April 23 – 29, 2020
Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee
Fou n d e d 1991 • V ol. X XX No. 10
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Plans in Works for F.C. Fabric Flocking Small Business Grants $2K Micro Loan Program Presented to Council
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
While contemplating City of Falls Church fiscal unknowns in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, the F.C. City Council will begin to move on a revised budget going forward at its meeting next Monday. At its work session this Monday, it learned of aggressive efforts locally to help the most vulnerable citizens and smallest businesses for which even a $2,000 micro grant can make a huge difference for keeping their doors open. The Council will begin to act on making $2.3 million in cuts in the coming fiscal year budget next Monday, scrapping the version proposed before the pandemic hit last month, but that will be based on a “moderate,” not “worse” forecast that will be better evaluated in the fall. It includes a $500,000 cut in the City’s transfer to the Falls Church City School system for the current fiscal year. In the meantime, as Housing and Human Services division head Nancy Vincent reported Monday night, a mobilization is well underway to meet the needs of senior and other vulnerable citizens with an expansion of services including the delivery of three months of non-perishable food from the Capital Area Food
Bank to residents of the Winter Hill Senior Apartments, expanded hotel vouchers for the City’s homeless, free Covid-19 testing at a facility in Merrifield and emergency dental care. City Manager Wyatt Shields has sent a letter to apartment building owners urging leniency in rent payments, and three grocery stores in the City have been contacted about providing special hours for seniors to shop. A team of three addressed the Council, once again convening online for health security reasons, about a plan devised to offer $2,000 micro-grants in an initial amount totalling $100,000 that are being crafted to provide swift if modest assistance to small businesses in the City with less than $500,000 annually in gross receipts. The City’s Economic Development Office chief, Becky Witsman, presented the plan, accompanied by Bob Young, chair of the Economic Development Authority and Sally Cole, director of the F.C. Chamber of Commerce. “The business community needs to know that Falls Church cares,” Cole said, “and this is more important now than ever.” She said that even small grants can make a make-or-break difference for small businesses.
Continued on Page 4
THE LINE AT JOANN FABRIC stretches down the sidewalk outside of the store as shoppers seek out material for masks following Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and Centers for Disease Control recommendations to wear face coverings when out in public earlier this month. Customers said they waited in lines for more than two hours to enter the Falls Church store. Similar lines have also been forming at the shopping center’s nearby Michael’s craft store. (Photo: J. Michael Whalen)
F.C. Schools Maintain Virtual Balance As Fairfax Stumbles by Nicholas F. Benton & Matt Delaney
Falls Church News-Press
The woes piled up for Fairfax County’s public school system after its distance learning program was shut down for the second
time in two weeks as it shifted to online schooling during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the county’s school system says it will move away from using its online learning platform, Blackboard, to deliver daily classes. Fairfax’s misfortune serves as
a reminder of some of the advantages built into its smaller neighbor, the Falls Church City Public Schools, which has maneuvered the virtual workload brought on by the crisis with minimal drama so far. The state’s largest school system with 189,000 students, Fairfax County had its Blackboard Learn 24/7 web platform shut down after one day of operation last week and
Continued on Page 15
Inside This Week Falls Church Senior Athletes Lament a Lost Last Season
At Least 25 Covid-19 Cases, 1 Death in City of F.C.
Employee Tests Positive for Virus at Goodwin House
See story, page 8
See News Briefs, page 9
See News Briefs, page 9
On March 23, the Virginia High School League made official what all the state’s high school athletes had feared since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic: their remaining sports seasons, for many their last, would be lost.
This week’s coronavirus cases in Falls Church are the first reported in the City by health officials in almost a month, since the last confirmed positive case, a resident at The Kensington senior living home, was reported on March 22.
A staff member at Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads has tested positive for Covid-19, the first infection reported at the Falls Church area senior care center. No residents have tested positive for the coronavirus disease to date at the facility, a spokesperson said.
Index
Editorial........................................................ 6 Letters.......................................................... 6 News Briefs................................................. 9 News & Notes.....................................10–11 Comment........................................7,12–13 Calendar....................................................14 Classified Ads............................................16 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword..................17 Critter Corner.............................................18 Crime Report.............................................18 Business News..........................................19
PAGE 2 | APRIL 23 – 29, 2020
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PAGE 4 | APRIL 23 – 29, 2020
Micro Grants
Continued from Page 1
Vice Mayor Marybeth Connelly remarked that she attended a Chamber Board of Directors meeting last week and heard stories about the plight of small business owners. “Even some of the businesses we know and love have been struggling in ways we’d not imagined,” she said. Witsman said that the kinds of businesses that could receive critical help with this program are a lot of “ground floor commercial users, hair salons, nail salons, fitness places. The kinds of businesses you see up and down West Broad.” Young said the plan is “to make it simple and above all fast.” He said informal surveys with many small businesses in the City have revealed that of all who applied for the federal Payroll Protection Plan grants and SBA disaster assistance, “Only about 10 percent of those who applied have received anything.” He said that most who applied through Bank of America or Wells Fargo have found those megabanks put their biggest borrowers to the head of the line. “We had a couple local businesses who applied right away but
LO CA L then heard nothing for weeks, only to be told the money had run out,” he noted. Witsman made it clear that the micro grant plan would not go far. “The number of small businesses in Falls Church is a big number. The 50 businesses that might benefit from this is just a tiny percentage.” Young noted that he initially proposed $250,000 for the program, and the Council concurred that making more than the initial $100,000 may be necessary. Council member Ross Litkenhous said he likes the plan. “I love when we get scrappy and do what we can,” he said. Young told the News-Press Tuesday that the EDA will vote on the issue at its meeting next week since the funds that will be used on the program are from the EDA and not the City. He said he might propose starting with $100,000 on the proviso that the number might rise to $250,000 as needed. Although the funds for the program would come from the EDA, the City has been deeply involved in setting up the program, especially, Young said, through the tireless efforts of Witsman in the last week. As for the Falls Church City Public Schools, its Superintendent Peter Noonan walked the School
Board, meeting online Tuesday night, through stiff budget cuts both for the current and coming fiscal years due to the impact of combatting the pandemic. As revenue to the City is bottoming out in the crisis, due mostly to losses in sales and personal property taxes since Gov. Northam’s March 13 shelter in place order closed most businesses, Noonan and Schools’ financial chief Kristen Michael told the School Board to expect a $500,000 drop in City transfer to the schools for the remainder of the current Fiscal Year 2020 through June 30, and an initially estimated $2,402,750 drop below the $54,584,282 budget level established by the Board in February for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2021. For the current fiscal year, Noonan indicated that the $500,000 shortfall in the City’s transfer will be made up by a $300,000 draw from the schools’ reserve fund and the freezing of all non-essential spending for the remainder of the year. Overall, Noonan said, “We have gone from what I saw as one of the most promising school budgets ever to one where we must scramble to avoid any cuts in personnel, though no step or cost of living raises will be forthcoming.” Still, the City is fortunate compared to surrounding jurisdictions
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
BECKY WITSMAN of the Falls Church Economic Development Office unveiled a micro grant plan to the City Council for local small businesses Monday. (Screenshot: City of Falls Church) insofar as its reliance on business and sales taxes is relatively lower compared to real estate tax revenues, and that combined with a use of two thirds of the system’s fund balance reserve may see the system through without layoffs or structural changes such as a increase in class sizes. Noonan went on to say that the combination of circumstances, even though City schools will get the lowest amount in federal relief funds of any system in the state due to the City’s relative lack of poverty cases, are “lucky for us,” and “We’re in as good a situation
as we can be right now.” Going forward with the budget revisions on the City and school sides, the City Council will vote on a first reading of a revised budget next Monday, April 27, hold a work session on May 11 and adopt its final new FY 2021 budget on May 26. The School Board will hold a work session on May 12 and adopt its new FY 2021 budget on May 28. Rather than formally pass along to the Council its revisions, the School Board will make its changes known by way of a letter to the Council that was OK’d Tuesday.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
APRIL 23 – 29, 2020 | PAGE 5
Falls Church Kaiser Expects to Meet Demand as Virus Heads Toward Peak by Patricia Leslie
Falls Church News-Press
A medical director for Kaiser Permanente estimates its Falls Church center will have enough beds, supplies, and staff to meet the demands of Covid-19 patients as Virginia heads towards its peak of the crisis. Dr. Amy Banulis, Kaiser’s regional associate medical director for women’s and maternal/child health, told the News-Press in an email that “our equipment and supply needs have increased significantly and so have our efforts. We are rapidly planning to ensure that we understand and can respond to the anticipated patient surge. “We continue to secure additional supplies through traditional as well as innovative means, such as making face shields and working with small businesses in the garment industry to begin making masks for Kaiser Permanente, and we are carefully managing supply access in each of our facilities,” Banulis said.
