February 20 — 26, 2020
Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee
Foun d ed 1991 • V ol. XXX No. 1
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Neighboring Businesses Bemoan Project Impact Broad-Washington Proposal Nixing Parking Will Harm Many, Restaurants Say
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
“Katherine and I borrowed a significant amount of money to open this restaurant. A labor of love. This is our dream and we made it come true. We promised our investors 110% payback before we see a penny of any profits from our restaurant. Needless to say, to find out that all of our parking will virtually disappear for over a year when our business is still so young is frightening. We don’t think our business will survive this. We have no other source of income. Also, we have convinced friends to move to Virginia to work for us and become a part of our restaurant family as salaried employees.” — Gabe Thompson, co-owner, Thompson Italian. The above written comment was provided to the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce’s executive director Sally Cole by the co-owner of the City of Falls Church’s newest, and popular regionwide, restaurant, Thompson Italian, located at the site of the former Argia’s two doors down from the State Theatre.
He is one of a number of small business owners in the immediate block who expect to be severely impacted by the Insight Property Group’s latest plan for its property on that block. Late last year, the group announced that Whole Foods supermarket signed a lease for a 50,000 square foot store at the intersection of Broad and Washington, and the project will include 350 residential units above, and involves the acquisition of the City-owned parking lot behind Thompson Italian and Clare and Don’s Beach Shack. Thompson’s response came in reply to a meeting of the Chamber’s Legislative Affairs committee with Insight’s Maury Stern last week, where Stern laid out the same proposal that he came with to the City Council last November. Yesterday, in response to that meeting, Stern said in comments to the News-Press, “We are very aware of the concerns that have been raised and we are working on solutions now.” He said a new submission to City Hall is now likely to come sometime next week. While there is no plan to add a commercial office space component to the project, he said, the issue of parking and good relations with business as well as residential neighbors to the site is a primary concern. Stern said that while “in the past, we’ve
Continued on Page 5
5 OF THE 6 members of the F.C. School Board shown here were part of the unanimous vote to adopt their proposed FY21 budget forwarded to the City Council Tuesday night. (Photo: News-Press)
F.C. School Board Copacetic in Adoption of New FY21 Budget
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
On Tuesday night, the Falls Church School Board unanimously approved its advertised budget for the 2020-2021 school year. Reflecting an investment in students, staff, and schools, the budget includes a step increase for eligible employees and a 1 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) for all FCCPS
staff members. The budget is identical to Superintendent Peter Noonan’s proposed budget that he announced a month earlier. The $54.6 million budget, which now heads to the Falls Church City Council for approval, falls within the 3.1 percent budget guidance (for the second year in a row) and seeking a City appropriation of $44.6 million. The approved budget motion also includes the addition of 50
percent of any additional general government tax revenue above last December’s projections in accordance with an informal revenue sharing understanding with the City. According to F.C. City Manager Wyatt Shields, the increase over projections from December nets 0.4 percent, from the 3.1 projection to a 3.5 percent actual.
Continued on Page 4
Inside This Week Amended Legislation Excludes High School Journalists
Surface Parking at Local Metro Stations Closing
Mason Girls Roll Over Central on Senior Night
See Story, page 8
See News Briefs, page 9
See Sports, page 16
Legislation addressing free speech rights for young journalists in the state general assembly will shuffle its feet toward the finish line if it passes by allowing college students, but not their high school counterparts, the same uninhibited speech as professional publications.
Starting next month, the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority plans to make significant cuts to parking at Falls Church metro stations for nearly the rest of the year. This, just a week after it was announced three stations were closing for the summer.
George Mason High School’s girls basketball team had a successful senior night this week with a convincing 45-24 win over the visiting Central High School Tuesday.
Index
Editorial........................................................ 6 Letters.......................................................... 6 News & Notes.....................................10–11 Comment........................................7,12–13 Business News..........................................15 Sports........................................................16 Calendar.............................................18–19 Classified Ads............................................20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword..................21 Crime Report.............................................22 Critter Corner.............................................22
PAGE 2 | FEBRUARY 20 - 26, 2020
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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Continued from Page 1
Tuesday, the School Board also approved a Food Service budget of $1.1 million and a Community Service Fund Budget in the amount of $2.4 million. With the budget having been worked out so smoothly this season, attention turns back to the construction of the new George Mason High School, which is still on schedule for completion by next December. A critical inflection point in the process comes tomorrow, when the traditional “topping off” celebration for a new building construction will occur. All the construction teams are invited to a free lunch to celebrate the point at which the building is covered at the top, which can accelerate the remaining construction below. Following that, on Saturday morning, the School Board and F.C. City Council will be invited to a hard-hat tour of the project’s progress to date, which will begin at the site at 10:30 a.m. As for the budget approved Tuesday, Superintendent Noonan told the News-Press in an interview Wednesday that he is delighted with the overall community cooperation that contributed to the good “needsbased budget” coming in under Council guidance and its ability to retain the best teachers and staff. “It is a great community whose families are so dedicated to acting on behalf of the kids,” he said. Included in the School Board’s FY21 advertised budget are the
following: • A step increase for eligible staff • A one percent Cost of Living Adjustment for all FCCPS staff • An additional IB Middle Years Programme coordinator (one each for MEH and GM) • A pre K-12 English/Language Arts coordinator to support teachers and students • One social worker to support student’s emotional health and well-being • Increasing the Clinic Aide/ Office Staff position at Jessie Thackrey to full time • Three new custodial positions to help maintain the additional square footage of the new high school, which, this time next year, will be open and running. Wyatt Shields, the Falls Church City Manager, will fold the School Board request into his overall City operations budget proposal for FY21 that he will present to the Council on March 9. The Council will adopt that budget, with modifications on April 27 and the School Board will then vote on final adoption of its budget on May 5. Among the things not included in the budget are 14 items, Noonan said, that are now being prioritized by the School Board in anticipation of some additional revenue sharing funds coming from the City over the next year. “We are looking at a paraprofessional for special education programs, and additional reading and math teachers,” he said. He noted that programs listed as “unfunded” in last year’s budget all found their way into this year’s to be included.
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Neighbors Upset at New Proposal’s Impact
Continued from Page 1
said ‘no’ to the idea of doing the project without the City parking lot component, I will now say that we’re looking at all options.” For other retailers like Thompson Italian, Clare and Don’s and the State Theatre, the major concern centers on Insight’s proposal to purchase a Cityowned parking lot and fold it into its development plan. Public access to the parking lot, a surface lot sitting directly behind Thompson Italian, Clare and Don’s and adjacent the State Theatre, is considered by those businesses among their most critical assets for attracting the customers they need to succeed. Also, taken together, the three businesses are among the most popular from a customer standpoint in the City, along with Ireland’s Four Provinces, Dogwood Tavern and other popular destinations within a block’s distance. Thompson Italian has arrived with a splash after opening last summer. In the most recent edition of Washingtonian maga-
zine, it was included on its list of 100 best restaurants in the greater D.C. region where, it writes, “Gabe and Katherine Thompson will woo you with far more than just bucatini all’amatriciana.” (The only other City of F.C.-based restaurant on its list is Rice Paper at Eden Center). In a touch of true irony, the same edition of the magazine that touts Thompson Italian also dedicates a long feature story to Todd Hitt, the developer fallen from grace now serving out a lengthy prison term for running a ponzi scheme with investors. It was Hitt who worked with Insight on the original plan for the Broad and Washington project, and that version included a substantial Class A office space component (to be occupied by Hitt’s company), that all went south when Hitt was busted in October 2018. With Insight’s new plan, announced last November, the decision, of course, on its request to buy the City-owned parking lot space lies with the City. The City is being tempted by claims that the Insight project in its new form will
produce $40 million in 20 years in net tax revenues to the City. The next public meeting between Insight and the City has yet to be scheduled, although the reaction of local businesses to what Insight presented to the Chamber of Commerce indicates the kind of tough issues that loom. Gabe Thompson added to his letter, “We love being a part of the little city and feel we bring value to the city. We originally felt that Falls Church was focused on small locally owned businesses which is why we selected the location we are in. By having Whole Foods and this large developer come in and potentially destroy two locally owned businesses seems the antithesis of what ‘the little city’ means. Clare and Dons and Thompson Italian bring more heart and soul to the area than Whole Foods ever could.” Kathy Hamon, board chair of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment located just on the other side of the State Theatre, wrote, “We have noticed an increase in attendance at our classes/workshops that are held
FEBRUARY 20 – 26, 2020 | PAGE 5
every evening during the week. In addition, people are renting the space for classes during the day. Attendees of all of these events currently use the public parking. It would be detrimental to the CSE to lose the free public parking and we feel it would negatively impact our church should that happen.” She added, “The developer’s interim solution to provide valet parking is also troubling as people would have to wait for their vehicles and if there is a time when it is particularly busy at all the establishments effected, this would be harmful to our event/service attendees as there would be lengthy delays which would leave a bad taste in people’s mouths about the convenience in attending any of our future events.” Erik Pelton, owner of Erik M. Pelton and Assoc. which is adjacent to the property, a member of the City’s Economic Development Authority and spouse of a coowner of Clare and Don’s Beach Shack, wrote personal comments stating, “Apart from the impact on neighboring businesses, I do not support a project that will not have office included at the heart of ‘downtown’ crossroads, and will forever change the character of
Falls Church by making its most visible intersection at 7 & 29 into the place with the Whole Foods (and other supermarkets), and will I believe rapidly diminish the character for ‘The Little City’.” He added, “The project does little or nothing to enhance the character of Falls Church and it also does nothing to improve the lack of affordable and workforce housing.” Steve Rogers, retired business owner, resident, and former vice mayor of Falls Church who was in the Chamber meeting with Insight last week, wrote, “Our small retail and restaurants are what makes Falls Church special. Since I came to F.C. in 1975 the City has morphed from a sleepy village to a small city. Some don’t like the change and businesses have been lost in the process, but during this period of change Falls Church has not lost its soul. “I was and remain an advocate for mixed-use development both because of the vibrancy our new neighbors bring and the revenue they deliver both to our businesses and our City. That said, to maintain Falls Church as a unique and some might say special place we must do everything we can to preserve our unique restaurants and businesses.”
