March 12 — 18, 2020
Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee
Fou n d e d 1991 • V ol. XXX No. 4
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
No F.C. City, School Closures Ordered Yet as Coronavirus Spreads While Region Takes Steps to Mitigate Spread of Pandemic, City & Its Schools Have Not Announced Any Plans
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
While numerous written and verbal cautionary statements have been sent out to date by the Falls Church city government and schools, and while there is
behind-the-scenes planning, so far no events have been cancelled or modified here as a result of what has now been declared as a global pandemic of the spread of the potentially fatal coronavirus. Just Tuesday, it was confirmed by the Virginia Department of
Shields’ New Budget Proposes No Tax Rate Increases in FY21 by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Monday night at the Falls Church City Council meeting, City Manager Wyatt Shields unveiled his recommended Fiscal Year 2021 City and schools’ balanced operating budget calling for no tax rate increase while topping $100 million for the first time in the City’s history. The proposed budget grows by 3.3 percent, or 4.3 percent counting its draw from the City’s reserves, to $103.5 million. It includes $41,944,309 for the general government (up 2.8 percent), $44.791,527 as a transfer to the Falls Church City Schools (up 3.3 percent), $2,708,610 for WMATA (up 19.4 percent) and $14,726,532 for debt service (up 9.3 percent) to accommodate construction of the new high school and renovations of City Hall and the City library. With this budget, the real estate
tax rate will remain unchanged at $1.355 per $100 of assessed valuation, but with valuations up over 3 percent this year, the average household will pay $222 more in taxes (on a median value $725,000 home) this year. Shields said the formulation of this budget was “one of the calmest in years” because of the robust commercial revenue growth (including robust growth in revenues from sales, meals and business gross receipts taxes) that made it easier for the schools and City government, alike, to meet budget goals, including wage and salary increases, without pressing for any tax rate increases. He added, however, that $14 million needed for stormwater flood mitigation projects in the City would require an average additional $23 per year for the average home for next six years to fund.
Continued on Page 5
Health, an employee of the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, located on Arlington Blvd. in the greater area of Falls Church, tested “presumptive” positive for the coronavirus. As of Wednesday, the VDH has confirmed nine positive cases in
Virginia. Health officials are insisting that “social distancing” is the key to stemming the spread of the virus, officially known as SARSCoV-2 (SARS standing for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which causes the disease COVID-
19, but no specific measures to achieve this result have yet come from the City’s or its schools’ leadership. A planned trip by the George Mason High band this weekend in
Continued on Page 4
On its Head
AN ACCIDENT IN FALLS CHURCH left a car upside-down on its roof outside of Hot N Juicy Crawfish on West Broad Street last Saturday night. According to Falls Church Police, the driver of the up-turned vehicle hit the gas pedal instead of the brake when attempting to slow down and drove into the curb to avoid an accident, resulting in the flipped car and a total loss of the vehicle. Authorities report the driver had no visible signs of injuries but complained of chest pain and was transported to a local hospital. (Courtesy Photo)
Inside This Week Beyer Self Quarantines After New Falls Church Business Contact With COVID-19 Carrier Looks to Keep it Old School US. Rep. Don Beyer, who represents the 8th District of Virginia that includes the City of Falls Church, on Tuesday announced that he will self-quarantine following a positive test for COVID-19 by a friend in Washington D.C., with whom he recently interacted. See News Briefs, page 9
While everything and everyone in The Little City seems to have an eye toward the future, Super Bit Video Games, opening this Tuesday on East Broad Street, looks to keep it retro in the heart of downtown Falls Church. See story, page 8
Press Pass with Rockin’ the Suburbs
Northern Virginia’s own “Rockin’ the Suburbs” podcast from Falls Church’s Patrick Foster and Ashburn resident Jim Lenahan will take their show to Jammin’ Java’s stage next Wednesday. See Press Pass, page 14
Index
Editorial........................................................ 6 Letters...................................................6, 22 News & Notes.....................................10–11 Comment........................................7,12–13 Business News..........................................14 Sports........................................................16 Calendar.............................................18–19 Classified Ads............................................20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword..................21 Crime Report.............................................22 Critter Corner.............................................22
PAGE 2 | MARCH 12 – 18, 2020
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Legal Notice NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY’S REQUEST TO REVISE ITS FUEL FACTOR CASE NO. PUR-2020-00031
On February 21, 2020, Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Company” or “Dominion Energy Virginia”) filed with the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) its application (“Application”) pursuant to § 56-249.6 of the Code of Virginia seeking a decrease in its fuel factor from 2.3254 cents per kilowatt hour (“¢/kWh”) to 1.7357¢/kWh, effective for usage on and after May 1, 2020. The Company’s proposed fuel factor, reflected in Fuel Charge Rider A, consists of both a current and prior period factor. The Company’s proposed current period factor for Fuel Charge Rider A of 1.8569¢/kWh is designed to recover the Company’s estimated Virginia jurisdictional fuel expenses, including purchased power expenses, of approximately $1.24 billion for the period July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021. The Company’s proposed prior period factor for Fuel Charge Rider A of (0.1212)¢/kWh is designed to return approximately $80.7 million, which represents the net of two projected June 30, 2020 fuel balances. In total, Dominion Energy Virginia’s proposed fuel factor represents a 0.5897¢/kWh decrease from the fuel factor rate presently in effect of 2.3254¢/kWh, which was approved in Case No. PUR-2019-00070. According to the Company, this proposal would result in an annual fuel revenue decrease of approximately $392.6 million between May 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021. The total proposed fuel factor would decrease the average weighted monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kWh of electricity by $5.89, or approximately 4.8%. In response to the Commission’s directive in the Order Establishing 2019-2020 Fuel Factor, Dominion Energy Virginia also provided testimony addressing how the Company monetizes the unused portion of its natural pipeline capacity portfolio on days when the system is not constrained. The Commission entered an Order Establishing 2020-2021 Fuel Factor Proceeding (“Order”) that, among other things, scheduled a public hearing for May 27, 2020, at 10 a.m. in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, to receive testimony from members of the public and evidence related to the Application from the Company, any respondents, and the Commission’s Staff. Any person desiring to testify as a public witness at this hearing should appear 15 minutes before the starting time of the hearing and contact the Commission’s Bailiff. Individuals with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in the hearing should contact the Commission at least seven (7) days before the scheduled hearing at 1-800-552-7945. Through its Order, the Commission also required the Company to place its proposed fuel factor of 1.7357¢/kWh into effect on an interim basis for usage on or after May 1, 2020. Copies of the public version of all documents filed in this case are available for interested persons to review in the Commission’s Document Control Center located on the first floor of the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, between the hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Interested persons also may download unofficial copies from the Commission’s website: http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case. The public version of the Company’s Application, pre filed testimony, and exhibits are available for public inspection during regular business hours at each of the Company’s business offices in the Commonwealth of Virginia. A copy of the public version of the Company’s Application also may be obtained, at no cost, by written request to counsel for Dominion Energy Virginia, Paul E. Pfeffer, Esquire, Dominion Energy Services, Inc., 120 Tredegar Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. If acceptable to the requesting party, the Company may provide the documents by electronic means. On or before May 20, 2020, any interested person wishing to comment on the Company’s Application shall file written comments with Joel H. Peck, Clerk, State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. Any interested person desiring to file comments electronically may do so on or before May 19, 2020, by following the instructions on the Commission’s website: http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case. Compact discs or any other form of electronic storage medium may not be filed with the comments. All such comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2020-00031. Any person or entity may participate as a respondent in this proceeding by filing a notice of participation on or before April 8, 2020. If not filed electronically, an original and fifteen (15) copies of the notice of participation shall be filed with the Clerk of the Commission at the address set forth above. A copy of the notice of participation as a respondent also must be sent to counsel for the Company at counsel’s address set forth above. Pursuant to Rule 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (“Rules of Practice”), any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2020-00031. Interested persons should obtain a copy of the Commission’s Order for further details on participation as a respondent. On or before April 30, 2020, each respondent may file with the Clerk of the Commission and serve on the Commission’s Staff, the Company, and all other respondents any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its case. If not filed electronically, an original and fifteen (15) copies of such testimony and exhibits shall be submitted to the Clerk of the Commission at the address set forth above. In all filings, respondents shall comply with the Commission’s Rules of Practice, including 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service; 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format; and 5 VAC 5-20-240, Prepared testimony and exhibits. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2020-00031. All documents filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Commission in this docket may use both sides of the paper. In all other respects, all filings shall comply fully with the requirements of 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice. The Commission’s Rules of Practice may be viewed at the Commission’s website: http://www.virginia.scc.gov/case. A printed copy of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and an official copy of the Commission’s Order in this proceeding may be obtained from the Clerk of the Commission at the address set forth above. VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
1st Confirmed COVID-19 Case Hits F.C. Area as Region Braces for Virus Impact March 6, he provided “tips” such as staying informed, washing hands several times a day and avoiding touching the face as much as possible, covering coughs and sneezes and staying at home if sick. Officially, coming by way of the City’s Chief Information Officer Susan Finarelli, the City’s measures are limited to monitoring, encouraging citizens to check the web and posting updates online. “At this point, City programs and services remain on as scheduled,” she wrote the NewsPress. “The City is committed to maintaining its programs and services as much as possible.” A provision for City employees to take “liberal leave” on Monday, March 16, has been provided, she added, subject to approval from supervisors. In his memo last week, Shields added, “City staff are getting information out to the community, with priority to vulnerable populations. Local Health and Human
Continued from Page 1
Orlando, Florida, is still “on,” although the News-Press has learned that a memo has been sent out to all teachers in the F.C. school system to prepare up to 20 days of instructional plans that students can follow from home, should the need arise. Communiques from City businesses to their customers have come from the State Theatre and others, even as no changes to their schedules have yet been announced. The Falls Church Anglican, in a message to parishioners, has implemented preventative measures including only giving bread at communion, suspending the passing of offering plates and asking its congregation to not shake hands during services. Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields told the News-Press Tuesday that added disinfecting efforts of highly-used areas of City Hall have been underway. In a memo to City staff last Friday,
