Falls Church News-Press 8-13-2020 by Falls Church News-Press

August 13 – 19, 2020

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F.C. Council Unanimously Enacts City Property Gun Ban

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New Measure to Go In Effect Nov. 1; Strident Pro-Gun Mobilization Fails To Deter 6-0 Decision BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

THOMAS JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY students Lillian & Connell Henderson joined by Eleanor and Beatrix Barba hosted a lemonade stand to raise funds to donate to BrightPaths.org after learning that 60,000 Fairfax County students live at or below the poverty line. (P��: C�� C�� H��)

Principals Con�ident In F.C. Schools’ Virtual Start BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

The principals of all the Falls Church City public schools were upbeat participating in the virtual F.C. School Board meeting Tuesday night, giving individual reports on how all the proper preparations are

in order for the commencement of the new school year in less than two weeks now. The Monday, Aug. 24 launch will be entirely virtually in the context of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. While rates of infections and transmissions remain low in Falls Church and its immediate environs,

it’s a much different story not too far from here, and since many employees of the system live out of this immediate area, it was out of an abundance of caution last month that Superintendent Peter Noonan and the School Board decided to abandon

Continued on Page 4

Culminating a grueling 5 hour, 15 minute virtual meeting Monday night, the Falls Church City Council voted unanimously, 6-0, to enact a “Firearms on City Property and Events” ordinance that will go into effect Nov. 1. It prohibits the possession of firearms, open or concealed, in official City-owned locations such as buildings (including City Hall and the Community Center), parks, facilities and streets when City-sponsored events are occurring. It augments existing prohibitions of firearms on or in the vicinity of all schools. The ordinance is modelled on one passed in Alexandria in June and ones that are expected to be adopted soon in Arlington and Fairfax. It was initiated following the July 1 implementation of a new law passed by the State Legislature and Gov. Ralph Northam permitting local jurisdictions to enact such measures for the first time since the 1980s, when the General Assembly acted to prohibit such local ordinances. The meeting last night was made lengthy by the public reading by City officials of some 75 public comments of three minutes or less (with some that went considerably over), all but two of which opposed the ordinance, and of those more than

half from persons not living in the City of Falls Church. The reading of those comments consumed more than two hours, from 9:21 – 11:30 p.m. Following that, in comments prior to the vote, Councilmember Letty Hardi reported that she’d tallied all the comments she’d received, including 676 emails, and two petitions each with nearly 500 signatures, prior to the comments made at the meeting, and that, she said, “From my count about 30 percent of the total comments and signatures are actual residents of the City of Falls Church, and of those, there was nearly a 3-to-1 margin of City residents who support the ordinance.” She said, “I have heard an overwhelming number of actual residents, who have long asked for this authority since it was taken away in the 1980s, who believe that guns don’t belong where children play, where they check out library books, where they are conducting City business, where they are buying food at the Farmer’s Market, or where they vote.” She added, “The data is overwhelmingly clear that more guns lead to more deaths. The statistics show that concealed carry guns are rarely used effectively in self defense, but lead to more accidents and unintended injuries, ultimately

Continued on Page 5

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SEE COMMENTARY, PAGE 13

SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 15

City of Falls Church’s commissioner of the revenue, Tom Clinton, is requesting a final call for both current and former City residents who have a vehicle status change. That includes a new car, a previously sold car, one that was donated or moved, and more.

Our latest small-business casualty: Sam Torrey Shoe Service, for decades a comforting continuity at Lee Highway at George Mason Dr., dimmed its “open” sign at the end of July.

Falls Church City Registrar of Voters David Bjerke confirmed to the News-Press that letters sent from the Center for Voter Information to many households in the City are legitimate and their “Virginia Vote by Mail Application Forms” are valid.

INDEX

Editorial............................................... 6 Letters................................................. 6 News & Notes................................... 11 Comment ................................ 7,12,13 Calendar ........................................... 14 Classified Ads ................................... 16 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ......... 17 Crime Report .................................... 18 Critter Corner.................................... 18 Business News ................................. 19

PAGE 2 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2020

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PAGE 4 | AUGUST 13 – 19, 2020

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Coopera�ve Atmosphere Prompts Schools ‘To Think Diﬀerently About Instruc�on’ In Classes

Continued from Page 1

a “hybrid” teaching plan this fall in favor of an all virtual one, at least into the first week of October. Timothy Kasik, principal of Mt. Daniel Elementary, offered that the level of collaboration within the overall system is “better than ever” despite the limitations everybody’s faced with. He said the close collaboration with Paul Swanson, principal at Thomas Jefferson Elementary, has been extraordinary to develop a seamless learning context. Matt Hills, principal of George Mason High, said the same sort of things about his work with Valerie Hardy, principal of Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School. They both noted that as the new Mason High building approaches completion by December, they have more in common than ever, working on a common “campus” that includes them both. Noonan said that achieving a “commonality across grades” provides “instructional redundancy” that enables the continuation of education even if a particular teacher were to get sick.

Utilizing more of a team approach has led them all “to think differently about instruction,” Hills said. New employee orientation for the system’s 28 new hires took place Monday and Tuesday of this week, and the full staff will be back for online training today (Thursday). Class schedules are slated to “go live” Friday, Aug. 14, and next Tuesday there will be the usual systemwide Convocation, although it will be done entirely online this time. The system’s Chief Academic Officer William Bates said that all the teachers “want the students to thrive and won’t allow the current situation to get in the way of that.” The theme of the Convocation will be “It’s Always the Right Time to Do the Right Thing,” a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King. It’s appropriate for this year of heightened challenges, including in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, that Superintendent Noonan said will be the theme to leverage for the entire school year. As the school year approaches, Noonan said that the system will rejoin the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s

National School Lunch program that includes an a la carte pricing menu for adults. He said that another round of gift cards to families in need have been distributed as part of the Friday food box deliveries compliments of the Falls Church Education Foundation. Noonan said there have been a “handful” of employees granted oneyear leaves of absence, and there may be a “handful” more. He said that all the system employees will be retained and repurposed from bus driving, custodial and food service functions to other roles, many pertaining to preparations for the move to the new high school come December. He said that contrary to other views, the Falls Church system employees all “want our kids back more than anything,” and he’s been in ongoing consultations with the Virginia Department of Health, the Fairfax County Health Department, which oversees Falls Church, so that “anything we do is done safely and transparently.” Instruction beginning Aug. 24 will take into account social, emotional and mental health needs of students. Countering the notion that students will be sitting at a computer for six