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Bold Moves Needed On Affordable Housing Two measures that failed to gain any traction in Richmond this session, otherwise destined for the history books as one of the most progressive in Virginia history, dealt with perhaps the single most critical issue of all: the grave shortage of affordable housing. This is a problem that is only going to get worse, right now headed in the direction of mass homelessness on the streets in all the major urban centers of the land. There may be a “recovery” continuing in the macro-data that political campaigns use to fuel their efforts, but there are other more important statistics, like the fact that 17 percent of all American adults are seriously in default on their credit card debt. There are lots of other statistics like that, showing, among other things, that even a $15 per hour minimum wage is not enough for a family to afford even the most modest rental housing. Another shows over 40 percent of Americans are one paycheck away from homelessness. As long as it is not “us” that’s the victim of such a situation, we presume, “we” will not be serious doing anything about it. So getting serious about addressing this problem is going to be tough, and it will be instructive to see who in the political arena does take it on, and who either punts or settles for inadequate half measures. Insofar as little Falls Church makes up for her small size by her reputation for standing in the forefront of major issues of the day, this would be one that could set a standard for the whole country. The two pieces of legislation, neither of which made it out of subcommittees, had to do with state laws to incentivize the conversion of private residential properties into duplexes, on the one hand, and to encourage the construction of the so-called “tiny houses,” or whatever other name might apply, that allow for a homeowner to build a small unit behind, below or above their existing residence that can work as a residence for another person or family. Now, everyone who is involved in the current lucrative but highlylimiting policy of subdividing lots and replacing an old home with two megamansions, as is happening at a torrid pace in the City and throughout the region, will have a perceived vested interest in blocking these two affordable housing options. And so the lobbies on their half did in Richmond this last session. Perhaps this shouldn’t be a surprise for a legislature that despite its progressive bonafides is not able to muster the gumption required to ban military-style assault weapons on our streets. Affordable housing is being addressed by the use of some surplus revenues to do patchwork efforts around the state. But much bigger and bolder moves are required before you find three families camping out on your front porch. Now’s the time for Falls Church to buck the “gated city” trend, to be counterintuitive and truly progressive.
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City of F.C.’s Leaf Mulch Program Needs Reworking Editor, I’ve lived here since 1994, and back in the early years of my residency, one could arrange to have the City of Falls Church deliver leaf mulch to your driveway. We, along with many of our neighbors, were supplied in this way with a pile of rich, nutritious leaf mulch for our landscaping, at no charge, while supplies lasted.
Over the years the handling of mulch in the City has undergone dramatic changes. Delivery ended and turned into “mulch loading events” near the Recycling Center where one could bring a truck and have a front loader fill it with this nutritious compost. These events took place on the weekend and we always marked our spring calendars. In recent years the loading events have been moved to
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limited hours during the week, when most citizens are at work, limiting the event to the retired, or to local landscaping businesses. The City continues to pile a big mountain of mulch for the citizens to load, on their own, but it’s located at the end of a narrow passage near the recycling dumpsters. Anyone that has had to load mulch, shovel by shovel from these piles knows it is backbreaking work and trying to navigate your car or truck in this limited area among like minded residents is challenging to say the least. The mulch processing is paid for using our tax dollars, but the return of the mulch product back to our
yards has diminished. The new process is completely inadequate and severely limits the ability of the public to access this precious resource. If Falls Church really wants to be the Little “Green” City it claims it wants to be, a higher priority on mulch accessibility should be considered. I would like to propose the delivery of leaf mulch to interested City residents be reinstated, and to restart the loading events on the weekends when the majority of citizens have the opportunity to participate. Falls Church needs to reprioritize this resource and let it go full circle again. Luanne Lukes Falls Church
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FEBRUARY 20 – 26, 2020 | PAGE 7
At 30, Homestretch Continues Fight to Solve Homelessness B� C���������� F��
Amid the impeachment turmoil in Washington, it is easy to forget that there are other persistent problems facing our nation. One of those languishing problems is homelessness. Despite spending millions of dollars, cities like Washington, Seattle and Los Angeles are witnessing their homeless population grow each year. One might wonder: Is homelessness a solvable problem? The answer is yes. Right here in Falls Church, we are showing that homelessness need not be a lasting condition of life for anyone. One after another, homeless parents with children are using Homestretch to transform the course of their lives. This year Homestretch will turn 30 years old, and we are happy to report that over 2,000 homeless families have left homelessness and poverty behind through Homestretch. Moreover, these 2,000 families will never experience homelessness again, nor will their over 5,000 children. Go into a local café and you might be served a latte by a Homestretch graduate. A Homestretch graduate might be the dental hygienist who cleans your teeth, the pharmacy tech who helps fulfill your prescription, or the nurse caring for you in the hospital. The driver of your child’s school
bus, the mortgage broker who helps you secure a loan, the realtor who finds you a home, or the pastor who prays for you, all may be Homestretch graduates. Even your daughter’s new roommate in college might be a child of Homestretch.
“Most homeless programs provide only short-term rental subsidies with limited services. While this may be good for people with skills, a work history, and some education, it is simply not enough for people with more complex problems.” Contrary to the protestations of housing advocates, homelessness is caused by more than a lack of affordable housing. In fact, homelessness has many causes.
Domestic violence, human trafficking, chronic illness, death of loved ones, prolonged unemployment, lack of skills and education, and sheer poverty all might lead families to homelessness. So, ending homelessness requires many solutions tailored to individual needs. Homestretch is so successful at ending homelessness because we offer a depth of services to address the multiple problems faced by homeless families, and we allow them ample time to make substantial and lasting changes to their lives. Most homeless programs provide only short-term rental subsidies with limited services. While this may be good for people with skills, a work history, and some education, it is simply not enough for people with more complex problems. People in this situation find themselves unable to maintain housing once the subsidies end, so it is no wonder that cities like the District of Columbia and Richmond have escalating eviction rates. Homestretch serves homeless parents with children. This means that what we do affects more than just the parent. We open avenues for the children to experience happy and flourishing futures; this means investing in them and their families as if they are our own families. And it means believing in them, believing in their capacity to overcome tremendous
obstacles and to succeed. Succeed they do. Last month, we hosted an event where five graduates spoke about Homestretch. One is a Homestretch child in college at George Mason; one is an emergency room registered nurse; another graduated summa cum laude in nursing and is now earning her master’s degree; one works at Deloitte; and one is the manager of a bank. Talk about defying expectations! As we enter Homestretch’s 30th year, it is heart-warming to think that we can do this work in the City of Falls Church. One might think that such an affluent city might not be so welcoming of a program for the homeless, but we have felt extraordinary love and support from the city and all our neighbors. I suspect this is because of our reputation for dramatically changing lives. We are proving that anyone, no matter how damaged their past life, can turn their crisis into opportunity in Homestretch. Especially when there are little children involved, this is a promise we as a community can, should and will make together. Thank you for believing in Homestretch and the families we serve. Christopher Fay is executive director of Homestretch.
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Email: letters@fcnp.com | Mail: Letters to the Editor, Falls Church News-Press, 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church 22046 | Fax: 703.340.0347
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Free Speech for Young Journalists Still Hamstrung by School Discretion
by Matt Delaney
Falls Church News-Press
Legislation addressing free speech rights for young journalists in the state general assembly will shuffle its feet toward the finish line if it passes by allowing college students the same uninhibited speech as professional publications. But for the seedlings of the industry found in high school classrooms where the right to expression is edited by school administrators, such as George Mason High School’s staff at The Lasso, students wonder: What is everyone so afraid of? “The only thing that it’s doing is protecting the school,” George Mason High junior Sequoia Wyckoff, The Lasso’s features editor, said. “It’s not actually making our journalism better, it’s just protecting their own interests.” House Bill 36, commonly referred to as “New Voices” legislation, was amended in the house subcommittee to remove high school-aged students from the free speech protections that college journalists could now be afforded. If the bill does become law, it will be seen as the smallest step forward by Wyckoff and the newspaper’s managing editor, senior Colter Adams, but it doesn’t reflect the larger problem of student censorship. The Lasso has found itself on the forefront of this issue for over three years now. Back then, Mason alum Kate Karstens’ story about the Ivy-league bound son of the Falls Church City school board chair and his triple-digit absences in his senior year caught the eye of the school’s former principal. An order came from the administration to take the story down, but after some stiff resistance from Karstens, the report was allowed to go through minus the exact number of absences the student had. The now-senior at the University of North Carolina and staffer at the college’s newspaper, The Tar Heel, Karstens worked her way up the legislative ladder to try and enshrine the first amendment protection into law. At first, she pleaded her case to the F.C. School Board in the fall of 2016 to amend School Board Policy 9.46, which gives the school’s principal final approval over what is published in the paper. The board punted on the issue at the advice of its lawyer, who said it would be a break from
what other school systems were doing. Karstens spoke at the state legislature during the 2019 session when New Voices was first proposed, but the bill failed to make it out of committee. Those who spoke against the bill in 2019, according to The Lasso’s teacher and adviser Peter Laub, were the head of the state’s principal’s association and the head of the Virginia School Boards Association. The arguments generally put forward by the opposition, he recalled, were that students were too young to make informed judgments with their free speech rights, ignoring the fact that producing a school newspaper isn’t done without supervision. “That’s the part that people skip over. They just assume that it’s a ‘Lord of the Flies’ scenario, which it’s not,” Laub said. “The first week of school I have them memorize the Code of Ethics for the Society of Professional Journalists. That’s our class rules. You break those, that’s not like I’m censoring you; you’re breaking the rules and expectations of the profession.” Advocacy for the cause has not only abided by those rules, but exemplified them at Mason. Adams co-wrote a story last June that outlined the waffling legal history of student free speech protections and combined that with original research showing the discrepancy in national awards between states with and without New Voices legislation. Supreme Court Justices affirmed student journalists’ right to free speech in Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), as Adams wrote, and prompted the formation of the Student Press Law Center to ensure those protections were upheld. But a second case two decades later, Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988) clipped the reach of free speech when the work of student journalists was reclassified as “supervised learning experiences.” The new distinction, and how individual states responded by providing their own legal protections for students, created a noticeable difference in the quality of a given school’s work. Adams compiled data from student newspapers in all 50 states and found a significant difference in the number of Pacemaker awards won by National Scholastic Press Association publications with and without New Voices protections.
