April 18 – 24, 2019
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 • Vol. X XIX N o. 9
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week Capannola Says Goodbye To Mason
George Mason High School’s long-time boys basketball coach, Chris Capannola, leaves the program after a nearly 20 year tenure and multiple state tournament berths. See Sports, page 8
Police Seek Peeping Tom at Saint James
The suspect, described as a 30-year-old Hispanic man, 5’6 in height with a “crew cut” haircut, was spotted touching himself inapporiately in the St. James parking lot on Saturday night.
Attention to Housing Issues Set to Occupy F.C. Leaders This Summer Experts Say Housing Shortage Crisis Hits, Need Policy Changes
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
See News Briefs, page 9
F.C. Woman Killed in Roadside Accident
According to Fairfax County police, the victim was exiting the passenger side of a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, but the Jeep drifted backwards causing her to fall into the roadway. See News Briefs, page 9
Mustang Girls Move Past 2 Bull Run Teams After an up-and-down start against some higher classified opponents, George Mason High School’s girls soccer team is starting to peak in the Bull Run. See Sports, page 17
AT THE FALLS CHURCH City Council budget work session last week, City Manager Wyatt Shields chatted with Council member Dan Sze during a break in the action. (Photo: News-Press)
Move Back to Renovated F.C. City Hall Set This Weekend
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Index
Editorial................ 6 Letters.................. 6 News & Notes.10–11 Comment...... 12, 13 Business News.. 15 Sports................ 17
Calendar...... 18–19 Classified Ads.... 20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword......... 21 Crime Report..... 22 Critter Corner..... 22
While many Falls Church City residents will be focused on finding their Easter baskets this weekend, and the many eggs that will be planted Saturday morning at Cherry Hill Park for the City’s annual hunt, movers will be packing and moving the City government back into its newlyrenovated and expanded digs at the Falls Church City Hall. The building will be open for busi-
ness to the public this coming Tuesday after being closed for 16 months for the upgrades. The move begins tomorrow (Friday) such that the temporary City Hall at 400 N. Washington Street will be closed all day, and no City Hall services will be available until the following Tuesday when the new facility reopens at 300 Park Avenue. Still, it won’t be until June that the City Council chambers will be ready to hold meetings,
and court, there, and an official ribbon cutting marking the completion of the renovation will wait until then, too (no specific dates yet provided). So, this Monday night, when the F.C. City Council meets for its final public hearing, deliberations and vote on the $99 million Fiscal Year 2020 operating budget, it will still be at its temporary location in the Community Center.
Continued on Page 5
While the issue of adequate housing in the City of Falls Church is not being addressed in the next fiscal year operating budget slated for adoption by the City Council this Monday, the subject has come up frequently in Council meetings with the promise that it will be addressed quickly through modifications to the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The City’s Planning Commission took a big step in that direction at its meeting this week, identifying proposed strategies, operating principles, proposed actions, and measurable steps aimed at inching toward the revival of a program that was effectively killed in the City when the Council finally torpedoed years of tortured efforts at the building of an affordable rental housing building here in 2010. The ambitions of the City have diminished to almost zero since then. Not only is there no money in a City affordable housing fund, but $2 million that had been there to be combined with state and federal money for the proposed 2010 project was removed and put back in the general fund. Now, baby-step, limited efforts to set aside funding to hopefully preserve one of the new affordable housing locations in the City, The Fields, a 96-unit residential property on Ellison Street in the City, is currently enjoying an incentive from the City, in the form of tax credits, to remain affordable. But
Continued on Page 4
PAGE 2 | APRIL 18 – 24, 2019
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APRIL 18 - 24, 2019 | PAGE 3
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PAGE 4 | APRIL 18 – 24, 2019
F.C. to Focus on Housing This Summer Continued from Page 1
that deal expires in 2026, and the City is looking for ways to set aside $2.5 million by then to contribute to an extension of that, or a similar, arrangement beyond 2026. But that rear-guard option does not address the need for a considerable amount of new affordable housing to meet the demands presented by the veritably exploding population growth in the City, an annual growth rate of 2.6 percent that has brought it to almost 15,000, which translates into the need for 650 to 720 new housing units every five years, based on recent trends. Nancy Vincent, head of the City’s Housing and Human Resources department, told the Planning Commission Monday that currently, even with The Fields deal, that only 27 percent of existing housing in the City is deemed affordable for households at or below the median area income. The percentage should be close to 50 percent, she said. Doubling down on this is the fact that median area income lev-
els are higher here than almost anywhere else in the U.S., meaning that households with incomes which otherwise would be adequate to maintain a decent quality of life simply cannot afford the housing component of their monthly costs. Vincent said the City has been going “backwards” on these matters in recent years. “You have to ask what kind of community we want to have,” she said. “Shall it be inclusive with a range of housing options so that people retiring can stay in their homes and people who grew up here can afford to move here? We have to keep the supply of housing growing.” The Planning Commission deliberations on the subject — only four of the seven members were present due to the fact the meeting was held during Spring Break week — centered on options that include not only money, but regulatory incentives to encourage builders to invest profitably in the types of housing products that would be more affordable to more people. Commissioner Rob Puentes said the housing situation is “a looming crisis.”
The proposed strategies developed by the City’s Planning Department and presented Monday by its Planning Director Paul Stoddard, call for prioritizing the development of residences for “all household compositions and incomes.” It also called for tightening current regulations that incentivize the teardown of existing residences and their replacement with much larger, expensive homes. It adds as a third priority an increase in the supply of affordable housing (plans for The Fields would not qualify here, since they would be focused solely on keeping existing housing). It adds as a goal “to ensure a range of housing, especially for seniors and persons with disabilities,” and then, “to ensure that housing does not discriminate.” The policy draft, which will come to the City Council for a final approval as a modification to the City’s Comprehensive Plan this summer, has examples of “discrete, measurable steps” to move forward.B:9.75” They include: • EstablishT:9.75” multiple income tiers for rentalS:9.75” affordable dwell-
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
ing units, • Restart the first time home buyer program, • Relax restrictions on accessory dwelling units, • Strengthen protections for historical structures, • Formally recognize civic associations, and • Establish requirements for universally accessible housing units. Stoddard suggested there may be a trade-off between the value derived from tear downs and the costs associated with a greater volume of housing. He said it is a matter of “what people want.” Commissioner Lindy Hockenberry said that the City should expect more younger people looking to come and live here, and Puentes added that “if you want the City to look different, you have to change the underlying rules.” Stoddard said it is a “good thing” that “people want to live here, but that with the focus on tear downs under City rules now, there is no net new housing as a result.” No mention was made of the so-called “micro units,” up to 100 of them, that the prospective developers of the 10.3 acre west end development want to build.
More attention was given to the idea of “accessory dwelling units” that individual homeowners can build onto their existing properties. Stoddard noted that the City technically permits such things, but under restrictive provisions. These are units often called “granny flats” that people can build as additions to their existing homes and that can be used to accommodate additional family members, like grandmothers, or rented to students or others seeking lower income housing options. Resistance to this as a matter of policy come from homeowners, more generally, who view them as a threat to neighborhoods and home values, although if they were allowed more readily, the effect would be an increase in property values for those who built them. Commission chair Russ Wodiska said he is concerned about the City “becoming homogenized” and therefore in need of policies to encourage more diversity, and Stoddard said that proposed regulatory actions “should be palatable to the majority of the City,” and commented that the Planning Commission’s input on the subject constitutes “fairly progressive ideas” that may face “some community pushback.”
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Move to New City Hall Starts Friday; Council Chambers Ready in June
Continued from Page 1
On the other hand, for many City Hall employees and services, the move back to the new facilities at the historic City Hall location will represent a big relief and improvement not only over the way things used to be at City Hall, but also at the cramped and often dysfunctional temporary facilities. Back at City Hall and open for business Tuesday will be the offices of the Commissioner of the Revenue and Treasurer, Voter Registration, Planning, Police Records, Public Works, the Sheriff and City Administration (City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, Communications, Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology). Visitors will find that the renovated City Hall will have a central public entrance in front of the building, a west side door with stairs and a wheelchair
accessible ramp, and an east side door with stairs. All other entrances will be closed to the public, and visitor parking will be available in the front, side and back of the building. The Housing and Human Services offices will remain in their current temporary location in the Gage House behind the Community Center until May, and the Falls Church operations of the Arlington Circuit Court and court services will move back from their current location at the Arlington Courthouse in June. According to a City statement, the renovations will accomplish three things: increased public safety, improved accessibility for persons with disabilities, and clearer wayfinding for visitors. Security was a major factor in the decision to undertake the renovations in the interests of the public, generally, but also for the operations of the circuit court at the site.
The central front entrance will increase the security for everyone in the building, and disability accessibility was central to all decisions made, from a ramp in the new City Council chambers to wider hallways throughout the building, to updated restrooms. A new parking garage for police, sheriff and the courts will provide for secure prisoner and weapons transport. The renovations were years in the coming, urged by the circuit court for more than a decade. Meanwhile, at Monday’s City Council meeting in the Community Center, the Council will take its final action on the approval of the coming fiscal year budget, and it is already established that there will be no change in any tax rate, including the real estate rate that will remain at $1.355 per $100 of assessed valuation. Due to a robust increase in overall real estate assessments,
most City property owners will see their net taxes rise, however, and this has led to a move to adopt an expanded tax deferral and abatement program for low income seniors, disabled and veteran citizens. There has been some pushback on that plan on the City Council, led by Council members David Snyder and Ross Litkenhous, who favor expanding deferral options but not abatements. City Treasurer Jody Acosta has told the Council, based on the results of a task force study of the subject completed earlier this year, that increasing the eligibility of citizens for both options will work best at the goal of keeping seniors in their homes. Given the City’s current penchant for tear down and rebuild efforts in residential neighborhoods, the impact of forcing seniors out of their homes will be to accelerate new home construction that will attract young families with multiple children instead. With the cost of educating a child in the Falls Church city schools in excess of $19,000 per year, the impact of a new
APRIL 18 – 24, 2019 | PAGE 5
family moving in on the fiscal bottom line for the City will be far greater than the additional $60,000 Acosta has advocated to improve the deferral and abatement program. In her blog, Council member Letty Hardi opined this week, “If budgets reflect our priorities, then I believe we should be willing to appropriate the additional $60,000 as a commitment to generational and socioeconomic diversity. As we make huge investments in the City elsewhere, are we, as one of the wealthiest and most educated communities in the U.S., willing to lift up our most vulnerable?” The Council has also been asked by the City’s voter registrar, David Bjerke, to add $40,000 to his budget to enable the hiring of his part-time assistant on a full time basis. He has argued his request is based on the impact of population growth in the City and the large number of elections that are coming up, including the June 11 Democratic primary and a large ballot of issues in November including the election of new City Council and School Board members.
