2-5-2015

February 5 - 11, 2015

Falls Church, Virginia • w w w . fc n p . c o m • Free

Founded 1991 • V o l . X XI V N o . 50

Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads

Inside This Week Students Refurbish Computers for Families

The brainchild of two sophomores at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Reboot for Youth restores computers for area families who don’t have the financial means to buy a computer for their children to use for school work.

See page 21

$64k Will Make F.C. Salaries Competitive

Downtown ‘Crossroads’ Land Sale Portends Huge New Development

F.C.’s Core Rt. 7/29 Intersection Site Has Aggressive Buyer

by Nicholas F. Benton

Falls Church News-Press

A study shows that an additional $23,237 in the current fiscal year and $64,712 in the upcoming year will bring all City employee positions fully comparable with those of surrounding jurisdictions..

See News Briefs, page 8

David Brooks: Building Better Secularists

Over the past few years, there has been a sharp rise in the number of people who are atheist, agnostic or without religious affiliation.

See page 12

Press Pass with Drew Gibson

Drew Gibson wasn’t thinking about making a new album after his father Edmund Gibson died on July 4, 2012 – songwriting was only there to help him find balance.

See page 22

LEADERS OF THE Falls Church Chamber of Commerce made a rare appearance before the Falls Church City Council at a Council work session Monday night to present results of a survey of Chamber members and friends in the greater Falls Church area concerning proposals for $600,000 of short-term improvements and fix-ups in the downtown “crossroads” intersection of Broad and Washington Streets (Rts. 7 and 29). Left to right: former Chamber chair Gary LaPorta, executive director Sally Cole and current chair Joe Wetzel. Among others also present were Barbara Cram and Bob Young. (Photo: News-Press)

F.C. Chamber Reps Affirm Need For Doable Downtown Upgrades

by Nicholas F. Benton

Falls Church News-Press

Index Editorial..................6 Letters....................6 News & Notes.10-11 Comment........12-15 Calendar.........16-17 Food & Dining ......18

Sports .................19 Press Pass..........22 Classified Ads .....24 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword...........25 Critter Corner.......26

Five leaders of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce appeared before a work session of the Falls Church City Council Monday, coming at the Council’s request to comment on a plan to utilize $533,417 of the $20 million in cash proceeds

from the City’s sale of its water system for some sprucing up and quick fixes at or near the City’s “crossroads” intersection of Routes 7 and 29 (Broad and Washington Streets).

The Chamber members, led by current Chamber board chair Joe Wetzel and executive director Sally Cole, reported on 73 responses to a survey the

Chamber sent out to members, including leaders and members, of the Chamber and their friends and heard back from in five days. Thirty percent of those came from businesses right in the targeted area.

In addition to Cole and Wetzel, past president Gary

Continued on Page 4

Proclaiming, “We are believers in downtown Falls Church,” Todd Hitt, the principal developer behind the 2.5 acre Rushmark/ Harris Teeter mixed use project in the 300 block of W. Broad Street in Falls Church, announced late last week that he’s now acquired 2.68 acres just a couple blocks away right on the Route 7 and 29 (Broad and Washington) “crossroads” intersection in the heart of the Little City.

In the blockbuster announcement last Thursday, a development team spearheaded by Hitt notified the public that it has acquired for $13.6 million a threeparcel consolidated site, including the current Applebee’s and Robertson Building at the southeast corner of Routes 7 and 29, the center of the City of Falls Church. The properties encompass 100 N. Washington, 107 E. Broad, Applebee’s and 131 E. Broad St. In a press statement, the Arlington, Virginia based Insight Property Group LLC and the Reston, Virginia based Kiddar Metz group announced the acquisition, with the seller of the sites being their long-time owner, Robertson Properties, Inc. The City of Falls Church’s Economic Development Office played an instrumental role in putting the two groups together a couple of years back when the Robertson family indicated a desire to sell, Rick Goff from that office told the News-Press.

Hitt, who grew up in nearby McLean, is the CEO of Kiddar

Continued on Page 5

PAGE 2 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

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PAGE 4 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

F.C. Chamber Weighs in With Downtown ‘Quick Fix’ Measures Continued from Page 1

LaPorta and developer Bob Young were present and also spoke.

The responses were broken into three categories, first, second and third highest priorities.

In the top priority, maintenance items called for concrete sidewalk repairs, short term improvements called for conversion of all street lights in the commercial areas of Broad and Washington to brighter LED lights, the addition of bike racks and the installation of “wayfinding” and “bigger, more welcoming signage” at City boundaries.

For the longer term, the top priority category also called for a revision of signage options for downtown businesses “to make them more consistent and appealing.”

In the second level tier of priorities, the Chamber called for the weeding and pressure washing of all sidewalks, the repair and refreshment of all crosswalks and the weeding and replanting

of all flower beds, while in the short term making provisions for exterior electric and water access to the beds.

For the second tier longer term, the Chamber listed “continuing to investigate a redesign of a public park on a small City-owned parcel in the middle of the north side of the 100 block of W. Broad “without losing and perhaps expanding access to public parking from Broad Street and developing Bikeshare options.”

On the Chamber’s third tier of priorities were maintenance items of refreshing lighting pole planters and trimming of trees to permit business signage to be seen better.

Short term improvements would involve widening of sidewalks on the 100 block of N. Washington, curb extensions and ramps on Park Place, a crosswalk on Park Place, a crosswalk on N. Washington on the south side of Park Avenue, the addition of thermoplastic markings on all crosswalks, the addition of more Hot Spot (very short term) parking

as needed, and “customer service training for the City’s development staff.”

Longer term investments on the third tier list included securing public art for the 7/29 intersection, a pedestrian signal on N. Washington on the south side of Park Avenue, efforts to make the WMATA bus schedule more reliable, the inclusion of bike lanes, and a public parking deck.

“If you put all these small things together, it would make a huge difference,” Cole said, adding that the downtown “crossroads” area at night is currently dark and its sidewalks slick and bumpy. “These changes would not only be to the benefit of the businesses in the immediate area, but to the good of the entire community.”

The Chamber reps disagreed some on whether developing the City land for a mini-park in the 100 block was more important than making more parking available.

Barbara Cram, the chief organizer of the annual New Year’s

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Eve “Watch Night” happening in that area, said that the same businesses who get “really excited” for “Watch Night” will be the most eager to get involved in these proposed improvements.

Bob Young said that the nowunder-construction Rushmark/ Harris Teeter project in the 200 block “should be seen as the real anchor for the downtown,” but “if you can get across the street to get to it, it is not an anchor.”

He called for a crosswalk on W. Broad directly across from the entrance to Harris Teeter, and to have a traffic stop there.

Councilman Phil Duncan, the Council’s liaison to the Chamber, said there should be something like the “Love” statue that was secured temporarily for “Watch Night” on New Year’s Eve at that

intersection permanently.

Councilman Nader Baroukh agreed that “there needs to be a ‘be there’ feel” to the area, and Vice Mayor David Snyder said the priorities provided by the Chamber are “exactly the way to go,” including the need for “a unique image to mark this area.”

Wetzel said that in addition to the downtown improvements, the Chamber board feels strongly that the City needs to revamp its BPOL (business gross receipts tax) formulas, which are “out of whack” with surrounding jurisdictions, significantly higher than in Arlington and Fairfax.

“For small businesses, these taxes are very important, and for as many such businesses as we gain, we also lose because of them,” he said.

703-533-9013

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015 | PAGE 5

THE FIRST

Rt .( St ng to n hi W as

Metz group. He said in the release, “We are believers in downtown Falls Church,” and Insight’s President Michael Blum added, “Broad and Washington is a strategic Main and Main location at the City of Falls Church’s core. Falls Church is a place with beautiful established neighborhoods, Metro access, first class schools, retail and proximity to employment.”

Commenting to the NewsPress, Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields confirmed the seminal role of Hitt in the deal. “We are very happy to have Mr. Hitt doing more in our downtown,” Shields said.

Shields said that while nothing has been determined to date about what the buyers plan to do with the parcel, most of their other projects have been large scale mixed use ones similar to the Rushmark Harris Teeter effort only a couple blocks away.

According to Goff, he’s met

numerous times with Hitt and others involved in recent months to talk about options. “Mr. Hitt is bullish on investing in the City and is reliable with his partners. We are excited about the possibilities here,” Goff told the News-Press.

Knowledgeable sources suggested to the News-Press that the eventual form of what happens to the consolidated parcel may involve more than just the current 2.65 acres, but that adjacent City-owned property between the parcel and the State Theatre may eventually be involved, as well as other adjacent properties.

It was also noted that the Hitt family is looking at other commercial real estate in the downtown area.

Insight, according to the press statement, has nearly 1,000 apartments currently under development in the D.C. area, including a 430-unit project anchored by a Whole Foods under construction on H Street NE in D.C, a 310-unit luxury

S.

Continued from Page 1

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Big Land Buy Means F.C. ‘Crossroads’ Boom Ea st B

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apartment building near the Metro station in Silver Spring, and a 240-unit luxury apartment project near the Huntington Metro in Alexandria. In 2013 Insight completed its Grayson Flats apartment project in Arlington, and has acquired another 572 existing apartments in four DC Metro locations, including the Metro Rosslyn Apartments in Arlington.

Kiddar Metz, the statement said, is a private investment firm that originates, structures and manages strategic equity investments across a variety of business disciplines. It has in excess of $300 million under management.

This latest development adds onto the Rushmark and Lincoln Property mixed use projects currently under construction, an

Sherwood Model

office building proposal for 400 N. Washington Street and the W. Broad at N. West Street “Mason Row” project by the Spectrum Group that is currently seeking approval from City Hall to combine for a staggering development agenda for the Little City in the coming years, on top of promises of more to come soon. This new one, however, promises to be the biggest yet.

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PAGE 6 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

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Vol. XXIV, No. 50 February 5 - 11, 2015 • City of Falls Church ‘Business of the Year’ 1991 & 2001 • • Certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia to Publish Official Legal Notices • • Member, Virginia Press Association •

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T� C������ ��� N���-P���� �����: 703-532-3267 ���: 703-342-0347 �����: ���������.��� ������� ����������� ��������.��� ���������� ��� �������������.��� ������� �� ��� ������ ������������.��� ������������� ������������ � �������� �������������.��� WWW.FCNP.COM The Falls Church News-Press is published weekly on Thursdays and is distributed free of charge throughout the City of Falls Church and the Greater Falls Church area. Offices are at 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church, VA 22046. Reproduction of this publication in whole or part is prohibited except with the written permission of the publisher. ©2015 Benton Communications Inc. The News-Press is printed on recycled paper.

E D I TO R I A L

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F.C.’s Tide Is Turning

In a game-changer development for the City of Falls Church, the Hitt family, key developers of the Harris Teeter project now under construction on W. Broad St., has closed its deal to acquire 2.68 acres encompassing four buildings at the intersection of Routes 7 (Broad) and 29 (Washington).

The developer group led by Todd Hitt, in a press release issued late last week, said, “We are believers in downtown Falls Church.”

From the standpoint of prospects for the long-term survival of this independent City, it’s as if the golden goose, egg in tow, has just alighted at the City’s most central point, signaling a desire to turn the City into a sustainable prospect beyond anything comparable to date in its history.

How the fates have turned for Falls Church in the last few years!

Between the Great Recession and endless legal fees fighting Fairfax County’s efforts to grab the City’s water system, few knew, even at City Hall, that the City’s coffers were down to its last nickels in 2012.

In that context, the many powerful forces who desired to end the City’s independent status and to force it to revert to control by Fairfax County were smelling blood in the air.

But the Little City has never been known for giving anything up without a fight, which was why it was in fiscal distress to begin with due to its laudable resolve to fight the powers-that-be at huge Fairfax County to repel the water system grab. The City, after all, perceived itself having a lot to fight for, including one of the nation’s most superior school systems and a general quality of life the envy of anyone.

So, as it turned out, the City’s gritty resolve accounted for a resolution that never would have materialized otherwise, with the City not giving up, but selling the water system to the county for a very attractive price. Moreover, it landed over $20 million in net profits from the sale, and most importantly, broke its land-locked disadvantage to its giant neighbors (Fairfax and Arlington) by moving 38-odd acres of county land into the City limits, including a portion that is jutted up against the West Falls Church Metro station that is, itself, a potential gold mine.

All the while, City leaders pushed ahead against a long-standing internal inertia to bring new development into its commercial corridors.

One by one, the mixed-use projects began to sprout, and the lighted signage atop the brand new Hilton Garden Inn at its center now functioning to the wider region like a beacon.

While prospects for the dazzling development boom up the road in Tysons (now being billed as “The Next Great American City”), some smart folks looked at the special opportunity Falls Church represents, where relatively moderate projects could help define a very special place.

So now, the City not only has a very well-heeled new developer, but one who knows and “believes” in its downtown.

L������

If You Want a Pool, Build It Yourself

Editor, While the rest of the world is being foreclosed upon, forced to work two jobs, and otherwise enduring a wobby economy, Ms. Parrotta wants to build and maintain a swimming pool at taxpayers’ expense. This has a “let them eat cake” ring that is irresistible.

Yes, Arlington has three public pools and Fairfax County has nine or 10, depending on who’s counting.

This works out to one pool every

70,000 people and one pool every 130,000 people respectively! What are we – 13,000 tops? Do the math.

Economies of scale and our own voracious school system quash the idea. Proportionately, we would only be entitled to a rubber kiddie pool that you inflate and toss in the front yard. A library, OK, but a “relaxing” swimming pool?

No, those who want a swimming pool can build their own or join a public, private, or neighbor-

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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hood pool. There are scads of them close by, and many are hurting for membership. The pool idea, whether it be for a household or a small “city,” is a perfect example of having to distinguish between what we might like to have and what we can’t live without.

Neil Shawen Falls Church

New F.C. Shop, The Gun Dude, Is Not Sexist Editor, I would like to thank Alice of Falls Church for noting the recent

opening of our new store, The Gun Dude, above Bedo’s Leatherworks on West Broad Street.

As the store’s co-owner and creator of the Gun Dude brand name, I want to make sure that Alice and all Falls Church ladies know that, unlike many of our competitors, our store is not the least bit sexist and in fact is very female-friendly. We also welcome non-gun owners and the LGBT community.