PAUL SWANSON, principal at Thomas Jefferson Elementary, has worked well with Mt. Daniel Elementary principal Timothy Kasik to streamline learning for students. (S��: N��-P��) hours a day, “we will be developmentally responsible,” Noonan said. Marie Baroody, director of the Jesse Thackrey Preschool, said that the year will begin with 10 to 20 minute teacher introductions and use of lots of puppets and songs. Kasik of Mt. Daniel said there will be a “Meet the Teacher” event on Aug. 20, where there will be 1-on-1 online sessions with students and all classes will be recorded to review. Swanson of Jefferson Elementary stressed the work that has gone into synchronizing with Mt. Daniel toward a seamless K-5 educational experience with a mix of live synchronous and taped asynchronous teaching. “We’re in a pretty good place,” he said, crediting his “fantastic staff.” At Henderson, Hardy stressed the importance of “embedding social and

emotional learning” into the online programs, with an hour beginning at 11 a.m. to be an all student-all teacher learning block, and an hour beginning at 9 a.m. to be a daily “enrichment time.” Special education services chief Rebecca Sharp noted the special programs the Falls Church system has been able to provide that much larger systems have not been able to. The ESOL program’s Dr. Jenn Santiago cited the instance of the middle school student-led Social Justice Club that is reviewing age appropriate books to identify for younger students to think about. Tuesday’s meeting opened with the election by a unanimous vote of George Mason High student Elisabeth Snyder as the new student representative on the School Board.

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

AUGUST 13 – 19, 2020 | PAGE 5

F.C. Police Chief Says Gun Law Can Be Enforced as Misdemeanor Offense Continued from Page 1

doing more harm to others than their intent....We do have this ability to honor the wishes of our citizens to make our library, park, city hall, community center and public events to be gun-free.” Numerous of those who testified against the ordinance cited an unscientific poll in the News-Press last week that showed a wide majority also opposed. Upon further review of the NewsPress’ unscientific poll from last week, which asked visitors to its website whether they agreed with the Council’s preliminary vote in favor of banning guns on City property, it found that 2,500 votes had been cast. That dwarfed the usual weekly poll numbers of a few hundred. Falls Church Chief of Police Mary Gavin said that the new law can be adequately enforced. At a work session on the topic last week, she noted that there are as many as 700 citizens in the City of 15,000 who hold “concealed carry” permits due to their roles with the federal government and regional agencies.

“There are a lot of licensed concealed weapons carriers in the National Capital Area,” she said, “and the vast majority are responsible, safe gun owners.” For many of them, she added, “It’s a lifestyle.” While the new ordinance will not go into effect until Nov. 1, in the meantime signage will be developed to go up in buildings and City properties indicating “No Gun Zones.” Educational efforts will also be undertaken, Chief Gavin said. “We want there to be no surprises so any incidents can be handled with dignity and grace as we go about it all in a smart way.” She said the approach generally, if it is discerned that there is a violation, “to seek compliance with the law and then only to ban an individual or make an arrest.” Violations of the ordinance will be designated as a Class 1 misdemeanor and can result in a prison sentence of up to a year and a fine of up to $2,500. Late minor modifications to the ordinance permit licensed persons to leave guns out of view in their cars and loaded if necessary. A lengthy list of exemptions include those required by the Virginia

Code, such as those with the Reserve Officer Training Corps, NCAA rifle teams, trap and skeet clubs and other school of higher education courses, classes, clubs or activities, as well as military personnel acting in the course of their duties, sworn and retired law enforcement officers, private security personnel hired by the City of Falls Church, and historical re-enactors and others using inoperative firearms. A lot of the Council discussion Monday had to do with various special situations, such as sidewalks that are on park property (as in the case of Park Avenue at Cherry Hill Park). Also, on special events in the streets of the City, prohibitions apply only to official City-sponsored events where the City is fully on top of all the aspects of the event. Councilman David Snyder, who has been an outspoken advocate of expanded gun control measures since first joining the Council in 1994, noted prior to the vote Monday that every year in the City’s legislative “wish list” sent to Richmond, the City Council has advocated greater controls of the kind voted into law this week. “The citizens support this, the

data supports it, and City employees do, too,” he said. Vice Mayor Connelly said to those who argue that the ordinance is “an issue in search of a problem” as the City has no evident need for it, “Then, if it is so safe here, why are you (opponents of the ordinance) all carrying guns?” “The problem we are trying to solve,” she said, “Is that people don’t want guns in public places.” Mayor David Tarter said that “it is safer not having guns in our library, community center and City Hall, anywhere around our children.” Opponents of the ordinance, in

their written statements read into the official record at the virtual Council meeting Monday, argued, as one put it, that the measure “is a feel good effort that discriminates against law abiding citizens.” Others argued against what they called “giving criminals the advantage by limiting the rights of law abiding citizens on behalf of a basic need that has not been established.” it “makes the problem worse,” it “strips innocent citizens of the ability to defend themselves,” it “does nothing to improve our safety,” and they allege that 90 percent of violence occurs in “gun free zones.”

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PAGE 6 | AUGUST 13 – 19, 2020 

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E D I TO R I A L

Hardi Deflates the Overblown Response

The single most helpful component of the weeks-long, emotionallydraining ordeal of passing a simple and sane gun control law by the City Council of the City of Falls Church this Monday was a surgical evaluation of it all by Council member Letty Hardi just before the unanimous vote. With precision and acumen, Hardi stuck a pin in the big, bad, ominously inflated boogeyman that opponents of the ordinance spent so much time and effort, huffing and puffing to inflate out of proportion. These pro-gun advocates forced our government to sit through blizzards of angry complaints for weeks on end. But Hardi’s brief, calmly delivered data-based assessment caused the whole overblown uproar to wither. You would have thought she’d thrown a bucket of water on a nasty green witch: “Oh, no, not only is the corrupt NRA about to disappear under the burden of a massive legal action in New York, but I am melting!” The gist of her comments was in her deconstruction of the numbers. She said that there were more than 676 emails and two petitions with 500 signatures each that she received, akin to what her colleagues on the Council also received, much less the some 100 comments received at the meeting Monday night. But rather than be blown away by the sheer force of such numbers as their backers intended, she instead deconstructed them. Saying she’d read almost everything that was sent her way, she then spent hours “tallying comments from the residents I serve.” From that work, she said, “From my count, about 30 percent of the total comments and signatures are actual residents of the City of Falls Church,” and of those, there was nearly a 3-to-1 margin of City residents who support the proposed ordinance. The ordinance, she added, “reflects long-standing community values of how people feel safest.” (She also ripped into the argument that ‘Gun Free Zones’ leave citizens helpless by saying that “statistics show that concealed carry guns are rarely used effectively in self defense, lead to more accidents and unintended injuries, ultimately doing more harm to others than their intent.”) We at the News-Press are not happy that we were exploited by the progun lobby which was able to stuff the ballot box, so to speak, on our simple and unscientific weekly online survey. While most locally-focused surveys draw a few hundred votes, at best, the question, “Do you agree with the F.C. City Council’s preliminary vote to prohibit guns on City property?” drew over 2,500 votes. Either the system was flooded with votes from far flung places, or minimal hacking allowed individuals to cast many multiple votes. Or, a combination of both. We do not take lightly that someone cheating on any election, even a poll, effectively disenfranchises everyone else who’s honest. A poll easily susceptible to cheating becomes an bane to honest citizens and the will of the majority.