PAGE 6 | APRIL 18 – 24, 2019
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E D I TO R I A L
Taking On the Housing ‘Crisis’
Paul Stoddard, the City of Falls Church’s talented and personable director of its Department of Planning, recounted a short parable to the meeting of the City’s Planning Commission Monday night. It was the true story of a consultant’s effort to assist a jurisdiction in developing new policies to encourage and enable more use of bicycles by its population. When the consultant interviewed members of the community to ask about whether they would be open to some new initiatives, the response she got was that, yes, the citizens would love it, but City Hall would never go for it. Then when the consultant talked to the staff at City Hall, she got the predictable response, “Yes, we’d love to do it, but the citizens would never go for it.” The moral of the story, we presume, involves two things: better communication between City Hall and the public, on the one hand, and a resolve to do the right thing, on the other. This situation needs to be applied to the issue of affordable housing and efforts to encourage keeping a diverse population in the city, including the elderly and lower income folks. Among other things, the City needs to face up to the fact that it is behind the region in its practical absorption rates of racial and ethnic minorities as reflected in demographic data pertaining to population makeup trends. The City is getting less white, but at a slower pace than its neighbors. Of course, the relatively small size of the City always tends to skew the significance of such data. The City and its 15,000 residents simply should not be equated with Fairfax County and its 1.3 million or Arlington and its 220,000. Still, the City’s leaders hold solidly to values that welcome diversity in all its forms, and where that gets a little tougher than mere lip service comes when the issues of funding for programs that will encourage that diversity come up. Or don’t. It needs to be underscored that what we have in this region, including in Falls Church, is a housing shortage “crisis.” It means that the market here, as booming as it is and will become, is not succeeding by itself in providing a mix of housing and living options for its total workforce to participate in the benefits and opportunities that it is seeking here. In short, while our regional jurisdictions, including Falls Church, are doing good job with education and infrastructure, transportation is lagging, health services are better, but the one area that remains the most problematic is shelter. The City needs aggressive reform in its ordinances in order to incentivize the construction of lower priced housing units, period. Incentives in the City code currently favor the consolidation of residential lots and the construction of large, expensive homes. Wealthier people, of course, like this. But the good of the City and its population requires something else.
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F.C. School Performance Was Joy to Behold
Editor, Last Wednesday evening, my wife and I attended a musical event at George Mason High School. We were there to witness the performance of my first grade grandson and his classmates. I prepared myself for what I believed would be a game effort with a trove of miscues and false starts but also valiant efforts on the part of the first grad-
ers and adults involved. What we witnessed and enjoyed to the bone was excellence. What the hundreds in attendance saw was a top-level production drawn out of the hearts, minds and bodies of six-year-old children. It was a joy to behold. Every first grade student filled the stage the entire time and played a part and no part was small. The play went on without a hitch. The children
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performed as if each had extraordinary confidence in their talent and each of them exuded total delight as they sang and acted in total sync. The songs, the singing and blocking were complex. The audience in the packed auditorium could easily see this and they were transfixed. Each knew that the amazing outcome was brought about through the time, talents, patience and devotion of every adult who touched it. These kinds of outcomes do not just happen. They are the result of the hard work of individuals who believe that their students and children are capable of more than they know. These outcomes are the result of
hours of unselfish effort and the collaboration of the best of professionals and most loving and focused parents coming together with a shared vision. Congratulations to all the teachers, to the incomparable music specialist, to the principal and his staff and to every parent who engaged is this meaningful effort. And congratulations to the central office staff who work to ensure that those professionals who made the show happen are where we need them to be and doing what we need them to be doing, sharing their talent and dedication in Falls Church City Schools. Dick and Patti Doyle Falls Church
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
CO MME NT
APRIL 18 – 24, 2019 | PAGE 7
G � � � � C � � � � � �� �� Why I Support Saslaw for Re-Election to State Senate B� C���� C���������
Dayenu is a Jewish song of gratitude that is sung as part of the story of the Exodus at Passover. It means “it would have been enough.” Each stanza of the verse tells of one thing that the Jews were grateful for, one thing that would have been enough cause for celebration. And yet, they had more than just the one thing, they had many, many things to celebrate. People have asked me why I support Dick Saslaw, and this always comes to mind. I have a long list of reasons, any one of which would be enough for me to cast my vote for him. It would be enough if I supported Dick Saslaw because he’s a personal friend. He came to be a friend, ironically, after I wrote an article criticizing him. Instead of holding a grudge, he reached out to me to listen to my complaints, to try to find common ground, and to find ways to represent me better. The things I’ve learned along the way about the kind of honest, caring, and genuine person he is have turned that into a true friendship. It would be enough if I supported Dick Saslaw because I want Democrats to take back the majority in the House and the Senate, and because holding onto your top fundraiser makes that easier. He donates over 90 percent of the money he receives
to the Caucus and to Democratic candidates. This means other candidates can spend more of their time knocking doors and winning votes. It would be enough if I supported Dick
“The things I’ve learned along the way about the kind of honest, caring, and genuine person he is have turned that into a true friendship.” Saslaw because he has served Virginia for 40 years. When he could have spent his time building some kind of empire, amassing a personal fortune, or just spending more time with his family; he has instead put in incredibly long hours, day after day, all year round, serving as a “part-time legislator.” As minority leader, everyone leans on him, everyone demands his time and presence, everyone wants his assistance. I’m sure he loves it too, but it’s still a personal sacrifice. He does it because at his heart, he’s a fixer—
wherever he sees a problem, he is compelled to roll up his sleeves (sometimes literally) and fix it. It would be enough if I supported Dick Saslaw because he’s incredibly wellconnected, and knows an unfathomable number of people across the state, in every industry, every agency or organization, every part of the administration. If a constituent from anywhere in his district calls him up or writes to him with any sort of problem, he won’t hesitate one second to pick up the phone and instantly have just the right person on the line to fix that problem. It would be enough if I supported Dick Saslaw because where we disagree on issues, he doesn’t object to my nevertheless lobbying him repeatedly to try to change his mind. See, I’m your typical progressive, and ideologically to the left of him on several issues. But he genuinely listens to the points I make, and values and respects that I feel so passionately about these issues. While he’s not willing to change his position just for political expediency (believe me, I’ve tried to sell him on it), he always leaves a door open to the possibility that he might be convinced. Ultimately, I place a higher value on the good character of a candidate than on whether we agree on any particular issue. It would be enough if I supported Dick
Saslaw because I’ve brought him problems that affect my community and ones that affect the state, and he’s found legislative and non-legislative ways to fix them. He’s arranged meetings, letters, and phone calls, and helped make sure stakeholders were connected. He’s written more than one piece of legislation at my request and my family’s request. I realize not everyone is friends with a senator like I am, but quite honestly, he’d do the same for anyone who asked. It would be enough if I supported Dick Saslaw because he’s an outstanding legislator — the actual part where ideas become bills. I’ve watched the sausage get made, both by him and by many other legislators. He doesn’t patron bills just to grandstand or send a message. He puts in bills that he thinks he can pass. And he doesn’t just drop a bill and hope for the best — he does the work beforehand to make sure that he knows who the stakeholders are, and where the opposition might come from. Before that bill goes to a committee meeting, and throughout the process, he talks to the interested parties and other legislators, and works out any necessary changes to the language to ensure everyone is on board and amenable. Any one of these would be enough for me to support him. Dayenu, it would be enough!
Q������� �� ��� W��� Should housing be the focus of concern for Falls Church this summer? • Yes
Last Week’s Question:
Is there a cause for concern regarding Falls Church’s housing market?
• No • Not sure
Visit www.FCNP.com to cast your vote
FCNP On-Line polls are surveys, not scientific polls.
[WRITE FOR THE PRESS] The News-Press welcomes readers to send in submissions in the form of Letters to the Editor
& Guest Commentaries. Letters to the Editor should be no more than 350 words and writers are limited to one appearance every four weeks. Guest Commentaries should be no more than 800 words and writers are limited to one appearance every four months. Because of space constraints, not all submissions will be published. All submissions to the News-Press should be original, unpublished content. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length, grammar and accuracy. All submissions should include writer’s name, address, phone and e-mail address if available.