I’d like to invite Alice and anyone else who may have concerns about our store to stop by for coffee or tea and a chat. You may be surprised by what you learn from your visit.

Christine Setness Co-Owner, The Gun Dude

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015 | PAGE 7

Contacting or Visiting the Arlington Circuit Court B� P��� F�������

I have had the privilege of serving the residents of the City of Falls Church for the last seven years as Clerk of the Circuit Court. I have enjoyed meeting many of you when you have come to the Courthouse for Jury Duty, to obtain a marriage license, copy of your deed, notary public certificate, concealed weapons permit, or to probate a will.

The Arlington Circuit Court appreciates the partnership with the City of Falls Church. The Arlington Circuit Court has a budget of over three million dollars. The City of Falls Church contributes a little over $100,000 to be part of the Arlington Court System. I believe it is a cost effective partnership for both localities.

The office is open from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday – Friday. You cannot bring in your cell phone unless you are here for jury duty or a licensed attorney. When visiting or interacting with the Court, my goal is to do everything possible to make it as easy as possible to conduct your business. We try to provide information to you in advance and allow you to do as many things on line as possible. A good place to start is visiting our website at courts.arlingtonva.us/circuitcourt or you can contact the office by phone at (703) 228-7010. Applications for Notary Public and Concealed Weapons Permits are available on line.

It is likely that you will receive a sum-

mons for jury duty at some point. I have found that Falls Church residents are civicminded and understand that all criminal and civil litigants have the right to be tried by a jury of their peers. In my years as Clerk of the Court, I have never met a Falls Church resident who has complained about jury

“The Arlington Circuit Court has a budget of over 3 million dollars.

The City of Falls Church contributes a little over $100,000 to be part of the Arlington Court System.” duty. I realize that each juror has a busy work or family schedule and we are committed to doing what we can to make the system work for you.

When you receive a jury questionnaire, we urge you to use our automated jury management system which allows you to complete and submit juror questionnaires electronically. You can still use the regular mail if you prefer. Approximately 60 percent of potential jurors utilize the electronic

submission process.

When you start your week of jury service, we have you “on call” for four days, Monday – Thursday. We usually do not call you in every day. You check the juror website or phone hotline each day after 5 p.m. each night to see whether you need to come in the next morning. We also send you email reminders and information.

You are allowed to bring in your cell phone as long as you show proof that you are a juror. We have some reserved parking spaces for jurors but also encourage using Metro. Unlike Falls Church City Hall, everyone has to pay for parking near the Arlington Court House.

We attempt to provide you sufficient information about the jury trial process during a brief orientation and have taken steps to allow you to use your waiting time efficiently. We have wireless internet, coffee, tea, and water available in the jury assembly room for you to enjoy while waiting for trials to begin. Many bring a good book to read while waiting or the Falls Church News-Press.

Once your service is complete, whether you actually served on a trial or not, we take you out of our system for three years. While there is a small chance you could be summonsed again in year four, most jurors only serve two or three times.

You may need to contact us concerning information about your property. We often have individuals looking for a copy

of the deed for their home. The City of Falls Church started maintaining property records in Arlington in 1988. For pre-1988 information on a property, you need to contact the Fairfax County Circuit Court.

You may need to contact us about probating an estate. We have knowledgeable, experienced staff who will set an appointment and provide the information you need. We know this is a difficult experience for many who are having to probate an estate for a loved one who has recently died. You are also able to file the original of your will with our probate office for a nominal $2 fee.

If you are getting married it is required that you visit our office in person. Both parties need to be present with proper identification. The process takes between 15 and 30 minutes. The marriage license fee is $30.

I always look forward to the opportunity to administer oaths for appointed (and occasionally elected) positions. You may receive an appointment to serve on a State Board. I am glad to meet you at City Hall in Falls Church with your family and friends to administer the oath.

If you have any questions about the court system, please correspond with me at pferguson@arlingtonva.us or call (703) 228 7010.  Paul Freguson is Clerk of the Court for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church.

Q������� �� ��� W��� Will the redevelopment of the just-sold property at the intersection of East Broad and North Washington streets be good for Falls Church?

• Yes

• No

Last Week’s Question:

Will you participate in discussions on Falls Church’s capital improvement projects?

• Don’t know

Log on to www.FCNP.com to cast your vote

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PAGE 8 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

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NEWS BRIEFS Study: $64k Will Make F.C. Salaries Competitive A study presented at Monday’s Falls Church City Council work session by the Management Advisory Group shows that an additional $23,237 in the current fiscal year and $64,712 in the upcoming year will bring all City employee positions fully comparable with those of surrounding jurisdictions. In the first such study commissioned by the City since 1998, a total of 33 City employees are identified to receive modest pay increases to make the City fully salary competitive. The study called for a plan to place each police officer (sergeant and below) on the next higher step on the group-proposed new Police Pay Plan, but that “the overall findings of MAG are the City’s compensation is competitive with surrounding jurisdictions so no major adjustment is needed.”

Spectrum Submits New ‘Mason Row’ Plan Responding to additional requests for modifications from the City staff and neighbors to the site, the Spectrum Group submitted this Tuesday its latest iteration of its proposed “Mason Row” project for the southeast intersection of W. Broad and N. West Street. The new submission to the City’s planning department calls for a six-story mixed-use apartment building with 340 rental units and 53,000 square feet of ground floor retail uses to include a movie/dinner theater, restaurants, retail shops and service businesses, including an office component of 6,000 square feet, a hotel of five floors with 73,000 square feet of retail and service uses on the ground floor and 150 hotel rooms on floors two through six, and a parking structure with no Park Ave. access, “screened in a way as to prevent undue intrusions into the established single family neighborhood along Park.” The parking structure plan replaces an earlier one calling for a building with 67 condominium units. The overall project is projected to contribute $2 million annually in revenues to the City. The City’s Planning Department was developing a schedule for formal review of the submission by boards and commissions as the News-Press went to press last night.

F.C. Council Wary of I-66 Toll Road Plan

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Plans by the Virginia Department of Transportation to turn I-66 into a toll road met with considerable skepticism from members of the Falls Church City Council at its work session Monday night, with concerns for the impact on City roads from persons avoiding the tolls in deference to I-66 users whose destinations are not in this area, but Points West of the City. Representatives from VDOT and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation presented a summary of its report, “I-66 Multimodal Improvements Inside the Beltway,” to the Council, and despite the City staff recommendation of “concurrance from Council on key items” in the report, Council member Marybeth Connelly asked the key question from the Falls Church perspective, “What’s the purpose of this?” and Mayor David Tarter added, “We don’t want people to blow through Falls Church.” Vice Mayor David Snyder, the City’s representative on numerous regional bodies, said, “There are many negative consequences for closer-in communities like Falls Church. There is only one solution to road congestion, which it to have a truly effective Metro system and bus route expansion.”

F.C. Personal Property Tax Revenues Down The second quarter (Oct.-Nov. 2014) financial report for the City of Falls Church released by Chief Financial Officer Richard LaCondre Monday showed personal property tax receipts for the year to date down by 4.3 percent below projections and 1.77 percent below last year. But in the big number, real estate property taxes were reported to be over projections by 3.3 percent and over last year by 6.4 percent, and LaCondre told the F.C. City Council at its work session Monday that real estate assessments, due out the middle of this month, should show only a 3 to 4 percent increase.

Haycock Elementary Ranked 14th in U.S. Haycock Elementary School, located on Haycock Road in the Fairfax County section of greater Falls Church, was ranked No. 15 in an article titled “The 50 Best American Public Elementary Schools” by online TheBestSchools.org. Out of a total of 50 ranked schools, TheBestSchools.org selected Haycock based on several weighted factors, including academic excellence, extracurricular richness, geographical and demographical diversity, and reputation, according to the site. TheBestSchools.org bills itself as a leading resource for prospective students seeking a college or university degree.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015 | PAGE 9

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News-Press

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Community News & Notes Falls Church Lions Hold Final Citrus Sale This Saturday The Falls Church Lions Club is having its final citrus sale of the season this Saturday, Feb. 7, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Falls Church Property Yard at 7100 Shreve Road. Honeybell and Temple oranges and pink seedless grapefruit will be available for purchase at the sale.

All proceeds from the sale will go to the Lions’ charity and community projects.

For more information, call Falls Church Lions’ president Barry Buschow at 703-533-8610 or visit fallschurchlions.org.

F.C. Public Library Expansion Meeting Rescheduled The date of the Mary Riley Styles Public Library Board

of Trustees’ community meeting about the proposed library expansion has been changed to Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. in the Falls Church Community Center at 223 Little Falls Street, the City announced. It was originally scheduled for Monday, Jan. 28, but was postponed.

The proposed new space adds about 6,600 square feet on two levels. This addition would bring the overall size of the library to about 25,000 square feet.

The proposed addition could be on either the east or west side of the current building, and the advantages and disadvantages of both options will be reviewed at the meeting. Exterior sketches of the proposed addition options, which are in the same architectural style as the current building, will also be presented along

with preliminary plans for interior space configurations.

The Library Board will provide an overview of the proposed expansion project, including the need for both the renovation and new space and answer questions.

To learn about key features of the project, visit fallschurchva.gov/ LibraryMasterPlan.

Falls Church Resident Wins $1 Million Powerball Prize On Tuesday the Virginia Lottery identified Falls Church resident Chay Nguyen as the person who bought a winning $1 million Powerball ticket at the Woodstock Sunoco late last month.

According to the Virginia Lottery’s news release about Nguyen’s win, he matched the first five numbers in the Jan. 24 Powerball drawing.

DR. CLAIRE NELSON (center), Sustainability Engineer and the Founder and Ideation Leader of the Futures Forum, is flanked by Past District Governor Horace McCormack and Falls Church Rotary Club President Greg Viola II (right), following her talk about Embracing Change at the Falls Church Rotary club’s Thursday, Jan. 29 meeting at the Harvest Moon Restaurant. Dr. Nelson was invited by McCormack to speak to the F.C. Rotary Club. (Photo: Courtesy of John C. Lu)

The winning numbers were 16-19-20-29-33 and the Powerball number was 10. The only number he didn’t match was the Powerball number. Had he matched the Powerball number, he would have won an estimated $230 million.

Nguyen’s ticket was the only ticket in Virginia and one of ten tickets nationwide that matched the first five numbers in the Jan. 24 drawing.

Nikola Paskalov Piano Benefit Concert Raises Nearly $3,000 Almost $3,000 was raised for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through ticket sales and a silent auction at the Nikola Paskalov piano benefit concert that was held last Friday, Jan. 30, at the home of Leon and Jacqueline Bruner.

The event supported Francesca King and Team Kings for a Cure’s Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Student of the Year campaign.

45 people attended Paskalov’s performance of Beethoven, Scriabin and Chopin, including Falls Church Vice-Mayor David Snyder and his wife Edith.

The evening began with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction featuring donations from the local businesses of Argia’s, Dogwood Tavern, Red, White and Bleu, Orange Twist, A Lucky Dog and Dominion Beer and Wine.

Voice of America Macedonia, from the artist’s home country, covered the event. Following the conclusion of the performance, the silent auction ended and coffee and dessert were served.

INTERNATIONALLY-RENOWNED PIANIST Nikola Paskalov (far left) stands with (l to r) Jacqueline and Leon Bruner and Francesca King at his piano concert to benefit blood cancer research. Through ticket sales and a silent auction at the concert, nearly $3,000 was raised for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 45 people attended the event including Vice-Mayor David Snyder and his wife Edith. (Courtesy Photo)

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

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3 New Projects Open at McLean Project for the Arts

Three new exhibitions opened earlier this month at the McLean Project for the Arts and will remain on display through March 7.

“Manifesting Phenomena: Drop, Hover, See-Through, Lean...” is up in the McLean Project for the Arts’ Emerson Gallery. The exhibit includes work by artists who are interested in investigating concepts of physical science, ranging from sculpture that inhabits physical space in order to better understand and demonstrate force, energy and matter, to works depicting the patterns of the earth and its cycles of change.

Sculptors Barbara Liotta, Annie Farrar and Joan Belmar are the artists featured in this show.

Painter Jean Sausele-Knodt is the featured artist in the exhibit “Out for a Spin,” which is on display in the Atrium Gallery.

Beginning with loose references to flora and fauna, Sausele-Knodt creates shaped paintings that deftly move the viewer through a series of shifting and fragmented picture planes.

“Contemporary Scrolls” by painter Laura Litten is on display in the Ramp Gallery. Litten created long, scroll-like drawings, which are featured in this exhibit – the scrolls are expanded, fabricated landscapes meant to convey a sense of vast space along with lovingly rendered participants in the natural world. For more information about the McLean Project for the Arts and for gallery hours, visit mpaart.org.

FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015 | PAGE 11

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MCLEAN PROJECT FOR THE ARTS is featuring three new exhibits right now through March 7. “Manifesting Phenomena: Drop, Hover, See-Through, Lean...” explores aspects of physical science and features the work of sculptors Barbara Liotta, Annie Farrar and Joan Belmar. Liotta’s “Selene” (above) is one of the pieces in the show, which is on display in the McLean Project for the Arts’ Emerson Gallery. (Photo: Courtesy of Barbara Liotta)

Coastal Therapy Show Opens At Gallery Underground The oil paintings of Keith Wilkie are currently showing at Gallery Underground’s new show in its Focus Gallery. The show, entitled “Coastal Therapy,” will be featured throughout the month of February.

The show, through an exploration of waterside light, seascapes, sea creatures and coastal birds, is intended to “soothe the soul,” according to a press release from the Arlington Artist Alliance.

A members’ show is currently featured in Gallery Underground’s Main Gallery throughout the month of February. An opening

reception for both shows will be held this Friday, Feb. 6, from 5 – 8 p.m. For more information, visit galleryunderground.org.

VCE Hosts ‘Planning the Garden’ Clinic this Saturday Tricia Rodgers and Dan Redmond, two of the Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardeners of Arlington/ Alexandria, will present a workshop on planning a vegetable garden this Saturday, Feb. 7, from 9:30 – 11 a.m. at the Fairlington Community Center at 3308 S. Stafford St., Arlington. For more information, visit mgnv.org.