She wrote the staff remains focused on its mission, and since Kaiser has enough medical personnel to handle projected needs, it has no plans to add more. Earlier this month, Kaiser had adequate personal protective equipment such as masks, gowns, and gloves to protect its staff but was monitoring the supply to use items only “when medically indicated” to ensure enough is available when needed. Limited drive-through testing sites have been set up at several mid-Atlantic Kaiser centers, and its Tysons Corner and Woodbridge facilities are testing Kaiser members who have appointments and a doctor’s orders, following current guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The increased precautions associated with the novel coronavirus have also changed Kaiser Permanente’s visitor policy. When necessary, one person may accompany those with appointments as long as the accompanying person is not showing Covid-19
symptoms including dry cough, trouble breathing, sneezing, fever and/or flu-like symptoms. Anyone suspected of having the disease or who may have been exposed to it is asked to call or email the doctor before an appointment so arrangements may be made, including protection of others. Like most healthcare centers, Kaiser has severely curtailed personal medical visits, 85 percent today which are “virtual” and conducted by telephone, email or video. Banulis said Kaiser Permanente is accepting new members and has expanded its “telehealth services” to accommodate needs. Over the past week, the Fairfax County Health Department has reported a sharp increase in the number of virus cases in its district which includes the City of Falls Church, City of Fairfax, Fairfax County and its towns. In the last week, the number of Covid-19 cases in the health district has risen by more than 77 percent, from 1,298 last Wednesday,
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PAGE 6 | APRIL 23 – 29, 2020
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E D I TO R I A L
Our Governor as Our Leader
For Falls Church, we are lucky to have Dr. Ralph Northam as the governor of our state of Virginia. If you compare his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic to other southern governors, especially those in Georgia and Florida, then we must conclude that his wise leadership stands out. While those governors are pushing precipitously to reopen businesses and public places even as the pandemic continues to rage, Northam is solidly among those leaders who are not only resisting the temptation to end quarantining policies too soon, but is sticking firm with his earlier order that nothing is really going to change before June 10, and to be reevaluated at that time. Make no mistake about it, Dr. Northam is our leader in responding to this pandemic. Or, maybe we can say that he, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan are our collective leadership, since all three in this region are pretty much on the same page when it comes to handling this crisis. This is critical since, as it goes without saying, the coronavirus respects no political boundaries, and the only way it can be contained in this area must be on a regional basis. Our view is that these leaders have all done a good job, especially in the face of such an egregious lack of leadership from the White House. We hate to contemplate the consequences of an increase in tensions between our governors and the White House, including the president’s attorney general. That U.S. Attorney General William Barr says he is considering action against states that are resolute in their commitment to firm anti-Covid-19 efforts because they may be violating personal freedoms of citizens is a particularly ominous development. Is it going to become unlawful to protect human life? How would this play out as our strong local leaders refuse to comply with federal orders to undo their protective policies? No one wants to even envision what this might look like depending on how aggressively this could be pursued. Proposing that commerce be elevated in its importance over human life, frankly, is little less than a modern day equivalent of what has led to some of the ugliest periods in human history. But it is bad enough that Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp is relaxing his state’s social distancing policies by this Friday, a move that President Trump is encouraging despite his own guidelines that opening up should not occur before 14 days of a steady decline in reported new cases of infections. The pressure is on all the governors, including ours, to do similar things, and for Dr. Northam like his regional colleagues and the foremost national spokesman on behalf of sane state leadership, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, to stand up against that pressure is not being done without a strength of resolve on behalf of constituents under their care that we can all feel proud of and thankful for.
L������
Closing F.C. Schools Saved Children’s Lives
Editor, I read with disappointment Ms. Ellen Gross’s letter to you in the April 9 issue, in which she expressed disappointment that Superintendent Noonan had closed schools early. Instead of “missing the point of education,” as Ms. Gross suggests, Dr. Noonan’s decision embodies it: Our mission is to serve children, in all capacities, to our fullest pos-
sible ability. To keep them in close proximity and promulgate vectors of potential transmission of the disease would have been unethical and irresponsible. Falls Church and Arlington made a joint call to close at the right time, before things got worse quickly, which they have. We educators love and are dedicated to our students, and not only believe in their capacity to adapt and thrive in
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a variety of circumstances, but we also believe in ensuring their health and safety, bar none. Ms. Gross’s sentiments prioritize the institution of the school over the welfare of children, even if she does not realize it. In the face of the globally-tragic scale of this pandemic, we teachers are secure in the knowledge that this interruption in familiar learning will be made up for in the future. Accommodations will be made and conditions for each child to thrive reestablished, and each of those children has a better chance of remaining healthy and safe and alive because we did our part... and continue to do so, every day, to this
very day. What students need right now is far less the “structure” that Ms. Gross believes teachers provide, and far more the understanding, pedagogical expertise, and love that we career professional educators put far above sitting student posteriors in specific chairs. Closing the schools when we did was nothing less than doing our part to save children’s lives. Ms. Gross may do her part in supporting those children by being supporting of the professional educators who serve them. Keith David Reeves Falls Church
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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APRIL 23 – 29, 2020 | PAGE 7
Crisis has Made Precariously-Balanced Lives More Unstable B� R���� E������
Since Governor Northam issued the Covid-19 stay-at-home order for Virginia, I’ve been reaching out to families and individuals we serve. I wanted to check in, ask how they’re doing, and reassure them that The Arc of Northern Virginia’s services would continue. Many wrote back, sharing what this “new normal” is like for their household. Some even asked about other families. With every note I read, I am reminded of the genuine honor it is to serve those with intellectual and developmental disabilities on behalf of our amazing organization. I lay awake in bed at night thinking (because that’s what we all do now) about two sentiments that are common among many of the notes I’ve received. Nearly every family is struggling to find alternatives to necessary, often critical, support services. With a loved-one with an intellectual or developmental disability, life in normal times is a precarious balance. The disability alone robs one of the stability many of us take for granted. It’s like a game of Jenga, with many of the pieces missing to begin with. But this is no game. Life depends on that tower not falling over, and each wooden piece represents a critical support service. As long as the supports are in place, there’s fragile stability. Now…start removing those supports… • Take away the piece that represents personal care attendants in the home, and
you leave the work of caring for a family member with serious needs solely with the parents, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Parents are literally sleeping in shifts through the night. • Take away the piece that represents stable housing, and you have a family
“While much of the world is focused on the current crisis, we cannot forget that there will be life after the crisis.”
moving out of their apartment to protect their immuno-compromised child, saying “Elevators are terrifying repositories for anything picked up by the 896 other residents.” • Take away the piece that represents structured education, and you have distance learning plans from some school districts that have been delayed, or worse yet nonexistent for students with disabilities. • Take away the piece that represents physical therapy. • Take away the piece that represents job coaching.
• Take away the piece that represents speech therapy. • Take away the piece that represents occupational therapy. Get the picture? For many of these families, The Arc of Northern Virginia can help them put back some of those pieces. We can locate the resources that help restore a feeling of balance for families in need. It may be precarious, it may be temporary, but it keeps the house from falling down. Much of our work during this crisis has been dedicated to finding the right person or agency, asking the questions our families have, and getting the answers. Here are just a few of the situations where The Arc of Northern Virginia has been able to assist a family in need: • Assisted a family in determining how they could proceed with asking to have a parent present if their daughter is admitted to the hospital with Covid-19. • Supported a family in finding the new policies on visitations for their loved one residing in a group home under Covid-19 protections. • Showed a family the new rules allowing caregivers to receive unemployment benefits without being laid off if the pandemic is preventing them from going to work. • Gave information to enable a family so they could request and receive additional nursing support hours as a result of having a child home from school suddenly. • Helped a family whose Medicaid appli-
cation for their daughter was repeatedly denied figure out why, gave information on how to re-submit, and who to talk to in order to resolve the issue. While much of the world is focused on the current crisis, we cannot forget that there will be life after the crisis. The mission of The Arc of Northern Virginia will always be the commitment to creating opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live inclusive and meaningful lives — not just in times of crisis — but for their whole lives. The second sentiment I heard in those notes is what finally allows me to sleep at night. It’s a sense of hope. A sense of optimism borne out of the experience of facing previous tragedies and coming through them stronger and more resilient. “We’ll get through this” was said over and over again. And in my heart, I know we will. Because we’re in this together, and we draw strength from each other. In this time of crisis, in this time of heightened anxiety, in this time of hardships for everyone, please don’t forget those who live with hardship and anxiety nearly every day, and yet persevere. It is essential that we keep families together, programs running, and critically-needed services in place for our most vulnerable population. We need to make sure every member of our community makes it through this crisis. Rikki Epstein is executive director of The Arc of Northern Virginia.
