avenue, for consideration of the following items:
-Variance application
V1653-24 by Kimberly Sanchez, applicant, on behalf of Betty and Stephan Finley, owners, for a variance to Section 48-238(3)(a) to allow a rear yard
setback of 28.4 feet instead of the 40 feet minimum to construct a screened in porch at premises known as 617 Laura Drive, RPC #52-604-011 of the Falls Church Real Property Records, zoned R-1A, Low Density Residential.
-Variance application V1656-24 by Harjote Randhawa (applicant) and Little City Homes, LLC, and Randhawa Homes LLC (owners), for a variance to Section 48-263(3)(a) to allow a front yard setback of 15 feet instead of the 25 feet minimum
along Walnut Street to construct an upperstory addition at premises known as 1200 Lincoln Ave, RPC #51-214-026 and 303 Walnut Street, RPC #51-214-027, of the Falls Church Real Property Records, zoned R-1B, Medium Density Residential.
Public comment and questions may be submitted to zoning@fallschurchva.gov until 4:30 pm on December 12, 2024. 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.
Volunteers who live in the City of Falls Church are needed to serve on the boards and commissions listed below. Contact the City Clerk’s Office (703-248-5014, cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov, or www. fallschurchva.gov/BC) for an application form or more
information. Positions advertised for more than one month may be filled during each subsequent month.
Architectural Advisory Board
Ars and Humanities Council of Falls Church
Aurora House Citizens’ Advisory Committee
Board of Equalization
Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Transportation
City Employee Review Board
Economic Development Authority
Environmental Sustainability Council
Historic Architectural Review Board
Housing Commission
Human Services Advisory Council
Planning Commission
Public Utilities Commission
Urban Forestry Commission Board of Zoning Appeals
Regional Boards/Commissions
Community Criminal Justice Board
Continuum of Care Board
Coordinating Council for the Aging and Adults with Disabilities
Fairfax Area Commission on Aging
Fairfax Area Disability Services Board
Virginia Career Works Northern Region
Ad Hoc Committee
Falls Church250 – Member At-Large: The Falls Church250 Committee is tasked with planning the commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026.
ATTN. AUCTIONEERS: Advertise your upcoming auctions statewide and in other states. Affordable Print and Digital Solutions reaching your target audiences. Call this paper or Landon Clark at Virginia Press Services 804-521-7576, landonc@vpa.net
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We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are 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.
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF A PETITION BY VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND
REVISION
• Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion”) has applied for approval to revise its rate adjustment clause, designated Rider SNA.
• In this case, Dominion has asked the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) to approve Rider SNA for the rate year beginning September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026 (“Rate Year”).
• Dominion requests a revenue requirement of $206,960,101, which would increase the monthly bill of a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity by $2.19 per month.
• A Hearing Examiner appointed by the Commission will hold a telephonic hearing in this case on April 22, 2025, at 10 a.m., for the receipt of public witness testimony.
• A hearing on the Petition shall be convened at 10 a.m. on April 22, 2025, or at the conclusion of the public witness hearing, whichever is later, in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, to receive the testimony and evidence of the Company, any respondents, and the Staff.
• Further information about this case is available on the Commission’s website at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information
On October 1, 2024, Dominion filed a petition (“Petition”) with the Commission for revision of a rate adjustment clause, Rider SNA, for costs associated with its Surry Units 1 and 2 (“Surry Units”), and North Anna Units 1 and 2 (“North Anna Units”). Specifically, Dominion seeks revision of its Rider SNA for costs of the preparation of the applications for Subsequent License Renewal (“SLR”) to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the operating licenses for the Surry and North Anna Units (the “SLR Component”), and the projects reasonably appropriate to upgrade or replace systems and equipment deemed to be necessary to operate these facilities safely and reliably in the extended period of operation (the “Capital Upgrade Component”) (collectively, the SLR Component and the Capital Upgrade Component comprise the “Program”). The Company seeks: (i) revision of Rider SNA for the Rate Year and (ii) approval of cost recovery through Rider SNA for Phase II of the Program, which includes calendar years 2025-2027, totaling approximately $1.7 billion.
The Petition explains that in Case No. PUR-2021-00229, the Commission approved Phase I of the Program (calendar years 2022 through 2024), consisting of the Company’s subsequent license renewal applications and 33 Capital Upgrade Component projects. The total estimated costs for Phase I are approximately $1.2 billion. The Company files the instant Petition to seek approval to recover the costs for Phase II.
In its Petition, Dominion states that Phase I of the Program is proceeding on time and on budget, and that the Company received license renewals for the Surry Units on May 4, 2021, and received renewals for the North Anna Units on August 28, 2024. The Company states that in this proceeding, it is seeking to recover costs for North Anna incurred after February 28, 2022, which were deferred pursuant to the Commission’s 2021 Rider SNA Final Order in Case No. PUR-2021-00229. The Company asserts it has continued to implement the Capital Upgrade Component projects consistent with the scheduled station outages and outage events at both stations, and that it has successfully performed work on four projects at Surry and six projects at North Anna during the scheduled outages.