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OVER THE PAST TWO months some interesting street art has gone up at Oakwood’s parking lot on a storage container, near the school bus stop. The latest piece, wheatpastes of birds, was spotted last Wednesday. (Photo: News-Press)

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PAGE 12 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

Building Better Secularists

Over the past few years, there has been a sharp rise in the number of people who are atheist, agnostic or without religious affiliation. A fifth of all adults and a third of the youngest adults fit into this category.

As secularism becomes more prominent and self-confident, its spokesmen have more insistently argued that secularism should not be seen as an absence – as a lack of faith – but rather as a positive moral creed. Phil Zuckerman, a Pitzer College sociologist, makes this case as fluidly and pleasurably as anybody in his book, Living the Secular Life.

Zuckerman argues that secular morality is built around individual reason, individual choice and individual responsibility.

NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE Instead of relying on some eye in the sky to tell them what to do, secular people reason their way to proper conduct.

Secular people, he argues, value autonomy over groupthink. They deepen their attachment to this world instead of focusing on a next one.

They may not be articulate about why they behave as they do, he argues, but they try their best to follow the Golden Rule, to be considerate and empathetic toward others. “Secular morality hinges upon little else than not harming others and helping those in need,” Zuckerman writes.

As he describes them, secularists seem like genial, low-key people who have discarded metaphysical prejudices and are now leading peaceful and rewarding lives. But I can’t avoid the conclusion that the secular writers are so eager to make the case for their creed, they are minimizing the struggle required to live by it. Consider the tasks a person would have to perform to live secularism well: • Secular individuals have to build their own moral philosophies.

Religious people inherit creeds that have evolved over centuries.

Autonomous secular people are called upon to settle on their own individual sacred convictions.

• Secular individuals have to build their own communities. Religions come equipped with covenantal rituals that bind people together, sacred practices that are beyond individual choice. Secular people have to choose their own communities and come up with their own practices to make them meaningful.

• Secular individuals have to build their own Sabbaths. Religious people are commanded to drop worldly concerns. Secular people have to create their own set times for when to pull back and reflect on spiritual matters.

• Secular people have to fashion their own moral motivation. It’s not enough to want to be a decent person. You have to be powerfully motivated to behave well. Religious people are motivated by their love for God and their fervent desire to please Him. Secularists have to come up with their own powerful drive that will compel sacrifice and service.

The point is not that secular people should become religious. You either believe in God or you don’t. The point is that an age of mass secularization is an age in which millions of people have put unprecedented moral burdens upon themselves. People who don’t know how to take up these burdens don’t turn bad, but they drift. They suffer from a loss of meaning and an unconscious boredom with their own lives.

• One other burden: Past secular creeds were built on the 18thcentury enlightenment view of man as an autonomous, rational creature who could reason his way to virtue. The past half-century of cognitive science has shown that creature doesn’t exist. We are not really rational animals; emotions play a central role in decision-making, the vast majority of thought is unconscious, and our minds are riddled with biases. We are not really autonomous; our actions are powerfully shaped by others in ways we are not even aware of.

It seems to me that if secularism is going to be a positive creed, it can’t just speak to the rational aspects of our nature. Secularism has to do for nonbelievers what religion does for believers – arouse the higher emotions, exalt the passions in pursuit of moral action. Christianity doesn’t rely just on a mild feeling like empathy; it puts agape at the center of life, a fervent and selfless sacrificial love. Judaism doesn’t just value community; it values a covenantal community infused with sacred bonds and chosenness that make the heart strings vibrate. Religions don’t just ask believers to respect others; rather each soul is worthy of the highest dignity because it radiates divine light.

The only secularism that can really arouse moral motivation and impel action is an enchanted secularism, one that puts emotional relations first and autonomy second. I suspect that over the next years secularism will change its face and become hotter and more consuming, less content with mere benevolence, and more responsive to the spiritual urge in each of us, the drive for purity, self-transcendence and sanctification.

NATI O NA L

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

David Brooks

The Long-Run Cop-Out On Monday, President Barack Obama called for a significant increase in spending, reversing the harsh cuts of the past few years. He won’t get all he’s asking for, but it’s a move in the right direction. And it also marks a welcome shift in the discourse. Maybe Washington is starting to get over its narrow-minded, irresponsible obsession with long-run problems and will finally take on the hard issue of short-run gratification instead.

OK, I’m being flip to get your attention. I am, however, quite serious. It’s often said that the problem with policymakers is that they’re too focused on the next election, that they look for shortterm fixes while ignoring the long run. But the story of economic NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE policy and discourse these past five years has been exactly the opposite.

Think about it: Faced with mass unemployment and the enormous waste it entails, for years the Beltway elite devoted almost all their energy not to promoting recovery, but to Bowles-Simpsonism – to devising “grand bargains” that would address the supposedly urgent problem of how we’ll pay for Social Security and Medicare a couple of decades from now.

And this bizarre long-termism isn’t just an American phenomenon. Try to talk about the damage wrought by European austerity policies, and you’re all too likely to encounter lectures to the effect that what we really need to discuss is long-term structural reform. Try to discuss Japan’s effort to break out of its decades-long deflationary trap, and you’re sure to encounter claims that monetary and fiscal policy are sideshows, and that deregulation and other structural changes are what’s important.

Am I saying that the long run doesn’t matter? Of course not, although some forms of long-termism don’t make sense even on their own terms. Think about the notion that “entitlement reform” is an urgent priority. It’s true that many projections suggest that our major social insurance programs will face financial difficulties in the future (although the dramatic slowing of increases in health costs makes even that proposition uncertain). If so, at some point we may need to cut benefits. But why, exactly, is it crucial that we deal with the threat of future benefits cuts by locking in plans to cut future benefits?

Anyway, even where the long-term issues are real, it’s truly strange that they have so often taken center

Paul Krugman

stage in recent years. We are, after all, still living through the aftermath of a once-in-three-generations financial crisis. America seems, finally, to be recovering – but Bowles-Simpsonism had its greatest influence precisely when the U.S. economy was still mired in a deep slump. Europe has hardly recovered at all, and there’s overwhelming evidence that austerity policies are the main reason for that ongoing disaster. So why the urge to change the subject to structural reform? The answer, I’d suggest, is intellectual laziness and lack of moral courage.

About laziness: Many people know what John Maynard Keynes said about the long run, but far fewer are aware of the context. Here’s what he really said: “But this long run is a misleading guide to current affairs. In the long run we are all dead. Economists set themselves too easy, too useless a task if in tempestuous seasons they can only tell us that when the storm is long past the ocean is flat again.”

Quite. All too often, or so it seems to me, people who insist that questions of austerity and stimulus are unimportant are actually trying to avoid hard thinking about the nature of the economic disaster that has overtaken so much of the world.

And they’re also trying to avoid taking a stand that will expose them to attack. Discussions of short-run fiscal and monetary policy are politically charged.

Oppose austerity and support monetary expansion and you’ll be lambasted by the right; do the reverse and you’ll be criticized and maybe ridiculed by the left. I understand why it’s tempting to dismiss the whole debate and declare that the really important issues involve the long run. But while people who say that kind of thing like to pose as brave and responsible, they’re actually ducking the hard stuff – which is to say, being craven and irresponsible.

Which brings me back to the president’s new budget.

It goes without saying that Obama’s fiscal proposals, like everything he does, will be attacked by Republicans. He’s also, however, sure to face criticism from self-proclaimed centrists accusing him of irresponsibly abandoning the fight against long-term budget deficits.

So it’s important to understand who’s really irresponsible here. In today’s economic and political environment, long-termism is a cop-out, a dodge, a way to avoid sticking your neck out. And it’s refreshing to see signs that Obama is willing to break with the long-termers and focus on the here and now.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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The President Becomes a Prophet

A big part of the conundrum that is Washington, D.C. is the existence of two core parallel realities, and some tangential ones, that everyone has to deal with. One is in the realm of values, the other in the realm of noses – counting them, that is.

On the latter score, of course political parties and all the jockeying to win elections and the struggles between the Reds and the Blues is the essential component.

But while people say it always comes down to those noses in the Congress, or wherever, but that is only partly true, and less true than most folks think, as President Obama has been demonstrating since the November mid-terms.

The alternate reality – the domain of values – is ultimately far more important, FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS and while this is recognized by the political machine that serves the nation’s ruling class, it is not always well understood by others.

That’s right, it is the ruling class that better appreciates the importance of values and culture, at least until recently, by relentlessly churning out such drivel as to misguide the masses to act against their own self-interests.

But the good news for all us non-ruling class folks is that President Obama has begun to catch on, and fast, as reflected in his recent State of the Union address and now in remarks attending the release of his annual budget this Monday.

The president was full of idealism and values when he ran for the job – to a degree, both times – but being a candidate is more like being a prophetic voice, while once elected, holding an office is more like being a high priest. I’ve always held that about Obama – that when his backers became disillusioned once he was in office, after the first few months, it was not because he’d betrayed his values or theirs, but because the nature of his role in society fundamentally changed.

He could no longer stand off like an Old Testament prophet and rail against the injustices of man.

He had to go to work in the trenches of government bureaucracies and do hand to hand combat with his enemies in ways that most people could never really see. So he began to look less dramatic and more pragmatic.

It is worth noting in this context the riveting documentary film, “The Fog of War, Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara,” which won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2004.

The film is little more than a well-edited interview with McNamara himself.

He was Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and was generally held responsible in the public’s eye for the escalation of the Vietnam War, which was also known infamously as “McNamara’s War,” and when he left his post in 1967, he was roundly hated by the growing legions of anti-war Americans who eventually brought the war to an end.

But in “The Fog of War,” one gets a much different picture of McNamara, as the man who stood between the Joint Chiefs of Staff and their much more aggressive designs for the war, including effectively declaring all out war on China. From McNamara’ s perspective, he was the man tasked with containing the war, not causing it.

So, a lot of what happens in the day-to-day conduct of national governing is behind the scenes, such that the public often can only speculate, and assume either the best or the worst, depending.

Now, Obama’s delineated roles for the prophet and the high priest have been overturned since November.

The language chosen for his new values offensive is built around the concept of “middle class economics.” It’s a clever phrase, because while sounding pragmatic, what resonates from it is “middle class,” and what is also heard in the mind if not spoken in word is “ruling class.”

So the value metric of the post-midterms Obama is the contrast between those notions – not Democrat versus Republican, or partisan versus bi-partisan – but “middle class versus ruling class.”

Behold, insofar as that sets the 99 percent against the one percent, no wonder his popularity has begun to soar.

FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015 | PAGE 13

Nicholas F. Benton

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

A Future Segregated by Science?

Let me say up front: I’m not a science guy.

I have always loved science, but I have always loved the arts – drawing, painting and, yes, writing – more.

My deepest foray into science came in high school when I won my way to the international science fair.

(Don’t get too excited; that sounds more impressive than it was.) It was 1988, and I had produced a project about why the “Star Wars” missile defense system wouldn’t work. My project was a beautiful monstrosity made of stained and varnished plywood, with an insert for a diorama of missiles flying, lasers blasting and a midair explosion, and a cutout with space for a small television and a VCR (yes, I’m that old).

I won the district fair – in part, I suspect, because the judges’ pool was heavily populated by members of the military – even though I had violated one of the cardinal rules of science fairs: I hadn’t actually done an experiment. Mine was a fancy research project – like a 3-D opinion piece. But it didn’t matter. The airline lost the whole project when I flew to the international science fair, so NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE I never got to compete.

Although my science dreams were dashed, I still loved science. And I’ve long been surrounded by science people. My ex-wife was a physics major. My oldest child is a biology major, and when my twins enter college next year, one wants to major in physics and the other in a scientific field to be determined.

But their interests defy a distressing disparity: Few women and minorities are getting STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees, although STEM jobs are multiplying and pay more than many other careers.

This raises the question: Will our future be highly delineated by who does and who doesn’t have a science education (and the resulting higher salary), making for even more entrenched economic inequality by race and gender?

According to the National Math and Science Initiative: “STEM job creation over the next 10 years will outpace non-STEM jobs significantly, growing 17 percent, as compared to 9.8 percent for non-STEM positions.” And yet, the group says, we are not producing enough STEM graduates; other countries are moving ahead of us.

When you look at women and minorities, the situation is even more bleak.

Charles M. Blow

Let’s start with high school. Last year, a Georgia Tech researcher analyzed which students took the Advanced Placement exam in computer science in 2013. The researcher, Barbara Ericson, found that in three states no women took it, in eight states no Hispanics did and in 11 states no blacks did. (In Mississippi only one person – not female, black or Hispanic, by the way – took the test that year. Oh, Mississippi.)

Now, on to college, where the disparities remain bleak. The Associated Press reported in 2011 that “the percentage of African-Americans earning STEM degrees has fallen during the last decade” and that this was very likely a result of “a complex equation of self-doubt, stereotypes, discouragement and economics – and sometimes just wrong perceptions of what math and science are all about.”

It continued: “Black people are 12 percent of the United States population and 11 percent of all students beyond high school. In 2009, they received just 7 percent of all STEM bachelor’s degrees, 4 percent of master’s degrees, and 2 percent of Ph.D.s, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.”

It doesn’t get better in the workplace. In a 2013 editorial, The New York Times pointed out: “Women make up nearly half the workforce but have just 26 percent of science, technology, engineering or math jobs, according to the Census Bureau. Blacks make up 11 percent of the workforce but just 6 percent of such jobs and Hispanics make up nearly 15 percent of the workforce but hold 7 percent of those positions.”

Even when minority students do get STEM degrees, there seems to be a disproportionate barrier to their finding work in those fields.

“Top universities turn out black and Hispanic computer science and computer engineering graduates at twice the rate that leading technology companies hire them,” an October analysis by USA Today found.

Furthermore, USA Today reported in December: “In 2014, leading technology companies released data showing they vastly underemploy African-Americans and Hispanics. Those groups make up 5 percent of the companies’ workforce, compared to 14 percent nationally.”