Q������� �� ��� W��� Have you experienced any significant problems with Falls Church City Schools’ distance learning program? • Yes
• No
Last Week’s Question:
When should Virginia begin to ease social distancing restrictions?
• Not sure
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LO CA L
PAGE 8 | APRIL 23 – 29, 2020
THE ONLY SPORT George Mason High School’s Caleb Parnell played was baseball, so he’ll miss out on one last chance to be with the team. He also feels the lost season puts this year’s juniors at a disadvantage since they won’t get the necessary varsity experience to lead come 2021. (Photo: Carol Sly)
Falls Church School Athletes Grapple With a Season Lost by Natalie Heavren
Falls Church News-Press
On March 23, the Virginia High School League made official what all the state’s high school athletes had feared since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic: their remaining sports seasons would be lost. George Mason High School boy’s lacrosse seniors Tucker Gaskins and Henry Wildman found out about the cancelation of the spring sports season when a screenshot of the VHSL tweet was sent over a group chat. Wildman originally thought it was fake and that his friends were trying to prank him, even though his phone was getting notification after notification. Then his dad walked in and confirmed it: The spring sports season wasn’t going to happen. His heart immediately sank. “It still hasn’t hit me that we won’t get to put on display what we have been working tirelessly for over the course of our entire high school careers,” Wildman said of the lost season. Gaskins added separately, “It always just floated over my head until this happened... Thinking about the last game of my junior season and realizing that it might’ve been the last game I’ll ever play, and I didn’t even know it at the time really stings.” While the athletes will, of course, miss playing on the field,
many will miss the experiences and bonding time with their friends and teammates off the field. That’s what George Marshall High School senior baseball player Andrew Margiotta is going to miss most this season: the people. “I had some of my best friends on the team and I won’t get another chance to play with them again,” he said. Caleb Parnell’s only sport at Mason was baseball and the cancellation of the spring sports season means he won’t get a senior night or the camaraderie that comes with playing a sport. “I spent a lot of time with these guys over the past few years whether it was during the spring season or summer league season so it’s sad to have to say goodbye to them without one last run,” he said. Marshall lacrosse player Lena Smith had not planned on playing lacrosse in college, but losing her final high school season has made her want to pursue club lacrosse if it’s available at the college she picks. She believes she’s missed out on the closure that comes from a senior season. “I lost the chance to share tons of good memories with my teammates and coaches while working hard at the activity I feel passionate for,” Smith said. “In general, I feel like I didn’t really get a proper goodbye and that hurts the most.” Her teammates, Annie Leap and
Olivia Slivinski, are right there with Smith. Leap feels that she not only lost part of her senior year but also a small part of her family due to the teams’ closeness. Slivinski echoed that, but also believes the team lost an opportunity to show people how much they’ve been able to improve. Coaches and administrators are feeling the students’ pain. Frank Spinello, Mason’s head boy’s soccer coach, said, “I hate to see the season lost, especially for our seniors … This team had the potential to be one of our most
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legendary teams and I hate that they lost the opportunity to prove it on the field.” Joe Swarm, Marshall’s director of student activities, sympathized with the students who won’t get to take part in “the traditional end of the year senior activities that those before them have enjoyed.” Social media shoutouts have become a regular thing for Justice and Falls Church High Schools during this time. For Justice, weekly tweets about the graduating seniors in each sport are posted, highlighting their future plans, favorite memory at Justice and their own special shoutout. So far, the school’s crew, baseball and softball as well as track & field seniors have all been recognized. Coaches from various sports have also sent in personalized videos to “check in” on the students. Falls Church High has followed Justice by starting their own dedicated posts to seniors. While Justice’s functions as a short slideshow, Falls Church does individual picture posts and gives the coaches a chance to lend some words to their student athletes. The recognition began Tuesday with the girls soccer team. While much has been lost, the athletes still maintain a positive attitude through their coping. For now, Mason boys soccer player Cole Hellert is trying to focus on being grateful for what he was able to accomplish since it helped give him the chance to play at Siena College. He will have to wait another four years for his first senior night, but he will enjoy every moment he can, not knowing if his next game is his last. “I’m just disappointed. But I also am glad that I’ve had the
experiences and everything that has happened in the past like I’m grateful for that. I think that’s kind of one of my main takeaways from this whole situation,” Hellert said. The Marshall softball team has been working to give back to younger players, even when they cannot get on the field themselves. Head coach Tom Kyllo noted that losing the season in these circumstances has been difficult for his players, particularly the seniors, but the team is keeping active. Part of this includes having the players record themselves doing hitting drills at home so that the team can send them to the Vienna Girls Softball League to be posted on its website. “We hope that the younger house league players will get excited about continuing with their skills training from home and learn from our players. It’s a nice way to stay connected.” Mason’s Gaskins is using his newfound free time to work on his golf skills, looking at the possibility of playing on his college’s club team. He’s continuing to work out with the hope of an abbreviated summer lacrosse season in the back of his head. Parnell has taken this time without baseball to reflect on his baseball career and he realized how quickly it went by. He began playing at the age of four and feels as though his career is unfinished without the senior season he’s been working towards the last 14 years. Selflessly, Parnell added, “However, I’m more concerned with what our program as a whole will lose. The entire roster for next year will lose out on a year of varsity experience, which could hurt the development of our players.”
F.C. AREA SCHOOLS have been recognizing senior athletes on Twitter after school closures shut down the spring sports season. (Photo: Twitter/@justicehswolves, @FCjagsathletics, @GCMsports1, @gmhssports)
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NEWS BRIEFS Officials Report at Least 25 Coronavirus Cases, 1 Death in City of F.C. At least 25 people in the City of Falls Church have tested positive for the coronavirus and there has been one virus-linked death in the City, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health and later confirmed to the News-Press by the Fairfax County Health Department. This week’s virus cases are the first reported in the City by health officials in almost a month, since the last confirmed positive case, a second resident at The Kensington senior living home, was reported on March 22. A City employee also was reported testing positive for the virus on March 26 but the individual was not a City resident. Last week, the News-Press reported at least nine positive cases in elder care facilities located inside the City but both Virginia Department of Health and Fairfax County Health Department would not confirm the numbers. Information, released daily from the Virginia Department of Health on the Fairfax Health District, which includes City of Falls Church, City of Fairfax, Fairfax County and its towns, doesn’t include details on individual cases and it is unknown which cases are included in the 25 confirmed. Falls Church officials warned this week that there is likely many more cases in the City. As of Wednesday, there are now 2,306 reported cases of Covid-19 in Fairfax Health District, a 77 percent increase from last Wednesday and there have been 68 fatalities in the district — including one in the City — more than three times last week’s total. In Virginia, there have been 10,266 reported positive cases and 349 deaths.
Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads Employee Tests Covid-19 Positive A staff member at Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads has tested positive for Covid-19, the first infection reported at the Falls Church area senior care center, it was confirmed by the News-Press this week. According to a letter sent to family and friends of Goodwin House residents on Monday, the employee, who worked at the facility’s health care center, tested positive on April 19 and last worked on Tuesday, April 14. One resident who had contact with the staff member was experiencing respiratory symptoms. Both the resident and their roommate were tested and found to be negative for Covid-19, the letter said. “No other residents served by this employee are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, nor are any staff members who worked with this employee.” The staff member wore a mask at all times and practiced infection precaution hygiene, the facility reports, and is currently in isolation at home. A spokesperson for Goodwin House tells the News-Press that none of its residents, at both Bailey’s Crossroads and Alexandria facilities, have tested positive for the coronavirus disease to date.