WONDERING WHETHER their free speech rights will ever fully be recognized by Virginia’s legislators are Lasso staffers Sequoia Wyckoff (top photo, left) and Colter Adams. Luckily, Falls Church City Public Schools is supportive of their right to free expression, with adviser Peter Laub’s (third from right) nomination as Teacher of the Year serving as proof of the quality product that he and the students put out. (Photos: Top — News-Press/Bottom — FCCPS Photo/Marybeth Connelly) Thoughts of “what could have been” likely passed through the minds of students who experienced some of the administrative censorship, such as the nearby Fauquier High School principal who killed an investigative piece on marijuana use that Adams cited. It’s acts like these that can contribute to a lethargic attitude in student newsrooms as the fear of having their work spiked can dissuade reportage into more gripping topics. “There’s this unmeasurable component which is self-censorship because there are so many stories we could probably name and story ideas about certain
things we can’t pursue,” Adams said. “The Hazelwood court ruling...says that student journalists aren’t operating as a public forum, they’re operating as an educational experience. But if you’re in a journalism class, then the educational experience is to operate as a public forum, so you can learn how to be a public forum.” Fortunately, The Lasso staff has no horror stories to report from its own end since Karstens’ run-in years ago. Wyckoff, Adams and Laub all praised the school system and Mason principal Matt Hills specifically for his willingness to let the paper publish what it sees fit — including an upcom-
ing story that’s critical of the school’s schedule and how it isn’t accommodating to students who celebrate Jewish holidays. The two young journalists agreed on nearly everything on this topic except for how they felt toward their future profession. Adams, who intends to pursue a career in political and legal journalism, admits the threat of censorship has made him a bit more cynical about the purity of the institution. But Wyckoff, who plans to be a reporter, takes a different stance. The issue has made her and others more passionate as well as more interested in First Amendment law.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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FEBRUARY 20 – 26, 2020 | PAGE 9
presents
8th Annual
F.C. Council Faces $1.207 Million City Hall Overrun This Monday, the Falls Church City Council will take up the issue of paying an additional $1,207,000 for completion of the City Hall renovation project, City staff having negotiated the agreed upon price with Hitt Construction. A fiery discussion of the matter took place at Tuesday’s City Council work session. City Manager Wyatt Shields said the cost can be absorbed by the surplus the City built up in the current fiscal year by delaying a first payment on the bond for the new high school and otherwise favorable (low interest rate) economic conditions. Shields said the excess funds that are projected to arise from greater than expected increases in City real estate assessed values will land the City only about $75,000, with an equal portion going to the City schools per an informal revenue sharing agreement in effect for the first time this year.
Surface Parking Closing at Orange Line Metros for Most of 2020 Starting next month, the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority plans to make significant cuts to parking at Falls Church metro stations for nearly the rest of the year, just a week after it was announced three stations were closing and Orange Line service reduced for the summer. According to a press release, the transit authority will close surface parking lots at both East Falls Church and West Falls Church and Vienna metro stations for seven to nine months starting Sunday, March 15. The closures will mean available parking at West Falls Church will be reduced by 50 percent, 10 percent at Vienna, and East Falls Church will lose all of its 422 daily parking spaces. The parking garage will remain fully open at the West Falls Church station, however, WMATA forecasts that the garage will be full before 7 a.m. The Kiss and Ride lot will stay open at the East Falls Church station for pick-up and drop-off only. Both stations’ surface lots will be used as staging areas for the heavy equipment required to complete the platform repairs taking place from May 23 through Sept. 7. Representatives of WMATA reported to the F.C. City Council at its work session earlier this month that the East Falls Church, Vienna and Dunn Loring stations will be closed to the public between May 23 and Sept. 7 this summer as part of the system’s platform repair and upgrade program.
GMHS Students Push for Civic Absenteeism Over a dozen George Mason High School students showed up at this Tuesday’s Falls Church School Board meeting to take turns speaking to the board support of a policy allowing for one day per school year of permitted absenteeism per student for purposes of civic involvement and activism. It is a policy similar to one adopted by the neighboring Fairfax County School Board last year. The students talked about the F.C. School System’s International Baccalaureate program and the emphasis it places on thoughtful civic activism. The policy will enhance student empathy and make for “better global citizens,” said student Samuel Mostow. A student advisor said, “It is different now than 10 years ago. These students really want to get out there to exercise their sense of justice and responsibility.” F.C. Schools Superintendent Peter Noonan applauded the students for their activism about activism. He told the News-Press later that he will make a recommendation to the School Board about the policy next month.
Falls Church Restaurant Week Returns Next Month The News-Press has announced the dates for this year’s celebration of all things tasty in and around the City, Falls Church Restaurant Week. The eighth annual event will take place next month, March 23 – 29, featuring seven days of deals from the best places to wine and dine around The Little City. In advance of the culinary celebration, the News-Press will publish a special food and dining edition on March 19 packed with food features, stories and will offer the exclusive first look at all the Falls Church Restaurant Week deals. More information on Falls Church Restaurant Week, including participants, will be unveiled at www.fcrestaurantweek.com in the coming weeks. Restaurants interested in participating in the 8th annual Falls Church Restaurant Week should email jfellows@fcnp.com for information.
Correction: Library Work Completion Date June 2021 The renovation and expansion effort for the Mary Riley Styles Public Library given final approval by the F.C. City Council last week will be completed by June 2021, not 2022, as incorrectly reported in last week’s News-Press.
Little City. Big Eats. FCRestaurantWeek.com #FCRESTAURANTWEEK
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Community News & Notes
HELPING NEWS-PRESS CHIEF Nicholas Benton celebrates yet another 39th birthday at Anthony’s Restaurant last weekend with this feisty entourage. Among the revelers were City officials, NewsPress staffers and even Anthony himself. (Photo: News-Press)
CAROLINA LARQUE VAZQUEZ (left), for almost 20 years an outstanding personal banker at the Wells Fargo branch at 1000 W. Broad in Falls Church, retired last Friday. She’s moving to join her State Department-employed husband in Bucharest, Romania. She’s shown here with Telma Manyuwa, also a personal banker at the branch. (Photo: News-Press)
F.C. Author Hosts Talk About Latest Novel
Vietnam Veterans Meeting Held Tonight
Falls Church resident Sara Fitzgerald will talk about her new novel, “The Poet’s Girl,” and sign copies of the book at One More Page Books (220 N. Westmoreland St., Arlington) at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26. The novel tells the story of Emily Hale, an American college professor and amateur actress who was the little-known love of the poet T. S. Eliot. Fitzgerald was present at the Princeton University Library on Jan. 2 for the opening of the 1,131 letters that Eliot wrote Hale over the course of their lifetimes. The letters had been sealed for 50 years following Hale’s death. For more information, visit sarafitzgerald.com and onemorepagebooks.com.
Tonight’s Vietnam Veterans of America chapter 227 membership meeting features Tess Johnston, who will discuss her seven-year Tour of Duty as a US AID employee. She survived the Tet Offensive and worked with John Paul Vann. Later she served in Shanghai, China and witnessed the transformation of China into a global economic power. Come early for a great meal and meet your fellow members. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at Glory Days Grill in Barcroft Plaza (6341 Columbia Pike, Falls Church). Spouses, friends and fellow Vietnam War veterans are welcome. Chapter policy prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages during the formal meet-
ing. Adverse weather cancels the meeting if the Fairfax County Public Schools are closed that day. AVVA is also supporting The Lamb Center, a daytime homeless service center, by asking members to bring paper towels, 13 gallon plastic kitchen bags with drawstrings and Styrofoam bowls and cups to the meeting. The center provides space and time for VA staff to assist homeless veterans in filing for benefits besides providing an essential community service. The VA’s previous delivery of kitchen bags arrived just as the center was on their last plastic bags.
Bishop O’Connell Brings On New Head of School After an extensive national search, and at the recommendation
Send Us Your News & Notes!