Services staff will be delivering Centers for Disease Control informational fliers in person to certain senior housing facilities, apartment complexes and places of worship. The public information office will continue to push information from our Fairfax County Health Department to the community via social media and website.” He added, “I am very confident we will respond forcefully, thoughtfully, and in close coordination with our Fairfax County Health Department to the challenges that COVID-19 will present to us as a workforce and a community.” On Monday, Fairfax County Public Schools are closing for the day to, the News-Press has learned, test their ability to issue class lessons to its students remotely, should the need arise. A more extensive statement from the Falls Church City Public Schools begins, “Despite presumptive positive cases of
coronavirus in our area, the risk to our community remains low, according to health officials. We collaborate daily with our partners at the Fairfax County Health Department.” It states that “we have established deep-cleaning routines with hospital-grade disinfectants in all schools,” adding, “schools are cleaning hot spots, or high touch areas such as door handles and counters, more frequently throughout the school day. We are also cleaning our buses with more frequency.” It adds, “We have shared handwashing resources across the division and are sharing online resources,” urging students who are sick or do not feel well to remain at home until free from a fever for at least 24 hours. All clubs and extracurricular activities will continue as scheduled, and any decision to close schools will be on guidance from the Fairfax County Health Department. “A school or multiple schools may need to be closed a day or two for deep cleaning and may need to remain closed for more extended periods based upon the level of exposure.” “Should our schools have to
close for longer than three days, we will begin implementing our instructional response plan,” it continues. “This will be a combination of online learning activities and remote/virtual instruction with classroom teachers.” “While the majority of learning activities will be online. However, for pre-school and K-2 students, we can provide paper/pencil packets. Please contact your child’s classroom teacher if you wish to have paper/pencil packets for your child,” it goes on. “We are positioned well here in the Falls Church Public Schools to implement this plan. All students in grades 3-12 already have access to an electronic learning device. These devices and chargers will be sent home should an extended closure occur,” it states. In the event of an extended closure, it states, “We recognize the hardship some families may have should school closures be extended for more than three days...All families who qualify for the federal free/reduced meals programs will receive a two-week supply of non-perishable foods upon our closure. We will hold
Continued on Page 23
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
LO CA L
MARCH 12 – 18, 2020 | PAGE 5
City Manager Shields Proposes FY21 Budget With No Tax Increase
Continued from Page 1
Otherwise, he proposes no changes in the rates for any of the other taxes, including the sewer fund and an array targeted at businesses. With this budget, he proposes adding a full time police officer (in addition to the one added last year and another he will propose for next year), an added police dispatcher. He proposes adding a full-time deputy registrar of voters, a part-time human resources officer and a budget analyst to oversee the annual budget process. These are all required to address the City’s robust 30 percent population growth in the last 15 years (to 14,300 now) even as the number of City employees have remained below the prerecession level of 2007. It also owes to the fact that a lot of the new challenges to law enforcement are “vertical rather than horizontal” in nature (with taller buildings). The law enforcement tasks include answering over 40,000 telephone calls and
dispatching over 24,000 calls for service, conducting computer records checks for 8,000 vehicles and 8,500 drivers, managing over 200 criminal warrants, 4,000 traffic citations and 3,500 parking tickets. Another full-time building inspector is also included. With the 30 percent population growth since 2007, the City will have with the new Shields proposed budget only two more fulltime equivalent employees (210) than it had in 2007. The recession drew down the number of City employees to 179 in Fiscal Year 2012, and the numbers have been inching up since. In terms of employee compensation, the budget proposes a merit increase of 3.5 percent and a police employee step increase of 3.0 percent plus a 0.75 percent cost of living adjustment. There is a net only $35,000 increase in City health insurance compensation with premiums for its Anthem policy declining by 5 percent and Kaiser increasing by 8 percent. The City’s employee and police pension funds remain fully
funded, benefitting annually by a $640,000 return on investment from the investment of $9.2 million made to the from part of the proceeds of the City’s sale of its water system to Fairfax County in the last decade. Among the revenue sources for the proposed FY21 budget come residential real estate taxes (41 percent), commercial real estate taxes (18 percent), sales, meals, business gross receipts (BPOL) and other taxes (17 percent), personal property taxes (6 percent), and use of fund balance to help pay debt service on the school construction bond (5 percent). In his budget introduction, Shields said, “Major initiatives addressed in this budget include maintaining excellent government services and schools, funding the adopted capital plan and funding the City’s obligation to WMATA.” The proposed budget includes an increase of $650,000 for the City’s share of WMATA subsidies, $300,000 of which will be paid by the City and $350,000 paid with Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) funds. This
FALLS CHURCH CITY Manager Wyatt Shields presents his proposed FY21 budget to the City Council as (seated to the left) School Superintendent Peter Noonan and School Board chair Greg Anderson look on. (Photo: News-Press) increase, according to Shields, “is due to a recalculation by WMATA of the City ridership on bus and rail and the City’s share of the Silver Line Phase II operations.” It excludes the reduction in costs as the result of the termination of the 3T bus service effective in December and assumes that the
WMATA budget, when adopted in April, will comply with the state mandated cap of 3 percent growth to its base operating budget. The budget includes in total the budget request adopted by the Falls Church School Board. Out of its
Continued on Page 23
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PAGE 6 | MARCH 12 – 18, 2020
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E D I TO R I A L
‘Social Distancing’
Yesterday, the World Health Organization reclassified the coronavirus epidemic as a pandemic, a technical yet important development. Given this, and warnings from the German Chancellor Angela Merkel that up to 70 percent of the population of her country may wind up becoming infected by the virus, the fact that there have been only 5,000 Americans tested for the virus at this point reflects an almost criminal negligence on the part of the Trump administration. As bad are efforts by the Trump administration to suppress the spread of accurate public information about it. Developments are unfolding at a warp speed, and the one thing we can be certain of is that this as-yet-poorly understood virus will be continuing to infect and, in many cases, endanger and take the lives of exponentially growing numbers of people worldwide. So far, the only hopeful sign of containing the pandemic comes from China, where drastic quarantine and “social distancing” policies have reportedly lowered the “effective reproductive rate,” the rate at which an individual infects others, radically. According to a study cited by Nicholas Christakis of Yale University, the reproductive rate has dropped from 3.8 per person to 0.32 as a result of the severe “social distancing” measures taken there. If the number drops below 1.0, the virus will not spread. Social distancing involves breaking potential chains of transmission by preventing infected people from coming in close contact with healthy ones. While all the commentaries note the special circumstances that an authoritarian government like China represents, and its lack of concern for the discomfort millions of its citizens experience under severe quarantine conditions, the fact that such a dramatic drop in the “reproductive rate” has occurred so quickly constitutes at least a hope that the pandemic can be brought under control worldwide. So that makes it doubly troubling when someone like Trump’s head of the Department of Health and Human Services Alex Azar says on national TV that it is a matter of “individual choice” what the public response to the crisis should be. This form of extreme nihilistic libertarianism that runs U.S. public policy making threatens to make the U.S. population among the most vulnerable to an uncontrolled spread of the virus in the world right now. In this regard, we remain alarmed by the slow response of so many of our public officials, school authorities and governments in this region. Yes, reminders to wash hands, cough into elbows and stay home if sick help, but they do not include effective social distancing policies. So far, no student road trips, classes or public events have been cancelled, although there is planning underway behind the scenes. There is a lot that can be done without having to mimic China, but it does require leadership. If nothing is coming from the White House, it is up to leaders at the state and local level to act.
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The Administration’s Poor Response to Coronavirus
Editor, The Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is a sham. In addition to President Trump’s ill-informed tweets and Vice President Pence’s continuing missteps in the responding to the epidemic (and the HIV outbreak while Indiana governor), the administration’s unremitting efforts to slash
public health and health care funding have only endangered our prevention and disease control efforts that, as many have learned under this COVID-19 epidemic, also contribute to economic stability. While the administration seeks to shift the blame on the Obama administration, funding earmarked for public health under the Affordable Care Act has declined
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under the Trump administration. The Trust for America’s Health estimates local and state health departments are struggling with a shortfall of $4.5 billion to address public health threats. In addition to slashing funding for public health programs, the administration has sought to handicap our health care system which is as critical to mitigating the onset of public health emergencies. Most notably, since President Trump took office, he has sought to destroy the 2010 ACA which successfully boosted insurance coverage and access to free preventive services for over 20 million
Americans. More recent efforts to hamper access include Medicaid work requirements that disproportionately affect low-income adults who may not be able to comply because they work intermittent hours during the week or face significant barriers for claiming exemptions. The administration’s public charge rule, which seeks to penalize immigrants for receiving assistance from public programs, also has the effect of discouraging those legally in the U.S. from accessing screening services and basic primary care, including
More Letters on Page 22
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MARCH 12 – 18, 2020 | PAGE 7
We Must Do What We Can to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 B� S����� S���������
I want to fight the sense of security that I see outside of the epicenters, as if nothing was going to happen “here.” The media are reassuring, politicians are reassuring, while there’s little to be reassured of. This is the English translation of a post of another ICU physician in Bergamo, Italy, Dr. Daniele Macchini: After much thought about whether and what to write about what is happening to us, I felt that silence was not responsible. I will therefore try to convey to people far from our reality what we are living in Bergamo in these days of COVID-19 pandemic. I understand the need not to create panic, but when the message of the dangerousness of what is happening does not reach people I shudder. I myself watched with some amazement the reorganization of the entire hospital in the past week, when our current enemy was still in the shadows: the wards slowly “emptied,” elective activities were interrupted, intensive care were freed up to create as many beds as possible. All this rapid transformation brought an atmosphere of silence and surreal emptiness to the corridors of the hospital, waiting for a war that was yet to begin and that many (including me) were not so sure would ever come with such ferocity. I still remember my night call a week ago when I was waiting for the results of
a swab. When I think about it, my anxiety over one possible case seems almost ridiculous and unjustified, now that I’ve seen what’s happening. Well, the situation now is dramatic to say the least. The war has literally exploded and bat-
“So be patient, you can’t go to the theatre, museums or the gym. Try to have pity on the myriad of old people you could exterminate.”