Beyer: All Covid-19 Tests Are Free U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, who represents the 8th District of Virginia that includes the City of Falls Church, confirmed that the federal government has made it clear that all Covid-19 tests are free in a town hall conference call yesterday. He said that there needs to be a doctor’s referral to get a test. But instead of showing up at a hospital emergency room for a test, persons should call ahead to make an appointment.
Snyder Supports COG Action on Covid-19 By a unanimous vote, members of the Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia voted to continue coordination on Covid-19 response matters through the surge and after the peak. Falls Church City Council member David Snyder, the City’s representative on the COG, told the News-Press in a statement yesterday, “The current economic conditions are unsustainable and we need to move forward. What we need now are practical steps different types of businesses can take to allow them to return to normal operations as fast as possible while maintaining necessary health related safeguards. It cannot be either health or the economy; we must find ways to advance both.”
Warner, Kaine Address Drug Shortage Issue Virginia’s U.S. Senators. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine sent a letter to the federal Food and Drug Administration yesterday expressing concerns of a hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine shortage after the Trump Administration touted the drugs as a potential treatment for the novel coronavirus. Following reports that millions of doses of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have been donated to the Strategic National Stockpile and bought in excess by hospitals and pharmacies for use in treating patients with Covid-19, Warner and Kaine say they have heard from Virginians worried they won’t have access to these lifesaving drugs.
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Community News & Notes Falls Church’s FirstFriday Transitions to New Format In an email this week, Art & Frame of Falls Church owner Tom Gittins announced that the Little City’s monthly art and social event, FirstFriday, is moving to a new format, effective immediately. In the letter Gittins wrote “FIRSTfriday has supported countless visual and performing artists for nearly two decades. Marketing and holding the monthly event costs money that Art and Frame of Falls Church can no longer afford. The event will now be in the hands of the artist. While we will continue the effort of hosting a new artist each month, the marketing, advertising, music, food, and
beverages will be controlled and provided solely by the artist. There may be times no new art exhibit will be on display on FIRSTfriday.”
Online Classes Starting At Creative Cauldron The City of Falls Church theater company Creative Cauldron is now offering a variety of interactive classes and activities for children taught by the theater’s artists. Kids will be moving, creating and socializing during the activities. This week is free week, with scholarships and pay-whatyou-will options available for all who need them. Those who are interested can enroll online at creativecauldron. org/workshops.htm or email the
theater at info@creativecauldron. org to get started. There are classes for adults as well.
NoVA Symphony Maestro Films Composers Lecture While members of the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia remain sidelined during the coronavirus pandemic and are preparing for when they can return to perform live, they hope patrons and followers of SONOVA are open to learning more about music as a whole. Maestro Jeffrey Dokken has filmed a lecture for those who are interested about composers who were writing during times of pandemic and social isolation. You can find the video at youtu.be/ emsomIMQexE.
FALLS CHURCH CITY COUNCIL members (left to right) Phil Duncan, Letty Hardi, Marybeth Connelly and Dan Sze demonstrate their compliance with recommendations for Virginians to cover their faces when out in public in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The City of Falls Church is inviting its residents to show off their face coverings when they’re out and about in the Little City by snapping a photo of their covered faces and sharing on Facebook and tagging @CityofFallsChurchGov, on Twitter to @FallsChurchGov or email to pio@fallschurchva.gov. (Photo: City of Falls Church (@FallsChurchGov)/Twitter)
Former F.C. Resident’s Book Touches on the Paranormal Former Falls Church resident Kevin Killen has published a book about his paranormal experiences, with the first half focusing on his time at his Falls Church home from 1979 – 1994. The book focuses on his personal journey of searching and trying to understand the paranormal, which he says he has experienced for more than 30
years since including his first encounter with a ghost at the age of five to phantom footsteps and “shadow people.” The book goes further into Killen’s paranormal experiences in several different schools and states as well, such as his experiences at a school in West Virginia. Those interested in purchasing the book can do so at amazon.com/Ghosts-Me-KevinKillen/dp/B07SXKBH83.
WHO WOULDA THUNK? Smiley was a pig cookie jar featured in the News-Press two weeks ago and apparently he isn’t alone in the world. He’s matched by a sister from the Caceci family, whose pink scarf instead of a mask is a sign that she values fashion over safety. (Courtesy Photo)
Send Us Your News & Notes!
The News-Press is always on the lookout for photos & items for Community News & Notes, School News & Notes and other sections of the paper. If you graduate, get married, get engaged, get an award, start a club, eat a club, tie your shoes, have a birthday, have a party, host an event or anything else you think is worth being mentioned in the News-Press, write it up and send it to us! If you have a photo, even better! Because of the amount of submissions we receive, we cannot guarantee all submissions will be published, but we’ll try our best!
Community News & Notes: newsandnotes@fcnp.com | School News & Notes: schoolnews@fcnp.com Mail: News & Notes, Falls Church News-Press, 200 Little Falls St. #508, Falls Church, VA 22046
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Leadership Fairfax Application Deadline
Leadership Fairfax, a professional development organization that does individual community projects as well as those with the Fairfax County government, is still accepting applications to join its Class of 2021. Courses for younger and more veteran employees will need to dedicate one full work day per month over the course of 10 months in order to graduate from the program. Classes begin in September. Information sessions are ongoing, and the LFI and ELI first round application deadline for Leadership Fairfax Institute (senior-level employees) and Emerging Leaders Institute (new or mid-level employees) is on Monday, April 27. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis post this date, but to ensure an applicant’s place they are encouraged to submit necessary documents in the first round. Program information, information session registration and online applications can be found at leadershipfairfax.org/ Programs.
Tips & Advice from the Safe Community Coalition For 25 years, the Safe Community Coalition has been working to help families in McLean. During the coronavirus pandemic, members of the SCC’s Mental Health Committee have been working to provide resources including videos and tips that are now posted on the SCC website at mcleanscc.org. Topics include: Grounding Techniques to Help Cope with Uncertainty; How to Meet Kids’
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Three Basic Needs: Competence, Connection, and Autonomy; Healthy Coping Strategies During Uncertain Times; and Staying Positive and Finding a Counselor: Tips and Advice. Those who are interested can visit SCC’s Facebook and Twitter pages (both: @mcleanscc) for timely articles related to stress, anxiety and coping during the pandemic. Anyone who would like to speak with a mental health professional on SCC’s Mental Health Committee should contact Elizabeth Hale at halefamilyva@gmail.com or 770-3370314.
Nationals Want World Series Winning Memories As part of the Washington Nationals’ continued celebration of the World Series win, the Nationals are asking fans to share their favorite 2019 Postseason memories from the ballpark, official watch parties or anywhere else where they enjoyed the games. The Nationals staff will review all submissions and pick its favorites to be featured on the Curly W Live “From the Stands” podcast. Submissions are asked to be creative by recording their own memories or interview friends or family members about their memories. All submissions must be downloaded to link provided on the team’s blog post at curlyw. mlblogs.com/calling-all-natsfans-submit-your-postseasonmemories-now-a0889cebeae7 and fans should include their first name and where they are from in their audio file name when they submit their recording. Recordings should be no longer than 10 minutes.
TWENTY-TWO OF BASIS Independent McLean’s (BIM) seniors began internships the first week in March but since Covid-19 restrictions were put in place, senior internships were moved to strictly online. BIM Senior Projects span the final trimester of senior year and involve an off-campus research project and internship in partnership with companies and organizations around the world, and students are required to work at a public or private sector institution or enroll in a university external study program. Each senior blogs about his/her project updates as well. (P����: C������� BASIS I���������� M�L���)
Recovery Program Solutions Moves Services Online Recovery Program Solutions of Virginia has moved its services providing mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness recovery support programs for adults across Northern Virginia online. “Mental health and addiction recovery can be difficult on its own and RPSV realizes the additional stress that this current crisis puts on recovering individuals”, said Jerome Hughes, Executive Director of RPSV. “We want to remind peo-
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ple that they are not alone, and we will continue to provide our services throughout this alarming process.” Individuals seeking resources, advice, or a listening ear can access the virtual programs through Zoom.us, a free and downloadable software program that can be used on most electronic devices. The current virtual offerings include various support groups, such as: How to Stay Happy during Social Distancing, Music Enlightenment, Movement Classes, Relapse Prevention,
Spanish Peer Support, SelfAdvocacy, Virtual Traveler and more. RPSV’s programs run weekdays beginning at 10:30 a.m. Additionally, RPSV has set up a Warm Line for individuals who need someone to talk to regarding the pandemic or anything else they want to discuss. The line is staffed by Peer Recovery Specialists who are trained to offer a kind ear and helpful resources. The Warm Line is available at 703-8176124.