The News-Press is always on the lookout for photos & items for Community News & Notes, School News & Notes and other sections of the paper. If you graduate, get married, get engaged, get an award, start a club, eat a club, tie your shoes, have a birthday, have a party, host an event or anything else you think is worth being mentioned in the News-Press, write it up and send it to us! If you have a photo, even better! Because of the amount of submissions we receive, we cannot guarantee all submissions will be published, but we’ll try our best!
Community News & Notes: newsandnotes@fcnp.com | School News & Notes: schoolnews@fcnp.com Mail: News & Notes, Falls Church News-Press, 200 Little Falls St. #508, Falls Church, VA 22046
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
of the search committee, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, Catholic Diocese of Arlington, has named William Crittenberger the new head of school at Bishop O’Connell High School, effective July 1. Crittenberger comes to Bishop O’Connell after more than 35 years of service in education. Most recently, he provided eight successful years of leadership as headmaster at St. Anselm’s Abbey in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, he was assistant head of school as well as academic dean at several educational institutions in the Washington area, including Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, Landon School and Bullis School. He began his career as a math and history teacher at the Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, Maryland. During his extensive service, he also coached girls basketball and volleyball, and boys football and baseball. In Crittenberger’s roles, he has demonstrated an expertise in curriculum development and integration. He led his schools in effective enrollment management, system and process evaluation, and strategic planning. He holds an M.S. in Education
from Johns Hopkins University and an M.A. in History from Yale University. He completed his undergraduate degree in journalism from George Washington University, after attending the U.S. Military Academy for two years. He and his wife, Tracy, have four grown children and are parishioners at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington, D.C. Dr. Joseph Vorbach, Superintendent of Schools, Catholic Diocese of Arlington, announced the appointment to faculty and staff at Bishop O’Connell, adding, “We look forward to having Mr. Crittenberger in the important Head of School role at Bishop O’Connell. He brings a wealth of experience and a great zeal for the mission of Catholic education.”
Relay For Life Hosts Battle of the Bands Area locals can join Relay For Life of Northern Virginia for its annual Relay-Palooza Battle of the Bands kickoff celebration benefiting the American Cancer Society on Sunday, February 23 at Jammin Java (227 Maple Ave E, Vienna). Doors open at noon and
LO CA L the event begins at 1 p.m. Local acts may register to perform on the Jammin Java stage and then audience members will vote to determine a winner. The winner of Relay-Palooza will get the chance to headline the 2020 Relay For Life event. This is a family-friendly event. Donations benefit the live-saving mission and programs of the American Cancer Society.
Arlington Lions Launch Next Fundraiser The Northwest Arlington Lions are now preparing for their charities fundraiser of February with their sale of fresh Florida, Texas and California citrus, Georgia pecans and Vermont maple syrup at the Overlee Pool (Bath House – Lower Level) located at 6030 Lee Highway, Arlington, lower entrance off John Marshall Dr. Times are as follows: Monday from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Wednesday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Thursday from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. For more information, call 703528-1130.
MAUREEN LOFTUS (far right), executive director of LearningRx of Vienna and Reston is leading the eighth annual Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce job shadow program, in partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools, for more than 50 11th and 12th grade Fairfax County students. Students applied from James Madison High School, George C. Marshall High School, Marshall Academy and Oakton High School in Fairfax County. Students can shadow professionals in more than 20 industries for one day from January through March 2020. (P����: C������� L�������R�)
FEBRUARY 20 – 26, 2020 | PAGE 11
DAM SAFETY AND FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT www.dcr.virginia.gov/floodawareness
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A Penny for Your Thoughts
News of Greater Falls Church By Supervisor Penny Gross
Last week’s column highlighted data contained in Fairfax County’s recently released 2019 Demographics Report, and I promised to discuss policing challenges in our older, richer, and more diverse community. Fairfax County’s police department is considered one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the nation, but demographic changes in a jurisdiction of our size demand fresh approaches to crimes of opportunity, as well as expanding on traditional police services. As the county population ages, the police department handles more missing person calls because of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Despite best efforts of caregivers, elderly persons afflicted with these conditions sometimes wander away, or get lost just doing everyday activities. Sometimes, when the police helicopter is flying circles over a neighborhood at night, it is using special equipment that can detect body heat in the dark, often leading to a rescue of a lost family member. I recall the tale of a constituent’s elderly relative ending up in Connecticut after getting lost while driving in the New York City area. When she saw a car with a license plate similar to hers, she simply followed it, hoping it would get her to someplace familiar. It didn’t, but the story had a safe ending, as local law enforcement was able to reach relatives, who quickly came to collect her and take her home (and probably took her car keys, too). A more affluent community also attracts more financially sophisticated crimes, or scams, perpetrated on unsuspecting residents. The Social Security Administration will not contact you by phone to “suspend” your Social Security number, although three messages on my cell phone in the past week have threatened to do just that — don’t respond, don’t press 1, just hang up! The police department
will not call to collect on parking tickets. If someone asks you to buy gift cards and give them the serial numbers, don’t! It’s a popular scam to relieve you of money — sometimes thousands of dollars’ worth. A more affluent community also may see a potential increase in property crimes, such as expensive cars left unlocked or packages delivered to a front porch. These are crimes of opportunity that easily can be avoided. Lock your vehicle and arrange for delivery to your office or a trusted neighbor. If you think you have been the subject of a scam or property crime, call the police non-emergency at 703-691-2131, and ask for an officer to respond. The police force in a more diverse community needs to reflect that diversity in its communications and in its officers. In Fairfax County, that means an increased emphasis on recruiting based on language skills, as well as cultural background. Many officers are bi-lingual, with some speaking several languages, so that they can communicate directly with residents in the language with which they may be more comfortable. People needing police services may face increased stress or fear, which can make even simple conversations fraught with tension and misunderstanding. Patience, communication (both body language and spoken word), and cultural awareness are skills that today’s police officers must have. Fortunately, in older, more affluent and more diverse Fairfax County, those skills are practiced every day. (Thanks to the Mason District Police Station and 2nd Lt. Marques Lowery for some of this information, which was presented to the Citizen Advisory Committee earlier this month.) Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.
MAKE SURE THEY’RE IN THE RIGHT CAR SEAT
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Delegate Marcus Simon’s
Richmond Report We’re in the last three-weekstretch of this year’s 2020 General Assembly Session. Last week was the official halfway point known as crossover — the term used to describe the last day before all bills in the House of Delegates are sent over to the Senate and vice versa. It also means that we had a few very long days of debate on the House floor to finish up the remaining bills on the calendar. On crossover day, we had 162 bills to vote on — we had already passed 668 bills that are now going through the Senate committee process. We’re now sorting through over 550 new pieces of Senate legislation and will do the first round of debate on the 2020-2022 state budget. Unlike in previous years where I had few subcommittee assignments, I am now on six subcommittees, three of which I am the chairman. In all the committees, we’re reviewing and moving legislation along with the goal of making sure we end sessions on time on March 7. Going Forward I’m proud of my 14(!) bills that are headed to the Senate this week as well as the many others that I’ve had an opportunity to work on with my colleagues. You can view my complete legislative agenda here by going to lis.virginia.gov, selecting General Assembly members, and then selecting my name. Overall, we’ve passed a lot of substantive, progressive legislation in the House so far: raising the minimum wage (HB 395), repealing Virginia’s mandatory ultrasound law (HB 980), allowing collective bargaining for public employees (HB 582), establishing the Virginia Values Act (HB 1663), ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment (HJ 1), enacting the Governor’s eight gun violence prevention bills, raising the grand larceny threshold (HB 995), allowing no-excuse absentee voting (HB 1), creating the Solar Freedom Act (HB 572), same day voter registration (HB 201). The 2020-2022 State Budget Over the weekend, the House Appropriations Committee released the 2020-2022 state budget, which includes a series of additional, committee-approved budget amendments. As I mentioned earlier, we’ll do the first round of debate on the budget this week be-