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Whole Foods Not Worth More Than Staple F.C. Establishments Editor, I felt compelled to respond to the editorial entitled “Make Sure We Get Whole Foods.” The primary justification put forth in the editorial seems to be that under current economic conditions (which the writer seems to be projecting out into the future, which is speculative at best) that grocery stores are cash cows for tax revenues and restaurants are not, and that the City should not “sacrifice a mega-supermar-

ket in an attempt to shore up three local restaurants.” Since the writer did not state what was meant by “shore up,” I assume the writer is referring to the concerns voiced by these existing establishments of the significant negative impact on available parking to serve these establishments during construction by virtue of the project taking over the long time existing parking in the City owned lot to accommodate the Whole Foods

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footprint. I find this analysis to be dismissive of the value of small local businesses to the local economy and the quality of life in our community. I assume that the three local businesses being referred to are Clare & Don’s, the State Theatre and Thompson’s. The first two have been long time members of our business community that have contributed to the community for many years, and Thompson’s has been an outstanding new addition. These are all small businesses with roots in the community that I suspect are struggling to survive in these challenging times. I am not anti-development (I have been in the real estate industry for almost 40 years)

and I recognize the many benefits a Whole Foods would bring. However, City Council should only welcome Whole Foods to our community if it is does not jeopardize the viability of our existing small businesses. Whole Foods will be just fine if this store is never built, and the City is not underserved with its existing grocery store options as well as the one planned for the West End project. If adequate consideration is not given to these small local businesses in this process, their future is greatly in doubt which in my opinion would do great harm to the fabric of our community. Don Goldrosen Falls Church

CO MME NT

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

AUGUST 13 – 19, 2020 | PAGE 7

G � � � � C � � � � � �� City Property Gun Ban Re�lects F.C.’s Focus On Safety B� D�� S��

For more than a decade, the City Council’s publicly discussed legislative program included a request for the authority to ban firearms from City owned facilities like City Hall, the Community Center, the Farmers’ Market and the library. The City Council’s unanimous Monday vote to ban firearms from City facilities and during City sponsored events was made possible by the State Legislature and Governor earlier this year. This year’s action in Richmond ended the one-sided preemption of local authority in favor of gun activists and allowed the decisions on public safety to be made by local elected officials for their communities depending on their particular circumstances. Our vote also represented a repudiation of past intimidation by gun toting activists who filled City Hall to demand retraction of an administrative rule simply allowing for notification to the police when a firearm on City property was discovered. The critical aspect of the change in Richmond was to allow local decisionmaking on this fundamental issue of local public safety. Falls Church’s successful model of crime prevention and control relies on a rapid response, highly motivated, well trained and equipped police force led by

effective commanders and accompanied by the additional resources of the sheriff’s office. In this context it seems to me, there is not the need for the public to be

“This year’s action in Richmond ended the one-sided preemption of local authority in favor of gun activists and allowed the decisions on public safety to be made by local elected of�icials for their communities...” heavily armed to protect itself, compared to other places. Instead, we generally rely on our professional law enforcement. There may, however, be jurisdictions in Virginia where police response times are measured in hours instead of a few minutes as here, or they lack the political will to adequately support their law

enforcement as we do here. So there, you may need a firearm to feel and be safe. That is not the case here. Being a highly educated and aware community, it is expected and appreciated that not all citizens agree with our decision. All views were heard and carefully considered. Most persuasive to me, were the points made by the majority of citizens supporting the legislation and the success of our public safety model. It was also important that our employees, who often interface with the public, were supportive of the ordinance we approved. The most compelling arguments against our vote came from citizens who have concealed carry permits. We made efforts to try to address their concerns and did so, at least partially, with an amendment. Other larger accommodations were explored but were not able to be adopted at this time due to enforcement concerns. This will continue to be an issue that should be reviewed from time to time in the context of our City’s public safety conditions. Should our traditional approach to public safety be eroded then the need for self-defense would increase. We were often asked to explain what problem we were solving in the context of Falls Church’s relative safety and lack of gun related incidents. That positive record bears out the approach we have followed in the City,

with its emphasis on supporting our police. But, the data show that actions like we have taken to improve public safety are also important to deal with the increase in gun related incidents regionally and the increasing lethality as a result of the ready availability of assault weapons. In fact, none other than the CDC and the American Medical Association refer to gun violence as a major public health issue. With our law now being clear that firearms are not permitted on City property, citizens and employees can be more proactive because they now have the basis to notify the police earlier of the presence of a firearm, so as to better prevent gun related incidents. So I view our ordinance as increasing our collective ability to prevent gun related violence. In voting to prohibit firearms from City facilities and events, we had one objective and that was to provide for the safety of our citizens against gun violence. We were assured that we were acting in conformance to the law, including the Constitution and the Second Amendment. We were also assured by our Police Chief that the ordinance is enforceable. David Snyder is a member of Falls Church City’s Council

Q�� W�� Which candidate do you support in the F.C. Council’s special election? • Debbie Hiscott

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• Other

• Not sure

Visit www.FCNP.com to cast your vote

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PAGE 8 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2020

Who's F.C.s Best?

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2020 Best of Falls Church Finalists: FOOD & DINING Burger: Clare & Don’s Beach Shack • Dogwood Tavern • Elevation Burger • Lazy Mike’s Delicatessen • Open Road

Brunch: Cafe Kindred • Dogwood Tavern • Ireland's 4 p's • Open Road • Northside Social

Pizza: Baddpizza • Flippin Pizza • Open Road • Paisano's • Pizzeria Orso

Coffee Shop: Bakeshop • Happy Tart Bakery • Northside Social • Rare Bird • Starbucks

Sandwich: Audacious Aleworks • Cafe Kindred • Dogwood Tavern • Lazy Mike’s Delicatessen • Open Road

Bakery: Bakeshop • Cafe Kindred • Happy Tart Bakery • Northside Social

Chicken: Crisp and Juicy • Liberty BBQ • Open Road • Super Chicken • Spin Pollo

Frozen Treats: Bakeshop • Cafe Kindred • Lazy Mike’s Delicatessen • Little City Creamery • Sweet Frog

Seafood: Caribbean Plate • Chasing Tails • Clare & Don’s Beach Shack • Hot N Juicy Crawfish • TRIO

Outside Dining: Audacious Aleworks • Clare & Don’s Beach Shack • Dogwood Tavern • Northside Social • Open Road

American: Audacious Aleworks • Clare & Don’s Beach Shack • Dogwood Tavern • Open Road • Liberty Barbecue