No matter what strides we make – or don’t – in the march toward racial and gender equality in this country, is this an area in which the future will feel more stratified, and in which the inequalities, particularly economic ones, will mount? Is science education a new area of our segregation?

CO MME NT

PAGE 14 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

A Penny for Your Thoughts

News of Greater Falls Church

By Supervisor Penny Gross

The word “diverse” is used often to describe the character and demographics of Mason District and Fairfax County today, but a look back at the history of this area reflects the fact that this area has long been “diverse.” We have more languages, faiths, and ethnicities represented today, but the observance of February as Black History Month presents an opportunity to honor the diversity that has sustained the Mason District community for more than a century and a half.

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, near the corner of Columbia Pike and Lincolnia Road was founded by freed slaves in 1867. According to “A Guide to the Historic Sites of Mason District,” published in 2011 with the assistance of Mason District History Commissioner Naomi Zeavin, land for the church was deeded to the congregation by Charles and Eliza Brown of Westchester County, New York. The land was designated for religious and school purposes, and a burying ground. Additional land was acquired for enlargement of the cemetery in 1913. The cemetery, still in active use, contains many marked graves, as well as an unknown number of unmarked graves.

An early school for colored children was maintained in the Lincolnia area.

A longtime member of Mt. Pleasant was John Sidney Holland, Jr. (1907-2000), known to everyone as Sid. Sid was an early proponent of desegregation in Fairfax County, and was a driving force behind the creation of the Fairfax County Human Rights Commission. Sid eventually became the longest-serving member of the commission, where he advocated for minority rights amid a growing and diverse minority population in the county, according to his daughter, Dorothy Mann,

a contributing author to “Fairfax County Stories: 1607 – 2007,” published by Fairfax County to coincide with the 400th Anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement.

The Mt. Pleasant neighborhood still has many descendants of Sid and the early residents who fought for civil rights, integrated schools, and adequate housing when such ideas were not accepted universally by local and state governments.

Houston Summers (1943-2013), an amateur historian and long-time resident of the Bailey’s Crossroads area, wrote an enlightening chapter about the Bell and Summers families in “Fairfax County Stories.” In his essay, Houston notes that, in the 1800s, a group of families and former slaves and freedmen settled in Bailey’s Crossroads. The road they travelled was extremely difficult, both literally and figuratively, he wrote, and they shared deep religious beliefs that sustained them. In 1881, one acre of land was donated, again by a white citizen, for use as a church or a school. Congregants worshipped outdoors on the wooded lot for several years before a church was constructed in 1920. Named for its donor, B.H. Warner, the Warner Baptist Church was rebuilt in 1962, with another major renovation completed and dedicated in 2005. I still remember the tears of a lifelong member, using a walker, who told me that the new elevator meant that she was able to attend services in the sanctuary for the first time in more than a decade. Hers was just one of many stories that makes Black History Month come alive.  Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Congressman Beyer’s News Commentary

The Fight Against Climate Change

By Donald S. Beyer

Fifty years ago this week, President Lyndon Baines Johnson gave an iconic environmental address to the nation. He spoke of the need for “a new conservation,” whose object was “not just man’s welfare but the dignity of man’s spirit.” And he warned of the dangers of climate change: “This generation has altered the composition of the atmosphere on a global scale through radioactive materials and a steady increase in carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.”

Half a century later, LBJ’s “Special Message to Congress on Conservation and Restoration of Natural Beauty” is even more salient. We need to address the sober consequences of our national energy policy and enact an aggressive, forward-looking blueprint for fighting global climate change.

The news is not all bad. Those five decades saw remarkable progress in protecting our air, land, and water. But we must also admit that we have not done enough.

Americans are already suffering the devastating consequences of climate change due to hurricanes, floods, droughts and other instances

of extreme weather. The world’s five largest natural catastrophes of 2014 all were within the United States. In all, extreme weather events triggered over $110 billion in losses and almost 7,000 fatalities.

I ran for Congress last year urging voters to join me in the fight for pro-climate policies like a national carbon tax. Just five weeks into this new Congress, I voted against construction of the Keystone pipeline and will join my colleague from across the (increasingly clean!) river, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, as a primary cosponsor of his thoughtful bill to enact a national carbon tax.

I am excited to serve on the House Committee on Natural Resources, as well as the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

As the Natural Resources Committee considers legislation about energy production, mineral rights and mining, fisheries and wildlife, public lands, and oceans, I will fight to protect and conserve our precious resources without sacrificing the security of the middle class. As the Science Committee considers legislation

about aeronautical engineering, space exploration, and non-military research and development, I will eagerly support the innovation that will shape the next halfcentury, as we work to combat the crisis of climate change and create a new American economy.

Fifty years after President Johnson’s address, we cannot ignore this opportunity to reevaluate and recommit ourselves to the fight against climate change. It is the responsibility of this Congress to promote sustainable energy technology programs and encourage states to do the same.

Fifty years after President Johnson’s speech, the great challenge of our time is crafting visionary environmental and conservation policies to address global climate change.

How we meet this challenge will be our legacy. Please join me in my impatience and work with my staff and me as we push forward.  Rep. Beyer can be reached through his website at www. beyer.house.gov, on Twitter @ RepDonBeyer or his office at (202) 225-4376.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Senator Dick Saslaw’s

Richmond Report February 10 is known as Crossover at the General Assembly. This is a turning point in the legislative process when bills introduced in each chamber must be acted upon. Those that are passed by the respective body will then “crossover” to the other for action.

This year thousands of bills were introduced in the House of Delegates as well as the State Senate. All initiatives are to be scrutinized and deliberated upon in the short window of 45 days.

Needless to say, the pace at the General Assembly has been fast and furious. Many of you have witnessed this first hand when you came to the Capital for the various advocacy days. I am most appreciative of your efforts to have your voices heard.

With “polite” consideration during hearings, it came as no surprise to see common sense, gun violence prevention measures thwarted by the heavy hand of the Citizens Defense League and the NRA lobby in this election year.

What is chilling, are the outcomes of their successful mission. Even a bill to keep guns out of the hands of four-year-olds was defeated.

Many of us have heard only about the tragic outcomes of children playing with loaded weapons.

Some Virginia legislators are having short-term memory issues of when the commonwealth was known as the gun running capital along the Iron Highway of the east coast. This crowd will even allow domestic abusers to legally tote their weapons.

One of the highlights this week was on gun safety. On a bipartisan vote, the Senate defeated a measure that would have allowed for the possession of concealed handguns on school property. I spoke on the Senate floor to remind my colleagues that nothing good could come from legislation like this. We do not need to be weakening Virginia’s gun-free school zones.

Right up there in the “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” category is the continued obsession with keeping the minimum wage at a level that requires government subsidy in the form of food stamps, charity based health care/Medicaid or the alternative of working two and three jobs to keep bread on the table, pay the rent and eke out a living. As a husband, father, and grandfather who appreciates the women in my

life, I cannot figure out why my colleagues from across the aisle do not believe women performing the same jobs should not be paid equally to their male counterparts. As I travel the district (and the commonwealth) it is abundantly clear that Virginians have spent their life savings, mortgaged their homes or borrowed extensively for their sons and daughters to be educated. A young husband recently asked me why would he want less for his wife when they went to the same university and both are working to put together their future? There is no logical reply.

The next several weeks will be dedicated to making necessary budget adjustments. There is a proposal to give state employees a two percent raise, and I favor it.

Recently we had some very good news for Virginia’s veterans.

There is bipartisan consensus that we need to do more to support Virginia veterans and so the Senate Finance Committee approved funding for the Northern Virginia Veterans Care Center project. This bill is important because Virginia is home to over 750,000 veterans and it will help the men and women who have served our country get the care they’ve earned. A similar bill passed the House of Delegates unanimously.

One other hot topic that has cropped up this year is the decriminalization of marijuana. I supported a practical proposal to decriminalize the possession of marijuana under an ounce. The measure was defeated on a party-line vote. This is an issue that deserves serious consideration because there are many compelling reasons to update our drug policies. Right now there is a bill moving to the full Senate floor to permit the dispensing of cannabidiol oil, used in successfully treating intractable epilepsy.

The Senate passed the legislation to establish a pilot “vote center” program during primary elections. In low-turnout elections (usually in June), this measure would group polling locations together. It aims to save localities money by giving them the flexibility to cut down on the number of polling locations. This bill is now headed over to the House of Delegates for consideration.  Senator Saslaw represents the 35th District in the Virginia State Senate. He may be emailed at district35@senate.virginia.gov.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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Scientists & the Public The American public and scientists rarely see eye-to-eye, according to a new Pew Research Center poll.

According to the poll, scientists aren’t too concerned about genetically modified food, pesticide use and nuclear power, while those ideas spook the public. Scientists are more certain that man causes global warming, evolution is real, overpopulation is a danger and mandatory vaccination against childhood diseases is critically important.

Based on these issues, I’m assuming that there are few scientists who vote Republican and even fewer who are teabaggers.

Sixty eight percent of scientists said it is safe to eat foods grown with pesticides, compared with only 28 percent of the general public. I can see why people are uncomfortable with this. Our interaction with pesticides is whacking roaches and rats. So, when we hear that there are pesticides in our food, our natural reaction is to think of Raid.

Ninety-eight percent of scientists say humans evolved over time, compared with 65 percent of the public. This is basic science. It is astounding that so many Americans still cling to backward religious teachings and mythology in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence. I guess this shows that we still have more evolving to do.

The Pew poll showed that 86 percent of scientists favor mandatory childhood shots while 68 percent of the public did. What is wrong with these people? And, who are the incompetent 14 percent of quacks against vaccinations and how fast can we have them fired?

Vaccines have nearly eradicated bugs that used to kill us. That’s why we don’t hear too much about polio, small pox and measles. If a parent refuses to vaccinate his or her child, it is a form of child abuse.

On Friday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Obama believes decisions for vaccinating children should remain in parents’ hands: “I’m not going stand up here and dispense medical advice,” Earnest said. “But I am going to suggest that the president’s view is that people should evaluate this for themselves, with a bias toward good science and toward the advice of our public health professionals, who are trained to offer us exactly this kind of advice.”

That statement is absurd. He sounds like Marco Rubio when he talks about global warming and claims he doesn’t know if it’s real because is he isn’t a scientist.

Thanks to a few selfish and thoughtless parents, measles is staging a comeback like a Rocky movie, with infection spreading to 84 people across 14 states, according to the CDC. Fortunately, I do have some good news on the polling front. A new poll by Stanford University and the New York Times reports that 48 percent of Republicans are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports fighting climate change. While 47 percent believed that fighting climate change would hurt the economy.

Of course this is crazy, because fighting climate change requires new technologies, which create jobs. The problem is that moderate Republicans tend to live in Blue states. And the presidential primaries are controlled by Red State flat earthers – and funded by people like the Koch Brothers, who essentially pay off Republican politicians to say they don’t think climate change is manmade.

The poll also found that 67 percent of all poll respondents, including 72 percent of independents and 48 percent of Republicans, said that they were less likely to vote for a candidate that claimed climate change was a hoax.

Nearly two-thirds of scientists favored building more nuclear power plants, but only 45 percent of the public did. More of the public, however, favored offshore drilling for oil and fracking than scientists did.

This is a tough issue, because we certainly do need energy.

Unfortunately, all of the above options are dreadful. Nuclear power can lead to Three Mile Island. Fracking can lead to earthquakes and contamination of ground water. Offshore drilling can create destructive oil spills like we had with BP in the Gulf of Mexico. That’s why our country should invest in alternative energy – so we can transition to clean, safe, efficient ways to fuel our nation.

More than four out of five scientists thought the growing world population would be a major problem, but just less than three out of five members of the public did.

Maybe we should start listening to scientists with microscopes instead of politicians and preachers with micro-brains? If we did, the world would be a much better and safer place to live.

Wayne Besen

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FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015 | PAGE 15

Our Man in Arlington

By Charlie Clark

Three score or more of Arlington’s online news addicts came face-to-face Jan. 27.

The usually-virtual networkers shelled out a food-and-drink fee to mingle and congratulate the team at the newsblog ARLnow for reaching its fifth year of continuous local coverage.

Cajoling the crowd via posters to “party like it’s 2010,” the ARLnow folks – in high-rise space borrowed from Disruption Corp. offering a specular view of the D.C. skyline – gave clues to their success: news that creates a sense of countywide reach and a business model that thumbs its nose at competitors who insist that profits come only when subscribers pay.

Founder and editor Scott Brodbeck, a George Washington University grad and veteran of local Fox and NBC newsrooms, donned a mic to tell the crowd, “It is humbling that we made it to five.” He recalled ARLnow’s first story – forecast of a snowstorm, posted on a WordPress site in his apartment – and “figuring we could survive on Ramen noodles.”

What became a daily push-out newsletter and website went on to detail crime, school and county board decisions, emergencies,

election results, and scads of restaurants opening and closing.

ARLnow grew to rope in columns and op-eds, some of which draw thousands of comments that are not always civil (the scourge of our digital age).

Brodbeck, who has lived on Columbia Pike and in Pentagon City, says it took two years to reach profitability after launching with the pain of the 2008 recession still raw. His Rosslyn-based staff of six, which includes reporter Ethan Rothstein who came over from Leesburg Today, now gets health insurance.

“The biggest challenge is growing other regions,” he said.

His company Local News Now boasts 400,000 readers a month.

In Arlington that’s 260,000 unique visitors), his offshoot in Bethesda attracts 70,000 (Bethesda editor Aaron Kraut was at the party), the Reston version 52,000, and (Capitol) HillNow 23,000.

The most enthusiastic age group is those 25-44 and earning under $100,000, according to LNN’s marketing brochure. Those cohorts are less pure, in my perception, about keeping editorial separate from advertising.

Brodbeck aims to exploit “the molecular level of journalism,” which can rely on that amateur iPhone photo to first capture a plane crash. “Local journalism is

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

CRIME REPORT Week of January 26 - February 1, 2015 Larceny from Building, 150 S. Washington St. #202 (National Capital Legal Services) On Jan. 26, an unknown suspect stole an unattended purse.

Larceny from Building, 100 block S. Virginia Ave. On Jan. 26, police received a report of stolen jewelry from a residence.