tles are uninterrupted day and night. But now that need for beds has arrived in all its drama. One after the other the departments that had been emptied fill up at an impressive pace. The boards with the names of the patients, of different colours depending on the operating unit, are now all red and instead of surgery you see the diagnosis, which is always the damned same: bilateral interstitial pneumonia. Now, explain to me which flu virus
causes such a rapid drama. And while there are still people who boast of not being afraid by ignoring directions, protesting because their normal routine is “temporarily” put in crisis, the epidemiological disaster is taking place. And there are no more surgeons, urologists, orthopedists; we are only doctors who suddenly become part of a single team to face this tsunami that has overwhelmed us. Cases are multiplying, they arrive at a rate of 15-20 admissions per day all for the same reason. The results of the swabs now come one after the other: positive, positive, positive. Suddenly the E.R. is collapsing. Reasons for the access are always the same: fever and breathing difficulties, fever and cough, respiratory failure. Radiology reports always the same: bilateral interstitial pneumonia, bilateral interstitial pneumonia, bilateral interstitial pneumonia. All to be hospitalized. Some are ready to be intubated and go to intensive care. For others it’s too late... Every ventilator becomes like gold: those in operating theatres that have now suspended their non-urgent activity become intensive care places that did not exist before. The staff is exhausted. I saw the tiredness on faces that didn’t know what it was despite the already exhausting workloads they had. I saw a solidarity of all of us, who never failed to go to our internist colleagues to ask “what can I do for you now?” Doctors who move beds and transfer
patients, who administer therapies instead of nurses. Nurses with tears in their eyes because we can’t save everyone, and the vital parameters of several patients at the same time reveal an already marked destiny. There are no more shifts, no more hours. Social life is suspended for us. We no longer see our families for fear of infecting them. Some of us have already become infected despite the protocols. Some of our colleagues who are infected also have infected relatives and some of their relatives are already struggling between life and death. So be patient, you can’t go to the theatre, museums or the gym. Try to have pity on the myriad of old people you could exterminate. We just try to make ourselves useful. You should do the same: we influence the life and death of a few dozen people. You with yours, many more. Please share this message. We must spread the word to prevent what is happening here from happening all over Italy. I finish by saying that I really don’t understand this war on panic. The only reason I see is mask shortages, but there’s no mask on sale anymore. We don’t have a lot of studies, but is panic really worse than neglect and carelessness during an epidemic of this sort? Silvia Stringhini is a Geneva, Switzerlandbased epidemiologist.
Q������� �� ��� W��� Have you changed your activity in response to the threat of the coronavirus? • Yes in a big way
• Yes, in a small way
• No, not at all
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SUPER BIT OWNER Chris Jackson takes his lifelong interest in gaming and is turning it into a business. He hopes to bring back the communal aspect found in the arcades of yesteryear with its opening. (P����: B���� I����)
Downtown F.C. Goes Old School With Video Game Store Opening BY BRIAN INDRE
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
While everything in the City of Falls Church seems to have an eye toward the future, one new business looks to keep it retro in the heart of downtown. Super Bit Video Games will open this Tuesday, March 17, at the old Direct Jewelers building on the corner of Route 29 and Route 7. Next door to Compleat Strategist (a store that specializes in board, tabletop and strategy games, etc.), Super Bit owner Chris Jackson already feels at home with his neighbors who have already been asking about what games he will have for sale. Jackson, 39, calls himself a lifelong gamer and, over the last five years or so, he got heavily into collecting and playing retro video games. Having previously worked as a web developer for USAID in Arlington and Washington D.C., his hobby began to take on a different light. “Once you start to get into a hobby, it’s sort of natural for your mind to progress into thinking, ‘What would be cooler than collecting games, but to have your own store some day?’ ” said Jackson. Jackson grew up in Syracuse but moved to Charlottesville during his high school years. In 2002 he moved to Alexandria, where he
still resides. The seed had been planted in his mind for some time to open his own store, and it just so happens that his circumstances are right to give it a try, Jackson explains. He hopes that his passion can be shared with the Falls Church community, and overall serve as a valuable life experience. In a time when newer technology seems to consume our every waking moment, retro video games from the 1980s and 90s (such as original Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and the numerous game consoles that came after), are feeding the nostalgia from a simpler time — and what may seem counterintuitive to some, the simpler games from yesteryear have shown a resurgence in interest even amongst modern gamers. Retro video games have showed a steady increase in sales over the last few years, which led to the game industry releasing things such as new consoles that have 30 or so of the original retro games already built in, like the smaller-in-size but original look of the first Nintendo console, called the NES Classic Edition. But with many games built into a device, or even having the ability to download and relive these old games on your PC as possibility, it’s just not the same. Much like streaming your favorite music, something is lost
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NEWS BRIEFS Saslaw Secures $2 Million for F.C. Affordable Housing Fund State Senator and Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw was hailed by members of the Falls Church City Council Monday night for spearheading a successful effort in the Virginia state legislature to designate $2 million to restore the City’s Affordable Housing Fund. It was noted in the proposed FY21 budget of City Manager Wyatt Shields that the City’s Affordable Living Policy “requires dedicated annual revenue to the Affordable Housing Fund to promote the acquisition and preservation of permanently affordable homes.” The $2 million fund infusion boosts the fund’s current balance of $315,000.
Warner Calls on Pence to Combat Coronavirus Misinformation Tuesday, Virginia’s U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner urged Vice President Mike Pence to take steps to both combat online misinformation related to the coronavirus outbreak and to correct false and misleading statements by the President and other members of the Administration, in the interest of public health. This letter follows reports of widespread misinformation on social media about the novel coronavirus from conspiracies about the virus’ inception, to false claims about products that were said to provide immunity or cures. “I am deeply concerned that despite the seriousness of the novel coronavirus outbreak, your coronavirus taskforce and members of the administration have failed to consistently counter the significant amount of misinformation conveyed to the American public. In many instances, we have seen misinformation spread by those seeking to profit from untested and potentially dangerous products misrepresented as effective treatments for the virus,” wrote Sen. Warner. “Of even greater concern, false or misleading information has also come directly from prominent members of the administration, up to and including the president.”
F.C.’s EDA Retreat This Saturday An annual half-day retreat of the City of Falls Church’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) is slated for this Saturday morning. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the offices of Viget Labs, 105 W. Broad, 5th Floor. The agenda will include deliberations on special exception policy, commercial real estate abatement incentives, technology zone incentives, marketing of the City through videos and restaurant guides, and affordable housing. The meeting will convene at 9 a.m. and adjourn at noon.
F.C. Sustainability Group Hails New Eden Center Chargers Tim Stevens, head of the City’s Environmental Sustainability Council, came before the F.C. City Council Monday to hail the addition of two new electric vehicle charging stations at the Vietnamese-American Eden Center destination. Alan Frank, who directs operations at the center, said the new Level 3 charging stations are open to the public and known by nicknames, “Argo” and “Brantley.” He did not further elaborate.
U.S. Census Forms Due in Mail Next Week Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields reported to the City Council Monday that U.S. Census Bureau forms should arrive in the mail of all households next week, to be completed and returned by April 1. A correct census count is essential for Virginia, he said, being the state is in the “bottom 10” for undercounting, a situation that could be costing the state an additional U.S. congressman.
Beyer Announces Self-Quarantine After Contact With COVID-19 Carrier U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, who represents the 8th District of Virginia that includes the City of Falls Church, late Tuesday announced that he will self-quarantine following a positive test for COVID-19 by a friend in Washington D.C., with whom he recently interacted. Beyer said: “This afternoon my wife Megan and I were contacted by the Virginia Department of Health to share details with us about the illness of a friend who tested positive for COVID-19 after dining with us. They informed us that the timeline of his infection began shortly after our contact on February 28. At the request of the public health officials, I will self-quarantine to ensure that I do not pass on any potential illness to others. In the 10 days since that dinner neither of us has shown symptoms, and we understand that the probability that we have an infection is low.”
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News-Press
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Community News & Notes Book Festival Cancelled Over Coronavirus Concerns The NoVa TEEN Book Festival Committee announced the cancellation of its festival this year due to concerns over the spreading coronavirus. Below is the organization’s full statement to its attendees: “Our priority, as a festival, has been to create a transformative, positive and safe environment for all of our participants. With the recent spread of COVID-19 to the Northern Virginia, Maryland and DC Metro areas, we are unable to ensure that all of our authors, volunteers, exhibitors, staff and attendees will be safe at the festival this weekend.
CONGRATULATIONS go out to the Falls Church 7th Grade Girls Basketball Team. The girls moved up from Division 2 to Division 1 this season in the Fairfax County Youth Basketball League. They went 10-3 in the regular season, coming in 3rd out of 11 teams in Division 1. Because of these accomplishments, the coaches in the division voted Chris Madison (left) as the Most Valuable Coach and Ellie Friesen (center) as the Most Valuable Player. Mikayla Edmunds was selected as an All League player. (Photo: Courtesy Irene Edmunds)
“To everyone who has made NoVa TEEN a yearly part of your lives, to everyone who has shared your excitement with us, we are so very sorry to cancel this year. “Cancelling the festival is going to have a significant impact on all of our amazing authors. Conventions and festivals are a crucial part of an author’s chance to meet new readers and build new fans for their incredible stories. “We’d encourage you to connect with our authors on social media and share their books as widely as you can. As readers and educators and librarians, our voices are a powerful tool in helping authors to continue to write and publish and share their incredible stories.