Delivery Food: Hunan Cafe • Lost Dog Cafe • Moby Dick Kabob • Open Road • Paisano's

International: Audacious Aleworks • Haandi Indian Cuisine • Lucky Thai • Maneki Neko • Saffron Indian Cuisine

Farmers Market Vendor: Atwater's Bakery • Black Rock Orchard • Borek G Turkish Cuisine • Chris's Crab Cakes • Mushroom Stand

Breakfast: Cafe Kindred • IHOP • Lazy Mike’s Delicatessen • Northside Social • Original Pancake House

New Restaurant: Audacious Aleworks • Baddpizza • Raina's Love Bowl • Solace Outpost • Thompson Italian

VOTING ENDS

AUGUST 16

BEST of

FALLS CHURCH BE

2020

STOFFC.COM

CAST YOUR VOTE AT

BESTOFFC.COM

OF FALLS CHURCH ISSUE ISSUE COMING ON AUGUST 27! 29! BEST OFBEST FALLS CHURCH COMING AUGUST Limit 1 entry per person. Best of Falls Church voting ends August 16, 2020 at 5 p.m. Contest rules available online at fcnp.com/bestofrules

AUGUST 13 - 19, 2020 | PAGE 9

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Who's F.C.s Best?

2020 Best of Falls Church Finalists: RETAIL, SERVICES & MORE

Professional Services: Diener & Associates • Falls Church Wellness Center Auto: Beyer Automotive • Falls Church Auto Body • Koon's Ford • Integrity Auto • Smokey's Garage • GreenSpur, Inc. • Sunstone Counseling • Wilhelm & Associates, Ltd. Grocery Store: Aldi • Giant • Harris Teeter • Trader Joe’s Bank/Credit Union: Apple Federal Credit Union • BB&T • Whole Foods • Burke & Herbert • SunTrust • Wells Fargo Salon: Ladan Spa • Kess Hair & Skincare • Nash Hair Design Real Estate Agent: Bethany Ellis • Chris Earman • Elliot Oliva • Perfect Endings • Rex Day Spa • Natasha Kennedy • Tori McKinney Gym/Fitness: 24-Hour Fitness • Body Dynamics • Jazzercise Real Estate Group: Frankly Real Estate • NBI Realty • Karma Yoga • Orangetheory Fitness Falls Church • Rock Star Realty - Tori McKinney • The Oliva Home Group City Event: Farmer’s Market • Memorial Day Festivities • The Chrissy + Lisa Team • Taste of Falls Church • Tinner Hill Music Festival • Watch Night Doctors: Dr. Gordon Theisz • Dr. Lisa Kelly • Dr. Philip O'Donnell Specialty Store: Audacious Aleworks • Botanologica • Northern Virginia Pediatrics • Little Falls Family Practice • Doodlehopper • Lost Whiskey • Stylish Patina Dentist: Drs. Love & Miller • Dr. Peterson Huang Nova Premier Dental • Dr. Joseph Cusimano • Dr. Rachel Valltos • Dr. William Dougherty DDS School: CommuniKids • Congressional • George Mason • St. James • Thomas Jefferson Elementary Retirement Community: Chesterbrook Residences Chiropractor: • Brooks Chiropractic • Dr. Chantay Bess • Powhatan Nursing Home • The Kensington • Sunrise Senior Living Home Improvement Brown's Hardware • DuBro Architects + Builders • Dr. Perih • Solano Spine & Sport Live Entertainment: Clare and Don's Beach Shack • Falls Church Distillers • GreenSpur • House Doctors of Falls Church • Sislers Stone • JV’s Restaurant • Open Road Grill • State Theatre Dry Cleaners: Classic Cleaners • Clean World • Eagle Cleaners New Business: Audacious Aleworks • Solace Outpost • Hillwood Cleaners • Spectrum Cleaners • Karma Yoga • Thompson Italian • Toy Nest

