April 7 - 13, 2022
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 X XII N o. 8
The City of Falls Church’s Independent, Locally-Owned Newspaper of Record, Serving N. Virginia
Va. Tech Formally OKs Next Stage
Meridian Romps The Bard
West F.C. Area Plans Align With F.C., WMATA by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
In a next step in the process of converting over 40 acres of land occupied by three important entities at the West Falls Church Metro station to a transformative mega-mixed use district, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors at its quarterly meeting in Blacksburg Monday authorized the finalization of negotiations with the City of Falls Church that will clear the path for its next big phase of that plan. Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields told the NewsPress Tuesday that the step is a major move to bringing the integrated plan into being. He said negotiations between Virginia Tech and the City will now proceed over the summer with a number of technical steps. It involves clarifying the disposition of the relationship between the two entities that
Continued on Page 4
IT COULD BEST BE SUMMARIZED as a romp. So it was for the Meridian High School’s delightful spring play, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised],” which tirelessly makes mention of every one of the bard’s 37 plays in a 90 minute production. (See review, elsewhere this edition). (Photo: Carol Sly).
Beyer’s Central Role in U.S. Fusion’s Progress by Nicholas F. Benton Falls Church News-Press
Falls Church’s U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, founder of the bipartisan House Fusion Energy Caucus and member of the House Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology, keynoted a White House Summit on Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy last month. Beyer told the NewsPress that he has long been a supporter of nuclear fusion
research and development and thinks that it is the most viable long-term and profoundly game-changing solution to the world’s energy needs. Unlike fission, fusion is safe and the most basic process by which the universe powers
itself. Beyer opined that commercial fusion could begin to be viable by the middle of the next decade. The White House event, hosted by the White House
Continued on Page 9
Inside This Week CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES AT COLUMBIA BAPTIST CHURCH
Meridian Brings New Life to Classic Works of shakespeare
See Story, Page 11
See Review, Page 12
Expected to be completed some time next year, renovations are underway at Columbia Baptist. Currently under construction, the building will include a new worship space, a coffee shop and more.
Srudents from Meridian High School put on “The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised],” which condenses all 37 plays into roughly an hour and a half with plenty of unique twists.
Index
Comment...................................... 5,7,8 Editorial................................................ 6 Letters.................................................. 6 Crime Report....................................... 8 Business News.................................. 13 News & Notes..............................14,15 Calendar......................................18,19 Classified Ads.................................... 20 Comics............................................... 21 Critter Corner..................................... 22