Dominion states that the Company is not proposing any new Capital Upgrade Component projects for Phase II and plans to systematically complete work on the 34 previously-approved Capital Upgrade Component projects over the remaining life of the Program.
The Company states that despite Dominion’s mitigation efforts, factors outside of its control, including commodity and labor prices, have increased the costs of the Program to $5.45 billion, a rise from the original estimates of $3.9 billion. Despite the increased costs, Dominion asserts that the Program is greatly needed to keep the Surry and North Anna Units operating safely and reliably through 80 years of life under the license renewals. The Surry and North Anna Units, Dominion states, supply approximately one third of customers’ energy needs and 90% of the Company’s carbon-free generation output that helps ensure system reliability in the transition to more renewable energy under the Virginia Clean Economy Act. According to the Company, it conducted an updated net present value analysis in light of the increased costs. Dominion found that the Program will provide $10.5 billion in customer value compared to alternatives to meet customers’ needs.
Dominion states that consistent with the Final Order in Case No. PUR-2021-00058, the Company is utilizing the approved rate of return on common equity (“ROE”) of 9.35% for the period after the date of the 2021 Triennial Final Order (Case No. PUR-2021-00058) through February 27, 2024. For the period beginning February 28, 2024, Dominion used a 9.7% ROE, which is the Company’s authorized ROE as set in Case No. PUR-2023-00101.
The three components of the revenue requirement for Rider SNA are the Projected Cost Recovery Factor, the Allowance for Funds Used During Construction (“AFUDC”) Cost Recovery Factor, and the Actual Cost True-Up Factor. According to the Petition, the Projected Cost Recovery Factor includes financing costs for rate base as well as projected operating costs for the Program projects during the Rate Year. The AFUDC Cost Recovery Factor represents the amortization of the unrecovered AFUDC accrued from March 1, 2022, through August 31, 2022. According to the Petition, the additional AFUDC is the remainder of financing costs on North Anna Units 1 and 2 deferred from recovery in Case No. PUR2021-00229. The Company states that actual revenues during the test year are compared to actual costs incurred during the test year, and any difference in these amounts becomes the Actual Cost True-Up Factor recovered from, or credited to, customers. The Company asserts that the Actual Cost True-Up Factor will recover from, or credit to, customers any under-/over-recovery of costs from the most recently completed calendar year
The Company asserts that it used an updated revenue lag based on calendar year 2023 data in its cash working capital calculations, and requests that any issues related to revenue lag be litigated in the Company’s currently pending Rider GEN proceeding, Case No. PUR-2024-00097. The Company further asserts that it is projecting rate base, depreciation expense, and certain other costs into the rate year, which is a shift from the methodology previously approved by the Commission in Case No. PUR-2015-00059.
The total revenue requirement requested for recovery for the Rate Year through Rider SNA is $206,960,101. The Company asserts that it has allocated costs to the Virginia jurisdiction and customer classes using its 2023 Production Demand Allocation Factor, consistent with the way production plant costs for the Surry and North Anna facilities are allocated in the cost of service.
If the proposed Rider SNA is approved as requested, it would incrementally increase a residential customer’s monthly bill, based on 1,000 kilowatt hours of usage per month, by $2.19 compared to the current Rider SNA.
Interested persons are encouraged to review the Petition and supporting documents for the details of the Company’s proposal.
TAKE NOTICE that the Commission may apportion revenues among customer classes and/or design rates in a manner differing from that shown in the Petition and supporting documents and thus may adopt rates that differ from those appearing in the Company’s Petition and supporting documents.
The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing in this proceeding that, among other things, scheduled a public hearing on Dominion’s Petition. On April 22, 2025, at 10 a.m., the Hearing Examiner appointed to this case will hold the telephonic portion of the hearing for the purpose of receiving the testimony of public witnesses. On or before April 15, 2025, any person desiring to offer testimony as a public witness shall provide to the Commission: (a) your name, and (b) the telephone number that you wish the Commission to call during the hearing to receive your testimony. This information may be provided to the Commission in three ways: (i) by filling out a form on the Commission’s website at scc. virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting; (ii) by completing and emailing the PDF version of this form to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov; or (iii) by calling (804) 371-9141. This public witness hearing will be webcast at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting
Beginning at 10 a.m. on April 22, 2025, the Hearing Examiner will telephone sequentially each person who has signed up to testify as provided above.
Beginning at 10 a.m. on April 22, 2025, or at the conclusion of the public witness portion of the hearing, whichever is later, in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, the Hearing Examiner will convene a hearing to receive testimony and evidence related to the Petition from the Company, any respondents, and the Commission’s Staff.