Email: letters@fcnp.com | Mail: Letters to the Editor, Falls Church News-Press, 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church 22046 | Fax: 703.340.0347
SPO RTS
PAGE 8 | APRIL 18 – 24, 2019
Mason’s Basketball Coach Moves On After 20 Years with Program BY MATT DELANEY
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
The cutting finality of life never dulls its blade. Things inevitably end; we just hope that we’re the ones who turn off the lights on the way out rather than someone, or something, else. Longtime George Mason High School boys basketball coach Chris Capannola will do just that as he leaves the program on his terms following nearly 20 years of memorable runs on the hardwood with the school moving up to the 3A classification next year. To most people, Capannola is the slick-haired boss of The Pit — Mason’s subterranean-esque basketball court. They see him in games either squatting along the sideline or arms-folded and at attention. His range of emotions include silent approval, headshaking bewilderment or (everyone’s favorite) the occasional uncensored spurt of...honesty to get the team back on track. For those 32 minutes when the ball is live, Capannola waves the baton of his body language to make sure the players are hitting all the right notes. It feels like Capannola was made for this, but, ironically, basketball was on the bottom of his own sports medal stand. Growing up in Niagara Falls, New York, baseball was Capannola’s first love, with football being a close second. He played both in college and knew before then that he always wanted to be around sports, hence his current position as a Physical Education teacher at Mason. Even as an athlete in his youth, Capannola would draw up plays and show them to coaches to see
if they could run them, including a trick play in football that he schemed and executed which resulted in a 60-yard gain. It was a moment of material success that nudged him toward that path. “I like the whole idea of figuring things out. That’s what drew me to it. It’s a big puzzle, and that’s what really excited me — learning what certain players can do and creating the team dynamic out of it” Capannola said. “It meant a lot to me when I played. The whole strategy of it, and the learning and the teaching, goes along with being a teacher.” He and his wife, Sabrina, landed in Virginia in 1996 where Capannola started as a security guard for Mason. Athletics were never the defining feature of Mason, which to this day is still largely known as one of the premiere academic institutions in the country. But former athletic director Tom Horn had a vision to build up the school’s sports reputation. Horn gave Capannola the reins to do as he pleased with the boys basketball program starting in 1997, and it didn’t take Capannola long to make good on that trust. Four years into the job, Capannola helped steer the Mustangs to a state semifinal run in the 2000-01 season that was dotted with magical moments throughout — an overtime win against Potomac Falls High School at The Pit in the early part of the season, defeating then-rival Brentsville District High School to win the Bull Run District tournament and a thrilling regional win over Prince Edward County High School. Suddenly, small town Falls Church was enthralled
with Mason’s first trip to the semifinals since 1966. But health concerns with Capannola’s father pulled him to Ohio the following school year. It would be another four years until he found his way back to Northern Virginia and back at the helm of Mason’s basketball program. And then, as Capannola noted, it would be another three to four years of inculcating the players about his expectations and his system. Finally in the 2008-09 season he saw the seeds were planted, and soon after Mason would make two consecutive runs to the state tournament in 2011 and 2012. It was the beginning of a dynastic trend where Capannola would shepherd a team to the final stages of the season every couple of years, from the Nate Ogle-led squads in 2011 and 2012 to the Robert Tartt and Elliot Mercado-led group in 2016 and the Max Ashton and Hollman Smith-led team this past winter. “I tell the kids every year, ‘You guys coming back have a responsibility here. You can’t just show up. These guys laid groundwork, you can’t mess around. There’s a standard to be met,’” Capannola added, while noting how he balances these demands on the court with a personal understanding of the players off it. “You have to be good to these kids. They gotta know they mean something more than a number on the basketball court. You need to know what they’re about, and if you fake that they’ll see right through you as well. I try to let them know I care about them as people, too.” Living up the highs of each of those sprints to the state tourna-
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
CHRIS CAPANNOLA’S ability to shoot straight with his players on the court and chop it up with them off it was his main ingredient in getting their best in games. (P����: C���� S��) ment is countered by their scarladen conclusions. Capannola admits he’ll watch the last second win over Graham High School in the 2016 state quarterfinals a thousand times over, but he still hasn’t watched the overtime loss to Greensville County High School in the state semifinals immediately after that, or the loss to Goochland High School from this March. From questioning his player decisions to the X’s and O’s, reviewing the tape is often a form of psychological torture — particularly because the losses have been so branded into his brain that he doesn’t need film to recount how things unraveled. Learning to swallow those horse-pill-sized losses — and to let go afterward — has been an adjustment since his early days as a coach when he thought he could micromanage his way to wins. But Capannola states he doesn’t regret not being able to hoist a state championship at Mason. To him, winning is secondary to the bonds that are forged within teams during their seasons. He takes pride knowing that the 2001 state team still stays in touch with one another even as adults in their 30s. And he can leave Mason with a peace of mind
knowing the spirit of his coaching style and the respect the program gained will live on with his protegés, boys assistant coach Michael Gilroy and girls basketball head coach Chris Carrico, who’d both been with Capannola for over a decade and have left their imprint on the team’s achievements. Most of all, Capannola wants to be known for the ethics of his work. He didn’t cut corners, he didn’t pull tricks, he just clocked in each day to make the program better. Along the way, he was one of the key figures who nurtured a sports culture at Mason. So as he bids adieu to Mustang basketball, he hopes there’s no uncertainty over what he’ll be remembered for. “Just that I did things the right way. I did right by the kids, the community and the parents,” Capannola said. “We say ‘Mustangs Pride’ was a football thing that Horn started. There’s a whole lot of that at this school now — and I know there’s a lot of it in the basketball program. They’re expected to win now and there’s a pride thing that has to go with that. We’ve instilled that and it’s self-perpetuating. [Sports] have become a sense of pride for the school and for the kids.”
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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APRIL 18 – 24, 2019 | PAGE 9
Fa l l s C h u r c h
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F.C. Police Seek Identity of Suspect A man was spotted touching himself inappropriately in the parking lot of Saint James Catholic School around 7 p.m. on April 13. According to City of Falls Church senior communication specialist Clare Casey, an adult inside noticed the suspect standing in the parking lot while an activity between parents and students was taking place inside Saint James’ school. When the adult went to confront the man, they noticed he was also touching himself, and the suspect quickly ran off soon after the confrontation. The suspect is described as a 30-year-old Hispanic male, 5’6 in height, medium build, wearing a white button down shirt and blue jeans with a “crew-cut” haircut. Anyone with information should contact the City of Falls Church Police at 703-248-5053 (TTY 711).
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Woman Killed in Auto Accident Fairfax County police are reporting that 74-year-old Amolia Lozano of Falls Church died due to injuries sustained in an accident along Peyton Randolph Drive during the afternoon on April 12. According to the police, Lozano was exiting the passenger side of a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, but the Jeep drifted backwards causing Lozano to fall into the roadway. The driver didn’t realize the car was still in reverse, per the police, and instead accelerated, causing it to hit Lozano as well as another unoccupied vehicle. Lozano was transported to the hospital, but was pronounced dead later that night, according to the police. The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with detectives. Neither speed nor alcohol appear to be factors. At this point, no charges are expected. Anyone with information about this crash is asked to contact the Crash Reconstruction Unit at 703-280-0543.
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Kitchen Fire at Local Condominium The City of Falls Church fire marshal reported that a contractor working on a stove at the Falls Chase Condominiums received minor injuries from a gas flash explosion around 11 a.m. on April 15. After Arlington County Fire Department and Fairfax Fire and Rescue responded to the scene, the contractor was transported to the hospital to be treated for injuries before being released later that afternoon, per the fire marshal. The fire marshal determined there is no danger to the public. The fire marshal and building inspector are assessing the damage.
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State Homeless Grants Top $2.2 Million Governor Ralph Northam yesterday announced $2.2 million in Homeless Reduction grants through the Virginia Housing Trust Fund (VHTF) for 30 projects in Virginia. The selected projects will result in targeted efforts to reduce homelessness around the Commonwealth. The grants will support 16 rapid re-housing projects, 12 existing permanent supportive housing projects, and the pre-development of two permanent supportive housing projects. Successful efforts by the Governor and the General Assembly to increase the Virginia Housing Trust Fund allowed 16 additional projects totaling $1.1 million in funding to be awarded this fiscal year. Projects receiving grants impacting the City of Falls Church include the Shelter House, New Hope Housing and Cornerstones. Since 2010, overall homelessness in Virginia has decreased 34 percent, and homelessness among families has decreased 44 percent. Homelessness among veterans has decreased 48 percent since 2011, and in 2015, Virginia became the first state in the country to functionally end veteran homelessness.
The Arlington County Board is pushing to rename Route 1 in the county to eliminate its reference to a pro-slavery Confederate figure, according to a report in Arlington Now. Last month, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring ruled that Arlington the ability to request the change from the Commonwealth Transportation Board, bypassing the need to win a change from the Virginia legislature. In light ot the ruling the county board is wasting no time moving to change the name, with a vote scheduled for its April 25 meeting next week. It is expected the board will vote to change the name to Richmond Highway, following the lead taken by the City of Alexandria last year.
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News-Press
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Community News & Notes Application Deadline for F.C. City Youth Reps is April 22 Citizens for a Better City (CBC) launches its application process for year six of the Falls Church City Youth Representatives on City Boards, Commissions and Civic Groups. The youth Representatives Initiative was started by CBC in 2014 in an effort to involve the City’s youth in local government, support Boards & Commissions and promote civic leadership development. Applications are now available at George Mason High School and online at fallschurchcbc.net for any student interested in serving on a City Board or Commission or
on a participating Civic Groups’ Board. The deadline for application submissions is Monday, April 22. Interviews will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn (706 W Broad St., Falls Church) on April 26 – 30. Thirty-two Mason students are currently serving on these City Boards, Commissions and Civic Groups — the Arts & Humanities Council, the Advisory Committee for Recreation & Parks, the Human Services Advisory Committee, the Historical Commission, the Tree Commission, the Citizens Advisory Council on Transportation, the Environmental Sustainability Council, the Library Board, the Economic Development Authority, the Falls
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN members Martha Trunk (left) & Kristan McMahon helped prepare thousands of donated books for AAUW’s used book sale this past weekend. AAUW must locate new storage space or be forced to discontinue its annual scholarship fundraising sale after this year’s event. Anyone interested in helping AAUW meet this need is encourage to contact Becky Gaul at beckygaul@verizon.net or 703-608-9121. (Photo: Courtesy Becky Gaul)
Church Education Foundation, the Falls Church League of Women Voters, the Village Preservation & Improvement Society, the Falls Church Democratic Committee, Citizens for a Better City and, next year, the Electoral Board. For more information on how to apply or general questions, contact Sally Ekfelt at Ekfelt@gmail. com or by calling 571-205-1950.
McLean Art Society Meeting on April 26 Gavin Glakas, a well known local artist, will be the presenter at the Friday, April 26 meeting of the Mclean Art Society from 10 a.m. – noon at the Mclean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean). Glakas will be bringing his own model and demonstrating
portraiture. Guests are welcome. For more information, call 703790-0123.
Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 27 On Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., the City of Falls Church Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to the Community Center (223 Little Falls St., Falls Church) during this event. Note that the DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The
service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Last October, Americans turned in over 914,236 pounds of unwanted medicines through over 5,839 collection sites nationwide. In Virginia alone, 22,345 pounds of unwanted medicines were collected at 191 sites state-wide. This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addi-
CELEBRATING HIS RECEPTION of the Steve Sprague Award for Affordable Housing Advocacy was Julio Idrobo (second from left) with Team News-Press. Fun fact: Idrobo actually helped start the award some years ago, so it’s safe to say his master plan of winning it has finally come to frution. But seriously, congratulations Julio! (Photo: News-Press)
Send Us Your News & Notes!