VOTING ENDS

AUGUST 16

BEST of

FALLS CHURCH BE

2020

STOFFC.COM

CAST YOUR VOTE AT

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

PAGE 10 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2020

Legal Notice

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF AN APPLICATION BY VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY D/B/A DOMINION ENERGY VIRGINIA FOR APPROVAL OF A RATE ADJUSTMENT CLAUSE RIDER R, BEAR GARDEN GENERATING STATION CASE NO. PUR-2020-00101 •Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a Dominion Energy Virginia (“Dominion”) has applied for approval to revise its rate adjustment clause, Rider R. •Dominion’s request represents a revenue requirement of $59,318,000 annually, which would increase the bill of a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month by $0.22. •A Hearing Examiner appointed by the State Corporation Commission will hold a public hearing in the case on January 26, 2021. •Further information about this case is available on the SCC website at: https://scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information. On June 1, 2020, Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a Dominion Energy Virginia (“Dominion” or “Company”), pursuant to § 56-585.1 A 6 of the Code of Virginia (“Code”), filed with the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) an annual update of the Company’s rate adjustment clause, Rider R (“Application”). Through its Application, the Company seeks to recover costs associated with the Bear Garden Generating Station (“Bear Garden Project” or “Project”), a natural gas- and oil-fired combined-cycle electric generating facility and associated transmission interconnection facilities located in Buckingham County, Virginia. In 2009, the Commission approved Dominion’s construction and operation of the Bear Garden Project and also approved a rate adjustment clause, designated Rider R, for the Company to recover costs associated with the construction of the Project. The Bear Garden Project became fully operational in May 2011. In this proceeding, Dominion has asked the Commission to approve Rider R for the rate year beginning April 1, 2021, and ending March 31, 2022 (“2021 Rate Year”). The two components of the proposed total revenue requirement for the 2021 Rate Year are the Projected Cost Recovery Factor and the Actual Cost True Up Factor. The Company is requesting a Projected Cost Recovery Factor revenue requirement of $54,706,000 and an Actual Cost True Up Factor revenue requirement of $4,613,000. Thus, the Company is requesting a total revenue requirement of $59,318,000 for service rendered during the 2021 Rate Year. For purposes of calculating the revenue requirement in this case, Dominion utilized an enhanced rate of return on common equity (“ROE”) of 10.2%. This ROE comprises a general ROE of 9.2% approved by the Commission in Case Nos. PUR-2017-00038 and PUR 2019 00050, plus a 100 basis point enhanced return applicable to a combined-cycle generating station as described in § 56 585.1 A 6 of the Code. If the proposed Rider R for the 2021 Rate Year is approved, the impact on customer bills would depend on the customer’s rate schedule and usage. According to Dominion, implementation of its proposed Rider R on April 1, 2021, would increase the bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month by approximately $0.22. The Company indicates it has calculated the proposed Rider R rates in accordance with the same methodology as used for rates approved by the Commission in the most recent Rider R proceeding, Case No. PUR-2019-00087, with the exception that in this case the Company did not remove federal customers’ and retail choice customers’ load and usage for the purpose of designing rates. This Application is one of six filings Dominion made on or about June 1, 2020, for recovery of funds related to capital projects. If the revenue requirements in these filings are approved as proposed, the cumulative impact would be a monthly increase of approximately $0.96 for a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month. Interested persons are encouraged to review the Application and supporting documents for the details of these and other proposals. TAKE NOTICE that the Commission may apportion revenues among customer classes and/or design rates in a manner differing from that shown in the Application and supporting documents and thus may adopt rates that differ from those appearing in the Company’s Application and supporting documents. The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing in this case that, among other things, scheduled a public hearing to be convened at 10:00 a.m. on January 26, 2021, to receive the testimony of public witnesses and the evidence of the Company, any respondents, and the Commission’s Staff. Further details on this hearing will be provided by subsequent Commission Order or Hearing Examiner’s Ruling. The Commission has taken judicial notice of the ongoing public health emergency related to the spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, and the declarations of emergency issued at both the state and federal levels. In accordance therewith, all pleadings, briefs, or other documents required to be served in this matter should be submitted electronically to the extent authorized by 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (“Rules of Practice”). Confidential and Extraordinarily Sensitive information shall not be submitted electronically and should comply with 5 VAC 5-20-170, Confidential information, of the Rules of Practice. For the duration of the COVID-19 emergency, any person seeking to hand deliver and physically file or submit any pleading or other document shall contact the Clerk’s Office Document Control Center at (804) 3719838 to arrange the delivery. Pursuant to 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice, the Commission has directed that service on parties and the Commission’s Staff in this matter shall be accomplished by electronic means. Please refer to the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing for further instructions concerning Confidential or Extraordinarily Sensitive Information. An electronic copy of the Company’s Application may be obtained by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company, Lisa R. Crabtree, Esquire, McGuireWoods LLP, Gateway Plaza, 800 East Canal Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or LCrabtree@mcguirewoods.com. Interested persons also may download unofficial copies from the Commission’s website: https://scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information. On or before January 26, 2021, any interested person may file comments on the Application by following the instructions found on the Commission’s website: https://scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments. All comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2020-00101. On or before November 2, 2020, any person or entity wishing to participate as a respondent in this proceeding may do so by filing a notice of participation. Such notice of participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel. The respondent simultaneously shall serve a copy of the notice of participation on counsel to the Company. Pursuant to Rule 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice, any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action. Any organization, corporation, or government body participating as a respondent must be represented by counsel as required by Rule 5 VAC 5-20-30, Counsel, of the Rules of Practice. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2020-00101. On or before November 24, 2020, each respondent may file with the Clerk of the Commission and serve on the Staff, the Company, and all other respondents, any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its case, and each witness’s testimony shall include a summary not to exceed one page. In all filings, respondents shall comply with the Commission’s Rules of Practice, including 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service; and 5 VAC 5-20-240, Prepared testimony and exhibits. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2020-00101. Any documents filed in paper form with the Office of the Clerk of the Commission in this docket may use both sides of the paper. In all other respects, except as modified by the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, all filings shall comply fully with the requirements of 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice. The Company’s Application, the Commission’s Rules of Practice and the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing may be viewed at: https://scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information. VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY d/b/a DOMINION ENERGY VIRGINIA

LO CA L

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

AUGUST 13 – 19, 2020 | PAGE 11

News-Press

Community News & Notes F.C. Artists Debut 2nd Season Of Comedy Web Series Falls Church theatre artists Rebecca Ballinger and Rebecca Wahls will release the second season of their comedic web series, “Rebecca and Becca in Space,” on Aug. 18. Back in the beginning of the region’s stay-at-home order, Ballinger and Wahls decided it was time to dust off the script they started a year ago, configure an intricate FaceTime filming process and produce their show about two missionless astronauts stuck in space until further notice. The year is 2034 and astronauts Rebecca (Rebecca Wahls) and Becca (Rebecca Ballinger) have been stuck in space for almost a year after the government cancelled all non-military space operations. After learning they were going to be rescued at the end of season one, Rebecca and Becca realize that putting together a rescue mission takes a long time and it will be a few months

before they’ll return to Earth. To pass the time, they livestream their activities like training their rescue team, planning an astronaut party, and calling Becca’s 103-year-old grandma on her birthday. The astronauts deal with isolation, a little bit of science, and a lot of space antics. The series consists of eight episodes, concluding with a Halloween Special, that are 3-8 minutes long – a “micro binge,” if you will.

Last Call for F.C. City Registration Forms City of Falls Church’s commissioner of the revenue, Tom Clinton, is requesting a final call for both current and former City residents who have a vehicle status change (a new car not registered yet, a previous car sold, donated, moved to another VA jurisdiction or to another state, totaled in an accident, they’ve moved overseas, a name change, a name added or removed from a vehicle title, etc.) and/or an address change,

before the Treasurer runs the 2020 Personal Property or car tax bills. He asks that people send in any final vehicle-related or address changes by Monday, Aug. 17 so that all adjustments can be made before the personal property, or car tax bills are mailed out in late August or early September by the City Treasurer. The bills will be due by the usual due date of Oct. 5. People who have moved should be sure to register their vehicle in their new Virginia locality, or in their new state, and send the City that proof. They should contact the VA DMV at dmvnow.com about any address changes, and to report a sold date for a vehicle. People can sign up to receive their Personal Property bill by email as well as receiving the usual hard copy that is sent to their street address, by registering for that service at fallschurchva.gov/pay. They will need their PPID number, which is the unique account number given to every registered City vehicle, and the 2019 bill number. These two

FALLS CHURCH CITY’S CONCERT BAND managed to stay dry last Thursday for its outdoor, socially distanced rehearsal at Cherry Hill Park. (Courtesy Photo) data points can be provided by the Treasurer’s Office at 703-2485046 or by email at treasury@ fallschurchva.gov or by contacting the Commissioner’s Office. All vehicles parked in the City of Falls Church must have a current, blue, City of Falls Church decal on the left bottom portion of the front windshield within 60 days of purchase, or upon moving into Falls Church City, to avoid

receiving a $50 ticket. For more information about reporting changes to your Vehicle Verification Forms, or about getting a City decal for your car, call (703) 248-5450 or e-mail us at: commissioner@fallschurchva. gov. To register a new vehicle online and to receive a temporary decal, the City’s webpage is fallschurchva.gov/vehiclereg.