To promote administrative efficiency and timely service of filings upon participants, the Commission has directed the electronic filing of testimony and pleadings, unless they contain confidential information, and has required electronic service on parties to this proceeding.
An electronic copy of the public version of the Company’s Petition may be obtained by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company: Joseph K. Reid, III, Esquire, McGuireWoods LLP, Gateway Plaza, 800 East Canal Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or jreid@mcguirewoods.com. Interested persons also may download unofficial copies of the public version of the Petition and other documents filed in this case from the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information
On or before April 15, 2025, any interested person may file comments on the Petition by following the instructions found on the Commission’s website: scc.virginia. gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments. Those unable, as a practical matter, to file comments electronically may file such comments by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. All comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2024-00154.
On or before January 10, 2025, any person or entity wishing to participate as a respondent in this proceeding may do so by filing a notice of participation at scc.virginia.gov/ clk/efiling. Those unable, as a practical matter, to file a notice of participation electronically may file such notice by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Such notice of participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel. The respondent simultaneously shall serve a copy of the notice of participation on counsel to the Company. Pursuant to Rule 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (“Rules of Practice”), any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action. Any organization, corporation, or government body participating as a respondent must be represented by counsel as required by Rule 5 VAC 5-20-30, Counsel, of the Rules of Practice. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2024-00154.
On or before February 21, 2025, each respondent may file with the Clerk of the Commission, at scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling, any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its case. Any respondent unable, as a practical matter, to file testimony and exhibits electronically may file such by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Each witness’s testimony shall include a summary not to exceed one page. All testimony and exhibits shall be served on the Commission’s Staff, the Company, and all other respondents simultaneous with its filing. In all filings, respondents shall comply with the Commission’s Rules of Practice, including 5 VAC 5-20140, Filing and service, and 5 VAC 5-20-240, Prepared testimony and exhibits. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2024-00154.
Any documents filed in paper form with the Office of the Clerk of the Commission in this docket may use both sides of the paper. In all other respects, except as modified by the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, all filings shall comply fully with the requirements of 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice.
The public version of the Company’s Petition and other documents filed in this case, the Commission’s Rules of Practice, and the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing may be viewed at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information
In Memoriam:Thomas S. Whipple
Career intelligence professional and regular Falls Church News-Press
contributor Thomas S. Whipple, husband of former State Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple for 64 years, died Nov. 18 after a long battle with cancer surrounded by family. He was 86. Born in April 1938, Whipple spent most of this career with the U.S. government. After serving a tour of duty in the Army Counterintelligence Corps, he spent a 30 year career as an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, taking the lead in modernizing the technology of the agency’s operations center. For years he also compiled a daily news clipping sheet for key government officials that was made up of breaking news headlines from around the world. He was in charge of, it could be argued, the
lowest-circulation news operation that, at the same time, was the most influential because of the people who read and relied on it every day.
After his government service, he applied the same talent to providing key Virginians a daily news briefing sent via email that became known as “the Whipple Clips,” getting up at 4 a.m. every day to prepare and send it out. The effort is now in the hands of the Virginia Public Access Project which has continued the effort now available free to anyone who requests it.
Whipple also translated his concern for environmental and energy issues into writing and editing Peak Oil News, a publication of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil. He wrote a weekly column on the energy crisis published exclusively in the Falls Church News-Press and was a fellow of the Post-Carbon Institute. He developed a very strong interest in controlled nuclear fusion energy and in shining a light on what he felt were some of the more promising research to develop it.
For decades he volunteered for the Arlington County, Virginia, Democrats, applying new technologies to automate processes for the Democratic Party of Virginia. He started the volunteer Campaign
Support Center and was named the organization’s first Campaign Volunteer of the Year. He was honored as a Distinguished Democrat by the Arlington Democrats in 2021.
Whipple was born in New York City on April 13, 1938 to Thomas Thilo and Harriett Sample Whipple and grew up as an only child in Scarsdale, N.Y. He graduated from Rice Institute (now Rice University) in Houston and earned an M.A. from the School of International Service at American University, following that undertaking doctoral studies at the London School of Economics.
In 1960 Whipple married Mary Margaret (Hierth) Whipple, who survives. They were married 64 years and raised two daughters. In addition to the daughters, Beth Michiell-Grote (husband Greg) and Margie Kelleher (husband Brian), he is survived by five grandchildren, Tyler, Kyle, Brandon, Madeline and Katherine, and four great grandchildren, and his sister-in-law Sue Crawford (husband Jim).
He went almost every summer to the family cottage in Ontario, Canada. He built his first motorboat when he was 14, raced in his sailboat, and managed countless projects. Above all, he loved spending time with family and friends.
of the neighborhood. All the kids love him..... (Courtesy Photo)
Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Please send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.