“Also, please buy their books! One More Page Books welcomes your orders, and the NoVa TEEN book festival ordering pages will stay up to help you to discover new authors and explore their fantastic books. One More Page will be giving away free ARCs and swag with NoVa TEEN orders as long as supplies last. Visit onemorepagebooks.com/preorder-novateen-book-festival-2020-books. The festival plans to be back at Marshall High School next year on March 20, 2021.
F.C. Resident Wins Best Drama Award at Film Festival Long-time Falls Green resident Cheryl Felicia Rhoads
FALLS CHURCH 6TH GRADERS were the girls Division 2 Champions in the Fairfax County Youth Basketball League. (Back row, left to right): Coach Mark Papadopoulos, A. Baldwin, C. Weatherly, J. Evans, S. Meade, D. Tucker-Lakes, T. Papadopoulos, Assistant Coach Dave Meade. (Front row, left to right): S. Witt, R. Fisher, T. Trodden, T. Hotmire, E. Flanagan (Photo: Courtesy Liz Weatherly)
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
won the Best Drama Award at the Mysticon Film Festival in Roanoke on March 1. Rhoads is an actress, acting teacher and film producer who won the award for her short film in competition with 300 other entries. Her film is called “Reunion” and is about a 1972 high-school class reunion attended by both live alumni and ghosts. Rhoads will host a five-hour workshop on improvisation at the Falls Green Club House on Sunday afternoon, March 15. For more information about Rhoads’ acting school, email chrlrhoads@aol.com or call 703-5365786.
Bunny Hop Run in Arlington Open for Registration The Arlington Bunny Hop 5K Charity Fun Run/Walk’s mission is to provide an opportunity for people of all ages to enjoy a healthy, spring weather activity together and to raise support for local Arlington charities. Competitive and casual runners are encouraged to attend. Bridges to Independence and OAR (Offender Aid and Restoration) will be the beneficiaries of all net proceeds this year. The Bunny Hop has provided $20,000 in aid to local charities over the last two years and is hoping more will join for a romp through the historic and eclectic Ashton Heights neighborhood near Clarendon on April 18 at 8 a.m. starting at the Clarendon United Methodist Church (606 N. Irving St., Arlington) 5K finisher medals will be given to all children crossing the finish line. A family style block party will be featured after the race with characters, free food, bounce houses, a fire truck and live music.
MARCH 12 – 18, 2020 | PAGE 11
Costumes are welcome and encouraged. Medals will be awarded to three finishers with the best costumes. Course and registration information is available at ArlingtonBunnyHop.org. Reduced prices are available through March 15. Parking will be restricted along Irving Street between N. 7th St and Pershing Drive. The course will be closed to vehicles from 7:30 a.m. until approximately 9:30 a.m.
F.C. Arts Opens Exhibit On Works Honoring Women Exhibiting female and male artists will share their stories and those of women they admire at Falls Church Arts’ (700-B W. Broad St., Falls Church) gallery opening for “A Woman’s Journey,” which will run from March 14 – April 19. Among the artworks are a photographic work tracking a woman’s journey down the Congo River, a journey through cancer to recovery, a pilot in pearls, a warrior princess, a pilot from Addis Ababa, a Kashi widow, a belly dancer in Seville and friends and family gathering around after the death of a parent. FCA will also have the work of Joanna Campbell Blake featured at the gallery. On her 39th birthday vacation, Blake was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident on May 22, 2016, just as her career in figurative sculpture had taken off. She was married to Falls Church resident Ike Blake. Since 2001, Blake had worked in the Washington, D.C. area for Kaskey Studios, where she contributed her design and sculpting skills to the creation of a number of large scale public monuments,
ALL FIRED UP for their Saturday march along the proposed route of a high-pressure gas pipeline are these Pimmit Hills residents. The community has been vocally opposed to the planned pipeline for over a year, saying that their neighborhood is unfairly being targeted for such a project due to its lower income and higher minority population than other nearby residential subdivisions. (Photo: Courtesy Devin Buries) most notably the National World War II Memorial. She completed an eight-byten foot bronze sculpture to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bladensburg in the War of 1812 and two relief panels to honor slaves buried at the Contraband and Freedman’s Cemetery Memorial in nearby Alexandria. Her sculpture, “Virtus,” was selected as a finalist in the design competition for a monument to be located on Richmond’s Capitol Grounds commemorating the struggles and accomplishment of Virginia’s women throughout the history of The Commonwealth. Artists specializing in oil and acrylic painting, photography,
watercolor, collages, pen and ink, digital painting, mixed media on wood and canvas will all be a part of the show. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
F.C. Democrats Host Monthly Meeting The Falls Church City Democratic Committee’s monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m., at the Falls Church Community Center (223 Little Falls Street, Falls Church). Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy will attend and serve as the guest speaker. Contact fallschurch-
Obsessive Pancake Disorder?
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Accordion Society Hosts Renowned Musician The Wa s h i n g t o n Metropolitan Accordion Society invites the public to a concert and workshop by virtuoso accordionist Stas Venglevski on Sunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. at Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church (3435 Sleepy Hollow Rd., Falls Church). A reception will follow. Nonmembers pay $8; free for members and children under 12. For more information on this concert, visit washingtonaccordions.org or contact peter@musicisforever.com.
Saturday, March 28th
Do you have
The First Name in Pancakes
dems@gmail.com for more information.
12-9 PM
Claire Lynch • Man About a Horse Gina Furtado Project Falls Church Episcopal
Ticketing and info at www.dcbu.org
Family Friendly and affordable!
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A Penny for Your Thoughts
News of Greater Falls Church By Supervisor Penny Gross
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has reached our region, with cases reported to the Health Departments in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. One Virginia patient is in the military, stationed at Quantico Marine Base, and undergoing treatment at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. Another Virginia patient is in stable condition at a local hospital in Fairfax County. Both men had returned recently from overseas travel. While coronavirus is the lead on nearly every newscast, the incidence of the virus in this area and this country remains low. Local and state health departments are working together to address the outbreak, and the messaging is pretty simple: don’t panic. The runs on hand sanitizer and face masks are good examples of panic. Hand sanitizers first were developed in the mid-1960s; soap and water have been around for millennia. Face masks help keep germs from spreading if you already are infected, but are otherwise generally ineffective. Use good hygiene practices at all times, just like most parents teach their children. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Some suggest singing the Happy Birthday song twice to time your wash; one verse takes about 10 seconds, so two rounds are adequate. You may feel a little silly, but your hands will be clean. Be very careful about touching your eyes, nose, or mouth after shaking hands or touching common surfaces (doorknobs, shopping cart handles, etc.). When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth, or cough into your elbow or sleeve. Eat healthy foods, get enough rest, and don’t allow yourself to get run down. If you feel sick or are running a fever, stay home. These are the same steps you can take to prevent the spread of flu and the
common cold. The Fairfax County Health Department is working closely with the Virginia Department of Health, health care providers, and public health and safety partners, to identify quickly anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19. The departments are working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to test people for COVID-19, as needed. If the diagnosis is confirmed, they work with the patient, their medical provider, and their family to treat the patient and isolate the individual. “Contact investigations” will be conducted by the health departments to reach out to anyone who has been in close contact with an individual diagnosed with COVID-19 These are the same actions undertaken to stop the spread of all types of diseases, including tuberculosis, measles, and meningitis. For more information, from a trusted and knowledgeable source, log on to www. vdh.virginia.gov, or www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/ novel-coronavirus. Information on these websites is updated frequently. In the midst of health discussions, the county’s budget process continues. The annual Mason District Budget Town Meeting will be held tonight, beginning at 7 p.m., at the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike in Annandale. County Executive Bryan Hill and Chief Financial Officer Joe Mondoro will present the proposed budget and take questions from the audience. The meeting is open to the public, and I look forward to seeing you there. Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.