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, 105 N. Virginia Ave #310, Falls Church, VA 22046

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PAGE 12 | AUGUST 13 – 19, 2020

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

A Penny for Your Thoughts

From the Front Row: Kaye Kory’s

News of Greater Falls Church By Supervisor Penny Gross

Unsolicited absentee ballot applications rained down by the thousands on Fairfax County voters last week. The application mimicked the Virginia absentee application, but was inaccurate and potentially misleading. The mailer, which contained pre-printed voter information, included a return envelope to send the application to the Registrar in the City of Fairfax, not Fairfax County. If you’ve lived in this area for any length of time, you know that Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax are two separate legal jurisdictions, with separate Registrars, Electoral Boards, and responsibilities. The mailing was not from any governmental agency, but funded and mailed by the non-profit Center for Voter Information. In an already chaotic presidential election year, the unsolicited mailing is causing a lot of confusion and misinformation among voters, especially those who already have submitted absentee ballot applications. Fairfax City is working with Fairfax County to ensure that any ballot applications received by the city from county residents are forwarded for processing by the county. If you received an unsolicited ballot application, you simply can tear it up or shred it, and throw it away. Voters can apply on-line to vote absentee by mail, which is the most secure method to apply. By applying on-line, you also can track the status of your application, including when the ballot is mailed to you, and when your completed ballot has been received. You can apply now to vote absentee by mail at fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/absentee. Absentee ballots will be mailed after Sept. 18, the official start for absentee voting by mail. To ensure that your ballot is delivered by the U.S. Postal Service in time, voters are encouraged to apply now, and return their completed ballot as soon as possible after they receive it. Don’t leave it until the last minute! In-person absentee voting at satellite locations will begin in October, with dates and hours to be announced.

Richmond Report

Two locations in Mason District are approved for satellite voting: the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike in Annandale, and the Thomas Jefferson branch of the Fairfax County Public Library, 7415 Arlington Blvd. in Falls Church. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and you may vote in person at your regular polling place, from 6 a.m. – 7 p.m. If you are new to the community, or have changed addresses recently, the last day to register to vote or make changes to your current registration is Friday, Oct. 13. This presidential election is crucial to determine the future of this nation. Will we maintain our treasured democracy, or slide into an autocratic and authoritarian dystopia? Every vote counts! The second meeting of the Mason District Task Force to consider nominations for changes to the Comprehensive Plan was held virtually last week, attended by dozens of residents. In more than four hours of deliberations, the Task Force voted to deny a proposed change to permit a senior care facility on Route 50 adjacent to the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood, and voted to move forward a nomination for a multi-family residence for low income independent senior citizens adjacent to the First Christian Church of Falls Church. The next meeting of the Task Force will be on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m., to consider two nominations for parcels in the vicinity of Leesburg Pike and Row Street near Seven Corners. Meeting links will be posted soon on the county’s website, fairfaxcounty. gov/planning-development/plan-amendments/sspa/south/ track-nomination. Scroll down to Task Force Meeting Information and click on Mason District Task Force for the link.

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The opportunities and challenges presented by the August 18th Special Session of the General Assembly are a welcome opportunity to bring much-needed relief to Virginians suffering from the increasingly devastating economic impact of the Covid-19 state of emergency. As you know, the case numbers in Virginia have increased all over the state. As a consequence, we will meet in person in Richmond and follow up with virtual hearings, committee meetings and votes. All meetings will be streamed and Committee meetings will offer the opportunity for virtual public comment as was available for the joint Public Safety and Courts of Justice Committee hearings we held in the past several weeks. The Speaker has determined that we consider legislation involving the budget and policing/criminal justice reform. Our Democratic Caucus is working as a team on legislation being drafted that will cover the most pressing budget reallocations and the criminal justice reforms that our citizens are demanding. The Constitutional limits on a Special Session will most certainly drive our choices of legislation to consider this month. The most important restriction is that any legislation passed during the special session will not go into effect for four months. However, that does not apply to the budget. The governor’s budget goes into effect as soon as it is passed and he signs it.

 Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Many of you have contacted me about changes to our voting system that would ensure a more fair result than our current system. I absolutely agree that we need many new voting safeguards for November. However any legislation concerning voting will not become law until after the November 3rd election. The only vehicle for voting regulation changes is the Governor’s budget. I have been working with many grassroots organizations on criminal justice system and policing reform. I believe that the most important reforms we can make are in Crisis Response Teams, SRO’s, policing practices, prisoner sentencing, health care (includes paid sick leave, workman’s comp Covid-19 presumption) and the civil rights of our disabled friends and neighbors. Some budget changes may have to wait until the January 2021 session. We must begin to work on initiatives for 2021 now. Many budget reallocations are widely supported within the General Assembly, but because our revenues are seriously reduced, we may not be able to move on some of our keystone accomplishments. I am working on both the budget language and stand-alone legislation in areas I consider crucial to begin building equity and justice in our state.  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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Kamala Harris: Trump’s Nightmare

Excellent choice, Joe, excellent choice! Reflective of his best days as the principled and combative senator from Delaware, former Vice President Joe Biden chose not to play it safe to embrace the one Democratic political figure in Sen. Kamala Harris who can do the most damage to the toxic boil that is Donald Trump in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election. This is going to be a fierce team working in a symbiotic manner to clarify and amplify the many contemptible crimes of Trump to an American electorate that hasn’t been sure it has the moral fortitude to stand up to this bully, and to rush him off the stage of world history in the next few months. FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS There was no “playing it safe” in this choice, and since it wasn’t, it has emboldened the entire Democratic Party and a suffering American electorate to drive the necessary stake, politically, into the heart of the greatest threat to American democracy in 150 years. When the lying President Trump came out Tuesday afternoon, after Biden’s announcement about Kamala Harris, to insist she was the running mate he hoped would be chosen, because with her he stands the best chance for re-election, he was doing what we all know too well of him by now. He was lying. He’s terrified of her. Kamala Harris is Trump’s worst nightmare: a “nasty” uppity woman who doesn’t play nice to his disgusting advances, but who instead will eat him alive. Of course, this is not to underestimate Joe Biden’s formidable political powers that come in the form of his many decades of public service in the House and eight years as vice-president. He’s got the savvy and the killer instinct, so to speak, to bring home the bacon for his working class constituents, and nothing has proven more that he’s still got that edge than his choice for running mate. Presidential candidates of the past usually chose as their running mates ones who would not threaten to overshadow their own command. When Biden was selected as the V-P for Barack Obama’s historic bid for the presidency, it was like that. He would not threaten to upstage the charisma of Obama, himself, but would function largely in the background as an image of party stability. Biden, however, was brilliant in his own right in how he handled eight years as vice-president with Obama, never trying to outshine him, but working much more closely with him than anyone had predicted would be the case. In 2016, Hillary Clinton chose as her running mate the highlyrespected Virginian, former mayor, lieutenant governor, governor and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine with an aim to replicating the role that Biden had played so well with Obama. I have no doubt that Kaine, had Clinton and he been awarded the White House with their two-million vote majority that year, would have been yet another phenomenal V-P, even to this very day. But he was not chosen for the kind of aggressive campaign approach that Kamala Harris exhibited during the Democratic primaries, but instead to be solid and to not upstage Clinton. This time, many observers felt that Susan Rice was the preferred choice because of how Kaine-like she is, solid and competent but destined for Biden’s shadow and not a street fighter. That’s why Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris is such an important departure from the norm, and assures America that Trump is going to have his hands full this fall. Trump really can’t handle aggressive women who he usually calls “nasty” behind their backs but never to their faces. Make no mistake, Biden is the one at the top of the Democratic ticket, and he’s fully capable of executing the office he’s seeking with competence and passion. So, his choice of Kamala Harris demonstrates that he’s got what it takes. She is not only the kind of woman that Trump fears most, for which he has a core, existential fright, but she is now laying claim to the future of the Democratic Party, a battling, “Me Too” party that is no longer going to take any crap from old straight white male predators whose days are now clearly numbered.