Public Drunkenness, 100 block W. Broad St. On Jan. 27, a male, 27, of Silver Spring, MD, was arrested for Public Drunkenness.

Larceny from Vehicle, 100 block Chanel Terr. On Jan. 30, an unknown suspect smashed a car window and stole a television.

Simple Assault, 100 block S. Washington St. On Jan., 30, a

male, 23, of the City of Falls Church, was arrested for Simple Assault.

Narcotics Violation, Public Drunkenness, and Smoking In a Non-Designated Area, 6757 Wilson Blvd. On Jan. 30, a male, 41, of Annandale, was arrested for Possession of Cocaine, Public Drunkenness, and Smoking In a Non-Designated Area.

Public Drunkenness, 100 block Great Falls St. On Jan. 31, a male, 43, of Alexandria, was arrested for Public Drunkenness.

Driving Under the Influence and Refusal to Submit to a Blood or Breath Test, 500 block N. Washington St. On Feb. 1, a female, of Fairfax, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence and Refusal to Submit to a Blood or Breath Test.

Liquor Law Violation, 6795

not going to exist forever in print,” he says. “We launched a business unit, but it’s not our ambition to compete with [Arlington-based] Washington Business Journal.

I learned in business school to stick to core competency, which is neighborhoods.”

The nonprofit local model – attempted by the now-defunct Arlington Mercury – is hard, says Brodbeck, who is courting investors. “We provide a service that benefits business and advertisers.” Revenue also comes in by charging businesses for featured listings, sponsored columns and promoted postings. You can pay LNN to circulate press releases and marketing blasts via email, social media, coupons and YouTube offerings.

As a “content person,” I haven’t found these ads offputting. But they’re probably causing sweaty brows at the competing but stillvital Sun-Gazette, which, though aiming for a less-hip demographic, updates its website daily.

Politically, Brodbeck stays down the middle, denying charges by some that “we fanned the fires of anti-streetcar” sentiment.

Perhaps the highest compliment to his efforts came from attendee Maura Fredericks, a life coach who told me of some friends who moved from Arlington to Cincinnati. They still go online and compare notes on ARLnow’s latest.

Wilson Blvd. #1E (Metro Café) On Feb. 1, a male, 21 of Falls Church, was arrested and released on summons for Consumption of Alcohol while an ABC manager.

Driving Under the Influence, 300 block Annandale Rd. On Feb. 1, a female, 24, of the City of Falls Church, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence.

Larceny from Motor Vehicle, 900 block Lincoln Ave. On Feb. 1, an unknown suspect stole a license plate.

Disorderly Conduct, 300 W. Broad St. (Stratford Motor Lodge) On Feb. 1, a male, 19, of Alexandria, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct.

Smoking In a Non-Designated Area, 6757 Wilson Blvd. #17 (Hoa Vien Quan) On Feb. 1, a male, 39, of Falls Church, was cited for Smoking In a Non-Designated Area.

Public Drunkenness, 306 Hillwood Ave. (Lesly’s Restaurant) On Feb. 1, a male, 28, no fixed address, was arrested for Public Drunkenness.

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PAGE 16 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

Community Events

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5

Preschool Storytime. Stories, finger plays and songs for children ages 2 – 5 on Monday and Thursday every week. Mary Riley Styles Public Library’s Youth Services Room (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). Free. 10:30 – 11 a.m. & 3 – 3:30 p.m. 703-248-5034.

Early Literacy Center. Explore educational and manipulative items to teach early literacy through play on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday every week. This program is for ages birth to 5 years.

No registration required. Mary Riley Styles Public Library’s Youth Services Room (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). Free. 11 a.m. – noon. & 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. 703-248-5034.

F.C. Rotary Club Meeting. Jade Leedham, development director at Alternative House, will speak at the Falls Church Rotary Club’s weekly meeting. Harvest Moon Restaurant (7260 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). $15 dinner. 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6

Wine and Chocolate Tasting. One More Page Books will host a Valentine’s Day-themed wine and chocolate tasting. One More Page Books (2200 N. Westmoreland St. #101, Arlington). Free. 6:30 p.m. onemorepagebooks.com. 703300-9746.

Concert. The Columbia Institute of Fine Arts at Columbia Baptist Church is presenting the Ehprem Brass Quintet. Donations will be accepted and go to benefit the Columbia Institute of Fine Arts scholarship fund. Columbia Baptist Church (103 W. Columbia St., Falls Church). Free. 7:30 p.m.

703-534-2508.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7

F.C. Farmers’ Market. Vendors offer fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables, cheeses, meats, baked goods, plants, and wine. City Hall Parking Lot (300 Park Ave., Falls Church). Free. 9 a.m. – noon. 703248-5077.

Town Hall. 38th district representative Kaye Kory is hosting a mid-session town hall with Senators Dick Saslaw and David W. Marsden. Sleepy Hollow Elementary School (3333 Sleepy Hollow Road, Falls Church). Free.

10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. kayekory. com/blog.

Author Talk. Greer McAllister will discuss and sign her debut novel, The Magician’s Lie, about a notorious female illusionist accused of murdering her husband.

One More Page Books (2200 N. Westmoreland St. #101, Arlington).

Free. 3 p.m. onemorepagebooks. com. 703-300-9746.

&

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Send community event submissions to the News-Press by e-mail at calendar@fcnp. com; fax 703-342-0347; or by regular mail to 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church, VA 22046. Please include any photos or artwork with submissions. Deadline is Monday at noon for each week’s edition.

Book Sale. A large selection of books, magazines and other media for adults and children will be on sale to support the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library.

Bag sale/clearance prices will be available from 1 – 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8. Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. tysonslibraryfriends@gmail. com. 703-790-4031.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8

Capital Improvement Project Open House. Falls Church City residents will get a chance to learn about the City’s Capital Improvement Program for the fiscal years 2016 – 2020. The location has yet to be determined. Free. 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. fallschurchva.gov.

Concert. The Washington Saxophone Quartet will play works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Claude Debussy, Duke Ellington and more. A wine and cheese reception will follow the concert. St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church (3241 Brush Dr., Falls Church). Free. 4 p.m. odeonchambermusicseries.org.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9

Capital Improvements Program Work Session and Public Hearing. There will be a work session and public hearing on the

proposed fiscal year 2016-2020 Capital Improvements Program at the Planning Commission Meeting. City Hall Council Chambers (300 Park Ave. 2nd level, Falls Church). Free. 7:30 p.m. cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov.

703-248-5014.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10

Preschool Storytime. Stories, finger plays and songs for children ages 18 – 36 months every Tuesday.

Mary Riley Styles Public Library’s Youth Services Room (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). Free.

10:30 – 11 a.m. 703-248-5034.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11

Early Release Wednesdays: Backpack Science. The Science Museum of Virginia will provide fun and easy science experiments for children ages kindergarten – fifth grade to do. Mary Riley Styles Public Library’s Youth Services Room (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). Free. 3 – 4 p.m. 703-2485034.

School Budget and City Finance Forum. The public is invited to hear public officials talk and ask questions about the school budget and city’s finances.

Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School (7130 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). Free. 7 p.m. fallschurchva.gov.

Theater Fine Arts THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5

“Choir Boy.” Tarrell Alvin McCraney wrote and Kent Gash is directing this music-�illed production about masculinity, tradition, coming of age and honesty. The school has a tradition of preparing young black men for leadership roles in society, but times and �inances have changed, and the pressure on the school’s gospel choir is high. So when Pharus, an ambitious and talented student, is told told to ignore a gay slur to take his place as the choir’s leader, he has to decide who he is and what he’s willing to �ight for. Through Feb. 22.

Studio Theatre (1501 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C). $20 – $68. 8 p.m. studiotheatre.org.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6

“13.” The McLean Community Players present 13 – a hilarious coming-of-age rock musical with music

and lyrics by Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown and a book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn. When Evan Goldman is forced to move from New York City to a small town in Indiana after his parents’ divorce, he must establish his popularity and avoid an “un-cool” label among his fellow middle school students. Even though the show features an entirely teenage cast, the stories and emotions in this memorable musical are timeless.

Through Feb. 15. McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean). $23 – $25. 8 p.m. mcleanplayers.org.

“Turn of the Screw.” This is the premiere of Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith’s musical adaptation of Henry James’ gothic novella. Miss Giddens is a sensitive young governess who believes that her young charges are being manipulated by evil forces. The production is the �irst installment of a �ive-year

commissioning project called “Bold New Works for Intimate Stages.” Through Feb. 22. ArtSpace Falls Church (410 S. Maple Ave., Falls Church). $22 – $25. 8 p.m. creativecauldron.org.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11

“Much Ado About Nothing.” This is the opening night of the Paata Tsikurishvili-directed Shakespeare comedy. Benedick, a bachelor, and the equally-spirited and single Beatrice spar, court and conspire in 1950’s Las Vegas in Synetic Theater’s 11th Wordless Shakespeare adaptation, which follows Synetic’s production of “Twelfth Night.” This �lirtatious and �iercely funny interpretation of Much Ado About Nothing will explore the true meaning of courtship, love and commitment. Through March 22. Synetic Theater (1800 S. Bell St., Arlington). $10. 8 p.m. synetictheater.org.

CA L E NDA R

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

live_music&nightlife THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5 P������� ���� P��� P����� ��� S�����. Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $10. 8 p.m. 202667-4490.

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Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Road, Vienna). $25 – $27. 8 p.m. 703-255-1900.

R�� A����. Blues Alley (1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.). $45. 8 p.m. 202-337-4141.

M�� A����� ���� P���� F��� �� B����. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.

V������ ���� P������� ��� W��� E������. 9:30 (815 V St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $15. 9 p.m. 202265-0930.

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Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna). $10– $15 in advance. $13 – $15 day of the show. 7 p.m. 703255-1566.

G���� J��� ���� M��� � C����. Clare and Don’s Beach Shack (130 N. Washington St., Falls Church). 7 p.m.

703-532-9283.

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202-265-0930.

C���� A����� Q������. Bohemian Caverns (2011 11th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $18 online. $23 at the door. 8 p.m. 202-299-0800.

T�� M������� T���. Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Road, Vienna). $35. 8 p.m. 703255-1900.

F�������. Art’s Tavern (2190 Pimmit Dr., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-3563822.

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P������������� N�� ���� DJ L��R��� ��� DJ D�����. Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $10. 9:30 p.m. 202-667-4490.

C����� T���. Clare and Don’s Beach Shack (130 N. Washington St., Falls Church).10 p.m. 703-532-9283.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7 T�� 6�� A����� L����� H���� S����� R������. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna). Free. 11 p.m. 703255-1566.

P�������� H����� � F������. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna). $15.

5:30 p.m. 703-255-1566.

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AYESCOLD. 9:30 (815 V St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $16. 7 p.m. 202265-0930.

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Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Road, Vienna). $27. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1900.

D����� A����� T���. Bohemian Caverns (2011 11th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $20 online. $25 at the door. 8 p.m. 202-299-0800.

T�� T����� T������ ���� T�� N�� V������. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna). $12 – $18 in advance. $15 – $18 day of the show.

9 p.m. 703-255-1566.

A����� C�������� S���. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-241-9504.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8 H���, N�� ��� F������. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna). $20. 1:30 p.m. 703-255-1566.

F����� J������� ���� C����� B������. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna). $15. 6 p.m. 703255-1566.

F����� C�������� ���� S������� �� ��� A��� ��� R����� R���. Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $10. 8 p.m. 202-667-4490.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9 G�������� ���� J���� ��� J����.

Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna). $10 – $15 in advance. $13 – $15 day of the show. 7 p.m. 703255-1566.

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Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW,

FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015 | PAGE 17

Washington, D.C.). $18 in advance. $20 day of the show. 7:30 p.m. 202667-4490.

J����� N�����. Blues Alley (1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.). $20. 8 p.m. 202-337-4141.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10 A������ D’A���� ���� M������� A���. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna). $15. 6 p.m. 703-2551566.

M�� C������ - L���� R�������.

Bohemian Caverns (2011 11th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $10 online. $15 at the door. 8 p.m. 202-2990800.

F������� F����. Blues Alley (1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.). $20. 8 p.m. 202-337-4141.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11 F���� �� ��� F���� ���� M��� W����. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna). $12 – $15. 7 p.m.

703-255-1566.

C���� R������� B����������. 9:30 (815 V St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $25. 7 p.m. 202-265-0930.

B�� H���/M����� C����� ��� T�� B���. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8 p.m.

703-241-9504.

T�� S�������� ���� LVL U� ��� F�����. Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $10. 8 p.m. 202667-4490.

R����� E. P�����. Blues Alley (1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.). $25. 8 p.m. 202-337-4141.

P������� A����...

Saturday, February 14 – Author/Illustrator Talk. Children’s author and illustrator Julia

A

rlington Cinema and Drafthouse scores a big get this weekend as Saturday Night Live’s Michael Che takes the stage for two days of standup. Che, a former Daily Show correspondent, is currently an SNL cast member, writer and co-anchor of Weekend Update. He’s had appearances on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Late Show With David Letterman and starred in his first stand-up special on Comedy Central last year. Tickets are $22 each for shows on Friday at 10:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10 p.m. (a 7 p.m. showing has already sold out).

What: Michael Che at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse When: Friday - Saturday, February 6 - 7 Where: Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse,

2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington See arlingtondrafthouse.com for tickets and more information

Sarcone-Roach shares from her newest picture book, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich, which was released on Jan. 6. Sarcone-Roach, a native of Arlington, has written and drawn three other children’s books. One More Page Books (220 N. Westmoreland St. #101, Arlington). Free. 3 p.m. onemorepagebooks.com. 703-300-9746.

Saturday, February 21 – Tiny Artist Workshop. Shannyn Snyder will help children ages

3 – 5 years old work on six projects and learn about the artists that inspired various genres of art. Registration required. Mary Riley Styles Public Library Conference Room. (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church) Free. 2 – 3 p.m. fallschurchva.gov/Library.

C������� S���������� Be sure to include time, location, cost of admission, contact person and any other pertinent information.

Event listings will be edited for content and space limitations. Please include any photos or artwork with submissions. Deadline is Monday at noon for the current week’s edition.