The News-Press is always on the lookout for photos & items for Community News & Notes, School News & Notes and other sections of the paper. If you graduate, get married, get engaged, get an award, start a club, eat a club, tie your shoes, have a birthday, have a party, host an event or anything else you think is worth being mentioned in the News-Press, write it up and send it to us! If you have a photo, even better! Because of the amount of submissions we receive, we cannot guarantee all submissions will be published, but we’ll try our best!
Community News & Notes: newsandnotes@fcnp.com | School News & Notes: schoolnews@fcnp.com Mail: News & Notes, Falls Church News-Press, 200 Little Falls St. #508, Falls Church, VA 22046
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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rE o f s u n Joi
APRIL 18 – 24, 2019 | PAGE 11
aster Sunda y! April 21st
6:30 a.m. - Celebrate the resurrection of
our Lord Jesus Christ at our Sunrise Service in the Memorial Garden adjacent to Noland Street parking lot. 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary, with special music at each service. Be sure to bring flowers to place on the living cross on the front lawn. Childcare provided at the 8:30 and 11 a.m. services.
Dulin Church United Methodist THE BASIS INDEPENDENT MCLEAN (BIM) MATHCOUNTS team placed first in the MATHCOUNTS 2019_Dulin Easter ad_3.8x4.indd state championships in Richmond, Va. recently; this is BIM’s third time participating and winning in the annual statewide MATHCOUNTS competition. (From left to right): Coach Tyler Sullivan,, 8th grader Sam Wang, 8th grader Brian Lai, 7th grader Max Yang and 8th grader Ethan Zhou (P����: C������� BASIS I���������� M�L���)
tion, Americans are advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards. For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 27 Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website: www.deadiversion.usdoj. gov/drug_disposal/takeback/ index.html.
Vietnam Veterans Meeting At Glory Days Tonight The Vietnam Veterans of America chapter 227 will hold its monthly meeting on April 18 at Glory Days Grill (6341 Columbia Pike, Falls Church) at 7:30 p.m. The meeting’s speaker is Ellen Shannon, Area Director, National Capital Area Chapter, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, who will discuss the signs of people contemplating suicide and the steps to take for prevention. The predisposition for suicide is increasing among current military personnel and veterans. Military veterans are 1.5 times more likely to take their lives than non-veterans. Some research cites that 20 veterans a day commit suicide. Spouses and friends are always
welcomed. Members can bring a fellow Vietnam veteran or a new generation veteran with them. The book, “In Honor and Memory” that lists and describes U.S. and Allied military installations in South Vietnam and Southeast Asia, is available for viewing. See Bill Dumsick. Plus the traditional 50/50 raffle includes cash and an artistic hand carved wooden bowl by George Jones.
Esteemed Pianist Performs Recital at St. Patrick’s Sara Daneshpour is one of the most sought after pianists and will be performing as a part of the Odeon Chamber Music series on Sunday, April 28 at 4 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church (3241 Brush Drive, Falls Church). Daneshpour was 3rd prizewinner of the 2017 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition, and prizewinner in many other notable international competitions. Her virtuosity, artistry, colors and beauty of her sound will be evident in her performance. The program for her recital is as follows — “Prelude & Fugue in g minor” / J.S. Bach; “Transcription on Sleeping Beauty” / Tchaikovsky & Pletnev; “Sonata in F major” / Mozart; “Barcarolle” / Chopin; “Gnomenreigen” / Liszt and “Etude-tableau op. 39 no.1” / Rachmaninoff.
Admission is free, but a donation of $20 is suggested. A wine and cheese reception will follow the concert. For more information, visit odeonchambermusicseries.org or e-mail Mariko Hiller at marikohiller@gmail.com.
Second Self Defense Class At Temple Rodef Shalom Women of all ages and fitness levels are invited to participate in part two of a self-defense workshop taught by Arlington County police officers (no prior experience necessary) on Wednesday, April 29 from 7 – 9:30 p.m. at the Temple Rodef Shalom (2100 Westmoreland St., Falls Church). Attendees will learn self-defense tips and practice hands-on demos. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothes and sneakers for this interactive program. Light refreshments will be served at the event. Cost is $5 for Women of Temple Rodef Shalom members and $7 for non-members. Interested attendees must RSVP by April 26. RSVP at eventbrite.com/e/womens-selfdefense-workshop-part-2-tickets-53368261908 For more information, contact Stephanie Husik Tebor at stephanieteborphd@verizon.net or by calling 703-508-4836.
1
513 E Broad Street • Fall Church 703-532-8060 dulinchurch.org
4/5/19 7:40 AM
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CO MME NT
A Penny for Your Thoughts
News of Greater Falls Church By Supervisor Penny Gross
Happy Spring Break! Easter is “late” this year, which might ensure better weather for egg hunts and Easter finery, but the later date also means that traditional springtime community events vie for calendar time. Many faiths use a lunar calendar to chart religious observances and, according to a centuriesold ecclesiastical dictum, the date for Easter is determined as the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. Easter can be as early as March 22, or as late as April 25 (the Greek Orthodox Easter is one week later this year, on April 28). Regardless of the date, Easter signals a rebirth of faith, values, and a reawakening in the community after a long, cold winter. Last Saturday, youth picked up supplies at the Woodrow Wilson Library, and fanned out across the community in small teams to clean up neighborhoods of litter during the 17th annual Culmore Cleanup. Community sponsors provide cleanup supplies, snacks, and T-shirts for the volunteers who spent their Saturday morning working to beautify neighborhoods. The 2019 sponsors included Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Wegmans, Anthem Healthkeepers, United Health Care, Second Story and La Madeleine. For many of the children, Culmore Cleanup was their first volunteer experience, and a start on the pathway to future community activities. Sunday evening, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bailey’s Crossroads hosted a remembrance of persons who died while homeless in our community. The interfaith service, especially appropriate for Holy Week, was highlighted by prayers in English, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic, along with a candle lighting and musical selection by the NoVa Lights Chorale. I had the privilege of reading the names of 25 homeless persons who had died in our community, each name punctuated by a haunting bell in the hands of music director Anna Ko. Many thanks to St. Paul’s pastor, Rev. Elizabeth Tomlinson, who
organized the remembrance. On Monday, April 22, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is hosting a community meeting to update residents about a proposed walkway along Sleepy Hollow Road. FCDOT staff has been working with affected property owners, and will present adjusted configurations for the project. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m., at the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike in Annandale. Saturday, April 27, will be an especially busy day in our community. The annual Culmore Multicultural Day will be held from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Woodrow Wilson Library, 6101 Knollwood Drive in Falls Church. Admission is free, and there will be lots of activities for the entire family, along with live entertainment on the Showmobile stage. At 3 p.m., Sopranessence will present Kindred Spirits, a musical benefit concert celebrating friendship and love, at Convergence, 1801 North Quaker Lane in Alexandria. Sopranessence is an all-female vocal ensemble, including Mason District residents, dedicated to “rebooting classical music” through innovative arrangements and programming of music typically thought of as stuffy or distant. Half of the proceeds will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. For more information, visit www.sopranessence.org. All day, volunteers will make repairs to selected homes of needy residents as part of the Rebuilding Together program. Volunteers teams from local businesses and faith communities band together to paint, repair, do yard work, build access ramps, and much more to make daily life a little easier for the residents. Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.