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A Penny for Your Thoughts
News of Greater Falls Church By Supervisor Penny Gross
Sometimes missed, amidst the constant Covid19 news cycles that permeate every waking (and sleeping) moment are good news local stories that reinforce our social fabric. Sometimes that fabric is literal, as evidenced by a call from a constituent who had made some face masks for her family and wondered, before she put her sewing machine away, if there was a need for more masks locally. I told her I would find a good home for additional masks, and two days later she delivered two dozen brightly colored, washable masks for the Culmore Clinic, an outstanding non-profit organization that provides health care to uninsured and low-income residents in the Baileys Crossroads/Seven Corners area of Mason District. Learn more about the Culmore Clinic and its services at www.culmoreclinic.org. Another good news story is the recovery of Reverend Kenny Baldwin, pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church. I’ve known Kenny, and his dad, Lou, for years, and both are inspirational and civic-minded men of faith. Kenny was one of the first people in Fairfax County to be diagnosed with Covid-19 and, fortunately, among the first to recover, but it was a difficult recovery, as he related in an Easter Sunday op-ed in The Washington Post. In hospital isolation, gasping for every breath (and losing 25 pounds in the process), but finally walking out of the hospital a much better man, he knew that God wasn’t done with him yet. Even as he lay fighting for his life, his faith, and hope, sustained him. “We need never be without hope, he wrote.” That’s a lesson we all can take to heart during difficult times. Some local restaurants are able to implement
a Grab and Go feature to stay “open” during the emergency. The menus may have to be adjusted, and spur of the moment cravings may not be addressed, but everyone is trying to make it work. Last week, the Board of Supervisors approved a small business microloan program; applications, through the Community Business Partnership, will start being accepted on Tuesday. More information is available at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/economic-success/county-small-business-covid-19-recovery-fund. When the emergency is lifted, going back to our favorite dining spots will be a celebratory activity, but only if they are able to fully reopen. As noted in a previous column, the county’s proposed FY 2021 budget had to be revised and updated to reflect the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on county revenues and resources. To discuss the revised budget for which public hearings will be conducted next week, I am hosting a live, virtual town hall on Monday, April 27, from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Fairfax County cable Channel 16. My guest in the studio will be Chief Financial Officer Joe Mondoro. Mason District School Board Member, Dr. Ricardy Anderson, will join by telephone from the School Board’s budget work session. To participate in the Q & A session, call 703-324-1114 during the show, or e-mail your question to mason@fairfaxcounty.gov. We will cover as many questions about the proposed budget as time permits. Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.
before anything else, we’re all human rethink your bias at lovehasnolabels.com
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From the Front Row: Kaye Kory’s
Richmond Report I believe that elected representatives have a particular responsibility to lead by example, particularly in crisis situations. Therefore I strongly support the option of remote voting for the members of the General Assembly during this state of health and economic emergency. It is imperative for us to conscientiously conduct the commonwealth’s business while following the health safety guidelines we all have come to know all too well. We will hold the reconvene session tomorrow to vote upon all of the governor’s 102 amendments to the bills we passed earlier this year. We will also be voting on changes to the existing budget which will be in effect until the end of this fiscal year. Since Virginia operates on a two-year budget cycle, the governor has announced the need to hold a special session in June to adjust the biennium budget according to the fiscal forecasts at that time. It is unlikely that the pandemic will have passed by that time and we will need the option of remote voting at that time as well. Know that I am standing by the values expressed in all the legislation we have passed; and will not forget your strongly supportive voices. Gun violence prevention, environmental justice, women’s reproductive healthcare, educational equity, anti-discrimination and the prohibition of hate crimes all demonstrate those values — the values we share.
The House Democrats have brought sweeping change to our 2020 legislative session, as we became the first Democrat majority in a generation. The governor has sent us his amendments to passed bills — many are simply technical, some are substantial policy changes. We will vote on a budget “time out,” which will pause all new spending until a reliable fiscal forecast is available later this year. Like many Virginians, I find it frustrating to pause the implementation of the historic legislation we have passed. However, this worldwide pandemic is an unprecedented public health, public safety and economic crisis. Covid-19 has drastically changed our finances and the changes we expect cannot be quantified at this time. Therefore a realistic budget cannot be adopted yet. Fortunately, Gov. Northam has already signed the majority of the bills passed and they will become law on July 1. Unfortunately, “Liberate Virginia!” protesters are driving in circles around the Capitol Square loudly honking their horns in an attempt to disrupt our work. We are determined that we will carry out our constitutional duty despite the irresponsible protests and despite the Covid-19 pandemic emergency. Delegate Kory represents the 38th District in the Virginia House of Delegates. She may be emailed at DelKKory@house. virginia.gov.
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Merchants of Death Ally With Covid-19
Death is stalking our land but it is not acting alone. The Covid-19 pandemic has killed over 44,000 Americans by the latest count, and 180,000 worldwide, according to what’s being reported. “Merchants of death” is a phrase that is usually associated with war mongers, but now it applies to those who’ve been pushing against scientifically and medically-grounded efforts to fight off the virus. With Trump still in the White House, too many of us have already become desensitized to the latest iterations of downright appalling behavior that the ruling elites in this country have been willing to sanction and support. The latest case is the cynical mobilization of crazy persons to demonstrate against the sane public FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS health measures to practice social distancing. It has been well documented that this growing national movement, the latest version of the Tea Party, is yet another “grasstops” effort (as opposed to “grassroots,” this is a fake exhibition of populist rage, paid for and organized by professional rabble rousers) motivated and funded by radical wealthy right wing interests. Their objective is to clear a path for their monied allies to continue their rape of the population and the national economy without obstruction. Yes, there can be no doubt that they are representatives of the top one percent in the U.S. who control more wealth than the rest of us combined. What do they care about whether a few tens of thousands of vulnerable Americans die from a deadly virus? They’ve got the means to insulate themselves from the pandemic and the data already shows that there is an obscene trend of higher death rates among racial minorities, which also translates as those who are less well-off and unable to either maintain their personal health or distance themselves from the pandemic. I guess it is no longer astonishing to see the official Republican Party of the U.S. piling in behind the grasstops movement to force the removal of protections against the pandemic. This includes the crackpots at Fox News, including three quacks who have been peddling their pseudo-scientific views as “doctors,” Dr. Drew, Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil, who’ve all ruined any shreds of credibility they’d been clinging to with their patently false and dangerous on-air prescriptions on national TV. Families of thousands who’ve died in this pandemic are in an extraordinary position to sue those quacks, Fox itself, and while they’re at it, any among the so-called evangelical preachers who used the airwaves to offer fake cures and to persuade the gullible to show up at mass religious events putting themselves at grave risk of exposure to this highly-contagious virus. The allies of this virus’ spread, now ranging beyond a deranged lunatic fringe to the centers of control of the Republican Party, are rapidly losing support among the American citizenry, with polls of now highly alarmed Americans showing support for the president and GOP leaders beginning to nosedive into the 33 percent range. Why in the world does this administration persist in its serious lack of adequate testing? What is the true motivation behind this cruel obstruction? It is unquestionably clear that Trump’s claims to the contrary are false, flat out lies. Only about 150,000 tests per day are being performed now, when the professionals say that a minimum of 500,000 need to be tested daily. The only thing standing in the way is the president, through his refusal to evoke the Defense Production Act powers at his disposal to achieve this level. One can only speculate why the president is obstructing the process in this way. Can it have something to do with the fellow travelers who’ve been advising and influencing him all this time? Is it outlandish to point to the unanimous bipartisan vote of the Senate Intelligence Committee this week endorsing the U.S. intelligence community conclusion that Russia interfered extensively in the 2016 to elect Trump and defeat his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton? If Trump is, as suggested, an effective agent of a hostile foreign power, then what would be more impactful than for him to permit a rampant pandemic to savage the American population? It wouldn’t surprise me.
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Nicholas F. Benton
Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.