Email: calendar@fcnp.com Fax: 703-342-0347; Attn: FCNP Calendar Mail: 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church, VA 22046

FO O D &D I NI NG

PAGE 18 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

Restaurant Spotlight

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

presents the 3rd Annual

FALLS CHURCH RESTAURANT WEEK

MARCH 23 -29 Little City.

Big Eats.

FCRESTAURANTWEEK.COM

HoneyBaked Ham 360 West Broad Street, Falls Church 703-556-4455 • honeybakedforyou.com Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Thinking of Honeybaked Ham, more often than not, elicits visions of hunks of honey-glazed meat at the center of the table during the holidays. But for the other ten months of the year, Honeybaked Ham is, in fact, still a thing and arguably one of the most overlooked eateries in all of Falls Church.

In the shadow of its popular restaurant neighbors in the Broaddale Shopping Center, F.C.’s Honeybaked Ham Company not only has a full-fledged menu but I’m not being hyperbolic in saying it’s one of the city’s best sandwich options. Deli-style sandwiches, chock full of thick-sliced ham, turkey, roast beef and more, make up the vast majority of the menu and, while there’s also salads and soup, the meatand-bread selections should be your focus here. There’s everything from ham and chicken salads to hot melts and hefty, cold cut creations.

It’s hard to go wrong with anything in this lineup. Take the Tavern Club. While it has all the components of the classic sandwich, it trumps just about every other joint’s attempt at it. There’s no wimpy, borderline-translucent slices of deli meat in this one, instead it’s a fat stack of fresh-off-the-bone ham – complete with crunchy glazed crust on the ends – thick smoked turkey, bacon and cheddar, all between slightly sweet Hawaiian bread. After eating this one, good luck going back to a Subway Club.

Also winners are the Smoke Stacker which ditches the turkey, adds barbecue sauce and swaps the Hawaiian bread for a soft and pillowy pan bread and the Turkey Bacon Ranch which has the above three components plus provolone on multigrain.

Most of the 20-plus sandwiches on the menu are just variations of Honeybaked ham and turkey – solo or combined – paired with different condiments and bread, but there’s just enough variety in the combos that eating there more than once a week shouldn’t feel like Groundhog Day. Plus, while they’re not Honeybaked signatures, chicken and roast beef options help with the meat monotony.

If carbs aren’t your thing, there are salads but eating a salad at Honeybaked Ham just seems wrong. But if you must, stick to the Chef salad which throws ham, turkey, bacon and two types of cheese on top of all that green filler stuff.

Almost as overlooked as the restaurant itself, Honeybaked also serves breakfast – and all-day breakfast at that. There’s omelettes, wraps and even two different types of French toast. My top choice? The Legendary Breakfast Sandwich. Not only because the name is awesome but because an egg souffle topped with Amish cheddar and Honeybaked bacon sandwiched between a croissant is downright delicious.

(Honeybaked pro tip: If your sandwich doesn’t come with bacon included, add it.

Trust me on this. Dredged in the same spiced-honey mixture that coats their beloved hams, the thick-cut strips of pig belly are the perfect combination of salty and sweet.)

— Jody Fellows

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

SPO RTS

FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015 | PAGE 19

Mustangs Pick Up 3 More Bull Run District Wins

by Liz Lizama

Falls Church News-Press

George Mason High School’s boys varsity basketball team notched three more Bull Run District wins this past week with a 95-33 blowout against Rappahannock County High School, a 56-46 win against Strasburg High School and a 68-34 win over Central High School.

Last Wednesday, Mason dominated the Rappahannock County Panthers in the first half 60-17, with all 15 members of Mason’s roster clocking in minutes in the first two quarters.

Mason’s starters sat out the second half while their teammates added another 35 points to the tally.

Junior forward Robert Tartt led the Mustangs with 16 points against the Panthers. Junior guard Thomas Beddow followed with 11 points and senior guard Andrei Enache, sophomore forward Dustin Green and junior guard Devin Thomas each added 10 points for Mason.

Following its success at home, Mason traveled to Strasburg High School last Friday for a close district game against the Rams. Strasburg led Mason 7-5 at the end of the first

quarter, but the Mustangs jumped ahead 21-19 at halftime.

“We shot very poorly and missed a ton of easy shots in the first half,” said Mason head coach Chris Capannola of the team’s 8-31 shooting effort in the first half.

Mason maintained their lead in the second half, which Cappanola credits to their defensive play.

“Our defense was really good again. We gave the Strasburg guards fits with traps and fake traps and we sped them up,” Capannola said. “They are a methodical type team offensively, and we wouldn’t let them play their game.”

Junior guard Elliot Mercado led the Mustangs with 13 points and seven rebounds. Tartt also scored 13 points and grabbed ten rebounds. Junior guard Josh Allen added 10 points for Mason.

On Monday, the Mustangs played at Central against the Falcons. Mason kicked off the game with a strong lead, ending the first quarter 17-1 over the Falcons. Both teams scored 13 points in the second quarter, but Mason maintained their doubledigit lead throughout the game.

“Our pressure defense once again was the key,” Capannola said. “Tonight [Monday], we actually converted on the turnovers we

MASON JUNIOR ROBERT TARTT (center) attempts a dunk against Rappahannock County during the Mustangs’ 95-33 win over the Panthers last Wednesday. (Photo: Liz Lizama/News-Press) caused as opposed to the Strasburg game Friday where we got 21 turnovers but didn’t score off enough of them. We got running and Central had no answer for us.”

Tartt led the team with 17

S uper S cholastics

GEORGE MASON HIGH SCHOOL’S SCHOLASTIC BOWL team won the Conference 35 championship last Friday at Luray High School and advanced to the Region B tournament. The Mustangs defeated Clarke County High School 300-125 in the conference championship. Mason seniors (l to r) Jarman Taylor and Ben Cohen led the team in scoring in the Conference 35 tournament, with additional scoring from senior Jeremiah Ogle. In the image above, the trio of seniors stand with head coach Jamie Scharff after a taping of “It’s Academic.” (Photo: Carol Sly)

points, followed by Allen with 15 points and Beddow with 12 points.

Mason played their last home game of the regular season against Madison County High School on Wednesday night but results were

not yet available at press time. The Mustangs will end their regular season at Warren County High School this Friday before preparing for the Bull Run District tournament the following week.

Roth Commits to Play Soccer for Lehigh U.

by Drew Costley

Falls Church News-Press

Ava Roth, a senior midfielder and forward on George Mason High School’s girls varsity soccer team, signed a letter of intent to play Division-1 soccer for Lehigh University at a signing ceremony held at Mason yesterday.

The all-state four-year Mason varsity soccer player said she plans on continuing to play both positions for the Mountain Hawks.

“I’m really excited,” Roth said.

“I’m looking forward to playing there and it’s a great school athletically and academically, so I should be challenged in both departments.”

Roth has been a standout player for the Mustangs almost every year since she started playing for the team in 2012, most recently scoring the two goals that led to a Mustang state championship victory over Maggie Walker Governor’s School last spring.

She said she decided to take her talents to Lehigh after taking some unofficial visits to the school.

“The campus is beautiful and the team is very welcoming,” Roth said. “There’s close relationships within the team and between the team and the coaches.”

Ava’s parents, Barb and Jesse Roth, attended the signing ceremony and were joined by Mason Principal Tyrone Byrd, athletic director Tom Horn, assistant athletic director Julie Bravin and Mason girls soccer head coach Jennifer Parsons.

“I’m so excited for her,” Parsons said. “I think D-1 soccer is a perfect fit for her and Lehigh sounds like a great school for her.

She’s talented enough to be there and she has the motivation and dedication to be really successful there and I think have a really great impact on the program.”

Parsons said that she’ll hopefully be able to make it to Roth’s games with the Mountain Hawks in the fall.

“I think with their conference play and their schedule they usually find their way south a little bit,” Parsons said. “So hopefully we’ll get to see some games.”

LO CA L

PAGE 20 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

Fa l l s C h u r c h

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

School News & Notes

FIRST GRADERS AT Mt. Daniel Elementary School performed reader’s theater for kindergarten students at the school last week. Soon the kindergarteners will perform their own reader’s theater, which helps strengthen fluency and expression.

(Photo: FCCPS Communications/Amy Brooks)

EDWARD BLOOM (front left) is played by nationally-recognized actor Alex Stone in the McLean Theatre Company’s regionally-premiere of “Big Fish,” which debuts next Monday and is scheduled a one-weekend run from Feb. 19 –22. (Photo: Courtesy of Isabel Zapata)

F.C. Students Earn Academic Honors Across the Nation Several students from Falls Church earned academic honors at colleges, universities and other academic institutions across the nation during the fall 2014 semester.

Tina Boortalary, a biology major, was named to the dean’s list at St. Bonaventure University.

Katherine Brown, a freshman Latin major, made the dean’s list at Randolph-Macon College, where students must earn at least a 3.25 grade point average to be named to the list.

Lucas Cherry, sophomore marine science major, made the president’s list at Coastal Carolina University because he earned a 4.0 grade point average while being as a full-time student.

Jordan Crockett and Analisse Vasquez Soto were named to the dean’s list at Mary Baldwin College, where students must earn a grade point average between 3.5 – 3.74 to qualify for the honor.

Jacob Ryu Morris, a freshman electrical engineering major, was named to the dean’s list at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Engineering must earn at least a 3.5 grade point average to make the dean’s list.

Tenzin Namdol, an economics and environmental studies major, was named to the dean’s

list at Bates College. Takumi Nemec made the dean’s list at The Citadel, where students must earn a 3.2 grade point average or higher with no grade below a C to be named to the list.

Mollie Read was named to the dean’s list at Grinnell College, where students have to earn at least a 3.75 in order to make the list. John Webster made the dean’s list at Rhode Island College, where students must earn a 3.25 grade point average to qualify for the academic honor.

Also, three students from Falls Church graduated during the fall 2014 semester. Brian Morris and Theresa Pociask both earned Master of Business of Administration degrees in management from Frostburg State University. Hyung Yang earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in electrical and computer engineering from The Georgia Institute of Technology.

Stuart Students Will Attend Journalism Conference Two students at J.E.B. Stuart High School, Garrison Grow and Victoria Haver, were chosen as National Youth Correspondents for the 2015 Washington Journalism and Media Conference.

Grow and Haver will join a group selected from across the nation for an intensive study of

journalism and media. They were chosen based on academic accomplishments and a demonstrated interest and excellence in journalism and media studies.

They will participate in handson, experiential learning through decision-making simulations that challenge them to solve problems and explore the creative, practical, and ethical tensions inherent in journalism and media. They will also attend lectures from prominent journalists and other media professionals.

Last year’s slate of lecturers included NBC’s Hoda Kotb, Brian Lamb from C-Span, Carol Guzy from The Washington Post and Peter Doocy from Fox News.

The conference will take place at George Mason University from July 12 – 17. For more information, visit wjmc.gmu.edu.

ingly impossible life experiences.

The McLean Theatre Company’s production, led by artistic director Amy Poe and music director Bobby McCoy complete with acrobatics, juggling, aerial skills and thrilling big-stage dance numbers, aims to remind the local community why they love going to the theater for experiences that are richer, funnier and more vivid than reality.

“We are very excited that the McLean Theatre Company will debut this magical and moving adventure to the Metro D.C. community. After premiering “Catch Me If You Can” last spring and thrilling audiences with the outrageous “The Addams Family” [last] fall, our company is ready for the challenge of the spectacular that is “Big Fish.,” Poe said.

“The show’s technical elements and stunning performances will create an atmosphere where it appears the impossible is achieved. We want the audience to

embrace Edward Bloom’s incredible interpretation of the mundane.

Through witnessing Edward’s ‘big fish’ tales, the audience learns that reality is relative and perception is possibility.” For more information, visit mcleandrama.com.

4th Graders at TJ Elementary School Celebrate Colonial Day Fourth graders at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School donned tri-corner hats, ruffled shirts, bonnets and cotton dresses to celebrate Colonial Day last week.

Students shared their research on colonial America dressed as blacksmiths, seamstresses, limners, schoolmasters, architects, ship captains, weavers, printers and other professionals from the time period. Students also had a traditional lunch of ham and biscuits and participated in period crafts and activities such as marbles and quill writing, as shown in the photo below.

McLean HS Premieres Musical ‘Big Fish’ in Region The McLean High School Theatre Company is readying a regional premiere of the musical “Big Fish,” next Monday, Feb.16, at 2 p.m. After the President’s Day premiere, the play will run from Feb. 19 – 22 with 7 p.m. showtimes Thursday – Saturday and 2 p.m. showtimes Saturday and Sunday.

In “Big Fish,” Edward Bloom sweeps the audience into a fantasy while recounting his seem-

TWO FOURTH GRADERS at Thomas Jefferson Elementary practice their quill writing at the school’s Colonial Day last week.

(Photo: FCCPS Communications/Erin Craddock)

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

LO CA L

FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015 | PAGE 21

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THE REBOOT FOR YOUTH TEAM, (l to r) Christopher Cao, Shrikant Mishra, Peter Zhao, Arun Bhattasali and Griffith Heller, work to refurbish computers. (Photo: Patricia Leslie/News-Press)

TJHS Students Refurbish Old Computers for Area Families

by Patricia Leslie

Falls Church News-Press

Recycle, refurbish, refresh, renew, reboot, reward.

That old laptop or desktop that’s been lying around your house or office that you’ve been meaning to take to the county landfill?

Instead of taking it there, you can take it the boys at Reboot for Youth. There’s no charge for them to take it off your hands, and they’ll turn your trash into someone else’s treasure.

Reboot for Youth is a nonprofit that restores computers for area families who don’t have the financial means to buy a computer for their children to use for school work.

The brainchild of Christopher Cao and his friend Griffith Heller, Reboot for Youth was started last year as a way to use the boys’ technology skills.

While tutoring an elementary school student, Cao saw firsthand what the lack of a home computer can mean. “We wanted to reach out to the community,” he said.

And Cao, and his tech team, are doing just that. On paper they may seem like a bunch of 20-somethings, but they’re 15- and 16-yearold sophomore advanced computer science students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. They gather at the school on Wednesdays, during

eighth period, to work and meet at Heller’s house on Saturday afternoons to work on Reboot.