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have prediabetes. person-ABOUT-TOFACT-CHECK-THIS-FACT.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Delegate Marcus Simon’s
Richmond Report Earlier this month the Virginia General Assembly reconvened for one day to consider the legislation vetoed and amended by the Governor, including the budget bill. This year the Governor was able to use language amendments in the budget to bypass House GOP leadership and accomplish some important bipartisan policy objectives. Legislation to end the practice of suspending driver’s licenses over unpaid court costs and fees passed the Senate in a bipartisan fashion during the regular session but was killed by six legislators on the Criminal Law subcommittee in the House of Delegates. Many advocates on both ends of the political spectrum agree that this practice puts many low-income Virginians in an untenable situation. Individuals are unable to get to work to earn the money to pay the fines they need to get their driving privileges restored so they can go to work to earn the money to pay the fines. This year the Governor added language to the budget prohibiting this unfair practice for the rest of the biennium. We also added $4 million in additional support for the Virginia Affordable Housing Trust Fund to address homelessness. Another budget amendment passed creates a dedicated revenue source for transportation improvements throughout the state, including additional funding for the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to replace some of what a bill diverted to Metro last session. Those were the highlights. Unfortunately, there were more than a few of the Governor’s recommendations that the House GOP defeated on the floor. Some noteworthy efforts that failed to pass: Efforts to tackle the growing problem of distracted driving and the public safety threat it poses were frustrated by a controversial procedural ruling made by Speaker Kirk Cox. Earlier this session both the House and Senate passed a bipartisan hands-free law that would have simply made it illegal for anyone to hold a phone in their hand while operating a motor vehicle. This approach, the same one used in Maryland and Washington D.C., has the advantage of being able to be enforced objectively by the police, an issue of major concern to legislators concerned with the police using their discretion
to disproportionately pull over African American drivers. That approach was rejected in a conference committee by four legislators who amended the bill that passed the House and Senate to create an exception for talking on the phone. Concerned that such an exception would force police to decide whether someone was holding their phone to talk on it or for an unlawful purpose, like texting or surfing the web, a majority of legislators voted against passage of the bill on the House floor. The effort to pass a truly handsfree law was revived when the Governor proposed amending a bill prohibiting the use of phones in work zones to apply everywhere. Unfortunately, the Speaker ruled the amendment out of order. Regarding the budget, Republicans in the House and Senate defeated an amendment to include $1.5 million in the budget for census education and outreach to ensure a full and accurate census count. They also defeated an amendment to restore funding to the long acting reversible contraception pilot program to allow low income women access to this sort of contraception which is proven to reduce unintended pregnancies. An amendment restoring language authorizing expenditures for abortion services that are necessary to preserve the life of the pregnant woman, provided that every possible measure is taken to preserve the life of the unborn fetus. Finally, the House defeated the Governor’s amendment I argued for on the House floor that would have prevented the creation of a special Amazon incentive slush fund in which to divert $40 million worth of new sales tax revenue generated by the Commonwealth’s ability to tax all ecommerce transactions, even when the seller doesn’t have a physical presence in the state. We’ve been told the Amazon incentives are post-performance and will pay for themselves through additional income tax receipts. That said, I agreed with the Governor that we shouldn’t be taking money away from transportation and education to start squirreling it away to make payments to Amazon in the future. Delegate Simon represents the 53rd District in the Virginia House of Delegates. He may be emailed at DelMSimon@house.virginia.gov
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
A Black Hole & The City of Lights
Twice in less than a week, the front pages of the nation’s two premier newspapers, the New York Times and the Washington Post, were filled by large photographs dominated by a virtually-identical orange-yellow hue. On Thursday, April 11, the photos were of something out of the Lord of the Rings films, the giant fiery Eye of Sauron, the epitome of pure evil. But it was no fantasy, it was the first ever real photograph of the entry to a Black Hole at the heart of a galaxy 55 million light years from earth. “Peering Into Light’s Graveyard: The First Image of a Black Hole,” was the Times’ headline, noting that a novel linking together of antennas around the globe enabled the earth FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS to be turned into a telescope in order to capture the incredible image. The bright colors in the photograph, ranging from dark orange to bright yellow around a black center, altogether in the shape of a donut, as it were, was of the obliteration of all matter, including light, that is being sucked into the Black Hole. For persons who make it a point to cultivate mindfulness of the role of our planet in the context of a universe so unimaginably vast, the image is downright stunning, awesome and fearsome. Scientists, being scientists, resolutely avoid any moral or spiritual suggestions associated with observations of the cosmos. To them, in their commendable objectivity, it matters only if it is there or not, and they’re plenty excited to establish that what has been theorized for so long has now been caught on camera. Black Holes exist. It is for the rest of us, the beneficiaries of the work of such scientists, to wonder about the meaning and significance of such phenomena that are part of an unbroken continuum of existence that includes you, I and the cat. Yes, we on earth are participants in the same unbroken expanse of the universe as that Black Hole looming out there. In one way or another, we are being impacted, if seemingly ever so minutely, by the existence of that thing. It is pulling on us. It wants to suck us in and evaporate us. It may not have a mind, per se, and therefore not be doing it intentionally, but it is part of the same cosmos where minds — yours, mine, the cat’s — do exist that can and do contemplate such things. It may be a long way off, but even driving coast to coast, or worse, taking a Greyhound bus, can seem like it takes forever, but sooner or later around one last turn the Golden Gate bridge battling a fog bank comes into view. It’s because time, as our friend Albert Einstein noted, is relative, and this week’s photographic Black Hole evidence proved his relativity theory’s operativity more than ever. It’s like the time space between last Thursday’s front page photos and the ones from this Tuesday, the orange-yellow ones with cloudy white smoke included, showing an 800 year old icon, arguably the world’s most impressive and dominant representation of our humanity’s intentionality and potential, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Call us People of the Light. The cathedral is in the City of Lights. Our purpose is for light, for creation, to prevail. On the Notre Dame calamity, it is as if from somewhere in the universe a laser flaming arrow was sent into the very heart of what we as a species deem the root of our moral and poetic existence, as if to signal a dire warning that the failure to stop the ascent of our dark side, to stop Trump and such madness as the next step in it, will end this planet. I can see no other purpose for such a wanton, timely and momentous event. Science is only beginning to discover mysterious realities of this universe, including phenomena like “entangled particles” that Einstein called “spooky action at a distance.” “Entangled” photons can transfer states between them spontaneously despite great distances, according to science, “taking place at a speed of at least 10,000 times the speed of light, possibly even instantaneously, regardless of distance.”
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Nicholas F. Benton
Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.
Our Man in Arlington By Charlie Clark
It’s a balancing act like nothing our thoroughfares have seen. The proliferation of rentable scooters, e-bikes and dockless bicycles on county streets challenges riders to get where they’re going without tipping onto a hard surface. At the same time, Arlington’s transport and environmental regulators — dovetailing with an exploding list of high-tech companies pushing two-wheeled-product — must balance 21st-century travel efficiency against safety risks to all. Explorers of this unmapped territory gathered April 10 at Arlington’s Committee of 100 for an update — halfway through the county’s nine-month study on how to civilize this transport revolution. The challenges come as 100 cities have instituted some form of ban on “shared mobility devices,” and two months after state legislation gave localities authority to set standards. Arlington joined Capital Bikeshare in 2010, and last fall it began giving permits to seven scooter companies: Bird, Bolt, JUMP, Lime, Lyft, Skip and Spin. The technology allows folks to use apps and credit cards on their smartphones to grab — spur of the moment — scooters or bikes stationed at “corrals” at key locations or just lying where the last users abandoned them. The average ride is 1.4 miles, $3-4 per, according to Reid Teschner, government partnership manager for Santa Monica, Calif.-based Bird scooter. He portrays scooters as an “afford-
able option” that promotes clean energy and allows users to conquer the “first and last mile problem” — transport to a destination too far for walking but too close for driving. Since monitoring began in Arlington last year, there have been 27 “collisions,” reported Jim Larsen, bureau chief of Arlington County Commuter Services. Riders fell, got hit by cars or hit a parked car, while four pedestrians suffered “minor cuts and abrasions,” he said. “They don’t track this kind of thing in the E.R.,” and “the insurance industry hasn’t really caught up,” Larsen said. Helmets are not required in Virginia, though “we encourage them.” Police have limited resources for nabbing violators who violate the 10 mph speed limit for scooters, the rule against riding on sidewalks or trails, or riding underage. During the study being coordinated regionally, Larsen said, the county charges companies an $8,000 permit fee for staff time and a $5,000 surety bond. He encourages citizens to send in reactions, good and bad. Shared mobility devices “give people options,” notably when Metro is down, said Alex Held, public engagement specialist at the Environmental Services Department. As his team updates the decade-old country transportation master plan, these modern conveyances that go beyond just painted bike lanes can be “integrated into the greater transportation system,” he said. Bad behavior (dumping a scooter where pedestrians trip over it) would decrease with education and an
equitable approach that services all neighborhoods and “persons of all ages and abilities.” Complaints from the audience described 40 discarded scooters bunched on Columbia Pike, which prevented one homeowner from backing out of her driveway. Teschner, whose company has given away 6,500 helmets, said safety efforts include an app tutorial and 24/7 support. “It’s constantly evolving and we’re learning along the way,” he added. “In any transportation form, there will always be bad actors.” Committee of 100 Chair Tamon Honda noted, “When cars were introduced, there were problems with horses and people not being aware of the dangers of speed and crossing not at the intersection.” I guess that worked out, mostly. *** Another old church building down. Nearly two years after demolition of Arlington Presbyterian on Columbia Pike, the 70-year-old sanctuary housing the Rivendell School at 5700 Lee Highway is meeting the wrecking ball. The Christian private academy (150 students K-8) named for a valley in J.R.R. Tolkien novels will continue on the site, I’m told by staff. Headmaster Byron List invited alums for a last visit to the building purchased in 1989 from Christ United Methodist Church. “Rivendell School will no longer be a reconfigured church building, but a school building,” his newsletter said. That same land “will retain its calling to be a place where the truth of the Gospel is declared boldly.”
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APRIL 18 – 24, 2019 | PAGE 15
B������� N��� � N���� Arc Hosting F.C. Chamber Mixer During Autism Awareness Month The Arc of Northern Virginia is hosting a networking mixer during Autism Awareness Month for the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce, friends of the business community, and those interested in learning more about the Arc’s programs and services for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their families. The event will take place Tuesday, April 23 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at the Arc of Northern Virginia, 2755 Hartland Rd Suite 200, in the Merrifield section of Falls Church. For more information or to register for this free event, visit www.FallsChurchChamber.org.
F.C. Home & Garden Tour Set for April 28 The 2019 Falls Church Home and Garden Tour will take place Sunday, April 28 from 1 – 5 p.m. Tour participants will have the opportunity to visit eight homes and gardens in Falls Church City. Numerous local businesses are featured sponsors, including Rock Star Realty Group – Tori McKinney and Cottage Street Homes (joint Platinum Sponsor); Moore Architects (Gold Sponsor); Beyer Auto, Coupard Architects and Builders, DuBro Architects + Builders, The Gaskins Team, GTM Architects, Hemphill and Associates Architects/Builders, and The Railroad Cottages (Silver Sponsors); Batu Homes and Remodeling, Botanologica, Colin Storm/ Keller Williams, GreenBuilt Homes, and Meadows Farms Nurseries and Landscaping (Bronze Sponsors). Proceeds will support the Falls Church City Public Schools, through the Falls Church Education Foundation. Visit www.fcedf.org for more information or to purchase tickets.
Grace Christian Academy Hosting 3rd Annual Gala Grace Christian Academy will host its third annual gala on Sunday, April 28 at 6 p.m. at the McLean Hilton. The event will benefit the school’s tuition assistance program which helps children from low-income families obtain a quality education in a Christian setting. The evening will include a cocktail reception, a silent auction, an invocation by Pastor Kevin Wattles, a sit-down dinner, performances by the Grace Christian Academy scholars, a presentation by Principal Patrick Hurley, a live auction, and a keynote address by Sally Lloyd-Jones, author of “The Jesus Storybook Bible.” The master of ceremonies will be motivational speaker Michael Botts of the Michael Botts Experience. For more information about the event or Grace Christian Academy, visit www.graceva.org.
Digital Marketing Agency Moves to Little Falls Street MtoM Consulting has moved its office to 200 Little Falls Street in Falls Church. MtoM is a boutique digital marketing agency that works with clients of all sizes ranging from home-based start-ups to Fortune 500 clients. MtoM helps businesses connect, influence, and engage online through social media, influencer marketing, digital content, and advertising. For more information about this business, owned and operated by digital thought leader, founder and CEO Christine Wilson, visit mtomconsulting.com/#team. 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.