before anything else, we’re all human rethink your bias at lovehasnolabels.com
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From the Front Row: Kaye Kory’s
Richmond Report The 2020 Session of the House of Delegates was an exciting whirlwind that is almost — but not quite — over yet. As the new Democratic majority we took on many initiatives that have been daunting and frequently impossible in the past, but proved to be exhilaratingly possible now. We elected the first woman Speaker in the history of the Commonwealth, and the first woman and woman of color to become our Majority Leader, Charniele Herring. We elected the first woman Clerk of the House, Suzette Denslow. We had an historic number of members of the Black Caucus to serve as committee chairs, as well as an historic number of women to serve as committee chairs. I was proud to be appointed as the first woman Chair of the Cities, Counties and Towns Committee (CC&T). As the Chair of the Cities, Counties and Towns Committee, I brokered a compromise bill empowering localities to decide how to manage war memorials within their boundaries. Working with the Governor and Delegates from Charlottesville and Richmond, I was able to bring to the full Committee and then to the floor, the bill which is now headed to the Governor’s desk. I believe this is an important loosening of the Dillon Rule as well as an important step forward for Virginia to begin a public reckoning with history. I was very pleased to be able to pass HB1648, my Dignity for Incarcerated Women legislation. This bill provides full medical care for incarcerated women who are pregnant and who are postpartum. It also greatly expands the number of visits that a child may
have with her incarcerated mother, from once a month to twice a week. I believe that this is the beginning of major criminal justice reform that protects family bonds and offers stability for children of incarcerated parents. My marijuana decriminalization legislation, HB481, became part of an omnibus bill mandating decriminalization of simple marijuana possession and putting Virginia on a path to legalizing medical marijuana by studying the experiences of other states. I sponsored several labor protection bills which were passed as part of larger labor reform: HB1311, project labor agreements; public procurement; HB482, nonpayment of wages; private action; and HB114, prevailing wages, public works, penalty. Our record this session of labor protection legislation includes raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour over the next three years, with a goal of $15 by 2026; as well as an historic number of nondiscrimination in the workplace protections. I also sponsored gun violence prevention such as HB355 Firearm transfers; criminal history record information background checks; and HB72, Children; allowing access to firearms by children, recklessly leaving loaded firearms where accessible. This is just a partial list of accomplishments achieved by the Democratic majority you elected last fall. Voters of Virginia, we heard your voices! Delegate Kory represents the 38th District in the Virginia House of Delegates. She may be emailed at DelKKory@house. virginia.gov.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Anti-Trump Revolution
Let us make no mistake about it, the sudden and extraordinary surge in just the last 11 days that has propelled the campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden into an almost insurmountable lead toward the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination counts as a national revolt against Trump. Perhaps there is some irony in the notion that this quasi-revolution was not in the direction of self-proclaimed revolutionary Bernie Sanders, but away from him. The American people have reacted to Trump’s treachery by quickly and overwhelmingly rallying behind Biden as a candidate with solid Democratic values and credentials, leaving the big words but few results over decades of his last FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS standing rival in the proverbial dust. But this has not been about Sanders, it is about Trump, and those who have stepped up to speak out at the ballot box are not political hacks or the party establishment types, but the American people. On Sanders, there is a big difference between him and his core constituency of idealistic young voters. A huge difference that, hopefully, his younger supporters will come to appreciate in the coming months. Sanders is an old leftist, a member of the Socialist Workers Party as a youth who was homeless and itinerant until he somehow won an election as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, back in the day. None of that constitutes marks against him, per se, except that he’s not really changed in fundamental ways since then. I, and many others from my generation who grew up with him, know that remaining unchanged from those days is problematic. I was in what was effectively a leftist political cult myself in the 1970s, and the Sanders personality and “M.O.” are not strangers to me. It’s in his leftist, countercultural character to offer pie-in-the-sky with no practical way of achieving his promises. I had an aunt like that growing up. She’d visit and make all these wonderful promises of exotic places she was going to take us, and it all sounded so good. It was after she left that my parents had to break her spell, telling us that she was full of hot air who enjoyed making us happy with her words, but there was nothing more to it than that. Of course, they were right. Counterculture demagogues had a field day in the 1970s and 1980s with gullible youths who were looking for a better world. Many became hardcore cult leaders with terrible consequences, like Jim Jones and Jonestown. They all involved a huge disconnect between promises and results. Even if well-meaning and sincere, they are functionally snake oil salesmen. The empty promises can sound great. As for Sanders’ millions of sincere and passionate young supporters, I was like them back when he, too, was like them. I can only propose as one who was more than willing to live on the social margins to advance good causes in those days that many of today’s Sanders supporters are invaluable contributors to a more just and equitable future, and should be embraced and engaged in this year’s titanic struggle to rid the nation of its most corrupt president in history and to craft a more constructive pathway to the future for us all. People like Biden worked his entire adult life, being less oriented to big talk than to hard-worked results for his constituents. Such folks are routinely given a very bad rap by countercultural “heroes,” accused of being self-serving, corrupt and compromising with the powers of evil. But as we’ve seen this winter with the new Democratic majority in Virginia, for example, the results of hard-working leaders in the mold of Biden can be spectacular to the good of us all. Revolution in an American system of democratic institutions can come around every single election cycle. Sometimes they manifest themselves as reactionary, as happened so often from 1980 to 2007, ending only when the global Great Recession threatened to inflict unmitigated pain on many millions. Sometimes they are revolutions to the good, as what’s happened in the last 11 days, and as has been the case in election cycles since Trump took over at the White House and hopefully will continue through this November.
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MARCH 12 – 18, 2020 | PAGE 13
Nicholas F. Benton
Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.
Our Man in Arlington By Charlie Clark
Confession: I was a teenage Fuller Brush man. Yes, as an Arlington high schooler in 1970, I spent afternoons in my parents’ Dodge Dart venturing to strange subdivisions in deepest McLean and Falls Church. There I would go door-to-door to hawk the thenclassic hair and shaving brushes, mops, brooms and aerosol cleaning products pioneered by that Nova Scotia-originated company that was long a fixture on the American cultural landscape. I still have the briefcase for the sample kit I used to stock the brochures and receipt book supplied me by route manager “Ned” in his warehouse in the Westgate Research Park. I recall meeting one housewife, during these early days of the environmental movement, who asked me if a spray cleaner was biodegradable. I had never heard the word. But I assured her it was. And I sold her an order. Today Fuller Brush is no longer a household name, in part because door-to-door sales have gone the way of the eight-track tape. It seems quaint to recall a time when Arlington subdivisions were regularly visited by enterprising salesmen offering scissor-sharpening, vacuum cleaners, fresh strawberries, Christmas cards or accordion lessons. Another common endeavor was encyclopedias. I recall opening my front door during high school to entertain a pitch from a college-age kid selling, via a
catalog, a youth version of the World Book — he dropped a schoolmate’s name as a sample “satisfied customer.” My boyhood home in Cherrydale received visits from “the pony man,” who thrilled toddlers such as my brother by taking and selling photos of us kids decked out in cowboy gear in the saddle. Today, nostalgia buffs on the Facebook site “I Grew Up in Arlington, Va.” often post these live-pony portraits from many neighborhoods. In today’s ‘burbs, the door-todoor experience (now seen from my homeowners’ vantage point) has been vastly altered. There’s fear of crime, and modern marketing is done via social media, email and Web advertising. We do get flyers dropped off anonymously touting landscaping, maid service and handyperson businesses. But the bulk of the home visits from strangers involve politics (and occasionally the Jehovah’s Witnesses). Hearty volunteers from Virginia environmental groups make return trips to our cul de sac, some even remembering our names. Candidates for office, if they’re truly hungry to win, continue the classic doorto-door canvassing. I can name several incumbents on the county and school boards, as well as Arlington constitutional officers, who began their journey toward name recognition by lifting our door knocker and others’. Such interruptions of private citizens’ home lives require the doer to screw up some courage. As a Fuller Brush teen, I pre-
ferred not to operate in any neighborhood inhabited by friends or acquaintances (though, when it happened, some friends’ moms doubtless made purchases just to humor me). The famous company founded in 1906, I’m happy to report, still exists at, you guessed it, FullerBrush.com. Its exclusively door-to-door approach was abandoned in 1985, and the last walking salesman was retired by 2013. Fuller survived under a series of owners (Sara Lee bought it in 1972, followed more recently by investors) and still offers 175 products. Though I didn’t personally use them, I credit the Fuller sales experience with teaching me to approach strangers with confidence, to invoke the proverbial “smile and a shoeshine,” in all my adult endeavors. *** Jumped-the-gun news published last week in ARLNow reported that the historic FebreyLothrop house on Wilson Blvd. “could be” soon sold. The huge nine-acre Dominion Hills property long owned by homebuilder and horseman Randolph Rouse (who died in 2017) is coveted by homebuilders — and county, school and parks planners. But accountant Sid Simmonds, who represents the trust deciding the property’s fate, told me it “is not listed for sale” and has not been advertised, and that Rouse’s widow continues living there. The “unsolicited expressions of interest from various parties,” Simmonds added, are a common practice after an owner has died.
PAGE 14 | MARCH 12 – 18, 2020
LO CA L Please visit www.FallsChurchChamber.org for resources concerning COVID-19
March Networking Luncheon Join us for a presentation by Rebecca Geller, founder of Geller Law Group, which emphasizes a healthy work-life balance for the firm’s staff.
Tuesday, March 17, 11:30 am — 1:15 pm The Italian Café — 7161 Lee Highway, Falls Church
Reservations are required. Email cathy@fallschurchchamber.org or register online at www.FallsChurchChamber.org. Tickets are $30 for Chamber members, $35 for non members. An additional $5 will be charged for walk-ins.
Please scan the QR code for updated info on events/cancellations
March Networking Mixer Tuesday, March 24, 5:30 — 7:00 pm Hosted by Profile by Sanford 1140 W. Broad Street, Falls Church Join us for mixing and mingling, networking and refreshments
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
B������� N��� � N���� Broad Street Pharmacy Offers Free Delivery Broad Street Pharmacy provides free delivery service for prescriptions to customers in Falls Church, McLean, and Arlington. This is a free service the independent pharmacy, which is owned and operated by Reza Ghaderi, has always offered but it is of special note now as health officials recommend taking additional precautions and staying home to avoid potential contract with the coronavirus. As a result of COVD-19, CVS is now also offering free prescription delivery. Broad Street Pharmacy is located at 450 W. Broad Street. CVS has two stores in Falls Church City and five in the greater Falls Church area. For more information, visit www.broadstpharmacy.com and www.cvs.com. .
NoVa Chamber Hosting Webinar on Businesses & Virus-Related Impact The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce is hosting a free webinar called “Employer Exposures and Protecting Your Business” offering practical suggestions to protect businesses from virus-related impact and loss on Friday, March 13 at 2 p.m. The webinar will address issues surrounding business and supply chain interruption (trade, cargo transport); workers compensation considerations; general liability; international and domestic travel; employee health considerations; and contingency plans. Quarantine protocol will not be addressed. For more information, visit www.novachamber.org.
Partners
Baddpizza Opens in Falls Church Gold
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Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Tax Analysts
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Baddpizza is now open for business in Broaddale Plaza at 346 W. Broad Street in Falls Church. Its “deliciously badd” Buffalo, New York-style pizza and wings are available, along with subs, salads, sides, drinks and desserts, for take-out and delivery. Positions are still available for in-store baddteam members, delivery drivers, and assistant manager. To apply email jobs@baddpizza.com. For more information, visit www.badpizza.com.
Work-Life Presentation at Next F.C. Chamber Networking Mixer The Falls Church Chamber of Commerce is hosting a networking mixer featuring a presentation on work-life balance by Rebecca Geller of The Geller Law Group on Tuesday, March 17 at the Italian Café, 7161 Lee Highway. Tickets with advanced registration are $30 for members, $35 for nonmembers. Advanced registration is required in case the event needs to be rescheduled due to community health concerns. To register or for more information, visit www.FallsChurchChamber.org.