There they review weekly goals and refurbish computers. Cao said the team erases all the data from donated computers, removing any confidential information, and installs Microsoft Office or Linux systems.

Reboot’s Arun Bhattasali said it’s easy to apply to receive a computer, make donations or nominations for needy families made by others on Reboot’s website, rebootforyouth.org.

Since launching last November, Reboot has delivered restored computers to 77 families with 112 students. They like to meet the families personally in a public setting to give them a tutorial on using the computer. “That’s so important,” Cao said.

Because of the amount of donations they have gotten so far, they have not had to buy any parts, using what they have on hand. In December, they received 30 Dell computers from Virginia Student Training and Refurbishing Program.

The team members all began “fooling around” with computers years ago – Heller said he thinks he started while he was in kindergarten. They find computers are “easy to fix up and customize,” he said.

Reboot is not limited to Jefferson students. The team is close to signing up a student from W.T. Woodson

High School, and they are looking for girls in particular to join to their cause. “It’s hard to find girls” in this line of work, Heller said, but the group said that one has applied to be a tech assistant.

Parents are an important ingredient of the Reboot mix for they provide the wheels, the space, the pizzas and the time to help make it happen. They pick up and deliver the Reboot team, the computers they work on and fuel that keeps them going.

Denise Huynh, Cao’s mother said that her son loves computers. She considers herself “the feet” for her two sons. Kevin, Christopher’s older brother, is a student at the University of Virginia. He co-founded Growth and Inspiration through Volunteering and Education (GIVE), where Christopher Cao tutors every Saturday afternoon.

Huynh said that she’s proud of both of her sons.

“I am a single mom, but anywhere they need to be, I’ll be there,” Huynh said.

“In a way, it’s very humbling that Christopher can help the community by saving electronics and helping the environment, and turn them [computers] into something so useful for lower-income families.”

For more information on how to donate to Reboot for Youth, visit rebootforyouth.org/donate, e-mail team@rebootforyouth.org or call 703-269-8461.

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PAGE 22 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Feb.

5

ay

sd Thur

Roy Ayers Blues Alley 8 p.m.

1073 Wisc. Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.

202-337-4141 • bluesalley.com

6

y

Frida

Gypsy Jazz with Matt & Craig Clare and Don’s 7 p.m.

130 N. Washington St., Falls Church

703-532-9283 • clareanddons.com

Footwerk Art’s Tavern 9 p.m.

2190 Pimmit Dr., Falls Church

703-356-3822 • artstavern.com

7

ay

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BY DREW COSTLEY

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

Drew Gibson wasn’t thinking about making a new album after his father Edmund Gibson died on July 4, 2012 – songwriting was only there to help him find balance. But then he discovered something that led him to create 1532.

“When my father passed away, I wasn’t thinking about an album at that time. I wasn’t thinking about an album before he was sick or even after he was sick,” Gibson said. “And then for the next six or seven months after he died I knew that I wanted to write something, that’s kind of my outlet...so I worked on a song, trying to get the lyrics right, trying to get the music right.”

While he was working on that song, which became “When the Vinyl Scrapes,” Gibson found an old metal security deposit box, which he said seemed out of place among his father’s belongings. Inside the box there were old photographs and letters from Gibson’s uncle, Jack, who fought and died in World War II. But before Jack went off to train in Miami, DREW GIBSON (C������� P����) he registered “1532” on his license plate as an homage to his family. Jack actually wanted to song that expressed how he was feeling after his put 1505, his family’s address, on the license father’s passing. It also allowed him to record plate, but the number was taken, so he took his family’s history on 1532, which he released with Cragmont Records earlier this week.

1532, since adding three and two equals five.

The album, which Gibson dedicated to his After Jack was killed in Italy, in a vehicle accident, his family grieved and honored his father, is somber, celebratory, and, at times, life by putting the license plate on his father both. Wisdom, regret, worry and consolation John’s car. After John died his wife Kathryn are woven throughout the album’s lyrical conbegan using the license plate and the tradition tent, with song’s inspired by the letters Gibson was carried on by Drew’s father after Kathryn found and other family stories.

“I just started picking up stories and doing died. Drew’s mother Beattie-Jane, the namesake to the album’s first track, began using the research and learning about people in my fam1532 license plate after Edmund passed away. ily – learning about my dad’s side of the family, “It’s just taken on a greater meaning each learning about my mom’s side of the family – time it gets passed on,” Drew said. “And every and writing songs,” Gibson said.

“Some of the songs deal with specific events time I think of that number, I think about my and...each song kind of tangentially may touch family, that’s what it means to me.”

Discovering those memories from past gen- on a line here or there loss and losing my father erations in that metal box helped Gibson write a and how I feel, but the whole process, from that

first song I wrote about losing my dad to the last song I finished on the record, helped me find that balance I was searching for.”

Gibson is having an album release show at IOTA Club & Cafe in Arlington this Friday, Feb. 6. Bassist Jon Nazdin, dummer Robbie Magruder and pedal steel guitarist Dave Hadley will back Gibson as he plays tracks from 1532.

“A lot of people of have said they’ve found something in there that has touched them in their life,” Gibson said. “The album has a lot to do with my family and is dedicated to my father...and a lot of people going through those things now have either texted me or e-mailed me and said ‘A lot of these things ring true for me in my life.’

• For more information about Drew Gibson, visit drew-gibson.com.

BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet The Barns at Wolf Trap 8 p.m.

1645 Trap Road, Vienna

703-938-2404 • wolftrap.org

These singles whet the appetites of the FCNP editorial team this week:  Nicholas Benton – America from “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein 

Jody Fellows – The Love You Got by Moxie Bravo 

Drew Costley – You Must Learn by KRS-One

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015 | PAGE 23

‘Turn of the Screw’ Premieres at Creative Cauldron

BY DREW COSTLEY

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

Creative Cauldron debuted the world premiere of the musical adaptation of Henry James’ Gothic novella Turn of the Screw last Saturday, Jan. 30, at ArtSpace Falls Church.

The production, written by local theater veterans Stephen Gregory Smith and Matt Conner, tells the tale of a young governess, Miss Giddens, who believes that her two students, Miles and Flora Bly, are being manipulated by evil forces.

Miss Giddens is played by Susan Derry, a Helen Hayes award-winning actress who played Miss Jessel in the opera version of the show.

“Miss Giddens is a young woman with little experience of the world who is thrilled to have a position with two charming children,” Derry said. “But she quickly starts to unravel when she’s faced with things that she doesn’t understand and can’t pin down.”

“I think she’s very vulnerable yet she has this fascinating inner strength,” Derry said. “It’s sort of a dichotomy. These things exist sort of simultaneously and she’s trusting and very loving and warm. But there’s a fragility to her...she’s vulnerable, she’s not sure of what’s going on around her but at the same time she’s completely convinced that she does know.

“I think it’s very interesting to see a woman who is that sort of warm and open yet at the same time has this steely resolve at her center.”

Derry, who was recruited by Smith and Conner to play Miss Giddens in the play, advised theatergoers not to miss “Turn of the Screw.”

“Don’t miss it. It’s so special to have a world premiere in your

backyard, especially one of this caliber,” Derry said. “The story can be a little bit scary, but it’s a fascinating commentary on human nature. And supporting new work in the theater is a privilege...it’s our job as theatergoers to get out there and be part of what’s coming up because one day it’ll be part of the canon.”

Smith and Conner’s “Turn of the Screw” is the first installment in the five-year Creative Cauldron commissioning project “Bold New Works for Intimate Stages.”

Through the initiative Creative Cauldron will solicit actors, writers and composers every year for original works that are designed to be performed in small venues.

“To be honored with any sort of recognition in this business as a writer is always an honor,” Conner said. “There are a lot of writers out there who are hardly ever recognized. So for us to be recognized here locally it’s a really, really great honor to be a part of it and we’re just happy that we’ll be able to present our work as quickly as we have.”

Smith said that Creative Cauldron founder Laura Connors Hull suggested that they adapt “Turn of the Screw” into a musical. Prior to Smith and Conner’s adaptation, James’ novella had been turned into an opera, by Benjamin Britten, but never into a musical.

Smith said that he told Hull that he and Conner would check out the novella, that they “fell in love” with James’ story and immediately got to work on the adaptation.

“I think that Stephen and I have always been drawn to the darker side of stories,” Conner said. “We both enjoy Gothic, romantic and horror sort of genres. This story actually lends itself to all of that.

It’s a very romantic, beautiful piece.”

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IN “TURN OF THE SCREW,” Susan Derry plays Miss Giddens, who is, in the photo above, looking on while Mrs. Grose, played by Sherri Edelen, reads. In the photo on the right, Derry’s Miss Giddens sings with Libby Brooke, who plays Flora Bly. The play, a musical adaptation of Henry James’ novella of the same name, tells the story a young governess who believes that her two young students are being manipulated by evil forces.

(P����: C������� �� K���� W�����/K� P����������)

Creative Cauldron is hosting a premiere gala and press night for “Turn of the Screw,” which runs through Feb. 22, this Saturday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit creativecauldron.org.

Healthy By Intention Professional Therapeutic Massage

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PAGE 24 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

Cleaning Services

BU S I N E S S & S E RVI C E DIR EC TORY Other Services

ACCLAIMED CARPET CLEANING

Call Mike 703-978-2270

Insured, Bonded and Licensed Independently owned Commercial & Residential

Medical and Sports Massage Andre Halasz , LMT www.Inhousemassagedc.com

703-892-8648

In house visits available Call Andre : 281-221-1158

Colleges

Make a Joyful Splash!

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Ask about SCHOLARSHIPS for: Certificate, Bachelor or Master Degrees in: Business, Accounting and IT ACCT is Certified to operate by SCHEV Apply this or next quarter by contacting the Admissions Office at 703-942-6200 150 South Washington St. Falls Church VA, 20046 www.acct2day.org

YOUR HANDYMAN LLC Carpentry • Caulking, Painting, Drywall Repairs, Plumbing & Electrical, Flat Screen TV Mounting visit: www.yourhandymanllc.com NO JOB TOO SMALL

Air Conditioning/Heating Kitchen/Bathroon Remodeling Plumbing Service

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since 1985

Home Improvement

The Plumbery, Inc.

5 Rooms Deep Cleaned: $135 Carpet Stretching 24/7 Emergency Water Damage We Clean the White House

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

with Miss Eileen Create unique art masterpieces using acrylics, water-based oils, pencils and an innovative variety of tools and brushes.

Held at Creative Cauldron 410 S. Maple Avenue On-going enrollment easternder22046@aol.com Enroll on-line at www.creativecauldron.org Or call 571-239-5288

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Contact Pete 571-243-6726

Free estimates, superior service, low prices, high quality 25 years' experience, local, insured

CRJ Concrete

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Driveways - Patios - Sidewalks Licensed & Insured

Professional Services

571-221-2785

Robert Beatson II

Handyman Service

Attorney/Accountant, Former IRS Attorney Admitted to DC, MD, VA & NY Bars

All repairs, plumbing, drywall, doors, windows, rotted wood, siding, gutters, lighting + more FREE estimates, insured Call Doug (703)556-4276

All Federal, State, Local & Foreign Taxes Individual • Business • Trusts • Estates • Wills

703-798-3590 or 301-340-2951

www.beatsonlaw.com

Benton Potter & Murdock, PC www.bpmlawyers.com

Government contract law, health law, civil litigation, and all areas of business law.

In the City of Falls Church: 703-992-9255 In D.C.: 202-416-1660 400 S. Maple Avenue, Suite 210, Falls Church, VA 22046

Benton Potter & Murdock, PC www.novahandyman.com www.bpmlawyers.com contract Kitchen Government & Bathroom Remodeling Discover great solutions now!

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Available 7 days a week Weekly - By Weekly - Monthly or by Time Move Out - Move In • 14 years Experience Good References • Senior Discount For Further Information: Call Susy • Cell (703) 901-0596

law, health law, civil litigation, and all

Complete or Partial remodel In the City of Falls Church: 703-992-9255 JOSEPH HOME IMPROVEMENT Affordable cabinets and fixtures Drywall • Paint Exterior / Interior, Bath & Kitchen Remodeling, Free planning and design!!

Basements, Ceramic Tile, VA Deck,22046 400 Maple Avenue, Suite 210, Falls Church, 10%S. Discount Fences. Patios, Electric, Plumbing, Clean Garage, All Kinds of Hauling.

Licensed & Insured www.josephhomeimprovements.com 703-638-8863 Joselozada27@yahoo.com In D.C.: 202-416-1660 Joseph Cell 703-507-5005 beto@usandygroup.com Licensed Work Tel 703-507-8300

CLASSI FIEDS Condos for Rent Idylwood Towers: 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo. Immaculate. Updated unit. Hardwood floors, vertical blinds, washer/dryer.

Parking. Walk to metro. $1850 (includes all utilities). Available March 14. 703-534-3975

For Rent New Basement Apartment. Private

Entrance. Bedroom, Bath, Laundry Room.

Near Metro, Bus Lines, Tyson Corner.

Available Immediately. Call 703-894-7601

Help Wanted Servers needed. Must be 18 to apply.

Experience preferred, but not required.

Apply at: www.famousdaves.com

Public Notice CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, FALLS CHURCH VOLUNTEERS: who live in the City of Falls Church are needed to serve on the boards and commissions listed below. Contact the City Clerk’s Office (703-248-5014, cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov, or www.fallschurchva.gov/BC) for an application form or more information. Requests for reappointment must be made through the City Clerk. Applications are accepted until the end of the month. Vacancies advertised for more than one month may be filled during each subsequent month before month’s end.

Architectural Advisory Board Board of Equalization Board of Zoning Appeals Environmental Services Council Historic Architectural Review Board Historical Commission Human Services Advisory Council Public Utilities Commission Retirement Board

Towing Advisory Board Tree Commission Regional Boards/Commissions: Fairfax Area Disability Services Board Fairfax Area Commission on Aging Long Term Care Coordinating Council

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA The Falls Church City Council will hold a public hearing at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as may be heard, on Monday, February 9, 2015 to consider the following:

(TR15-05) RESOLUTION APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO THE 2005 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO INCORPORATE THE “PARKS FOR PEOPLE” PLAN AS AN UPDATE AND REPLACEMENT OF THE PARKS, OPEN SPACE, AND RECREATION CHAPTER

More information regarding the Parks for People Plan and the public engagement process through which it was developed is available here: www.fallschurchva.gov/ParksOpenSpaceRecChapter.