Our Man in Arlington By Charlie Clark
An old, cold case in the annals of Arlington crime has resurfaced. It’s an odd tale of an artifact from outer space, theft, prostitution and murder. It comes to me from a dogged researcher, a graduate student at Vanderbilt University who noted I had mentioned the case briefly two years ago. Alexandra F. Rockafellar got curious in 2015, when she began a job in Nashville at Vanderbilt’s Dyer Observatory and learned of the 1960 national news story. A dull black meteorite, found in Murray, Kentucky, in 1950, had gone missing from a Vanderbilt observatory display case, replaced by a suspicious-looking blackpainted papier-mache rock. The true object was assessed at $2000. A Nov. 30, 1960, Washington Post story carried a photo of Arlington Police Department property officer Robert Jones cradling the meteor and preparing to return it to Vanderbilt. Tennessee law enforcement sleuths had found fingerprints traced to former observatory employee and student Hugh Heefner Howard, 24. The perpetrator had brought it to his Arlington River House apartment at 1111 Army-Navy Dr., where our cops arrested him for grand larceny. Howard, who worked briefly at the Smithsonian before running a health food store, ran into more trouble a decade later. Unemployed, he was arrested, following an undercover sting, for “attempting to procure prostitutes”
in Fairfax and Arlington motels, notably the Arva on Pershing Dr. (now a Days Inn), according to Post coverage from Feb. 29, 1970. A female witness, Carolyn Parker, charged with prostitution, testified against him. Judge Thomas Dodge charged Howard with felonies and misdemeanors, postponing sentencing. (The felonies were later dropped due to no-show witnesses.) He received a one-year sentence. Just over a year later, on May 4, 1971, police found Hugh Howard’s body, with small-bore bullet holes in his head. He was in his mother’s apartment at 1900 S. Eads St. (Crystal House), splayed on her bed. Arrested for the crime: Carolyn Parker Connor. But she was not prosecuted due to “spousal privilege”. The case went cold. In 2018, Arlington police told me it had been closed because the prime suspect was deceased. Rockafellar unearthed a mysterious reference to the Howard murder in a 1984 drug case, but has yet to determine precisely why the prosecution never happened. The Arlington police response to her Freedom of Information Act request this January confirmed the arrests. But the department continues to shield some details. That’s allowed under the Virginia code if release would “jeopardize an ongoing investigation or prosecution or the safety of an individual, cause a suspect to flee or evade detection, or result in the destruction of evidence.” Rockafellar will post her account of the mystery in a YouTube video.
*** Masked and social-distanced, I arranged several encounters last week with Arlington’s scrambling small businesses. My craving for pie was answered by Heather Sheire’s “Livin’ the Pie Life” at North Glebe and Lee Highway. After ordering my $32 multi-berry treat online, I got scheduled for her safely choreographed (via YouTube orientation) pick-up during a one-hour time-slot along the outdoor wall by her store patio. At Arlington-Lee Cleaners at Lee Harrison shopping center, my friend Tom Curtis happened to ask the proprietor whether the resident seamstress could make face masks. No, she said, twice when he persisted. Finally, after consulting colleagues in her native Korean, she changed her mind. Owner Jung Choe later told me that on her first day, April 7, she sold 120 masks at $10 per. At Sam Torrey Shoe Service at Lee Highway and George Mason Dr., owner Kevork Tchalekian told me business is “bad. He’s been repairing footwear with a rotating “skeletal staff,” which he hopes to bring back. “I understand people are scared,” he said of the virus. A worse situation is the “big zero” roster of customers showing at the newly opened Cigar Unlimited store on Fairfax Dr. in Ballston. Owner Mo Fakhro said his premium smoke emporium was inaugurated only three weeks before the stay-at-home decree. He still makes the 40-mile commute to quietly man his display cases “just to get out of the house,” he said, “hoping to make $20 to feed his family.”
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FALLS CHURCHCALENDAR In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affecting the globe and policies enacted to avoid social gatherings, the News-Press will publish a list of virtual events weekly in lieu of its regular listings. If you have a virtual event you’d like to see listed, please email calendar@fcnp.com. Deadline is 5 p.m. Monday weekly.
CITYEVENTS SATURDAY, APRIL 25 Falls Church Farmers Market To Go. The Falls Church Farmers Market has converted to a preorder, to-go event. All orders must be placed in advance of Saturday’s market which will be open from 8 a.m. – noon for pre-order pickup only in front of City Hall (300 Park Ave.). A list of participating
vendors and information on preordering can be found at www. fallschurchva.gov/547/FarmersMarket-To-Go.
VIRTUALEVENTS THURSDAY, APRIL 23 Library Storytime Live. Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, join Mary Riley Styles Library staff at 10:30 a.m. for a live storytime on the Mary Riley Styles Public Library’s Facebook page at www. facebook.com/mrspl.
FRIDAY, APRIL 24 The Art of Composting: How to Make Your Own Black Gold. Interested viewers can turn yard clippings, kitchen waste and excess paper into black gold for their garden. Extension Master Gardeners will show viewers how to start composting at
home, what to put into a compost pile, how to easily maintain the pile so that the materials break down properly and how to apply the finished product to the viewers’ own garden and lawn. Online class offered by Extension Master Gardeners. Free. Register at mgnv.org to receive a link to participate. 10 11:30 a.m. Mother Goose Minutes. Mary Riley Styles Public Library’s Miss Laura will share tips on how to sing and play with your baby at home. Available on Facebook Live at 10:30 a.m. at www.facebook. com/mrspl.
MONDAY, APRIL 27 Falls Church City Council Meeting. The Falls Church City Council will give first reading to its revised Fiscal Year 2021 budget. The virtual meeting can be viewed online at www.fallschurchva.gov/
CouncilMeetings and will be broadcast on FCCTV (Cox 11, RCN 2, Verizon 35). Public comment must be submitted by 8 p.m. on Monday, April 27, to cityclerk@ fallschurchva.gov. Meeting starts at 7:30 p.m.
DAILY Nationals Learning Activities for Kids. As people remain at home and are missing baseball, the Washington Nationals have continued to create fun and educational content for interested fans. All activities for kids in grades 1-6 are posted at nationals.com/Community. That includes Jr. Nationals Kids Club Fun Pages featuring Nat Libs, word scrambles and trivia; STEM education lessons using the game of baseball, such as discussing angular momentum to learn how to round the bases as fast as possible and in instructional baseball videos Nationals
coaches and players demonstrate drills that baseball and softball players can do at home.
Virtual Tour of The Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum. The Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History virtual tours allow visitors to take self-guided, roomby-room tours of select exhibits and areas within the museum from their desktop or mobile device. Visitors can also access select collections and research areas at the Smithsonian’s satellite support and research stations as well as past exhibits no longer on display. To start the tour, visit naturalhistory.si.edu/ visit/virtual-tour. Lunch Doodles with children’s author Mo Willems. Learners worldwide can draw, doodle and explore new ways of writing by visiting Mo’s studio virtually once a day for the next few weeks. Participants should grab some paper and pencils, pens or crayons and join Mo to explore ways of writing and making together. Daily at 1 p.m. Visit kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems to watch.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
A SCREENSHOT from a Mary Ellen Henderson Schoolology page. (Photo: Falls Church City Public Schools)
City Schools Dodge Online Learning Problems Plaguing Fairfax County Continued from Page 1
then again this Monday after students’ ability to log in became hit or miss as the day progressed. Lucy Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the school system, released the following statement discussing the technical issues Monday. “This morning has been a challenge regarding access to Blackboard 24/7. Some users were able to access the system early however as the volume increased, we received word that access was intermittent or slow, in some cases requiring multiple logon attempts. Once inside the system, Blackboard Collaborate worked well,” Caldwell said. Fairfax superintendent Scott Brabrand said the difficulties were “frustrating and disappointing” in a letter sent out by the school system Monday. He announced that
Providence District Board Fairfax schools’ would no longer use Blackboard for “face-to-face” member Karl Frisch, elected in instruction and would begin to use November, spearheaded a heated Google Classroom, pre-recorded line of questioning into the probvideos, learning packets, eBooks lems, which administration offiand programming on Channels 21, cials promised would be corrected such that classes could be resumed 25 and 99 as teaching resources. The school system will also on Monday. The failure to maintain undergo an outside review to assess its virtual learning services upgrades to the platform appeared and is creating an advisory tech- to be among the issues. Although nology council to “help resolve Frisch also noted that in preparing any current distance learning chal- teachers to use the system, they lenges” and improve the virtual were advised to keep the option classroom experience as a whole, for “guests” by the system’s professionals open, which exposed it Brabrand said. Last week’s platform shut to the security issues. Fears of unwelcome intrusions down stemmed from a lack of space and security after one day into the platform had led the sysof classes on April 15. Security tem to avoid the popular Zoom concerns drew the most ire from video conferencing platform, he parents when “guests” found a said, apparently unaware that TheShelterPetProject.org has similar problems. way to join live presentations andby Blackboard But the compound problems flood them with obscene comvexing the Fairfax County system ments and objectionable images.