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AUGUST 13 – 19, 2020 | PAGE 13

Nicholas F. Benton

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

Our Man in Arlington By Charlie Clark

Our latest small-business casualty: Sam Torrey Shoe Service, for decades a comforting continuity at Lee Highway at George Mason Dr., dimmed its “open” sign at the end of July. The news pinged around the Nextdoor listserve, and more than 130 customers mourned the loss of the expert repair skills of Kervork Tchalekian, who since 1986 has rescued countless favorite footwear, luggage, zippers and pocketbooks. (I was a regular for heel plates, needed because I’m sluefooted and wear down new shoes too fast.) The pandemic’s economic lockdown has hastened the planned retirement to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, which the 56-yearold and his wife, a food industry cheese specialist, had envisioned for a decade later. On a recent Monday during his multi-day pack-up, I reminisced with “Jo-Jo,” as his Armenian family nicknamed him, as we stood amid stacked National Moving Company boxes, giveaway furniture and silent metallic machinery. Still displayed on his vintage countertop is the black-and-white photo of Sam Torrey’s back when it shared space in the Cherrydale Fire Department building, after Sam Torregrosa opened doors in 1945. Taped nearby is the familiar fixitshop adage, attributed to English Victorian wise man John Ruskin: “There is hardly anything in the

world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that person’s lawful prey.” Jo-Jo insists you can’t get quality without paying for it. But today’s shoe market, with instant internet sales and disposable synthetics, has rendered the Ruskin philosophy quaint. “The closing was unplanned, but Covid[-19] made the decision easier,” said Jo-Jo, who has run the business solo since March, when he laid off his three craftsmen (plus some part-time customer service helpers). “I got them jobs,” he said. This summer, “things had started to pick up a little, but it was not steady enough to call the guys in.” Jo-Jo has since been working 18-hour days and, toward the end, turning down work and calling pending customers to accelerate final pickups. The tins of shoe polish, shine kits and shoelaces he stocks remain on the racks, though he has given away or sold a bunch. “I’ve already thrown away thousands of dollars in supplies,” he lamented. The movers will transfer the “big, awkward” sander, trimmer, shining “all-in-one” machine “needed for any shoe shop,” he said. The two stitching machines, 500 pounds each, “are outdated and not easy to get rid of,” he said. He’ll keep one. “The community has been great, and there are not enough words to express my gratitude,” Jo-Jo said.

His landlord, Virginia Hospital Center, waived the lease, which wasn’t supposed to terminate until November. “He’s been an institution in this area of Arlington” and will be tough to replace given the parking difficulties, I was told by hospital vice president for community relations Adrian Stanton. The good news is that Sam Torrey’s services will continue online, for those who want to “keep in touch” with his special capabilities, just as soon as Jo-Jo can set up convenient shipping arrangements. (samtorreyshoeservice@verizon. net) A few other local shoe services remain. The heir to Sam Torrey mentioned Bedo’s Leatherworks in Falls Church. (I found eight others listed.) “But no one,” says Jo-Jo, “does what I do.” *** Wanna recapture memories of Arlington in the 1950s and 60s? I helped produce a new YouTube video assembled from rescued old 8 mm home movies shot by a visiting Belgian family. It includes rare footage of Bernie’s Pony Ring, Glen Echo Park (technically in Maryland, but an Arlington favorite), the Potomac Boat Races and Gravelly Point plane watching, along with a funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. See it at youtube.com/ watch?v=bfge0wuOf-k&t=35s. Thanks to Arlington Historical Society backers and to technical director David Downey of Transvideo in Falls Church, who continues to utilize all that funky old audio-visual equipment.

CA L E NDA R

PAGE 14 | AUGUST 13 – 19, 2020

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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 FRIDAY, AUGUST 14 Silent Witness Against Racial Injustice. Members of the Falls Church faith communities and neighborhoods will join together in silent witness to highlight racial injustice and elevate Black voices. Rain or shine. Attendees are encouraged to bring a sign as well as water. Attendees should also wear a mask and maintain a social distance of 6 – 10 feet

Parking available at Falls Church Presbyterian. For more information, contact nancybp@mac. com. 5 – 6 p.m.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15 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 fallschurchva.gov/547/Farmers-MarketTo-Go.

VIRTUALEVENTS

ite) books they’ve been reading. Miss Laura will share new books available at the library and host a free-for-all discussion about the staff’s favorite reads. For rising grades 6 – 8. This program will be held online via Zoom. For more information, email Laura Miller at lmiller@fallschurchva.gov.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14 Virtual Town Hall with Kaye Kory. Delegate Kaye Kory will be holding a virtual town hall with representatives from Fairfax’s NAACP, CASA Virginia and other major organizations to talk about police reform, Covid-19 education needs and more. Register at us02web.zoom.us/meeting/ register/tZ0pdeGpqTsrG9UIj1rlNapX9VNvbAav7Itm. 6 p.m.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16

Teen Book Club (online). Interested participants can share their favorite (or not so favor-

123 Andres (online). Interested participants can join Andrés and Christina, the Latin Grammy-

winning music duo of 123 Andrés, for a morning of music to get the whole family singing and learning in Spanish and English. All ages. Program will air live on their Facebook page on 11 a.m. and a recording of the performance will be available until Aug. 22. To view the show, visit facebook. com/mrspl. 11 a.m. – noon.

MONDAY, AUGUST 10 ESOL Conversation Group (online). Interested participants can practice their English with a weekly ESOL conversation group. This program meets online via Zoom. To request a Zoom invite, email Marshall Webster at mwebster@fallschurchva.gov. 7 – 8:30 p.m.