Meridian Girls Beat Briar Woods In Opening Comeback Win
by Ryan McCafferty
December is here, and with that, basketball season at Meridian High School has officially tipped off. One night after the boys opened their campaign by blowing out John Lewis on the road, it was time for the girls to get going as they hosted Briar Woods. Bringing back three starters from last year’s State Finals team while adding a handful of new contributors to provide some depth, hopes are high for another season full of success for Chris Carrico’s squad.
Nora Stufft, one of the primary holdovers from last season, earned Meridian’s first points of the season on the Mustangs’ opening possession, and she ended up scoring the first eight for Meridian as the home took an early 8-4 lead. But Briar Woods got hot from behind the arc to spark a 12-0 run in response, and after trailing 18-11 after a quarter, the Mustangs found themselves facing a double-digit deficit early
in the second period. Now it was their turn to get on a run, and Meridian scored 12 straight as Ellie Friesen knocked down a couple threes and Stufft made a pair of layups to tie and then take the lead. Stufft and Friesen combined for all but one point in the first half, as the two teams went into the break knotted up at 26.
Briar Woods got the opening bucket of the second half, but that would be the last time they’d lead. Another 8-0 Mustang run put the home team ahead for good, and after a lowscoring third quarter, Meridian led 36-30. The advantage increased to double digits in the final frame, with the Mustangs getting some other contributors involved as they capped off an extended 32-11 run to go ahead 43-32 early in the quarter. They’d win by a final score of 48-37, starting their season off with a tally in the victory column.
Stufft led the scoring with 20, 16 of which were in the first half. Friesen joined her in double
figures with 11, while Charlotte Lieu and Rose Weatherly each had six. The Mustangs will take to the court again on Friday night as they host district opponent Kettle Run.
THIS LITTLE CHIWEENIE (chihuahua Dachshund mix) was rescued in July 2024. He is already my heart and he goes with me everywhere. He also is a favorite
Meridian Girls Basketball picks up win on opening night! (Photo: Ryan McCafferty)
Falls Church Business News & Notes
Virginia Dream FC in the Finals Tonight
The local semi-professional soccer team that calls Falls Church home is vying for the title, Champion of Champions. In its second full year, the team plays the Toros from Great Falls in the Virginia Super Soccer League (VSSL) Finals tonight, December 5, 9:00 p.m. at Justice High School. The winner would become the Virginia Super Soccer League Champions and will play the champion of the Maryland Super Soccer League for the title of Champion of Champions. The most up to date information can be found at instagram.com/virginiadreamfc/ Westover Taco Ribbon Cutting
This Saturday, December 7, 2:30 p.m. join the Falls Church Chamber and officials to celebrate Westover Taco. Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, do the “Cha Cha for Churros” – together for a free churro donut. Enjoy various snacks such as Mexican Durritos, salsa and chips, and sample food. Drink specials will be offered all day including new hot drinks for winter.
Free Holiday Concert
The Washington Sinfonietta continues the season with a Falls Church tradition, the Annual Family Holiday Concert on Sunday, December 8 at 4:00 pm. The Festive music features the Sinfonietta and Meridian High School Chamber Singers (Jamie Sample, Director), and a carol sing-along led by a surprise special guest conductor. Santa will join the festivities. The performance at Falls Church Episcopal is free and open to the public. Visit washingtonsinfonietta.org for more information.
Free Jewelry Appraisal Day
Wednesday, December 11, 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. - Quinn’s hosts a Jewelry Verbal Appraisal Day. Sign up for a “Verbal Appraisal” slot if you would like a free verbal evaluation of your pieces from the jewelry specialist, Stephen Silvia, before possibly consigning. There will be staff on hand to assist you if you choose to consign on the spot! For these appointments, please allow one 30-minute time slot for every 15 pieces of jewelry you want reviewed. (Ex. for 28 pieces, sign up for two consecutive time slots.) business.fallschurchchamber.org/events/details/quinn-s-jewelry-verbalappraisal-day-12-11-2024-78878?calendarMonth=2024-12-01
Call for Nominations: Employer Awards
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and its Commuter Connections program are accepting nominations for its annual employer awards, recognizing those who have initiated, enhanced, or expanded programs, benefits, policies, and amenities to encourage employees to telework and/or use commuting alternatives to driving alone to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles from area roadways. This includes taking transit, carpooling/vanpooling, and bicycling/ walking to the worksite., Nominees may be from the private sector, non-profit organizations, government agencies. The deadline is January 31, 2025.
Best Asian Restaurants
Northern Virginia Magazine cited 12 of the best Asian restaurants, three of which are local to Falls Church. These include NUE Elegantly Vietnamese in Founders Row, Padaek, a Thai-Lao restaurant in Arlington and Falls Church, and Rice Paper, a Vietnamese restaurant in Eden Center.
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@fallschurchchamber.org.