All public hearings will be held in the Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, Virginia. For copies of legislation, contact the City Clerk’s office at (703-248-5014) or cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov or visit www. fallschurchva.gov. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5014 (TTY 711).

CELESTE HEATH CITY CLERK

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, www.bentonpotter.com VIRGINIA The Falls Church City Council will hold public hearings at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as may be heard, on Monday, February 9, 2015 to consider the following: (1) (TR15-05) RESOLUTION APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO THE 2005 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO INCORPORATE THE “PARKS FOR PEOPLE” PLAN AS AN UPDATE AND REPLACEMENT OF THE PARKS, OPEN SPACE, AND RECREATION CHAPTER (2) (TO15-02) ORDINANCE TO MOVE THE DEADLINE FOR APPEALS TO THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION FROM THE FIRST FRIDAY OF APRIL TO THE FIRST FRIDAY OF JUNE

Make history on our slopes.

More information regarding the Parks for People Plan and the public engagement process through which it was developed is available here: www.fallschurchva.gov/ ParksOpenSpaceRecChapter.

All public hearings will be held in the Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, Virginia. For copies of legislation, contact the City Clerk’s office at (703-248-5014) or cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov or visit www. fallschurchva.gov. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5014 (TTY 711).

CELESTE HEATH CITY CLERK

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Crossword

ACROSS

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1. Guy from Tucson in a Beatles song 5. Short winter holidays?

11. Texans’ org.

14. From the top 15. Like a romantic dinner 16. Suffix with script 17. Dropped off again, perhaps 19. Ovid’s 104 20. Acclaim for picadors 21. Jai ____ 22. “Lolita” narrator 28. Two cohosts who joined Whoopi on “The View” in 2014 29. Supporter of the 1%, say 30. Poison lead singer Michaels 31. Sign before Taurus 33. Without delay 40. Chopin work 41. Bird feeder fill 42. “Lost in Translation” director 46. Lost it 48. Like some poseurs, in slang 51. No Child Left Behind dept.

52. Inaugural feature 53. Part of a sch. year 54. They’re often made at print shops (they’re made in 17-, 22-, 33- and 48-Across) 61. Nile reptile 62. Upholsterer’s sample 63. Bounce back 64. Gridiron positions: Abbr.

65. Actress Milano 66. Piquancy

Across

1. Guy from Tucson in a Beatles song

FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015 | PAGE 25 DOWN

1. Rattle 2. ____ Direction (boy band) 3. “The Beverly Hillbillies” dad 4. Have debts 5. Fox show that had a character named Fox, with “The” 6. Man with a van, perhaps 7. “Give it ____!”

8. Orch. section 9. One having a little lamb 10. Turf 11. Cell centers 12. Monastery residents 13. Housing developer William who has a Long Island town named after him 18. It might be pierced 21. Co. led by Baryshnikov in the 1980s 22. Butt (in) 23. Applications 24. Barack’s re-election rival 25. Food brand that claims its ketchup comes out of its bottles at .028 miles per hour 26. Peter Fonda title role 27. ____ soup 28. Abbr. on a Topps card 31. Way to see the world?

32. Tattle (on) 34. Bad way to go 35. “The Lion King” queen 36. Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day org.

37. Totals 38. TV actress Remini 39. Jan. 1 till now

CHUCKLE BROS BRIAN & RON BOYCHUK

5. Short winter holidays?

11. Texans' org.

Sudoku

42. “Veni, vidi, vici” speaker 43. Like Jackie Jackson, in the Jackson 5 44. Freshens the pillow 45. Cpl.’s inferior 46. “You’re mine!”

47. Dos cubed 49. Sounds from a 55-Down 50. Ones awaiting a shipment, maybe 54. Civil War side: Abbr.

55. See 49-Down 56. Set (down) 57. Candy that turns heads?

58. Swelling reducer 59. Comments accompanying shrugs 60. Souse

Last Thursday’s Solution L A B E L I O A K E E S P N C A C O T W H I T S Y O U

R E T U N E

S T A C E Y

J O L A U N N A S T O I T C R U L E S A T T W I

A N N U L N E E L Y A O K

B A A D D D C H S O A P R E P L S O F A M N A S R T A X I N F S F E S

T A C R O P O I L E M R E B U M B O P Y A S M T H E I S O D D T I A S C R L L A E E E L S D A A S N Y

T U M B L R

S T A S E S

R E D M O O W A T V A E N

By The Mepham Group

Level: 1 2 3 4

14. From the top 15. Like a romantic dinner 16. Suffix with script 17. Dropped off again, perhaps 19. Ovid's 104 20. Acclaim for picadors 21. Jai ____

1

22. "Lolita" narrator 28. Two cohosts who joined Whoopi on "The View" in 2014 29. Supporter of the 1%, say

LOOSE PARTS

30. Poison lead singer Michaels

DAVE BLAZEK

31. Sign before Taurus Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle

NICK KNACK

1

© 2015 N.F. Benton

2/8/15

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.

© 2015 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

LO CA L

PAGE 26 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

C������ C�����

BACK IN THE DAY

laz y The dog. c k q u i fox sly p e d jum e r o v lazy the g . d o is Now time the all for o d g o to cows

20 s Yearo Ag

e c o mthe to of aid i r t h e re. pastu w N o the is e t i m all for o d g o to cows e c o mthe to

20 � 10 Y���� A�� �� ��� N���-P���� Falls Church News-Press Vol IV, No. 47 • February 9, 1995

Grad Center: Reviews Mixed on Design City officials got their first look at the architectural renderings for the Northern Virginia Graduate Center Monday night at the Planning Commission meeting and the reviews were mixed.

Project architects presented the building’s design at a site plan review which generated numerous comments and suggestions from the six commissioners.

One of the primary focuses of concern was the “mass” of the 290-foot-long, 90-foot-wide, four-story building....

It is no the timw e for g o all o cows d to go to the aid of the pa stu ir re. *** **

Falls Church News-Press Vol XIV, No. 48 • February 3, 2005

10 Year s Ago

Sponsored by Jon DeHart, Long & Foster

Thr ow it up.

Pour it up It now is the time for all go od cows to go the to aid

Verizon Prepares Internet, Cable Rollout in F.C.; Cox Slams Push for New Law Verizon officially announced the launch of its new high-speed Internet service to customers in Falls Church yesterday with a press statement that promises “breathtaking” and “blazing-fast” fiber optic broadband service.

But while welcoming the new service and benefits of competition that Verizon is bringing to Falls Church, members of the City Council here expressed deep concern Monday for legislation that Verizon is backing in Richmond....

F� � � � C � � � � �

B������� N��� � N���� Longtime Mad Fox Brewer Buettner Leaving F.C. Brew Pub Brewer Charlie Buettner is leaving Mad Fox Brewing Company to help a start-up a production brewery in Lorton. Buettner, one of Mad Fox Brewing ’s first employees, started a month before Bill Madden opened the award winning gastro pub in July of 2010. Madden will take on a greater role with the brewery and is promoting one of Mad Fox’s current brewers, Brad Hulewicz to Lead Brewer and extending brewer Max Courington’s hours to full time. A farewell party for Buettner will be held at Mad Fox on Thursday, February 5 from 4 – 6 p.m. at Mad Fox Brewing Company, 444 W. Broad Street. To learn more about Mad Fox, visit www.madfoxbrewing.com.

THIS IS FRANK THE CAT, an 11-month old Ragdoll living just off of West Broad Street. When he is not lying around in sinks or boxes, he is hanging out in his 7-foot-tall tree or loving on his parents.

Helping People and Pets Buy and Sell Homes NEW LISTING

UNDER CONTRACT IN ONE WEEK!

SOLD

Dogwood to Host ‘Boxes of Home’ Benefit for Soldiers February 11 Dogwood Tavern is hosting an event to benefit Operation Turbo on Wednesday, February 11 from 7 – 10 p.m. The nonprofit founded by Dyan Zurick Smith in 2010 provides “Boxes of Home” to military soldiers, especially those who do not receive personal mail or packages, while being deployed. Operation Turbo is planning to send more than 600 boxes with letters of gratitude, artwork, toiletries and pre-packaged treats this year.

The event will include free appetizers and drink specials, live music by Perry, Polman & Gamble, Magician Tim Knottscamp, and a silent auction. Attendees are invited to donate drawings by children, pre-packaged food items, toiletries, or contribute financially. The nonprofit also has a “wish list” on Amazon. For more information, visit www.operationturbo.org. Dogwood Tavern is located at 132 W. Broad Street in Falls Church.

Mad Fox Raising Funds for Blood Cancer Research Next Tuesday Mad Fox Brewing Company is donating 15 percent of proceeds on Tuesday, February 10 to benefit Team Kings for a Cure as part of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Society’s Student of the Year Campaign to raise funds to support blood cancer research and patient services. Local George Mason High School Student, Francesca King, who heads the team, has now helped to organize eight fundraising events throughout the city of Falls Church and the surrounding area. For more information about Mad Fox Brewing Company, located at 444 W. Broad Street, visit www.madfoxbrewing.com.

Local Counseling Firm Introduces New Intern Sunstone Counseling has announced their newest graduate counseling intern, Emily Goff, from George Mason University. She will be working with adolescents and adults in this private practice setting to help people address a variety of life challenges; including depression, anxiety, women’s issues, school related issues, and multicultural issues. Sunstone is located at 124D East Broad Street in the City of Falls Church, directly across the street from Applebee’s. It is open 7 days a week, including early morning, evening and weekend hours. It can be reached at 703-534-5100 or appointment@sunstonecounselors.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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FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015 | PAGE 27

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Directory Listings: Call Us at 703-532-3267

n

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ACCOUNTING

Diener & Associates, CPA. . . . . . . . . 241-8807 Eric C. Johnson, CPA, PC . . . . . . . . 538-2394 Mark Sullivan, CPA . . . . . . . . . . . 571-214-4511 Hahn & Associates, PC, CPAs . . . . . 533-3777

Business Directory

ATTORNEYS

Mark F. Werblood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534-9300 Beatson Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301-340-2951 Sudeep Bose, Former Police Officer. 926-3900 Janine S. Benton, Esq. . . . . . . . . . . . .992-9255

AUTOMOTIVE

Beyer Volvo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237-5000

BANKING

Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. . . 519-1634 BB&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241-3505 TD Bank/www.TDBank.com . . . . . . . 237-2051 Acacia Federal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506-8100

BOOK BINDING

BCR Binders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534-9181

BUSINESS SERVICES

1 Line Maximum

(30 characters + Ph. #, incl. spaces)

n

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n

GIFTS

n

n

CLEANING SERVICES

n

HANDYMAN

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HEALTH & FITNESS

n

HOME IMPROVEMENT

ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES

Falls Church Antique Company . . . . 241-7074 Antique Annex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241-9642

3 months - $150 6 months - $270 1 year - $450

n

Dr. Solano, solanospine.com . . . . . . 536-4366 Maid Brigade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 823-1922 Acclaimed Carpet Cleaning . . . . . . . . 978-2270 A Cleaning Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 892-8648

COLLEGES

American College of Commerce and Technology . . . . . . . 942-6200

n

CONCRETE

n

DENTISTS

n

CRJ Concrete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571-221-2785 Family Dentistry, Nimisha V Patel . . . 533-1733 Dr. William Dougherty . . . . . . . . . . . . 532-3300 VA Outdoor Power Equipment . . . . . 207-2000

EYEWEAR

n

FLORISTS

n

FRAMES

Art & Frame of Falls Church . . . . . . . 534-4202

Jon Rizalvo, PAYCHEX . . . . . 698-6910 x27045

FC Heating & Air Service . . . . . . . . . 534-0630 Andy Group, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 638-8863 Joseph Home Improvement . . . . . . . 507-5005 Picture Perfect Home Improvements 590-3187 One Time Home Improvement . . . . . 577-9825

n

MASSAGE

n

MEDICAL

n

MUSIC

Dr Gordon Theisz, Family Medicine . 533-7555 Academy of Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 938-8054 Foxes Music Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533-7393

All numbers have a ‘703’ prefix unless otherwise indicated.

Takeout can eat up your savings.

Pack your own lunch instead of going out. $6 saved a day x 5 days a week x 10 years x 6% interest = $19,592. That could be money in your pocket.

Small changes today. Big bucks tomorrow. Go to feedthepig.org for free savings tips.

Dr. Alison Sinyai, Family Eye Care . 533-3937

PET SERVICES

Feline Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 920-8665

PHOTOGRAPHY

n

PLUMBING

n

REAL ESTATE

n

TAILOR

n

TUTORING

Allstate Home Auto Life Ins. . . . . . . . 241-8100 State Farm Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . 237-5105 www.healthybyintention.com. . . . . . . 534-1321 www.Inhousemassagedc.com. . . 281-221-1158

OPTOMETRIST

n

Jazzercise Falls Church . . . . . . . . . . 622-2152

INSURANCE

Point of View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237-6500 Falls Church Florist, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 533-1333

Your Handyman LLC . . . . . . . . . . 571-243-6726 Handyman Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556-4276

n

EQUIPMENT RENTAL/SALE

n

Stifel & Capra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407-0770

Gary Mester, Event, Portraits . . . . . . 481-0128 Mary Sandoval Photography . . . . 334-803-1742 The Plumbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641-9700 Merelyn Kaye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .790-9090x218 www.helpfulmortgage.us . . . . . . . . . . 237-0222 Casey O’Neal - ReMax . . . . . . . . . . . 824-4196 Rosemary Hayes Jones . . . . . . . . . . .790-1990 The Young Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356-8800 Tori McKinney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 867-8674 Jon DeHart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405-7576 Shaun Murphy, Realtor . . . . . . . . . . 868-5999 Tailor Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534-8886 Sylvan Learning Center . . . . . . . . . . . 734-1234

PAGE 28 | FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2015

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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