NOTICE OF PROPOSED REAL PROPERTY TAX INCREASE (TO19-04) ORDINANCE SETTING THE RATE OF TAX LEVY ON REAL ESTATE FOR TAX YEAR 2020 AND ON PERSONAL PROPERTY, MACHINERY AND TOOLS AND ALL OTHER PROPERTY SEGREGATED BY LAW FOR LOCAL TAXATION IN THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH VIRGINIA FOR TAX YEAR 2019 The City of Falls Church proposes to increase property tax levies. 1. Assessment Increase. Total assessed value of real property, excluding additional assessments due to new construction or improvements to property, exceeds last year’s total assessed value of real property by 2.28 percent. 2. Lowered Rate Necessary to Offset Increased Assessment. The tax rate which would levy the same amount of real estate tax as last year, when multiplied by the new total assessed value of real estate with the exclusions mentioned above would be $1.325 per $100 of assessed value. This rate will be known as the “lowered tax rate”. 3. Effective Rate Increase. The City of Falls Church proposes to adopt a tax rate of $1.355 per $100 of assessed value. The difference between the lowered tax rate and the proposed rate would be $0.03 per $100, or 2.26 percent. This difference will be known as the “effective tax rate increase”. Individual property taxes may, however, increase at a percentage greater than or less than the above percentage. 4. Proposed Total Budget Increase. Based on the proposed real property tax rate and changes in other revenues, the total budget of the City of Falls Church will exceed last year’s by 7.24 percent.
Jacob Sanchez Diagnosed with autism
Public hearings on the increase will be held on April 8 and April 22, 2019 at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as they may be heard, in the Community Center, Senior Center, 223 Little Falls St., Falls Church, Virginia. The hearings shall be open to the public. The City Council will permit persons desiring to be heard an opportunity to present oral testimony within such reasonable time limits as shall be determined by the City Council. For copies of legislation, contact the City Clerk's office at (703-248-5014) or cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov or visit www.fallschurchva.gov. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5014 (TTY 711).
Lack of speech is a sign of autism. Learn the others at autismspeaks.org/signs.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
JENNIFER LEE (fourth from right) won the Support Staff of the Year Award (Operational) for her work as a food services manager for Falls Church City Public Schools., and was presented with a $1,000 check as a result. See other winners and prizes below. (P����: FCCPS P����/M������� C�������)
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S����� N��� � N���� All Night Grad Registration & Tickets Now Live Attention parents of seniors: Registration is now open for the 2019 All Night Grad Celebration. Through Sunday, April 21, tickets are $30; on April 22, tickets will go up to $40. Financial scholarships are available; parents should contact their child’s counselor for more info. Graduation is June 5 at 5 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, and the All Night Grad Celebration starts at 10:45 p.m. at George Mason High School. The All Night Grad Celebration will wrap up by 5 a.m. on June 6.
Prize Patrol Gives Out Checks Before Spring Break
MAKE YOUR PET A STAR! Snap a pic of your critter and email it to:
CRITTERCORNER@FCNP.COM or mail it to Critter Corner c/o Falls Church News-Press 200 Little Falls St. #508 Falls Church, Va 22046
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The Prize Patrol made the rounds to Falls Church City Public Schools before Spring Break to present checks and congratulations to the following people selected for this year’s highest recognition in these categories: • Marc Robarge — Falls Church Education Foundation Teacher of the Year, Art Teacher, George Mason High School • Carol Seaver — Professional Specialist of the Year, School Counselor, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
• Jennifer Lee — Support Staff Employee of the Year (Operational), Food Services Manager, Food Service Dept. and Bus Aide, Transportation • Norma Sorto — Support Staff Employee of the Year (Classroom), Special Education Paraprofessional, Jefferson Elementary At the same time, two Apple Federal Credit Union Beginning Teacher Awardees were recognized: • Molly Greer — Beginning Teacher, 7th Grade English, Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School • Katherine Hicks — Beginning Teacher, 4th Grade, Jefferson Elementary These people, and all the outstanding nominees, will be recognized at the Celebration of Excellence on Monday, May 6 at 4:30 p.m. in Henderson’s (7130 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church) cafetorium. Everyone is invited to attend.
IB & AP Testing Requesting Volunteers The IB and AP testing season runs from May 3 – 24. The help of parent volunteers are needed to fill the 77 slots to make the testing a success. Note: volunteers do not need to have a student enrolled
in an IB or AP class to volunteer. There are 2-hour and 3-hour slots beginning at 8 a.m. Testing is held at both George Mason High School and at the Virginia Tech/ University of Virginia Northern Virginia Center next to Mason’s campus. Sign up at signupgenius. com/go/60b084baba82ca1fc1ibandap for one or more slots.
Fairfax Schools Odyssey of Mind Competition Results Students from six Fairfax County public schools earned top honors at the 2019 Virginia Odyssey of the Mind state tournament held last weekend in Manassas Park. First and second place teams from the state competition will advance to the world competition in May at Michigan State University. Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving program for students in kindergarten through college. Local first place winners are: Structure Toss, Division II – Cooper Middle School. Other local winners include: OMER to the Rescue Again, Division I — Glen Forest Elementary, second place and Opposites Distract, Division I — Haycock Elementary, second place.
SPO RTS
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
APRIL 18 – 24, 2019 | PAGE 17
Mason Girls Get Clean Sweep in 2 Bull Run Contests BY MATT DELANEY
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
Picking up steam as the season hovers around the midway point, George Mason High School’s girls soccer team nabbed two wins prior to its spring break this week. By making quick work of Rappahannock County High School in an 8-0 win and grinding out a 3-0 victory over Bull Run District rival Strasburg High School, the Mustangs (5-2-1) are showing signs of the gradual ascent that they hope will end with a 12th straight Virginia Class 2 state title. The defense is holding strong thanks to an agile back line that’s allowing junior goalkeeper Josie Shaw to ease into her first year starting. And the midfield and forwards are staying active by keeping the offense moving fluidly and creating scoring chances. It’s culminated in a short surge that Mason looks to continue after the break concludes. “We’re young as far as starters go — only five returning after graduating seven — but the fact that we’re keeping most teams
JUNIOR DEFENDER Helen Morris has been seeing some action in the �inal third of the �ield with a goal and an assist in Mason’s last two games. (P����: C���� S��) off the scoreboard with three of our four defenders being new, I’m pretty proud of them,” head coach Leah Partridge said. Against Rappahannock County on Friday, Mason adapted to some late schedule changes well. The varsity match took over the typical junior varsity time slot 5:30 p.m. due to a fear of thunderstorms. Still, Mason looked fresh as ever in their send-off before
their week-long sabbatical. Freshman midfielder Zoraida Icabalceta sent a through ball to junior forward Emma Rollins, who finished it within the first two minutes of the match. Four minutes later, Rollins paid back Icabalceta in full with a feed for the freshman’s first goal of the game. Icabalceta tallied her second assist when she connected with junior forward Gabriela Stevens to make
it 3-0 for Mason under 10 minutes into the game. The scoring slowed for most of the rest of the half until senior midfielder Maddie Lacroix connected with fellow senior midfielder Kristen Kay on a drop pass that Kay scored from distance. To start the second half, Rollins added her second on the night with an unassisted run at the net. Junior midfielder Maddie Mamajek helped Icabalceta score her second
goal of the game just two minutes later to put the Mustangs up 6-0. Coming up from the back line, junior defender Helen Morris finished a cross from sophomore forward Emilia Cipriano within the first 10 minutes of the second half. Lacroix would assist Icabalceta’s hat trick moments later, and the game would end early due to the goal deficit. Against Strasburg on April 9, Mason engaged in a more defensive battle. The back third of the field was stiff by only allowing one shot on goal. Meanwhile, the offense met strong resistance navigating the Rams’ own defensive front. Rollins set up fellow forward Stevens’ opening goal 10 minutes in, but the Mustangs wouldn’t score again until the 56th minute when Lacroix’s through ball found Icabalceta near the end line. Morris sent a cross to junior midfielder Dani Valderrama-Avila with a few minutes left to complete the game’s goal total. Mason will return to the pitch at home on Tuesday to face Madison County High School
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
FALLS CHURCHCALENDAR COMMUNITYEVENTS THURSDAY, APRIL 18 Teen Paint Along. Paint “happy little trees” or whatever attendees please as the group fires up some vintage Bob Ross videos on YouTube. For Grades 6-12, registration requested. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 7 – 8 p.m. 703-248-5034.
SATURDAY, APRIL 20 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). 8 a.m. – noon. 703-248-5034. Easter Egg Hunt. Ages 11 and under can hunt for candy and
special eggs in Cherry Hill Park, followed by photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny. Interested attendees are requested to bring their own basket. Attendees are also encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early as the eggs typically go very quickly. Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave., Falls Church). 10 – 11 a.m. 703-248-5077.
ences of any age, many enhanced by instruments like guitar, glockenspiel, kazoo, foot tambourines and limberjack. No registration required. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 11 – 11:45 a.m. 703-2485034.
Natural Egg Dyeing Open House. Interested attendees will learn to decorate Easter eggs the oldfashioned way by using natural dye. Materials are supplied at this event. Cost is $5 per person. Call 703-248-5171 (TTY 711) for reservations and more information. Cherry Hill Farmhouse (312 Park Ave., Falls Church). 10 a.m. – noon.
Preschool Storytime. Stories and fun for ages 0-5. Drop-in. All storytimes are followed by playtime with the Early Literacy Center toys. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 10:30 – 11 a.m. 703-248-5034.
Sing Books with Emily. A singing storytime with illustrated songs. Emily’s repertoire includes hundreds of songs to delight audi-
MONDAY, APRIL 22
Playtime with Early Literacy Center Toys. Explore educational and manipulative items (aka toys) to teach early literacy through play. Ages birth to 5 years. No registration required. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 11 a.m. –
noon. 703-248-5034.
TUESDAY, APRIL 23 Great Books Discussion. A “Great Books” discussion concentrating on literary classics (both traditional and modern). This meeting’s book is “Road to Serfdom,” by Friedrich Hayek. Open to all and no registration required. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 7 – 8:30 p.m. 703-248-5034.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24 Early Release Wednesday: Bill Nye Sit’n Science. This month’s topic for the Sit’n Science: “Storms & Weather.” For grades K-5, registration required. For more information, contact the Youth Services desk by phone or in person. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 3 – 4 p.m. 703-248-5034.