fore the budget goes to conference — this means that a few House and Senate members will be selected to reconcile the differences between the two versions of the budget. I’m happy to report that we already have some really good things in the budget that are earmarked to promote things like environmental responsibility, improve our education system, and make our communities safer. More specifically, the budget includes funding to cover the expected costs of finally raising the minimum wage in Virginia. We’re lagging behind our neighbors in Maryland, D.C. and West Virginia who have already raised wages. We’re giving pay raises to state employees and teachers, who will get a 4 percent total raise. There is $1.2 million for the Attorney General’s Division of Human Rights to support implementation and defense of recently passed human rights legislation. This refers to the Virginia Values Act and other bills which prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Early childhood education and K-12 will get $1.4 billion in new spending. There is also $11.2 million for Tuition Assistance Grants, increasing the award to $3,850. On the healthcare front, we are finally putting money toward establishing a Virginia Health Benefit Exchange. In addition, we have earmarked $1.7 million to expand opioid treatment services and added 1,135 new DD Waiver slots. To adequately administer the gun violence prevention legislation that has passed, the Department of Corrections will receive an additional $2.6 million. In response to high eviction rates, there’s $6.6 million for eviction diversion and prevention programs. We’re keeping our commitment to protecting the environment by earmarking $30 million for the Department of Environmental Quality for additional staff and programs related to environmental justice initiatives. We have also removed the prohibition on joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families will receive $6.6 million, increasing benefits by 5 percent. There is also $2.4 million to establish the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Prevention Fund at the Department of Social Services.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Enlightenment Vs. Postmodernism, Part 1
It is time in this era of genuine crisis for American democracy to take a bolder and less compromising look at the forces that have brought us here, in hopes that a sure path to recovery can be found and applied. Donald Trump is the child of postmodernism, the movement of thought in the West forged by the hegemony of the despicable French social philosopher Michel Foucault, who was unleashed on American academia in the 1970s to trash the role of reason and science in our culture, and to replace it with a dogma that said only power and pleasure are the dominant drivers of our lives. There have been two voices from academia that have been able to call out the destructive and anti-democratic nature of Foucault’s teachings, he being FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS a touted lecturer at such culturally critical places as the University of California at Berkeley in mid-1970s. One is the proponent of a return to the Enlightenment thinking which the American revolution and democratic experiment grew, the author of “Enlightenment Now;” Harvard’s Dr. Steven Pinker. The other is a British-born professor at Princeton who has written copious volumes on the Enlightenment and its connection to the American revolution and values of the American founders; Dr. Jonathan Israel. It is Israel who has best grasped the insidious and destructive nature of Foucault’s assaults on reason and science, notwithstanding the academic environment in which both he and Pinker write. He nailed it, essentially, when he wrote in the introduction to his massive 2012 work, “Democratic Enlightenment,” citing Foucault by name. Israel wrote: “Postmodernist thinkers have argued that [the Enlightenment’s] abstract universalism was ultimately destructive, that the relentless rationalism, concern with perfecting humanity and universalism of what they often disparagingly called ‘the Enlightenment project’ was responsible for the organized mass violence of the later French Revolution and the still greater horrors perpetrated by imperialism, Communism, Fascism, and Nazism in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Many argued that the assumption that humanity is ‘infinitely malleable,’ as James Schmidt put it, ‘provided the intellectual inspiration for attempts by totalitarian states to eradicate every trace of individuality from their subjects. Others insisted that the Enlightenment reduced complex moral dilemmas to a superficial level using simplistic solutions to iron out long-existing and deeply felt community differences and values. This multi-faceted indictment was lent added philosophical coherence by Michael Foucault’s overarching and powerful claim that the Enlightenment’s insistence on the primacy of reason was ultimately just a mask for the exercise of power. He maintained, often very convincingly, that Enlightenment was not just about liberation, but even more about new forms of constraint. “Postmodernist theorists urge us to forget the Enlightenment’s quest for universal moral and political foundations, claiming different cultures should be left ‘to determine their own priorities and goals without our discriminating politically or morally between them.’...replacing the intellectual foundations forged by the Enlightenment with a fresh set of criteria framing a postmodern world built on multiculturalism, moral relativism, and the indeterminacy of truth. “....Except for those willing to yield to Postmodernism and concede the death of reason and moral universalism, it remains an ongoing, live, and vital issue....the Enlightenment, I maintain, was the most important and profound intellectual, social, and cultural transformation of the Western world...and the most formative in shaping modernity.” There it is, stated as plainly as possible to forecast the rise of Trump and all that he represents. “The primacy of reason was ultimately just a mask for the the exercise of power” and the “Enlightenment was not just about liberation, but even more about new forms of constraint.” Or, as the totalitarian regime pictured by George Orwell in “1984” asserted to its slavish masses, “freedom is slavery” and “truth is lies.” In recent decades, many academics have been fooled by the Postmodernist focus on multiculturalism, seeing it as a valued contribution by the school of thought. Yet, multiculturalism is in fact a cruel ploy to recruit oppressed masses into an anti-rational movement. (To be continued). Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.
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Nicholas F. Benton
Our Man in Arlington By Charlie Clark
The Civil War brought more action, danger and death to Arlington than is commonly believed. So said historian and reenactor Peter Vaselopulos, speaking to Encore Learning enthusiasts at Arlington Central Library Jan. 27. His talk on “Arlington’s Little War” brought context to Union and Confederate troop movements and skirmishes in neighborhoods where we current-day suburbanites commute and shop. Arlington contained strategic heights (Arlington House), a railroad and vulnerable Potomac bridges, explained Vaselopulos, a longtime Arlingtonian who by day is an executive for the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The federals’ construction of 22 forts by war’s end made “Arlington the most fortified piece of land in the world,” he said. Arlington also hosted breakthroughs in the telegraph and intelligence via hot air balloon. There were also armed clashes. A key unit was the Union’s New York 23rd Volunteer Regiment (whose uniform Vaselopulos wore during his talk) based in the railroad hub of Elmira. They had come south to the District of Columbia in spring 1861 just after Arlingtonian Robert E. Lee was summoned downtown and made his fateful decision to fight for the South. “Lee knew he had to find a new place to live,” the historian noted. Lincoln kept the 23rd idle because Virginia itself
had not yet voted for secession. That occurred May 23, with most in the Arlington area voting no. Our farmer’s markets were in the District, not Richmond, and “they knew where their bread was buttered,” Vaselopulos said. On May 24, Union troops occupied Arlington Heights. “Lincoln needed 75,000 volunteers” to defend against a siege of Washington, but he had raised an army only for the three months the war was expected to last, the historian said. Arlington became the scene of exhausting training, for calvary and infantry. The soldiers came “through Rosslyn and spent the first night near Clarendon,” Vaselopulos said. Others camped near Carlin Springs and, later, what is now Bluemont Park. On June 1, a skirmish erupted at Arlington Mill, near today’s Seven-Eleven at Columbia Pike and George Mason Dr. (The county erected an historical sign there in 2017, aided by Vaselopulos.) Troops also used Columbia Pike on their two-day march to the July 21 Battle of Bull Run. Following that surprising Confederate triumph, Rebel troops approached the Federal capital. “If they had taken Arlington Heights, Lincoln would have had to skedaddle,” Vaselopulos said. Of 20,000 rebels in the region commanded by P.G.T. Beauregard, J.E.B. Stuart and James Longstreet, some by the end of summer penetrated to Halls Hill and Upton Hill along Four Mile Run. Vaselpulos focused on the undersung “Skirmish Near
Balls Cross Roads” of Aug. 27, citing New York Times reporting and soldier diaries. Union cavalry were sent into thick woods seeking stragglers from Bull Run. The 400 Union troops confronting 600 Confederates had orders to make contact but not to try to win. For two hours beginning at 2 p.m., the two engaged in small arms fire. The Rebels (about where Abingdon School is now) held their ground. So they could claim they won the skirmish despite 11 dead versus only “several” Union deaths. In late September, the Confederates withdrew, and Gen. George McClellan marched up Upton Hill, where Yankees discovered the Rebels’ fake “Quaker cannon” (you can see replicas there). Arlington’s legacy, Vaselopulos said, “is the building of the Army of the Potomac.” *** Washington Golf and Country Club, after nearly 80 years, still displays the framed program from the birthday celebration it hosted for President Franklin Roosevelt. The date was Jan. 30, 1941; the music by Phil Lampkin and His Dance Orchestra; the beneficiary of proceeds the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. Cross-grain sponsors included the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club and the Arlington County Women’s Democratic Club. Organizers included sheriff (and high school basketball coach) J. Elwood Clements, Mrs. Crandall Mackay and Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Campbell (he the civil rights attorney, she Elizabeth, the future founder of WETA.)