F.C. EDO, Chamber Co-Sponsoring Small Business Tax Workshop The Falls Church Economic Development Office and the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsoring “Small Business Academy Workshop: Small Business Taxes,” coordinated by the Virginia Department of Small Business & Supplier Diversity, on Wednesday, March 18 from 10 a.m. – noon. The workshop will address small business tax requirements. The event is free but seats are limited and registration is recommended. Visit the events calendar at www.FallsChurchChamber.org for more information or to register. Questions regarding the event may be directed to the event organizer, Chris Ley at chris.ley@sbsd.virginia.gov.
F.C. Fire Department Honors Hugh Brown & Brown’s Hardware The Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department presented Brown’s Hardware with a fire helmet honoring Hugh Brown on Friday, March 6. The honor was in recognition of “Mr. Hugh Brown’s lifetime of giving to the City of Falls Church; a commitment of giving that continues posthumously through a generous donation to our organization.” Mr. Brown’s father, Horace E. Brown, was one of the original trustees of the FCVFD in 1925. Photo courtesy: FCVFD 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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MARCH 12 – 18, 2020 | PAGE 15
Community Funding Drives Culmore Clinic’s Inter-Faith Mission BY ORRIN KONHEIM
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
As dentist Natalia Vlasic prepares for the inaugural day of Culmore Clinic’s dentistry service, she knows she will need exceptional bedside service. She has to create a sense of hospitality for people who might not speak English or might fear authority. Additionally several of her patients might have never been to the dentist as an adult, explains Culmore Clinic’s new executive director Anne-Lise Quinn. While Quinn laments that “it’s such an injustice” how so many of Culmore’s residents have never been adequately provided for, clinic co-founder Terry O’Hara Lavoie can look back on the 13 years of the clinic’s growth as a miracle of sorts in filling the medical needs of this community. “We get highly motivated people because the world is a good place and people are generous,” O’Hara Lavoie said. “People catch on to that kindness and generosity and they want to be a part of it.” The clinic recently boasted incredible growth when their $11,000 year-end donation goal was exceeded by more than $14,000. The $25,000-plus led the non-profit to hire more staff members, keep the doors open an extra day a week, buy medical supplies and help expand the range of services. The center does not rely on local government funding at all. “I wouldn’t describe us as striking gold. We’re still a scrappy organization who is able to work hard on very meager resources and we’re able to stretch it because of the response and volunteerism of donated time and services,” said O’Hara Lavoie. The Culmore Clinic reported $1.4 million in donated services.
All donated money is matched on a 3-1 basis with services. “Clearly there’s a need here for medical care, it’s an underserved population, I feel good about helping out in a place that really needs the help,” said volunteer nurse Brigid Hobbs. Hobbs found out about the organization when her friend, Mary Boland, passed away the previous year. Boland and her husband lent their medical services to Culmore Clinic and donation requests at the funeral were directed here. The following November, there was an advertisement in her inbox for an open house which Hobbs decided to attend and the rest is history. In addition to the 16 volunteer positions per shift that the clinic relies on in its expanded capacity, there are five part-time staff members working under Quinn, who is the organization’s only full-time employee. Board members such as Monica Granovsky also help out. “One of the reasons that Culmore [Clinic] is so successful is that it does invest in a core group of key staff…because it’s very hard to run an organization on volunteers,” said Quinn. The project to provide health care options to the population of the Culmore neighborhood began in 2007 when O’Hara Lavoie sat on the health cabinet of St. Anthony’s of Padua Church with fellow congregant Ann Cartwright. The pair saw that they could use their complementing skills to provide for medical care in the community. Cartwright designed the medical program and O’Hara Lavoie (who previously worked for Survivors’ Fund of 9/11 victims and Washington Grantmakers) dealt with administrative aspects. “It happened by the grace of
DENTIST NATALIA VLASIC takes on one of her first patients after Culmore Clinic expanded its services to include teeth cleanings thanks to a surge of donations. The clinic intends to add ophthalmology services as well in the near future. (P����: O���� K������) God. There’s no explaining it, there really isn’t. We just knew something that needed to be done,” said O’Hara Lavoie. The clinic came to life through a $75,000 grant from the Northern Virginia Health Foundation. However, O’Hara Lavoie notes that it was the Annandale United Methodist Church that allowed them to open their doors for the first time with a permanent home. More recently, the dental clinic came to fruition through a partnership with senior-living community Goodwin House in Bailey’s Crossroads and the nonprofit Fenwick Foundation in Arlington. Alex Gorny, founder and chief executive of the Fenwick Foundation, was on-site on the dental clinic’s first day of operation to see how Vlasic was settling in and to congratulate the Culmore
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Clinic staff on their success. “I’ve known about Culmore Clinic for several years, what they do and what their mission is and we connected because they were not able to provide dental services….to their unique population and we connected and that’s why we’re starting our program today,” said Gorny. While Culmore Clinic was originally conceived in a Catholic church, opened in a mosque, found a greater home in Annandale United Methodist Church and is currently housed at First Christian Church, the group is committed to being non-denominational. They consider their non-profit to be inter-faith with support from 16 different congregations. “We work very hard to be representative of this area’s diversity,” said O’Hara Lavoie.
The three most frequent languages spoken at the clinic are Arabic, Spanish and Vietnamese, and they have translators for each one. The translators are also specially trained to be fluent in medical terminology and demonstrate bedside manner. The current dentistry program will be on site approximately once a month. In the coming year, the Culmore Clinic has plans in place for opening an ophthalmology clinic. They also hope to eventually a phlebotomy clinic program (a medical procedure that draws blood samples). Beyond that, O’Hara Lavoie says Culmore Clinic aims to become a medical center by providing fundamental services more days a week rather than just operating extra services.
PAGE 16 | MARCH 12 – 18, 2020
SPO RTS
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Girls Basketball
A CRUSHING LOSS in overtime during the Class 3 state quarterfinals ended George Mason High School’s girls basketball team’s season, falling 48-45 to Booker T. Washington High School. Up by three after the first quarter and then down 21-17 by halftime, the Mustangs trimmed that margin a bit heading into the fourth down 31-28. Mason clawed back into contention by tying the game at 41 and sending it into overtime, but the Mustangs never led during the period and were ultimately outdone by the visitors from Norfolk. (Photo: Carol Sly)
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THE UNWELCOME ENDING doesn’t dispell the accomplishments of the season. Mason made it back to its first state tournament in two years, following its defeat to Buffalo Gap High School in the state semifinal in 2018. Sophomore guard Zoraida Icabalceta made 1st team All-District and All-Region, with senior guard Julia Rosenberger and freshman forward Elizabeth Creed both making 2nd team All-District and All-Region. Head coach Chris Carrico was also named Region 3B Coach of the Year as well as Northwestern District Co-Coach of the Year. (Photo: Carol Sly)
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IN THE DISTRICT X BAND ASSESSMENT, George Mason High School band musicians performed three prepared pieces as well as competing in a separate sight-reading assessment, along with bands from Fairfax County and Alexandria. The Mason students achieved superior ratings from all four judges, performing the most difficult level “6” music. The band leaves Saturday for their performance trip to Orlando. (Photo: FCCPS Photo/Courtesy Ari Autor)
Fa l l s C h u r c h
School News & Notes ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Comes to Justice High Wolfpack Theatre will present this year’s spring play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” from March 19 – 21 at Justice High School (3301 Peace Valley Lane, Falls Church). This romantic comedy features star-crossed lovers and fairies in a world full of magical creatures, mysterious circumstances and marvelous characters. The community is invited to witness this modern take on a Shakespearean classic set in the world of the early 1980’s, when the top 10 hits at any moment could be any style of music — disco, rock, hip hop, folk, jazz, country and punk — and just plain different. There’s dancing, music, costumes and intrigue set to the beat of eclectic music. Wolfpack Theatre is also hosting a special Fairy Tea following the Saturday, March 21st, 2 p.m. matinee. Participants will have a chance to meet a magical fairies, have cool drinks and photo opportunities for a $5 admission fee (parents attend free with children). For an additional $5, attendees can create their own fairy garden. RSVPs are required at wolfpacktheatre.org.
Show times are as follows: Thursday, March 19 at 7 p.m.; Friday, March 20 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 21 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. General Admission tickets are $10 and are $8 for students and seniors. Interested attendees are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance (no service charge) at wolfpacktheatre.org, but tickets will also be available at the door for cash, check and credit card.
music, casino games, dinner and drinks, as well as a live and silent auction. Those who are unable to attend are asked to consider purchasing a ticket for a teacher or staff member. There are already more than sixty interested in attending. The community may also donate at any time by clicking on “Donate Now” at fcedf.org. All contributions are welcomed and appreciated.
F.C. Ed. Foundation’s Gala Tickets On Sale Now
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students, families and community members are invited to attend any of five upcoming digital learning and digital citizenship events. All sessions are being held free of charge. Upcoming sessions include: Supporting Students in a Digital World: Bridging Technology Use at Home and School, sponsored by the Marshall Pyramid, will be held on Wednesday, March 18, from 6:15 – 8:15 p.m. at Kilmer Middle School (8100 Wolftrap Rd., Vienna). Included will be a keynote speaker, sessions on digital safety and wellness, healthy tech habits, a student panel discussion, and a share fair.
From Super Grants and Advanced Staff Training Grants to Teacher of the Year and Professional of the Year awards, ESOL and Special Ed programs, the Falls Church Education Foundation supports all these programs and more from funding received through its biggest fundraiser of the year, the annual FCEF Gala & Auction. This year’s theme is “Roaring Twenties,” and the foundation hopes all interested attendees join in for the event on Friday, May 15. Tickets are on sale now at fcedf.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/ RoaringTwenties and include live
Digital Learning Event Coming to Kilmer Middle
DAM SAFETY AND FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT www.dcr.virginia.gov/floodawareness
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
FALLS CHURCHCALENDAR welcome. Temporary Facility (601 S. Oak St., Falls Church). 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. 703-248-5035.