THEATER&ARTS
FRIDAY, APRIL 19 “Grand Hotel.” It is 1928 and Berlin is at the center of a razzledazzle world between two wars. At the bustling Grand Hotel a series of eclectic guests and staff including a fading ballerina, a destitute baron, a wannabe-starlet typist, and an ailing bookkeeper collide in a non-stop musical toast to the high life. Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer reunites the team behind “A Little Night Music” for this musical. Signature Theatre (420 Campbell Ave., Arlington). $87. 8 p.m. sigtheatre.com.
SATURDAY, APRIL 20 “Ghost-Writer.” In this haunting love story, novelist Franklin Woolsey dies mid-sentence — but his secretary, Myra, continues to take dictation. Attacked by the skeptical press and Woolsey’s jealous widow, Myra sets out to prove she’s more than just an artful forger. Is she trying to steal Woolsey’s legacy now that she cannot have his love, or might
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she truly possess a gift the world can’t understand? Writer’s Center (4508 Walsh St., Chevy Chase, Md.) $20 – $35. 2 p.m. quotidiantheatre.org.
“Native Son.” Suffocating in ratinfested poverty on the South Side of Chicago in the 1930s, 20-yearold Bigger Thomas struggles to find a place for himself in a world whose prejudice has shut him out. After taking a job in a wealthy white man’s house, Bigger unwittingly unleashes a series of events that violently and irrevocably seal his fate. Adapted with theatrical ingenuity by Chicago’s own Nambi E. Kelley, this play captures the power of Richard Wright’s novel for a whole new generation. Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H Street NE, Washington, D.C.) $20 – $65. 8 p.m. mosaictheatre.org.
SUNDAY, APRIL 21 “columbinus.” Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the tragic 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, this docudrama combines fact and fiction to illuminate the dark realities of adolescence. Weaving together excerpts of real interviews with parents, survivors, and community leaders and powerful characterizations of contemporary teens, “columbinus” thoughtfully explores the Columbine shooting and the conversations that continue to this day. 1st Stage Theatre (1524 Spring Hill Rd.,Tysons) $39. 8 p.m. 1ststagetysons.edu.
LIVEMUSIC THURSDAY, APRIL 18 Brook Yoder. Clare and Don’s Beach Shack. (130 North Washington St., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-532-9283. John Trupp. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 6:30 p.m. 703-237-8333. John Craigie with Brad Parson (solo). Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 8 p.m. 703-255-1566. Stephen
Kellogg
with
Pete
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Muller. Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). $25 – $35. 8 p.m. 703255-1900. Thrillbillys. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.
FRIDAY, APRIL 19 Dan & Chuck. Clare and Don’s Beach Shack. (130 North Washington St., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-532-9283. Happy Hour: Shartel and Hume Duo. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-241-9504. Mindy Gledhill — Rabbit Hole Tour with Nymph. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $18 – $20. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566. The Dramatics featuring L.J. Reynolds. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $49.50. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500. The Secret Sisters with Brian Dunne. Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd. Vienna). $25. 8 p.m. 703-2551900. Suburban Curfew (Debut Performance). Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington St. A, Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-8589186. Wicked Jezabel. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-241-9504. Damion Wolfe. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.
SATURDAY, APRIL 20 Karl Stoll Power Trio. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-2419504. Shenandoah Run Live. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20 – $25. 6:30 p.m. 703-2551566. Rob Schneider. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria). $45 – $100. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500.
DAMION WOLFE will be at Dogwood Tavern tomorrow. (Photo: Facebook.com/DamionWolfe) Fest Rock featuring Octavia, Los Bolitas and Tres Minutos. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $42 – $52. 8 p.m. 703-237-0300. 80s/90s Dance Party with DJ Mark Toler. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington St. A, Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-858-9186. Roger Girke Blues Trio. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-2419504. 4:20 Late Night Party with The Last Rewind with Special Guest Radii. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10 – $20. 10 p.m. 703-255-1566. 2 From the Heart. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.
SUNDAY, APRIL 21 Andrew Acosta. JV’s Restaurant
(6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 1 p.m. 703-241-9504. Josh Allen Doubleheader with guests until Midnight. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4:30 p.m. 703-2419504. Game of Thrones Final Season Showing. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington St. A, Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-858-9186. Starryville, TBA. Galaxy Hut (2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $5. 9 p.m. 703-525-8646.
MONDAY, APRIL 22 Martin Barre Celebrates 50 Years of Jethro Tull. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $45. 7:30 p.m. 703549-7500. Peppino D’Agostino. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566.
Wolf Blues Jam Weekly Show. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.
TUESDAY, APRIL 23 Direct from Hungary: Söndörgő. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $20. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566. Mark Wenner & The Blues Warriors. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504. Majestic: Weekly LGBTQ Night & Drag Show. Diva Lounge (6763 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 571-234-2045.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24 An Evening with Guitar Wizard, Preston Reed Live and In Concert. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20 – $25. 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 | APRIL 18 - 24, 2019
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Public Notice CITY OF FALLS CHURCH VIRGINIA PUBLIC NOTICE PLANNING COMMISSION On Monday, May 6, 2019 at 7:30 p.m., the Planning Commission will hold a public meeting in the Mary Ellen Henderson
Cafetorium, located at 7130 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22043 to consider and make recommendations to the City Council on the following items: (TR19-14) RESOLUTION APPROVING THE CONVEYANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 10.38 ACRES OF LAND BY THE FALLS CHURCH CITY SCHOOL BOARD TO THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH BEING A PORTION OF RPC 51-221-001 LOCATED AT 7124 LEESBURG PIKE AND (TR19-15) RESOLUTION APPROVING THE CONVEYANCE OF PARCELS A AND B APPROXIMATELY 9.97 ACRES BY THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH TO THE FALLS CHURCH CITY SCHOOL BOARD BEING RPCS 51-221-002 AND 51-221-003 LOCATED AT 7124 LEESBURG PIKE On Monday, May 13, 2019 at 7:30 p.m., the City Council will hold a public meeting in the Community Center, Senior Center, located at 223 Little Falls Street, Falls Church, VA to consider the same items (TR19-14 and TR19-15) described above. (Note: Meeting locations are subject to change due to City Hall renovations.) Information on the proposed exchange agreement can be viewed at City Hall at 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA, Monday through Friday (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). You may contact the Planning Division at plan@fallschurchva.gov with any questions or concerns. This location is fully accessible to persons with physical disabilities and special services or assistance may be requested in advance. (TTY 711)
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CITY COUNCIL CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
The ordinances referenced below were given first reading on March 25, 2019. Public hearings are scheduled for Monday, April 8 and Monday, April 22, 2019, with second reading and final Council action scheduled for Monday, April 22, 2019 at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matters may be heard. (TO19-02) ORDINANCE FIXING AND DETERMINING THE BUDGET OF EXPENDITURES AND REVENUES AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2020: GENERAL FUND; SCHOOL OPERATING FUND; SCHOOL COMMUNITY SERVICE FUND; SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE FUND; CABLE ACCESS FUND; SEWER FUND; AND STORMWATER FUND (TO19-03) ORDINANCE FIXING AND DETERMINING THE FY2020-FY2025 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM
BUDGET AND APPROPRIATING EXPENDITURE AND REVENUE FUNDS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2020 (TO19-04) ORDINANCE SETTING THE RATE OF TAX LEVY ON REAL ESTATE FOR TAX YEAR 2020 AND ON PERSONAL PROPERTY, MACHINERY AND TOOLS AND ALL OTHER PROPERTY SEGREGATED BY LAW FOR LOCAL TAXATION IN THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH VIRGINIA FOR TAX YEAR 2019 The proposed real estate tax rate for the tax year beginning July 1, 2019 is: $1.355 upon each $100.00 of assessed value of real estate in the City of Falls Church. The proposed tax rate for tangible personal property, and machinery and tools, and all other property segregated by law for the tax year beginning January 1, 2019 is: $5.00 upon each $100.00 of assessed value on tangible personal property, and machinery and tools, and all other property segregated by law for local taxation within the City, including the property separately classified by Section 58.1-3500 et seq. of the Code of Virginia except such personal property as is exempted; and except that pursuant to Section 58.12606 of the Code of Virginia, a portion of assessed value of tangible personal property of public service corporations shall be taxed at the real estate rate. All public hearings will be held in the in the Community Center, Senior Center, 223 Little Falls St., Falls Church, Virginia. For copies of legislation, contact the City Clerk’s office at (703-248-5014) or cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5014 (TTY 711) CELESTE HEATH, CITY CLERK
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We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-8530. Toll free call (888) 551-3247. For the hearing impaired call (804) 367-9753.