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have been entirely absent from the City of Falls Church’s online education program that kicked off a fourth quarter with better than 90 percent student attendance this week. Peter Noonan, superintendent of the Falls Church schools and who once worked in the Fairfax County system, told the Falls Church School Board in its online meeting Tuesday night and confirmed to the News-Press that everything has been going swimmingly for the F.C. system and its 2,600 students in K-12 programs. While not commenting on Fairfax’s troubles, he said that careful and timely preparation and the system’s commitment to use of technology in its classrooms have contributed to its smooth functioning. These factors, more than the fact the Falls Church system is tiny by comparison to its behemoth of a neighbor, has made the difference. Falls Church schools’ chief academic officer, William Bates, told the News-Press that the shift to virtual classes was set in motion at the school system’s annual leadership retreat at the end of February. During the retreat, Noonan asked the school system’s executives and principals to think of everything the schools would need to function for two to three weeks in the event that its buildings would be closed. On March 2, teachers began working to develop distance learning plans for up to 20 days of school and submit them to their respective principals by March 11, per Bates. The following day Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam would declare a state of emergency that influenced Falls Church to suspend classes on March 13. “We never fly by the seat of our pants in [Falls Church City Public Schools],” Bates told the News-Press over email. “Once we learned that schools would be temporarily closed our division was
APRIL 23 – 29, 2020 | PAGE 15 already prepared because the lessons were already developed and the distribution plan was already in place and ready to be implemented. Afterwards, when the Governor announced that schools would close for the remainder of the school year we were able to focus solely on getting ready for new learning.” The “new learning” Bates referred to started on April 14 had teachers review previous standards and “select the most important standards to include in the new learning lessons.” Bates wrote that the school system discussed its plan with other schools throughout Northern Virginia and was assisted by the robust feedback it normally receives from its active parent community as well. He added that the City schools’ smaller size allows them to move quickly to make and implement their administrative decisions. Familiarity with Schoology — the Blackboard equivalent for Falls Church — was already evident for both teachers and students, wrote Bates. For those that weren’t comfortable with the platform, the school system’s director of technology helped get them up to speed over virtual and face-toface training sessions. While many of the reported problems with the Fairfax schools’ efforts stemmed from their choice to use Blackboard that didn’t allow for shutting off inappropriate images or comments, the Falls Church administration was aware of this weakness and chose the Schoology program which has a feature that can prevent those situations. Noonan said that teachers and students in Falls Church “have embraced technology in the classroom” for a number of years already, making them accustomed to the devices utilized, including the provision of devices to every student paid for by the district.
PAGE 16 | APRIL 23 - 29, 2020
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Crossword
ACROSS
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© 2020 David Levinson Wilk
Across
1. Jaguar alternatives 5. Something to carve out 10. Pay phone feature 14. ____ fide 15. Two-time N.L. batting champ Lefty 16. Hostess snack cake 17. Japanese bowlful 18. Govt. security 19. Brand with “Thick & Fluffy” products 20. Apt casting choice for a remake of “9 to 5” ... because of her name 23. Kitchen counter crawler 24. Territories 25. In a frenzy 29. “Hedda Gabler” playwright 32. Apt casting choice for a remake of “9 to 5” ... because of her name 37. Et ____ 38. Former “Saturday Night Live” regular Cheri 39. Not too shabby 41. Apt casting choice for a remake of “9 to 5” ... because of her name 44. Stood on the hind legs, with “up” 45. How sardines are often packed 46. Head covering 49. Poke 51. Apt casting choice for a remake of “9 to 5” ... because of her name 58. A, in Arabic
STRANGE BREW
1. Jaguar alternatives
59. Neighbor of a Saudi 60. Dua ____ (2018 Best New Artist) 62. Bewildered 63. French : merci :: German : ____ 64. Its license plates say “Life Elevated” 65. Shoddy pair? 66. Motel 6 visits 67. Four-posters, e.g.
DOWN
1. Air rifle ammo 2. Synthesizer pioneer Robert 3. Sun and Sky org. 4. Bygone Swedish auto 5. Away 6. “In all probability ...” 7. Spiral shape 8. Main part of a ship 9. Actress Fanning 10. Antic 11. Prepare to surf, perhaps 12. “That sounds bad!” 13. Huey, Dewey and Louie, e.g. 21. Do fall yardwork 22. Peter Fonda title role of 1997 25. Melissa Jefferson, ____ Lizzo 26. Like bulls and bucks 27. Gas or elec., e.g. 28. They bring up ticket holders 29. “____ a drink!” 30. Friend of Mary Poppins 31. ____ Tzu 33. Crowd noise 34. Men at Work’s “Who Can ____ Now?” 35. “This will ____ further!”
JOHN DEERING
Sudoku
APRIL 23 – 29, 2020 | PAGE 17 36. “The Avengers” villain 40. Broadband initials 42. Shocks 43. Nickname for Israel’s Netanyahu 46. Burn 47. Actress Sevigny 48. Greet the day 49. Of poor quality, in modern slang 50. Sign after Pisces 52. Italian luxury shoe brand 53. “____ my wit’s end!” 54. Mom’s mom 55. Word before sandwich or soda 56. Give credit to 57. Product that had sales of more than 300,000 on its first day in 2010 61. Checkup sounds
Last Thursday’s Solution S E V E R
T N O T E
V I A D L O C H A D S
S I D E A
E D I N A
E S C A P E C D A R D P O E C D E I N E T M S
P S I T E A C B A S V P A A M O T R S V O R T I O F L L A E F S S
T U T S I
S T O I C
N E Y T C A N S O P R Y S E
K A A V R E E R E V E M I L E L O N D R E W E I S S P N G I C A R C H E
S E A B R E E Z E
I D R I S
S A L S A
C T O O W S
L A T T E
E R I E S
S R S L Y
By The Mepham Group
Level 1 2 3 4
5. Something to carve out 10. Pay phone feature 14. ____ fide 15. Two-time N.L. batting champ Lefty 16. Hostess snack cake 17. Japanese bowlful 18. Govt. security 19. Brand with "Thick & Fluffy" products
1
20. Apt casting choice for a remake of "9 to 5" ... because of her name 23. Kitchen counter crawler 24. Territories 25. In a frenzy
Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle
29. "Hedda Gabler" playwright 32. Apt casting choice for a remake of "9 to 5" ... because of her name NICK KNACK
© 2020 N.F. Benton
1
4/26/20
Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk. © 2020 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
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PAGE 18 | APRIL 23 – 29, 2020
dog. lazy ick qu The fox sly p e d j u m the over dog. lazy is the Now for all time cows good co me to aid to the the ir of t u r e . pas
25 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
25 & 10 Years Ago in the News-Press Falls Church News-Press Vol. V, No. 5 • April 20, 1995
It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the p a s their ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up
Falls Church News-Press Vol. XX, No. 9 • April 29, 2010
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Critter Corner 10 Year s Ago
It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the the ir pas ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up
Council Reaches Consensus, Plans to Vote for Full School Funding Monday
Election Time in F.C.: 8 Vie For 4 Council Seats Tuesday
Consensus was reached by the Falls Church City Council at the conclusion of a grueling four-hour work session Monday that the School Board will get all it requested to fund the schools during the next fiscal year, and real estate tax payers will see their rate rise from $1.03 to $1.07 per $100 in assessed values.
Tuesday is Election Day in the City of Falls Church. Four seats on the seven-member City Council and School Board will be filled by the winners, who will be sworn in July 1. There are only four candidates for the four School Board seats, so there has been no competition. On the other hand, there are eight candidates vying to fill four seats on the City Council.
City of Falls Church
CRIME REPORT Week of April 13 – 19, 2020 Larceny from Building, 400 blk S Maple Ave, April 9 between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM,unknown suspect(s) took two bicycles from the building’s storage area.