COMMUNITYEVENTS THURSDAY, MARCH 12 Chess Club. Interested attendees can learn chess from coach Ashley Xing, a member of the U.S. delegation to the 2018 World Youth Chess Championships. Participants can come to play chess, meet other chess players and learn. Players of all ages and levels are welcome. Boards and sets are provided. Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. 703-790-8088. Thursday Evening Book Group. The Thursday Evening Book Discussion Group meets on the first Thursday evening of each month in the library’s conference room. “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” by David Grann. Light refreshments are served. All are
the
FRIDAY, MARCH 13 Arm Chair Travel: Hawaii. Interested attendees can see the world from the comfort of a chair. The group will watch a video about a different part of the world. This week it will feature the state of Hawaii and its archipelago. No registration required. This program is sponsored by the Falls Church Senior Center & Mary Riley Styles Public Library. Teen Center @ Community Center (223 Little Falls St., Falls Church). 10 – 11 a.m. 3-on-3 Basketball Shootout. Free basketball activity for Grades 4-8. No registration necessary. All skill levels are welcome. Community Center (223 Little Falls St., Falls Church). 3:30 – 5 p.m. 703-2485027.
present s
SATURDAY, MARCH 14 Bird Walk for Beginners. Learn the basics of binoculars, field guides, bird identification and finding birds. Then the group will get a little birding practice on a walk in the park. Loaner binoculars are available. For families ages 6 and up. Registration required. Long Branch Nature Center at Glencarlyn Park (625 S Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington). 9 – 10 a.m. 703-228-6535. Winter Farmers Market. The award-winning, year-round market is filled with fresh, local produce, meat, dairy, flowers & plants, honey, music and much more. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Falls Church). 9 a.m. – noon. 703248-5034.
MONDAY, MARCH 16 Monday Night Yoga. Interested residents can join instructor Casie
the 8th Annual
Anderson for a free one hour yoga class. Attendance is limited to 35 people, so participants should arrive early. Attendees should bring a mat and towel. TysonsPimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. 703-790-8088.
TUESDAY, MARCH 17 Chronic Disease SelfManagement Class. Fairfax County’s Chronic Pain SelfManagement program is enrolling individuals interested in managing symptoms and living a full life. Beneficial for anyone with chronic pain or those caring for someone with chronic pain. Attendees of this free six week workshop will learn how to effectively manage pain and fatigue; relaxation; stress; improve physical activity; pace and plan and more. Activity Code #261020-A. Senior Center @ Community Center (223 Little Falls St., Falls Church). 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
THEATER&ARTS
FRIDAY, MARCH 12 “Inherit the Windbag” A world premiere. In the summer of 1968, liberal Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley met for a series of debates that rocked America and defined the genre of punditry. Now, for one evening only, Vidal and Buckley meet in the Dismal Beyond (also known as the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California) to reprise their infamous debate. Atlas Performing Arts Center – The Sprenger Theatre (1333 H St. NE, Washington, D.C.). $65. 8 p.m. mosaictheater.org.
SATURDAY, MARCH 13 “Ordinary Days.” On a regular, ordinary day, uptight graduate student Deb loses her most precious possession — the notes to her graduate thesis — somewhere on the streets of New York City. To her surprise, she strikes up an unexpected friendship with Warren, the optimistic but struggling artist who finds and returns her notes. Meanwhile, Jason
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
and Claire, a couple struggling to understand each other, learn how to share an apartment and move forward with their lives together. With hope and soaring songs, “Ordinary Days” shows how the smallest acts can sometimes have the most profound effects on your life. NextStop Theatre (269 Sunset Park Dr., Herndon) $40 – $55. 8 p.m. nextstoptheatre.org.
“Suddenly Last Summer.” Set in the hothouse of New Orlean’s Garden District, “Suddenly Last Summer” has all the hallmarks of a Tennessee Williams masterpiece An elderly socialite mourns the death of her poet son, who died under mysterious circumstances while vacationing at an island resort. Eager to protect her son’s image, she hires a doctor to silence the only witness to the tragic event – but the shattering truth fights its way to the surface, as it always does in Williams’ world. Gunston Arts Center II (2700 S. Lang St., Arlington) $40. 8 p.m. app.arts-people.com.
SUNDAY, MARCH 14 “Shear Madness.” First seen in Boston in 1980, and opening here at the Kennedy Center in 1987, the show reinvents itself every performance — pulling from the news of the day, and on-goings of the DMV, to improvise timely witticisms and gags. Set today in the Shear Madness hairstyling salon, this record-breaking comedy is Washington’s hilarious whodunit. After more than 12,000 performances, the show has stayed in great shape. Kennedy Center (2700 F St. NW Washington, D.C.) $50.Check kennedy-center.org for showtimes.
LIVEMUSIC THURSDAY, MARCH 12 Randoll RIvers Elvis Show. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 5:30 p.m. 703-2419504. Jeff Lefler Live and In Concert. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 6:30 p.m. 703237-8333.
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Lankum with Andy The Doorbum. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20 – $30. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566. Riders in the Sky. Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). $32. 8 p.m. 703-255-1900. Karaoke. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-8589186. 19th Street Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-2419504.
FRIDAY, MARCH 13 Happy Hour: Steve Houk John Nicholas. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-241-9504. Toby Lightman. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 7 p.m. 703-255-1566. Aoife O’Donovan with Taylor Ashton. Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). $37. 8 p.m. 703-2551900. Redacted. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-8589186. Broken Arrow: A Tribute to Neil Young. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $22 – $25. 9 p.m. 703-237-0300. Jose Ramirez Blues Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-2419504.
SATURDAY, MARCH 14 Candyrat Guitar Night Presents Alexandr Misko & Peter Ciluzzi. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20. 3 p.m. 703-2551566. Deja Blue Blues Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-2419504. MSJ Trio (Modell, Soderstrom & James). Clare and Don’s Beach
DIANA REIN will be at JV’s Restaurant on Sunday. (Photo: DianaRein.Com) Shack (130 North Washington St., Falls Church). 7 p.m. 703-5329283.
Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703237-8333.
John Lloyd Young’s Broadway! Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). $37. 8 p.m. 703-255-1900.
SUNDAY, MARCH 15
The Walkaways. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-858-9186. Accidental Charm. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-2419504. Infusion Concert: An Exclusive Bengali Fusion Event. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $10. 9 p.m. 703237-0300. Karaoke. Mark’s Pub (2190 Pimmit Dr., Falls Church). 9:30 p.m. 703-356-3822. Maria & the Sons of Moog.
Dixieland Direct. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 1 p.m. 703-241-9504. An Afternoon with Don Ross. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20. 7 p.m. 703-2551566. Josh Allen Band Live. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-2419504. Field Shaman Trio Hosts Open Mic. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-858-9186. Diana Rein Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-2419504.
MONDAY, MARCH 16 Ladysmith Black Mambazo (encore performance the following night at the same time). Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). $42. 8 p.m. 703-255-1900.
TUESDAY, MARCH 17 Rob Hornfeck. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 5:30 p.m. 703-237-8333. Sean Tracy & Co. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-237-8333. The Majestic: Drag Show. The Diva Lounge (6763 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 571-2342045
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 The Foghorn Stringband. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $22. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566.
Calendar Submissions Email: calendar@fcnp.com | Mail: Falls Church News-Press, Attn: Calendar, 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church, VA 22046
Be sure to include time, location, cost of admission, contact person and any other pertinent information. Event listings will be edited for content and space limitations. Please include any photos or artwork with submissions. Deadline is Monday at noon for the current week’s edition.