PAGE 14 | FEBRUARY 20 - 26, 2020
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GIFT CARD: $100 Visa Gift Card fulfilled by Protect Your Home through third-party provider, Mpell, upon installation of a security system and execution of monitoring contract. $4.95 shipping and handling fee, gift cards can take up to 8 weeks to arrive after following the Mpell redemption process. BASIC SYSTEM: $99 Installation. 36-Month Monitoring Agreement required at $27.99 per month ($1,007.64). 24-Month Monitoring Agreement required at $27.99 per month ($671.76) for California. Offer applies to homeowners only. Basic system requires landline phone. Offer valid for new ADT Authorized Premier Provider customers only and not on purchases from ADT LLC. Cannot be combined with any other offer. The $27.99 Offer does not include Quality Service Plan (QSP), ADT’s Extended Limited Warranty. ADT Pulse: ADT Pulse Interactive Solutions Services (“ADT Pulse”), which help you manage your home environment and family lifestyle, require the purchase and/or activation of an ADT alarm system with monitored burglary service and a compatible computer, cell phone or PDA with Internet and email access. These ADT Pulse services do not cover the operation or maintenance of any household equipment/systems that are connected to the ADT Pulse equipment. All ADT Pulse services are not available with the various levels of ADT Pulse. All ADT Pulse services may not be available in all geographic areas. You may be required to pay additional charges to purchase equipment required to utilize the ADT Pulse features you desire. ADT PULSE + VIDEO: ADT Pulse + Video installation is an additional $299. 36-month monitoring contract required from ADT Pulse + Video: $59.99 per month, ($2,159.64), including Quality Service Plan (QSP). Doorbell camera may not be available in all areas. GENERAL: For all offers, the form of payment must be by credit card or electronic charge to your checking or savings account, satisfactory credit history is required and termination fee applies. Certain packages require approved landline phone. Local permit fees may be required. Certain restrictions may apply. Additional monitoring fees required for some services. For example, Burglary, Fire, Carbon Monoxide and Emergency Alert monitoring requires purchase and/or activation of an ADT security system with monitored Burglary, Fire, Carbon Monoxide and Emergency Alert devices and are an additional charge. Additional equipment may be purchased for an additional charge. Additional charges may apply in areas that require guard response service for municipal alarm verification. Prices subject to change. Prices may vary by market. Some insurance companies offer discounts on Homeowner’s Insurance. Please consult your insurance company. Photos are for illustrative purposes only and may not reflect the exact product/service actually provided. Licenses: AL-19-001104, AR-CMPY.0001725 AZ-ROC217517, CA-ACO6320, CT-ELC.0193944-L5, DC-EMS902653, DC-602516000016, DE-07-212, FL-EC13003427, EC13003401, GA-LVA205395, IA-AS-0206, ID-ELE-SJ-39131, IL-127.001042, IN-C.P.D. Reg. No. – 19-08088, City of Indianapolis: LAC-000156, KY-City of Louisville: 483, LA-F1914, LA-F1915, LA-F1082, MA-1355C, MD-107-1626, ME-LM50017382, MI-3601205773, MN-TS01807, MO-City of St. Louis: CC#354, St. Louis County: 95091, MS-15007958, MT-PSP-ELS-LIC-247, NC-25310-SP-FA/LV, NC-1622-CSA, NE-14451, NJ Burglar Alarm Lic. # -NJ-34BF00021800, NM-353366, NV-0068518, City of Las Vegas: 3000008296, NY-Licensed by the N.Y.S. Department of State UID#12000317691, NYS #12000286451, OH-53891446, City of Cincinnati: AC86, OK-AC1048, OR-170997, Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor Registration Number: PA022999, RI-3582, RI-7508, SC-BAC5630, SD- 1025-7001-ET, TN-1520, TX-B13734, ACR-3492, UT-6422596-6501, VA-115120, VT-ES-2382(7C), WA-602588694/ECPROTEYH934RS, WI-City of Milwaukee: PAS-0002790, WV-WV042433, WY-LV-G-21499. 3750 Priority Way South Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46240 ©2017 DEFENDERS, Inc. dba Protect Your Home DF-CD-NP-Q120
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B������� N��� � N���� Regenerative Medicine Workshop at Body Dynamics Monday Body Dynamics Inc. is offering a free workshop, Tissue Engineering: How the Field of Regenerative Medicine Works and How it can Help You Heal, on Monday, Feb. 24, 7 – 8 p.m. Dr. Imran Siddiqui of Regenerative Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine will address the field of regenerative medicine, and what types of injuries and pathologies regenerative medicine can treat. It will also review the many types of procedures that are available and how they work, present the latest advances in this field, and help attendees understand how to find practitioners to administer these interventions. Body Dynamics is located at 410 S. Maple Avenue. For more information, visit www. bodydynamicsinc.com.
New Sub Shop Opening This Month in Falls Church Jon Smith Subs plans to open a new location at 6410 Arlington Boulevard in Falls Church on Feb. 24. The chain specializes in oversized subs as well as sandwiches, salads, and award-winning fries. Based in Florida, Jon Smith Subs has more than 75 locations in development across the U.S. with plans to expand to 100 locations in the next three years. The new location is owned and operated by local entrepreneur Mohamed Eltayeb. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon – 8 p.m. For more information, visit jonsmithsubs.com/locations/falls-church-va.
Mardi Gras Party Set for Next F.C. Mixer Rock Star Realty Group is hosting a Mardi Gras party networking mixer for the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce at Clare & Don’s Beach Shack on Tuesday, Feb. 25 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. The event will include live music by DC Funk Allstars and King Cake provided by Rock Star Realty and appetizers provided by Sislers Stone and Clare & Don’s Beach Shack. Clare & Don’s Beach Shack is located at 130 N. Washington Street in Falls Church. For more information, visit the calendar at www.FallsChurchChamber.org.
F.C. Pancake House Donating to Mary Riley Styles Library Foundation The Original Pancake House will donate 15 percent of its sales on Thursday, Feb. 27 to the Mary Riley Styles Library Foundation in recognition of Library Lovers Month. The local foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports library projects that encourage reading and lifelong learning. Mary Riley Styles Library, which is closed for renovations and expansion, will open a temporary location at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in March. Open from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. daily, the Original Pancake House is located at 7395 Lee Highway in Falls Church.
Baddpizza Now Hiring for Upcoming Falls Church Location Baddpizza, planning to open soon in its new Broadale Shopping Center location at 346 W. Broad Street in Falls Church, is hiring in-store team members, delivery drivers, and assistant managers for the Buffalo, New York-style take-out and delivery pizza and wing restaurant. Baddpizza, founded in 2018 by Joel Salamone and Steven Houck, has a location in South Riding and will soon open another restaurant in McLean as well as Falls Church. For more information, visit www.baddpizza.com or email jobs@baddpizza. com.
Dominion Wine & Beer Debuts New Private Lounge Dominion Wine & Beer is now taking reservations for its new private lounge room. The space, available for two-hour time slots, seats 12 comfortably, with a maximum capacity of 15, and comes with a private server. Dominion Wine & Beer is located at 107 Rowell Court in Falls Church. For more information, visit www.dominionwineandbeer.com. Business News & Notes is compiled by Sally Cole, Executive Director of Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at sally@fallschurchchamber.org.
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Mustangs Hot Heading into Postseason Friday by Caitlin Butler
Falls Church News-Press
George Mason High School’s girls basketball team had a successful senior night with a convincing 45-24 win over the visiting Central High School Tuesday. On the evening, Mason honored its two seniors, guard Julia Rosenberger and forward Emma Rollins. The Mustangs took control of the game immediately by scoring 17 points first-quarter points to the Falcons’ two, which came in the last 40 seconds of the period. “I think we really came together as a team before the game because senior night is super special at Mason. Everyone cherishes the moments they have on the team. We came off really strong and excited for the game. That’s what led us to the 17-2 in the first quarter and kept us going,” said Rosenberger. The Mustangs didn’t let up on the gas pedal heading into the second quarter, starting off with a crisp layup from the hands of sophomore guard Zoraida Icabalceta. Mason scored four
more points to follow, leading the Falcons 23-8 heading into the halftime. “It’s always special to come out for senior night. There’s that extra motivation for the last home game of the season to finish the season on a strong note has always been the message,” said head coach Chris Carrico. Central gained momentum in the third quarter trying to catch up to the home team, but the Mustangs responded appropriately with an end-of-quarter threepointer from freshman guard Peyton Jones. Mason continued to lead at the end of the third despite their setbacks with a score of 38-15. “We played well. We definitely had the mentality in the locker room that we had to come out strong. I think our first half was better than our second half, but we knew senior night is really special. It was a good game and they were a good team to compete against for senior night,” said Rollins. The Mustangs will now begin their postseason tournament at home on Friday at 6 p.m. against an opponent still to be determined.
LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL. A 14-8 regular season record and only two losses since the new year have given Mason plenty of reasons to smile over the past couple of weeks. Now the team looks to take their winning ways to the postseason starting on Friday. (Photo: Carol Sly)
Valentine’s Victory Sets Up Home Playoff Opener by Caitlin Butler
Falls Church News-Press
George Mason High School’s boys basketball team didn’t show much love to Warren County High School by giving it a 78-51 walloping on Valentine’s Day. The Wildcats came out swinging in the contest as an early Warren County lead forced Mason to dig itself out of a hole. After multiple Wildcat turnovers, senior forward Daniel Miller was finally able to take advantage and make the tying bucket to draw the score even at 5-5. The Mustangs began to set the pace from there. Thanks in part to junior guard Bobby Asel’s 10 points in the opening period alone, Mason mounted a 17-12 run to take a 22-17 lead into the second quarter. It was in this quarter that Mason exerted the most influence over the game’s outcome. The Mustangs came alive offensively in the second quarter with seven different players scoring and was a large part of the rea-
son why three players — junior guard Deven Martino, sophomore forward Duncan Miller and Asel — would score in double figures on the night. The Wildcats only managed to tack on 10 points the second while the home team nailed down 25 points to their total, giving Mason a 47-27 halftime lead. There was still some hope for Warren County if they could pull off a competitive third quarter and trim down the Mustangs’ advantage. However, the Mustangs were just too sharp on the night to allow a comeback to happen. A gritty 16 points, five of which belonged to Martino, helped ensure the Mustangs 63-38 margin would allow them to coast once the fourth quarter rolled around. Reserves helped close out the game for Mason in the fourth to bring it to its final score and secure a lopsided, 27-point victory. Mason will now host the opening round of postseason tournament play on Friday at 7:45 p.m. against a to-be-determined opponent.
THE BOYS BACKCOURT led by juniors Deven Martino (left) and Bobby Asel were in full effect against Warren County High School as they both scored in double figures along with sophomore forward Duncan Miller. With the playoffs next, the two look to help shoulder some more weight in competitive games. (Photos: Carol Sly)
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“MARY POPPINS” premieres at George Mason High School tonight at 7 p.m. The play, which is put on by students from Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, will offer its few remaining cash-only tickets in the Mason lobby starting at 5:30 p.m. (P����: FCCPS P����/C���� S��)
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S����� N��� � N���� Marshall High Band Marches In Pearl Harbor Day Parade Marshall High’s marching band — the Marching Statesmen — participated in the Pearl Harbor Day Memorial Parade in downtown Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii, in memory of the 78th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that catapulted America into World War II. Students heard from a survivor of the attack, who is now 100 years old. They visited the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, where they stood overtop a ship sunk in the attack, and toured and performed at the U.S.S. Missouri, where the Japanese surrendered in 1945. The Marshall student musicians increased their global awareness by visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center to understand the culture of Hawaii and other Pacific islands, hiked up the Diamond Head volcano, and took a bus tour around the island of Oahu.