SMOOCHES from the Behr family’s favorite pup can’t be stopped even as social distancing orders remain in place. Dogs can’t contract the novel coronavirus, so they’re blissfully going about their lives and just enjoying the extra personal time with their humans.
Auto Theft, 1000 blk Poplar Dr, sometime overnight between April 13 and April 14,unknown suspect(s) took a vehicle that was parked on a residential street. Drug Narcotic Violation, 700 blk Lincoln Ave, April 14, 12:39 AM, a male, 22, of Alexandria, VA, was issued a citation for possession marijuana. Larceny Theft from Motor Vehicle, 200 blk Gundry Dr, sometime overnight between April 15 and April 16, unknown suspect(s) took items of value from two parked vehicles. Auto Theft, 400 blk Hampton Ct, sometime overnight between April 15 and April 16,unknown suspect(s) took a vehicle that was parked on a residential street. Larceny Theft from Motor Vehicle, 1000 blk Railroad Ave, sometime between April 15 and April 17, unknown suspect(s) took items of value from three parked vehicles. Larceny Theft from Motor Vehicle, 600 blk Hillwood Ave, sometime between April 1 and April 18, unknown suspect(s) took items of value from a parked vehicle. Drunk in Public (DIP), 6600 blk Wilson Blvd, April 18, 6:33 PM, a male, 26, of Arlington, VA, was arrested for appearing drunk in public.
Social distancing is the most effective tool we have for slowing the spread of the coronavirus. And that means staying home, if you can. Work from home. Play at home. Stay at home. If you must go out, keep your social distance—six feet, or two arm-lengths apart. Young. Elderly. In between. It’s going to take every one of us. If home really is where the heart is, listen to yours and do the life-saving thing.
Visit coronavirus.gov for the latest tips and information from the CDC.
#AloneTogether TOGETHER, WE CAN HELP SLOW THE SPREAD.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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APRIL 23 – 29, 2020 | PAGE 19
F� � � � C � � � � �
We miss you!
B������� N��� � N���� Staples Offering Free Printing to Local Businesses Staples Super Store in Falls Church is offering complimentary printing services to local businesses. Businesses can receive up to 50 black and white prints or one 18” x 24” CDC poster for free. Staples Super Store is located at 1104 W. Broad Street in Falls Church. For more information call 703-534-0101.
DIY Pizza Kits Now Available at Orso Pizzeria Orso is now offering do-it-yourself pizza kits available for pick up or delivery via UberEats. Each kit includes all the ingredients needed to make their signature pies. Visit facebook.com/pizzeriaorso for information on the kits or visit www.pizzeriaorso.com for their menu of salads, pizzas, wine, and beer available to go or for delivery. Pizzeria Orso is open from 4 – 8 p.m. and is located at 400 S. Maple Avenue in Falls Church.
Clay Cafe Now Offering Paint-Your-Own Pottery Packages Clay Café Studios has two paint-your-own pottery packages available for virtual parties or craft nights. The packages, animals or animal dishes, can be picked up curbside or delivered. For more information, visit www.claywire.com/ or call 703-534-7600. Clay Café is located at 101 N. Maple Avenue in Falls Church.
April 28 Virtual Lunch Gathering Join us to connect, share stories, and swap best practice ideas for small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will meet via Zoom from 12—1:30 pm! In order to receive an invitation with the meeting link, please register online. Reservations are required. Email cathy@fallschurchchamber.org or register online at www.FallsChurchChamber.org.
On our website we have COVID-19 resources with critical information, a video supporting small businesses, and a page dedicated to current local business information. Let us know what else you would like to see! www.fallschurchchamber.org Partners
Gold
Silver
Bronze Body Dynamics
F.C. Distillers Offers Up Quarantine Cocktails
John Marshall Bank
Falls Church Distillers has new cocktails now available for pick-up or delivery. Christy’s Quarantine Cocktails include the Corona Killer (mango, orange juice, cherry juice, rum), COVID Be Gone (bourbon, club soda, lime juice) and the Sanitizer (vodka and house lemonade) all made with the local distillers own spirits, which are available for shipping as well as pick-up can local delivery. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/FallsChurchDistillers.
Tax Analysts
John N. Rodock — Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
www.FallsChurchChamber.org
YOUR DREAM KITCHEN, WITHOUT A RENOVATION.
Rock Star Realty Goes Virtual Tori McKinney and her Rock Star Realty Group at KW remain open 24 hours by pivoting their real estate service to a virtual operation. To keep everyone safe during showings, the group conducts showings during business hours while practicing cautiously with their nine-step Covid-19 friendly protocol. The group is offering sellers $1,200 of free virtual services, available 24-hours a day and offering buyers $1,500 toward closing costs. For more information, visit www.ToriRocksRealEstate.com.
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Northern Virginia Community College is now offering a series of Workforce ‘DiscovFREE’ webinar sessions intended to provide career information for individuals who may seek to gauge their interest in certain fields of business and IT. The first sessions in the series will provide an in-depth look into Web Development, Software Automation, Amazon Web Services Cloud Computing, CompTIA+ certifications, and Fundraising. Each session will be led by a NOVA instructor to discuss programs and answer questions about career possibilities one can achieve with these skills. All sessions are available at no cost to members of the community. Registration for these sessions is now open. For more information, email novaworkforceanswers@nvcc.edu or visit www.nvcc.augusoft.net/index.cfm?fuseaction=1010&.
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Chamber Hosting Virtual Luncheon Tuesday The Falls Church Chamber of Commerce will host a virtual luncheon for members of the business community on Tuesday, April 28, noon – 1:30 p.m. Attendees must register online by visiting www.FallsChurchChamber.org and going to the calendar entry. The event is free but attendees are encouraged to make plans for delivery or grab and go lunch from local restaurants. For more information, email info@FallsChurchChamber.org. Business News & Notes is compiled by Sally Cole, Executive Director of Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at sally@fallschurchchamber.org.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
PAGE 20 | APRIL 23 - 29, 2020
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We are grateful to everyone in our FCCPS for their time, creative solutions and continued support! Great job! Please STAY SAFE Falls Church!! In this time of fear and anxiousness, furloughs and firings, closed business and great uncertainty about the health of our bodies and our economy, we all want to contribute in some way to alleviate the suffering of others. Here is a list of City approved charities who desperately need your help.
3 t in ac ntr o rC de Un
!! ys Da
CT RA NT O RC DE UN
Volunteer and Donation Opportunities Food for Others foodforothers.org Falls Church Community Services Council fcswecare@aol.com Saint James Church 703-532-8815 No Kid Hungry nokidhungry.org VolunteerFairfax volunteerfairfax.org Medical Reserve Corps, the official volunteer organization of the Fairfax County Health District, which serves the City of Falls Church, Fairfax County, City of Fairfax, and all towns located in the county. hdmrc@fairfaxcounty.gov
6902 Turner Ave., Falls Church
Falls Church City Small Businesses:
- Clare & Don's Beach Shack - La Côte d'Or Café - Audacious Aleworks - Lazy Mike's Deli - Northside Social - Liberty Barbecue - Dogwood Tavern - Dominion Beer & Wine - SpaceBar - Falls Church News Press -
City Services Info Line: 703-248-5200
ct tra on rC e d Un
2524 Buckelew Dr. Falls Church 4 Bedroom, 2 Bath Brick Rambler in Beautiful, quiet Poplar Heights neighborhood. Offered at $625,000. (represented Buyer)
COMING SOON
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Please Support your
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Falls Church Community help during covid-19 Falls Church Area COVID-19 Aid City of Falls Church Government
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Beautiful Colonial built in 2007 in sought after McLean New Construction - Modern Farmhouse in the heart of Falls School Pyramid. 4 Bedroom/4.5 Bath. Offered at $949,000. Church ready in Spring 2020. Over 6,000 sq ft of living space Multiple contract offers received! situated on 1/2 acre lot in sought after Falls Hill neighborhood. 6BR/7BA w/ Open floor plan and elegant finishes throughout – Offered at $1,795,000 Please continue to Support
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If you are looking to Buy, Sell, or Rent in 2020 please call Chris for a no obligation consultation.
Chris Earman
Member NVAR Multi-Million Dollar Sales Club Residential Top Producer
(703) 628-4541 | Chris@EarmanRealEstate.com
EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY
®
REALTOR
Your Local Falls Church Realtor 703-760-8880 Falls Church/McLean