PAGE 20 | MARCH 12 - 18, 2020
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Crossword
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By David Levinson Wilk 1
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1. Life ____ know it 5. Some bunk bed sharers, for short 9. Showed one’s disapproval, in a way 14. Relative of aqua 15. Swear 16. Go on ____ (rampage) 17. Property that costs $350 19. Persona non ____ 20. Reynolds Wrap maker 21. Org. formed in response to football injuries 23. A party to 24. Seminary subj. 25. Dramatic backwards hoops move 28. Crop-damaging animals 30. Sailor’s assent 31. Where weapons are forbidden 35. Air hub between LAX and SeaTac 38. Rival of Ford and Packard 39. It may shock you 40. “Put ____ writing!” 41. Blog feed letters 42. Push a person’s buttons, and then some 46. “Certainement!” 47. Europe’s longest river 48. Atkins plan, e.g. 54. She, in Portuguese 56. Eye layer below the sclera 57. Venerated bird in ancient Egypt 58. Props for Willy Wonka and Mr. Peanut 60. Perfume, as in a religious cer-
STRANGE BREW
Across 1. Life ____ know it
emony 62. Car buffs, slangily ... or what you’ll find in 17-, 25-, 31-, 42- and 48-Across 64. Powerhouse in cricket 65. “This could get ____” 66. Fail to include 67. Words before wish or were 68. Florida State athlete, for short 69. NBA franchise that signed Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in 2019
DOWN
1. Neither above nor below face value 2. Rising concerns? 3. Signs of trouble 4. Nevada city on the Humboldt River 5. Actor Mineo 6. Joint czar with Peter I 7. Picnic game 8. Exclaim “@#%!” 9. Identify on Facebook 10. Walk with confidence 11. Neo portrayer in “The Matrix” 12. Bond girl player Shirley 13. Had a shot, e.g. 18. Prep chef’s tool 22. Strong ____ ox 26. Maestro ____-Pekka Salonen 27. Watch closely 29. They rank below capts. 31. Country with fjords: Abbr. 32. Pacific ring? 33. “Roger Ailes: Off Camera” author ____ Chafets
JOHN DEERING
Sudoku
MARCH 12 – 18, 2020 | PAGE 21 34. Flamenco cry 35. Lady Gaga or Cardi B 36. Last chance to strike out? 37. United 40. Alcatraz, e.g: Abbr. 42. ____ Lipa, 2019 Grammy winner for Best New Artist 43. “Umbrella” singer, to fans 44. “____ heard enough!” 45. V-shaped cut 46. Congresswoman Alexandria ____-Cortez 48. St. ____, only nation named for a woman 49. Pizzeria features 50. “Peter Pan” girl 51. “A Christmas Story” present 52. Part of UCSD 53. “The pleasure ____ mine” 55. Staff members: Abbr. 59. “____ Flux” (1990s MTV series) 61. Flow from une fontaine 63. Kind of bread or whiskey Last Thursday’s Solution M A C A O
T H R E W A A T W S C A A M Y
C A G E D
A W A S H
A L E R O
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S O B A I O W D A O R B A I T B O E N X E S
A T T N B R O L I N
D I T T O
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A R E N A
S O P
R E C O U B A S S T E
P T E R R Y
H I J T A C A R B U R I S T A S U G H F P O O N S E A N S R I C N T C A I L W E L S
U H U R U
N O D O Z
F A N C Y F R E E
T D I R E S N O B L E
S P I T Z
C O S T S
By The Mepham Group
Level 1 2 3 4
5. Some bunk bed sharers, for short 9. Showed one's disapproval, in a way 14. Relative of aqua 15. Swear 16. Go on ____ (rampage) 17. Property that costs $350 19. Persona non ____ 20. Reynolds Wrap maker
1
21. Org. formed in response to football injuries 23. A party to 24. Seminary subj. 25. Dramatic backwards hoops move Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle
28. Crop-damaging animals NICK KNACK
© 2020 N.F. Benton
1
3/15/20
Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk. © 2020 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
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PAGE 22 | MARCH 12 – 18, 2020
dog. lazy ick qu The fox sly p e d j u m the over dog. lazy is the Now for all time cows good co me to aid to the the ir of t u r e . pas
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BACK IN THE DAY
is the Now for all time cows good co me to aid to the the ir of t u r e . p a s is the Now for all time cows good me to to coaid of the their.
20 & 10 Years Ago in the News-Press Falls Church News-Press Vol. X, No. 1 • March 16, 2000
It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the p a s their ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up
Falls Church News-Press Vol. XX, No. 3 • March 18, 2010
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Critter Corner 10 Year s Ago
It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the the ir pas ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up
New City Manager Chosen as Council Offers Post to Dan McKeever
Lady Mustangs Stop Lancaster High in Richmond Final
The News-Press received confirmation late yesterday that Daniel McKeever, 51, who has served as the City Manager for Laconia, New Hampshire for the past 10 and a half years, has agreed to become the new City Manager for the City of Falls Church, with an expected start date of June 1.
Led by five seniors playing their last game, George Mason High’s Lady Mustangs successfully defended their state basketball crown Saturday, trouncing the Lancaster High Red Devils, 58-47, at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center in Richmond, and taking their third-ever state championship.
Retro Gaming Continued from Page 8
in the newer technology. A big part that’s missing is the human interaction; having a common place where like minded people can congregate, share their passion and find out what others are interested in, the old fashioned way. So to further feed that nostalgia, Jackson’s vision for his shop will be a place where customers can browse stacks of games, exclusive toys, and other memorabilia, buy candy and try out games that he will have in rotation on a few setup consoles.
Jackson says there will be games for all age groups at Super Bit. He explains that part of the appeal is that a lot of these older games are inexpensive, so you buy an old system and a bunch of games for a relatively low price compared to much more expensive new game consoles and games. “It’s a different experience when you can come in and buy a N64 and a couple games for a hundred bucks and go home happy and relive the nostalgia while the kids will experience something totally new,” Jackson said. For those who were around in the early days of video games, as
News-Press
TO LETTERS THE EDITOR Continued from Page 6
immunizations, until deathly ill. Rather than seeing public health as an avoidable cost or simple budget expense, the administration should recognize public health funding as an investment for reducing economic risks. Indeed, the freefall of the stock market showcases this link between public health and the global economy. With a stronger and responsive public health system, and greater access to costeffective preventive and primary care services (which also contributes to a healthier workforce), the return on investment is two-fold — a guarantee on our economic and health security. Peter Shin Falls Church
Wishes F.C. Council Cared More About Affordable Housing Editor, I am writing in response to the article “Council Barely OKs $1.207M Cost Overrun on City Hall Project,” published in your newspaper on February 28, 2020. I found that this approval of budget for the expansion of [city] hall was able to spark a conversation with regards to developing affordable housing crisis. Makes me wonder why things like renovations are overshadowing this much more important issue at hand. I want our community to be as inclusive and diverse as it can but if this crisis continues to progress I am afraid constraint
well as video stores and record shops, they probably have fond memories of being able to walk up and down isles with the ability to touch and see the cover art and ask questions to employees that live and breath it. “In my mind, you used to go to Blockbuster or the likes and rent a game and grab some candy, it was a very exciting experience,” Jackson says. Jackson will be the sole employee on day one, but if things are good, perhaps more help will be needed later on. “Ideally, in time the shop would also like to host game tournaments and events such as a game exchange,” said Jackson.
choices will be forced upon those who can not live in the area due to economic struggle. This crisis should be a priority because having affordable housing not only invites more people in but also helps those who are currently struggling in our community. I hope the council will become more concerned with the affordable housing crisis then renovations then the issues concerning renovations because we need them to be making decisions that will strengthen our community not put the city in debt. One of the things I love about this city is that there are people of all soci-economic backrounds. I grew up with many different diverse students in my high school which has enriched me and served me in so many ways when moving on to college away from home. I want to be able to move back home after college into this beautiful inclusive community I know and love. Melisa Sejas Zenteno Falls Church
PUPPY PADDINGTON, just 15 weeks old, basked under a Plum Blossom on Timber Lane and enjoyed a free biscuit at a dog treat station on Seaton Lane during her walk before resting on a lot on the corner of Sherrow Ave. and W.Cameron Rd., as seen above. Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.
C i t y o f Fa l l s C h u r c h
CRIME REPORT Week of March 2 – 8, 2020 Larceny From Building, 6700 blk Wilson Blvd, Feb 28 10:40 AM, unknown suspect(s) took an item of value. Credit Card Fraud, 200 blk Noland St, March 1 8:00 PM, Unknown suspect(s) made unauthorized charges on a credit card. Credit Card Theft, 500 blk W
Broad St, between Feb 20 and 26, credit card information was obtained and used by a suspect. Sex Offence, 100 blk Birch St, March 3 10:15 AM, Following an investigation, a male, 36, of Falls Church City, VA, was arrested for four counts of possession of child pornography. Shoplifting, 1100 blk W Broad St, March 4 10:05 PM, an unknown male suspect took items of value.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Coronavirus
Continued from Page 4
a distribution even through our FCCPS Family Resource Center at Thomas Jefferson Elementary. FCCPS staff and volunteers will help deliver food packages to all who cannot make it in to pick
FY21 Budget Continued from Page 5
total FY21 budget of $54,594,282, the School Board’s request to the Council is for $44,791,527, an increase of $1,428,250, or 3.3 percent, within the Council’s guid-
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them up.” There are also provisions outlined for providing authorized medications, and the system’s psychologists and counselors have designed resources to support families with stress reduction that will be deployed in the event of an extended closure. “While we know that so much is unknown during this time, the
one constant is that FCCPS will be here to support our students and families during any extended closure,” it concludes. According to the VDH, the coronavirus that causes COVID19 can cause mild to more severe respiratory illness with symptoms including fever, cough and difficulty breathing. In a small proportion of patients, COVID-
19 can cause complications, including death, particularly among those who are older or who have chronic medical conditions. Symptoms appear within 14 days of being exposed to an infectious person. COVID-19 is spread primarily through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
ance as presented in December. Included expenses are $180,000 for sidewalks and LED streetlights, $1.1 million for neighborhood traffic calming ($400,000 from the FY19 surplus, $636,000 from a current fiscal year grant and $100,000 from the Capital Improvement fund for FY2021). Projects include work at the N.
Washington and Columbia intersection from a $1.2 million grant, the S. Maple at S. Washington intersection from a $733,000 grant, and four “Hawk” signals at Broad Street pedestrian crossings from a $1,600,000 grant, the S. Washington Street project from a $9 million grant and the Haycock at W. Broad (Route 7) project
from a $15.7 million grant. Money for surfacing of tennis and basketball outdoor courts, S. Washington street art, the grooming of the Fellows Tract property adjacent Thomas Jefferson Elementary recently acquired by the City for a public park, and practice field lights at Mason High is included, along with
MARCH 12 – 18, 2020 | PAGE 23 The Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will provide $13,371,612 in funding to Virginia in support of their response efforts to COVID-19.
Jody Fellows contributed to this report. contributions to the glass recycling program, the urban agriculture program, the Berman Park Greenway (using grant funds) and Park Master Plan implementation. With the budget slated for formal adoption on April 27, the City will host a town hall on the budget on Sunday, March 22.
BECOME A MEMBER OF THE NEWS-PRESS & HELP US KEEP COMMUNITY JOURNALISM ALIVE & WELL IN THE LITTLE CITY. Since 1991, the News-Press has been on a mission to provide independent and honest journalism to the Falls Church community. We recognize and appreciate the support the City, its businesses and residents have shown us for the past 29 years. Now, we need your help to con�nue with our mission. If you find value in our work and believe the News-Press contributes to the be�erment of the Falls Church community, please consider becoming a member today and help us keep you informed on all the happenings — big and small — in The Li�le City. Never before has the fight to ensure a free press been more important.
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PAGE 24 | MARCH 12 - 18, 2020
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