Mason Robotics Team Prepares for Competition George Mason High School’s robotics team, 1418, has been working on this year’s robot design. They are more than halfway through the build season, which began at the start of the year and transitions to competition on Feb. 29. The newest design feature the
team has pulled off is its ability to climb. To follow the team’s progress during the build and competition seasons, visit their Twitter page @ Robotics1418.
McLean’s Online Publication Listed as Award Finalist The National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) announced its list of online journalism Pacemaker finalists yesterday, and McLean High School’s online publication, The Highlander, is one of just 28 high school websites nationwide to be named a Pacemaker finalist. The Highlander is the only website in FCPS and one of just two in Virginia to earn this distinction. Unlike most awards that honor the previous school year’s staff, this award is for this year’s work, and the staff of The Highlander will be actively competing to secure the Pacemaker. Winners will be announced at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention on April 18. Since 1927, NSPA’s Pacemaker competition has been considered by many to be student journalism’s highest honor.
Testing Dates Coming Up For F.C. City Schools Three different testing dates are coming up in March for Falls
Church City Public School students. The Writing SOL for 8th graders will be on March 2 and 3. The End-of-Course Writing SOL for 11th graders and term graduates will be on March 4 and 5. And the World-class Instructional Design and Assessment Access Test will be administered to EL students in grades K-12 between March 2 and 20.
International Night at TJ Held on Friday The Falls Church Elementary Parent-Teacher Association’s seventh annual International Night is on Friday from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Elementary (601 S. Oak St., Falls Church). International Night gives students an opportunity to experience the cultural diversity of the Falls Church City Public Schools community by offering cultural performances and a “tasting table” with dishes from around the world, and the chance to “visit” different countries in the gym. Families are needed to host country tables, to bring dishes to share and to fill a variety of roles leading up to and at the event to be able to offer this experience to students. They are encouraged to volunteer at signupgenius.com/ go/70a0b4ea9aa22a02-international.
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FALLS CHURCHCALENDAR COMMUNITYEVENTS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20 Cursive Club. Interested attendees can learn the basics of cursive handwriting. Attendees will learn this skill set in a small group setting. Best for ages 8-12. TysonsPimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. 703-790-8088.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 Shadow Play. Children and parents can come to this event to see how the shadows in the setting sun change the entire look of the park. The theme for preschool programs is repeated during the month, so please register for only one session at each nature center per month. Parents are invited to stay and observe, or those with younger siblings may visit the rest of the building during the pro-
gram. Parents must remain onsite.$5 per child due at registration. Long Branch Nature Center at Glencarlyn Park (625 S. Carlin Springs Rd., Falls Church). 4 – 5 p.m. 703-228-6535. Chess Club. Interested attendees can learn chess from coach Ashley Xing, a member of the U.S. delegation to the 2018 World Youth Chess Championships. Participants can come to play chess, meet other chess players and learn. Players of all ages and levels are welcome. Boards and sets are provided. Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. 703-790-8088.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22 Winter Farmers Market. The year-round market is stocked with fresh, local produce, meat, dairy, flowers & plants, honey, music and much more. City Hall (300
Park Ave., Falls Church). 9 a.m. – noon. 703-248-5034. Girl Scout Day — Playing the Past. Junior scouts will learn about a girl’s life in the 1800s as they tour the farmhouse and listen to the oral histories of past occupants. Scouts will have the chance to get into character trying on period clothes, writing with quill pens, making butter, and playing parlor games. This program fulfills all badge requirements. Fee is $10 per Girl Scout (actual badge not included). Cherry Hill Farmhouse (312 Park Ave., Falls Church). 2 – 4 p.m. 703-248-5171 (TTY 711). Flying Squirrel Lore & More. Flying squirrels are found throughout the wooded areas in local neighborhoods, but are seldom seen. Interested participants can get their chance to learn about these engaging nocturnal acrobats during this program. After an indoor presentation, the group
will go outside to see the squirrels glide in for an evening meal. For families with children ages 4 and up. Children and adults must be registered; children must be accompanied by a registered adult. A $5 fee is due upon registration. Long Branch Nature Center at Glencarlyn Park (625 S. Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington). 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. 703-228-6535. Falls Church Homeless Shelter Gala. The event will feature live jazz by Modell, Soderstrom & James, heavy appetizers and dessert, a silent auction and a raffle. Festive, cocktail attire is encouraged. Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased online at fcshelter.org. This year’s event will honor two generous business and community partners: Lazy Mike’s Delicatessen and the Columbia Baptist Church. The State Theatre (220 N. Washington St., Falls Church). 6:30 – 10:30 p.m. gala@fcshelter.org.
THEATER&ARTS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” Adapted from the New York Times bestselling novel by Khaled Hosseini (“Kite Runner”), the lives of two Afghan women are inextricably bound together. In the war-ravaged Kabul, Miriam and Laila become unlikely allies in the face of the insurmountable odds of a brutal and oppressive way of life. Hopes of a new life lead to an unselfish and shocking decision, changing the course of their futures forever. Arena Stage (1101 Sixth Street, SW Washington, D.C.) $76. 8 p.m. arenastage.org.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22 “The Royale.” Jay “The Sport” Jackson dreams of being the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, but in the racially segregated world of boxing in 1905, the odds are stacked against him. When a crooked boxing promoter hatches a plan for “the fight of the century,” “The Sport” might land a place in the ring with the reigning white heavyweight
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champion. Inspired by the reallife experiences of Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight world champion. 1st Stage Theatre (1524 Spring Hill Rd., Tysons) $42. 8 p.m. 1ststagetysons.org.
“Crowns.” When a Brooklyn teen goes to live with her grandmother in South Carolina after the death of her brother, she learns the beauty, ceremony and symbolism of hat-wearing from her resilient, southern sisters. The musical has played to acclaim in theaters around the country, including sold out runs at Arena Stage. Creative Cauldron (410 S. Maple Ave., Falls Church) $35. 8 p.m. creativecauldron.org.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23 “Gun & Powder.” Inspired by a true story, make way for the sisters Clarke in a dynamic, moving and inspiring world premiere musical of notorious outlaws who ruled the Wild West. To help their mother settle a sharecropper debt, Mary and Martha Clarke— African American twins—pass themselves as White to seize the funds by any means necessary. However, their bond of sisterhood is tested when they fall in love with two very different men, one Black, the other White. Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington). $80. 2 p.m. sigtheatre. org.
LIVEMUSIC
A Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-8589186.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 Dan & Chuck. Clare and Don’s Beach Shack (130 North Washington St., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-532-9283. Happy Hour: Something Shiny. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703241-9504. Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles + Nora Jane Struthers. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 8 p.m. 703255-1566. Herb & Hanson. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-858-9186. Hollywood Nights — A True Bob Seger Experience. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $22. 9 p.m. 703237-0300. Smylin’ Jack presents Smylin’ Doug’s Birthday Bash. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-2419504. Mars Rodeo. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Ashleigh Chevalier. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 6:30 p.m. 703-237-8333.
Josh Christina Show. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-2419504.
1964: The Tribute (encore performance the following night at the same time and price). Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). $40. 8 p.m. 703-255-1900. Karaoke. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste
FEBRUARY 20 – 26, 2020 | PAGE 19
Thrillbillys. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Blue Dogs, Jacob Johnson. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20 – $25. 8 p.m. 703255-1566.
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Little City, Big Heart with Modell, Soderstrom & James. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $75. 6:30 p.m. 703237-0300. Bobby Long. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $18. 7 p.m. 703-255-1566. The Last Bandoleros. Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). $27. 8
ANDREW ACOSTA will be at JV’s Restaurant on Sunday. (Courtesy Photo) p.m. 703-255-1900. The Super Funk 5. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-858-9186. Bad Influence Band — A Tribute to Women of Blues. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-2419504. Karaoke. Mark’s Pub (2190 Pimmit Dr., Falls Church). 9:30 p.m. 703-356-3822. S.N.R.G. Music Presents: #FEELintheBLANK. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10. 10 p.m. 703-255-1566.
(6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 1 p.m. 703-241-9504. 2020 Relay-Palooza. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15. 1 p.m. 703-255-1566. Acoustic Open Mic. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-858-9186. Gretchen Peters. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $22. 7 p.m. 703-255-1566. Carly Harvey Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-2419504.
Dede & the Do-Rights. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.
Girl Choir, Apollo 66, Northwoods. Galaxy Hut (2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $5. 9 p.m. 703-525-8646.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24
Andrew Acosta. JV’s Restaurant
Skydiver with Milo in the
Doldrums, Bluewreck, Modern Trap. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10 – $15. 7 p.m. 703-255-1566. Little Lawnmowers, Annie Stokes. Galaxy Hut (2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $5. 9 p.m. 703525-8646.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 Scott Raminger — Fat Tuesday Show. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 5:30 p.m. 703-241-9504. Cherish The Ladies (encore performance the following night at the same time and price). Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). $27. 8 p.m. 703-255-1900.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26 Martha Capone and Bob Hume Open Mic. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-241-9504.
Calendar Submissions Email: calendar@fcnp.com | Mail: Falls Church News-Press, Attn: Calendar, 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church, VA 22046
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CLASSI F I E DS
Due date for the receipt of Bids is Tuesday, March 17, 2020 @ 11:00 AM. A NonMandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be held on March 4, 2020 (see the IFB for details). A copy of the IFB which includes all details and requirements may be downloaded from the City of Falls Church’s procurement website: www.fallschurchva.gov/Bids . Notice of the IFB may also be accessed via eVA, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s electronic procurement portal for registered suppliers: www.eva.virginia.gov. For more information and/or questions regarding this IFB contact the City’s Purchasing Agent; (703) 248-5007; purchasing@ fallschurchva.gov. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703 248-5007 (TTY 711).