KIDS LOVE SCALLIWAG By Eileen Levy
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A RTS&E NTE RTA I NME NT
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Crossword
ACROSS
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Across
1. ____ crawl 4. Analyze, as ore 9. Some email attachments 13. Nonverbal communication, for short 14. Collins and Mickelson 15. Work (up) 16. ____ Paulo, Brazil 17. Message on a cake in “Alice in Wonderland” 18. ____ Paul, Emmy winner for “Breaking Bad” 19. Metamorphic rock named after a Dakota tribe 22. Quashes 23. Russian for “peace” 24. Like many users of sign language 27. Add oomph to something 32. “It’s f-f-freezing!” 34. Vacuum brand 36. Bombeck who wrote “Housework, if you do it right, will kill you” 37. “Vive le ____!” (old French cry) 38. They’re played with plectrums 41. Abbr. ending a company name 42. Motocross racers, for short 44. Egypt’s Sadat 45. Center of a poker table 46. Orange snacks in a red box 49. Competitor of Ivory and Coast 51. Crosses (out) 52. Clobber with snowballs, say 55. TLC reality series hosted by dermatologist Sandra Lee (who would definitely give her attention to 19-, 27-, 38- and 46-Across)
STRANGE BREW
1. ____ crawl
APRIL 18 – 24, 2019 | PAGE 21
62. “The roof of the world” 63. Singer with the 1999 #1 hit “If You Had My Love” 64. Myrna of “The Thin Man” 65. Mideast bigwig 66. Former Disney president Michael 67. “I’ll take that as ____” 68. A crane might hover over one 69. Tooth trouble 70. Yang’s opposite
DOWN
1. So last year 2. Bolt of lightning speed 3. Red Cross event 4. Top 5. NBA legend with a size 22 sneaker, informally 6. In ____ (as found) 7. ____ mater 8. French/Belgian river 9. Kansas expanse 10. Word before poor or cheap 11. Resting place for a polar bear 12. Many a presidential hopeful: Abbr. 18. Ansari of “Parks and Recreation” 20. “____ your head!” 21. Celebrity gossip site 25. Woodworking tool 26. “In case it’s of interest ...” 27. ____ Hopkins University 28. From scratch 29. Rare baseball event 30. “Let me think ... yeah, that’s dumb”
JOHN DEERING
Sudoku
31. Treaty 32. Bric-a-____ 33. Philip who wrote “Portnoy’s Complaint” 35. “Right now!,” to a surgeon 39. “Way cool!” 40. ____ Lanka 43. Authority on birds and bees? 47. Time, in Germany 48. Suffix with ideal 50. Google Maps, for one 53. Téa of “Madam Secretary” 54. Assess, as a dress 55. Cost of an old phone call 56. Ruth’s 2,214 57. Move doggedly 58. “A temporary insanity curable by marriage”: Ambrose Bierce 59. Grandiose 60. Org. that opened a Bob Barker building in 2012 61. Osbourne of Black Sabbath 62. J’s value in Words With Friends Last Thursday’s Solution
I D I E
N E X T
M U F T I
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N O B I X F I H O F F E I X T E V E A L A R M N O I A X L
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By The Mepham Group
Level 1 2 3 4
4. Analyze, as ore 9. Some email attachments 13. Nonverbal communication, for short 14. Collins and Mickelson 15. Work (up) 16. ____ Paulo, Brazil 17. Message on a cake in "Alice in Wonderland" 18. ____ Paul, Emmy winner for "Breaking Bad"
1
19. Metamorphic rock named after a Dakota tribe 22. Quashes 23. Russian for "peace" 24. Like many users of sign language 27. Add oomph to something
NICK KNACK
© 2019 N.F. Benton
Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle
1
4/21/19
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. © 2019 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
LO CA L
PAGE 22 | APRIL 18 – 24, 2019
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
20 s Yearo Ag
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.
BACK IN THE DAY
20 & 10 Years Ago in the News-Press Falls Church News-Press Vol. IX, No. 6 • April 22, 1999
Falls Church News-Press Vol. XIX, No. 8 • April 23, 2009
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 | 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
Neighbors to Get City Driving Permits
F.C. Council Calls Public Hearing Tonight, Budget Deadline Looms
A contingent of more than 50 unsettled citizens of the Fairfax County neighborhood sandwiched between HIllwood Avenue and Route 50 next to Falls Church assembled in Falls Church’s City Hall last night. Armed with a petition threatening to boycott Falls Church businesses, they protested the recent City policy of limiting access to streets connected to the county.
The Falls Church City Council has called a special public hearing for tonight, as it faces a Monday deadline on decisions required to balance the coming fiscal year budget. The hearing will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Council’s chambers at City Hall. As the Council struggles to limit the real estate tax, it’s narrowed its difficult choices to about $170,000.
F.C. Restaurateur, Wilson Whitney, Dies H. Wilson Whitney was born in Tyler, Texas on December 21, 1958 and lived in Texas until 1988. He grew up in the Tyler, Dallas and Houston areas. While studying Construction Engineering at Texas Tech University, he worked parttime at a barbecue restaurant in Lubbock. He was soon appointed Pit Master and became hooked on the industry. On leaving Tech, he was hired by Prufrock Restaurants and served as a shift manager, then a General Manager where he was responsible for opening several Black-Eyed Pea restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In 1988, he was promoted to Assistant Regional Manager for the Washington D.C. area where he had a major role as part of the expansion team that opened five Black-Eyed Peas in the area. In 1989, he became permanently committed to becoming an entrepreneur. He and two associates pooled their money to buy T.T. Reynolds restaurant in Fairfax. Wilson met his future wife, Alice Lima-Whitney, at T.T. Reynolds when she was a student at George Mason University. They married in October 1993. Wilson moved on from T.T. Reynolds in 1994 to pursue another venture with his brother, David Whitney. In 1994, Wilson secured a site along Washington’s U Street corridor, Republic Gardens, a relic from the “Black Broadway” days of the 1920s into the 1950s. He revived the name and operated Republic Gardens for about a year. He then met Marc Barnes who bought the restaurant from Wilson, renovated it and brought in his large following of party-goers as customers. Wilson and Marc remained in contact over the years as they each continued building businesses in the area.
Wilson then began searching for another restaurant. In 1996, Wilson and partners purchased an Italian restaurant at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and North Rhodes Street in Arlington. The name of this venue was promptly changed to Rhodeside Grill and continues to operate. His two operating partners at the beginning were Thomas Tijerina and Jeff Heineman. Jeff served as Chef until moving on to his own venture, Grapeseed, in Bethesda, Md. Wilson launched Rhodeside Grill only after a renovation and continued to make incremental changes over the years. The menu was eclectic American food, the theme for all following restaurants. In the early days, he hired two young and very able manager/ bartenders, Adam Lubar and Chris Lefbom. In 2000, Adam and Chris identified an Arlington restaurant for sale, located at 1345 N. Courthouse Rd., that they wanted to buy. The restaurant became another Arlington favorite — Ragtime. In 2000, Wilson partnered with three Rhodeside staffers — chefs Aimee Suyehiro and Stephen Scott as well as Adam Roth — to open Argia’s in Falls Church City, another success. Wilson later sold his interest to his partners. In 2006, with both Rhodeside and Ragtime doing well, it was agreed that the three operating partners would exchange shares so that Wilson, Adam and Chris would be equal partners in the two businesses. In 2008, Dogwood Tavern, 132 West Broad Street, Falls Church, was launched after purchasing and renovating the prior restaurant; and in 2011, William Jeffrey’s Tavern, 2301 Columbia Pike, began operations after leasing, designing, and constructing the en-
RESCUED AS PUPPIES and still staying in touch thanks to some family-based rescuers are brothers Ripley (left) and Buster. Both are a beagle-golden retriever mix, with Ripley finding safe harbor with the Falls Church-based Duncan family, while Buster was taken in by Duncan’s aunt and uncle. 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 WILSON WHITNEY tire restaurant in a new high-rise apartment complex. In 2015, Vintage Restaurant Holdings, Inc. was organized with the four restaurants as subsidiaries of this umbrella corporation. Wilson was diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2018. He recognized several months ago that he could not continue to carry a full workload and arranged with his partners to retire in mid-2019. On April 10, he lost his battle with lung cancer. He has been recognized by many of his current and past employees as a leader, mentor and teacher. Over the years, he has done every job in a restaurant and knew what was needed and practical to be successful. He has also many good friends in the area who will miss him. He is survived by his wife, Alice Lima-Whitney and his two daughters, Emma and Clara, of Falls Church; His parents, Herbert W. (Bud) Whitney and Elaine Whitney of Richardson, Texas; his brother, David Whitney, of Montrose, Colo.; his sister, Merrie Whitney of Richardson, Texas; and his sister, Laura Daly, of Austin, Texas; and numerous loving uncles, aunts, cousins, and inlaws.
Week of April 8 –14, 2019 Tampering with Auto, Drug/ Narcotic Violation, Drunk in Public, 156 Hillwood Ave (Enterprise RentA-Car), Apr 8, 11:36 PM, a male, 56, and a male, 60, of no fixed address, were arrested for Tampering with Auto and being Drunk in Public. In addition, the detainee was charged with Possession of Marijuana. Larceny from Vehicle, 6763-R1 Wilson Blvd (Planet Fitness), Apr 10, 2 PM, victim observed an unknown suspect rummaging through his vehicle’s front seat area. Suspect described as a large, black male with glasses, beard, wearing a black shirt and jeans. Items of value were taken. Suspect left the area in a gray Mercedes Benz sedan with a Maryland tag, possibly occupied by three other subjects. Investigation continues. Driving Under the Influence, Hillwood Ave/E Annandale Rd, Apr 11, 10:55 PM, a male, 55, of Arlington, VA, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence. Hit and Run, 300 blk Grove Ave, Apr 12, between 7 and 8:45 AM, a parked vehicle was struck by another vehicle which left the scene. Destruction of Property, 300 blk S Maple Ave, Apr 13, 8 AM, three tires on a vehicle were punched
out by a known suspect. Warrant obtained. Larceny from Vehicle, 6763-R1 Wilson Blvd (Planet Fitness), Apr 13, between 12:30 and 1:30 PM, a vehicle was broken into and items of value were taken. Investigation continues. Sex Offense Other, 830 Park Avenue (Saint James Catholic School), Apr 13, 7:01 PM, unknown suspect observed watching parents and children and touching himself inappropriately. Suspect ran when confronted. Suspect described as: Hispanic male, approximately 30 years old, 5`6 in height, medium build, wearing a white button down shirt, blue jeans, with a “crew-cut” haircut. Investigation continues. Drug/Narcotic Violation, 900 blk W Broad St, Apr 13, 11:57 PM, a male, 32, of Wise, VA, was arrested for Felony Possession of Amphetamine and issued summonses for Possession of a Schedule III Substance and Possession of Marijuana. Fraud/Destruction of Property/ Liquor Law Violations, E Broad and N Washington St, Apr 14, 8:50 PM, a male, 20, of Falls Church, VA, was arrested for Destruction of Property, Procuring a Rental Vehicle by Fraud, and Underage Drinking.
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SMARTEST, HEALTHIEST & WEALTHIEST
PEOPLE IN THE NATION. DO YOU? The City of Falls Church: #1 Healthiest Community in America, 2018 U.S. News & World Report #2 Richest County in America, 2017 Forbes 80%+ F.C. residents 25 years+ with Bachelor’s Degrees or Higher, U.S. Census Bureau Also... #1 Best County in the U.S. to Live In, 2018 USA TODAY #1 Fastest Growing County in America, U.S. Census Bureau #1 Tradi�onal High School in Virginia (George Mason H.S.), 2018 U.S. News & World Report
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