CITY OF FALLS CHURCH PUBLIC NOTICE PLANNING COMMISSION On Monday, March 2, 2020 at 7:30 p.m., the City of Falls Church Planning Commission will hold a public meeting in the Council Chamber, City Hall, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA to consider the following item and recommendation to City Council: (TR20-06) RESOLUTION TO APPROVE AN EASEMENT FOR WASHINGTON GAS OF 2000 SQUARE FEET AT WEST END PARK AND AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE THE DEED. On Monday, March 23, 2020 at 7:30 p.m., the City Council will hold a public meeting in the City Hall Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA to consider final action on the same item described above. The application materials may be viewed in the Planning Division office at 300 Park Ave., Suite 103 East (703-248-5080) and on the City’s web site. http://www.fallschurchva.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=10141
OTHER SERVICES Auction Category
The Law Firm Of Janine S. Benton Couselors & Attorneys At Law
Janine S. Benton, Esq
PUBLIC AUCTION In accordance with the Virginia Self-Storage Act, section 55-419 F, notice is hereby given that the contents of the following rental storage spaces located at Fort Knox Self-Storage will be offered for sale: 501 & 526 – Sable Makonnen. Sale will be held online at LockerFox.com. Pictures can be viewed at that site. Bidding will begin at 9:00am on February 20th and will conclude at 9:00 am on February 25th, winning bidder will be required to pay a $100.00 per unit refundable clean-out deposit (cash).
jb@jbentonlaw.com
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We Assist: government contractors small & large businesses
Tel: 703.217.2632 Fax: 703.832.3236 400 Maple Ave., So., Suite 210, Falls Church, Virginia 22046
Other Payments by Credit Card Only
ATTENTION AUCTIONEERS ADVERTISE your upcoming auctions statewide or 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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Public Notice Invitation For Bids (IFB) IFB 0317-20-SWSI South Washington Street Transportation Improvements Project City of Falls Church SEALED BIDS will be accepted by the City of Falls Church at the City’s Purchasing Office, 300 Park Ave., Room 204E, Falls Church, VA 22046 for the provision of South Washington Street Transportation Improvements project.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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1. Go bananas 5. 2005 biography subtitled “The Making of a Terrorist” 10. Contents of spreadsheets 14. Firehouse fixture 15. LP players 16. Yoked pair in a field 17. Where icicles may hang 18. Passover no-no 19. Hit musical set in 1990s New York 20. “The Cloister and the Hearth” author (what an apt surname!) 23. Baby’s crib part 24. Desktops that debuted in 1998 28. “Native Son” author (what an apt surname!) 32. James of “Elf” 34. Watergate-era White House chief of staff 35. Place for a stud to go 36. Alphabetic trio 37. Actress Kurtz 40. Michigan rival, for short 41. Only mo. that can begin and end on the same day of the week 42. Was short 43. Van Halen’s “Live Without ____” 44. “Household Saints” author (what an apt surname!) 49. Arab country expelled from the Arab League in 2011 50. Princess loved by Heracles 51. “Showing My Color: Impolite Essays on Race and Identity” author (what an apt surname!)
STRANGE BREW
Across 1. Go bananas 5. 2005 biography subtitled "The Making of a Terrorist"
FEBRUARY 20 – 26, 2020 | PAGE 21
58. ____ stick 61. Actress Salma 62. Bring (out) 63. E-cigarette company since 2015 64. ‘90s “SNL” regular Cheri 65. Misfortunes 66. Ocular malady 67. No longer in 68. Wyoming town that’s home to the Buffalo Bill Museum
DOWN
1. Something a house might be built on 2. He planned for a rainy day 3. Thomas Edison’s middle name 4. Uses a keyhole, perhaps 5. “You said it, baby!” 6. Sleep en la tarde 7. Way off 8. ____ en scène 9. “The Thin Man” dog 10. “The Sound of Music” tune 11. Guitar, in slang 12. J’s value in Words With Friends 13. Member of an underground colony 21. Inc. alternative 22. Song of mourning 25. When preliminary steps are taken? 26. Citi rival 27. Move like Jagger 28. Where oysters and clams are served 29. ____ Island
JOHN DEERING
Sudoku
30. Karl Marx’s “____ Kapital” 31. Super Mario Galaxy platform 32. Parts of shirtsleeves 33. “Charlotte’s Web” boy 37. O.C.’s home 38. 1914-18 conflict, for short 39. Wine: Prefix 43. Sterile 45. Kidman who is neither a kid nor a man 46. They yearn 47. Coors Field player 48. Flamenco cheer 52. Just ____, skip and jump away 53. Pro ____ 54. Good lookers? 55. First name at Woodstock 56. Klondike strike 57. Competitor of Amazon Handmade 58. Comfy sleepwear 59. Fast asleep 60. Wise ____ Last Thursday’s Solution S L U M
A L L A
S N A F U
P A L L I D
H A O V W A
H O C K
I S E E I U T N C S A M G H E D Z E E N N T
B A R O Q U E
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O T O O H E A R A S
A T O B
S O T R U R E Y D I E M R R F O D O E E I N U L D P Y S
P P R I E N E A K N C S H U E T R A U S L I G E T A R A L T O O S P H
A P A R O N E X T S T A N C H
Q U I T I T
S P L I T
I S L E
V I E W
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By The Mepham Group
Level 1 2 3 4
10. Contents of spreadsheets 14. Firehouse fixture 15. LP players 16. Yoked pair in a field 17. Where icicles may hang 18. Passover no-no 19. Hit musical set in 1990s New York
1
20. "The Cloister and the Hearth" author (what an apt surname!) 23. Baby's crib part 24. Desktops that debuted in 1998 28. "Native Son" author (what an apt surname!) Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle
32. James of "Elf" NICK KNACK
© 2020 N.F. Benton
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Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk. © 2020 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
LO CA L
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Falls Church News-Press Vol. IX, No. 50 • February 24, 2000
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Falls Church News-Press Vol. XIX, No. 52 • February 25, 2010
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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Hull to Town Meeting: Local Income Surtax Possible
8 Now Likely to Run for 4 F.C. Council Seats in May 4 Election
If, in their wisdom, the political leaderws of Falls Church can figure out how to designate a significant portion of the City’s annual operating budget as “transportation costs,” then they could call for a referendum this November to add up to a one percent state income surcharge on citizens here to pay for them.
After failing to win the endorsement of the Citizens for a Better City (CBC) at its nominating convention Saturday, former Falls Church Vice Mayor and two-term Council member Lindy Hockenberry was actively adding signatures to her petition to run for the Council tonight at the George Mason High School boys basketball game.
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CRIME REPORT Week of Feb. 10 – 16, 2020 Driving Under the Influence / Drug Narcotic Violation, 7100 blk Leesburg Pk, Feb 10, 11:38 PM, a male, 30, of Centreville, VA, was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of cocaine. Drunkenness (DIP), 100 blk Hillwood Ave, Feb 11, 8:20 PM, a
female, 59, of Falls Church, VA, was arrested for appearing drunk in public. Destruction of Property, 200 blk N Maple Ave, between Feb 9 and Feb 11, unknown suspect(s) caused damage to a parked vehicle. Larceny-Theft from Building, 1000 blk E Broad St, Feb 12, 9:00 PM, unknown suspect(s) stole an
item of value from a commercial building. Larceny-Theft from Building, 200 blk E Jefferson St, between Feb 11 and Feb 13, unknown suspect(s) stole items of value from a residential garage. Driving Under the Influence, 7100 blk Leesburg Pk, Feb 16, 12:35 AM, a female, 38, of Alexandria, VA, was arrested for driving under the influence. Drunkenness (DIP) / Trespassing, 100 blk W Broad St, Feb 16, 3:30 PM, a male, 68, of Arlington, VA, was arrested for appearing drunk in public and trespassing
MEET VESPER STARLIGHT. She knocked on her human family’s doorstep in Wisconsin on a snowy evening with the temperature at a mere three degrees. The humans took her in and saved her from the freezing doom. Just a few hours prior to Vesper’s arrival, the family had to lay to rest our 23-year-old rescue cat, Lucy. The humans thought Lucy was sending Vesper to them and that it was meant to be them in Falls Church. “Vesper” is Latin is for evening and Ian Fleming created a cocktail recipe in one of his James Bond novels that Bond names after Vesper. It gave rise to the famous “shaken, not stirred’ catchphrase immortalized in the Bond films. Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.
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PAGE 24 | FEBRUARY 20 - 26, 2020
THE NIRO EV IS HERE! BEYER KIA IS THE EXCLUSIVE NIRO EV DEALER IN VIRGINIA 1125 W. Broad St., Falls Church, VA
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Spring brings beautiful perennial gardens on this 1/2 acre split level all-brick home. This lovely 4 bedroom, 3 bath home has been remodeled top to bottom. All bedrooms are generous-sized with an extra large, light-filled master bedroom w/ en suite bath. Main level features living room with fireplace, open kitchen with granite counters & stainless appliances opens to dining room & year round sunroom with floor to ceiling windows. Lower level family room has fireplace, bedroom and full bath. Entertain guests on 2 tier deck and slate patio. A 2 car garage and cul de sac location make this a wonderful home. Offered for $825,000. 6504 Walter Woods Drive.
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