LIVEMUSIC FRIDAY, AUGUST 14 Swell featuring Horns! with Kool

Zone food truck (Bring your own chairs and enjoy our food trucks & free live music, even on the sidewalk. Providing summer fun for everyone’s socially distanced comfort level.) Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 7 p.m. 703-858-9186.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15 The Great Northern featuring The Legendary Ron Holloway with Arielle Oyster Bar (Bring your own chairs and enjoy our food trucks & free live music, even on the sidewalk. Providing summer fun for everyone’s socially distanced comfort level.) Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-858-9186.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16 Open Mic Night hosted by The Field Shaman (Bring your own chairs and enjoy our food trucks & free live music, even on the sidewalk. Providing summer fun for everyone’s socially distanced comfort level.). Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 7 p.m. 703-858-9186.

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AUGUST 13 – 19, 2020 | PAGE 15

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NEWS BRIEFS F.C. Council Gives Final OK to ‘Scramble’ Building The Falls Church City Council Monday gave a unanimous final approval for the construction of a 12,000 square foot building at 116 and 130 E. Fairfax Dr. to be utilized by a youth fitness business called “Scramble.” The building and parking spaces will go on what is currently a 1.7 acre undeveloped lot adjacent across the street from the historic Falls Church Episcopal. Work is expected to begin this month. The petition was on behalf of Fairfax One LLC led by local developer Bob Young.

Mail-In Voting Applications Are Legitimate, Bjerke Says Falls Church City Registrar of Voters David Bjerke confirmed to the News-Press this week that letters sent from the Center for Voter Information in Richmond to many households in the City and region are legitimate and the “Virginia Vote by Mail Application Forms” contained in them are valid. He said the independent group has often sent such mailings prior to elections, and that the biggest problem associated with them has been the failure of applicants to provide the last four numbers of the Social Security number required for the application to be valid, as many of the mailed forms are pre-filled out except for that information. 2030 Westmoreland St. | Falls Church

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Deadline to File for Special F.C. Council Election This Friday

City of Falls Church residents who may wish to place their names on the Nov. 3 ballot to fill the City Council seat vacated by the death of Daniel X. Sze last month have until 5 p.m. this Friday, Aug. 14, to file with the Registrar of Voters in the Falls Church City Hall. To date, two individuals have been in touch with that office intending to run, Debbie Hiscott and Josh Shokoor, as reported in last week’s News-Press. The Registrar’s Office told the News-Press Wednesday that one other person contacted the office seeking information on filing, but did not leave a name.

Hot N Juicy, Landlord Reach Settlement Over Rent Dispute The F.C. seafood restaurant, Hot N Juicy Crawfish, and its landlord FMR Development LLC reached a settlement out of court to keep the restaurant at its current spot on 116 W. Broad Street. According to the Washington City Paper, the dispute started on June 1 when FMR filed an eviction lawsuit over Hot N Juicy defaulting on its April rent. Hot N Juicy contended that it had reached out to its landlord in late March seeking rent abatement or deferral, according to the City Paper, and attempted to send six checks to FMR from April 17 – May 22 that it said were rejected. The two parties were planning to go to trial on Aug. 5 before an agreement was worked out.

F.C. Council OK’s Deployment of Federal CARES Act $$ The Falls Church City Council Monday gave a preliminary OK to the deployment of the second tranche of federal CARES Act funds released to localities in Virginia by Gov. Ralph Northam last week. The funds are earmarked to relieve burdens caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The allocations include $248,000 as a reimbursement to the Economic Development Authority for its small business relief program that gave $2,000 emergency grants to scores of local businesses last month, and the EDA is mulling putting that reimbursement back out in a second round of small business mini-grants. Additionally, $322,000 is deployed to the City schools, $145,000 for emergency assistance to residents (rental, utility and food assistance), $130,000 for hazard pay for public safety employees and $100,000 for child care for City employees and residents. The final approval of the funds will be voted on at the Sept. 14 Council meeting.

Correction: Misidentified Letter Author A Letter to the Editor titled “Odd Time To Bring Up Gun Ban On City Property” in last week’s edition of the News-Press wrongly identified the author as Kate Morrison from Falls Church. It was actually Steve A. Brown from Springfield who wrote the letter. The New-Press apologizes for this error.

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PAGE 16 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2020

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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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.

AUCTION ALERT! CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT AND TRUCKS. 200+ lots! Dump trucks, trailers, road tractors, backhoes, pickups and much more. Bid online Aug. 21 – Tues, Aug. 25 at 11 a.m. at motleys.com. Equipment to sell? Now accepting quality consignments for this auction! Motleys Industrial | 877-MOTLEYS | MOTLEYS.COM | VA16 ATTN. AUCTIONEERS: Advertise your upcoming auctions statewide and in other states. Affordable Print and Digital Solutions reaching your target audiences. Call this paper or Landon Clark at Virginia Press Services 804-521-7576, landonc@vpa.net

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. In accordance with the Virginia Self-Storage Act, section 55-419 F, notice is hereby given that the contents of the following rental storage spaces located at Fort Knox Self-Storage will be offered for sale: 621-Javier Rojas,663-David Alan,178-David Whiteside,318-Sourbah Shivhare,633-Eric Anderson,326-Evelin Vasquez,197&654AManager’s Unit. Sale will be held online at LockerFox.com. Pictures can be viewed at that site. Bidding will begin at 9:00am on August 20th and will conclude at 9:00 am on August 25th winning bidder will be required to pay a $100.00 per unit refundable clean-out deposit (cash). Other Payments by Credit Card Only

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By Eileen Levy A bloomin’ lovely walk today, Sun shining all the way. Lily said hello to all, Pulling me, glad I didn’t fall. She would have called on you, no doubt. I’m happy when she takes me out!

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Crossword

ACROSS

By David Levinson Wilk 1

22 25 32

37 41

40 44

65 67

53 59

43 46

1. *Stephen who was the only man on Maxim’s 2012 Hot 100 list of most beautiful women 8. Mudroom wall feature 11. ____ Friday’s 14. Expand 15. Golf club not seen much nowadays 17. *Foodie 18. Mixing, as eggs 19. Go over 21 20. *Frequent home acquisition 21. Great buy 23. ____ culpa 24. “Park it!” 25. One who won’t serve the average joe 28. “Wide Sargasso Sea” author Jean 31. Backup singer for Gladys Knight 34. “Nonsense!” 35. *It may keep you on your toes 37. “The Simpsons” character who holds a Ph.D. in computer science 38. Bigheadedness 39. Sir, to a Brit 40. Call to a toreador 41. *Fairy tale dwelling 43. The Soup ____ (“Seinfeld” character) 44. “Ask Me Another” airer 45. Calif. school near the Mexican border 46. Removed roots and all 49. QB’s accumulation: Abbr. 51. Maui or Bali: Abbr. 52. Houdini’s real name

STRANGE BREW

56. *Carom 59. Singer Brickell 60. Thinness description 61. *Friendly relationship 64. Shows shame, perhaps 65. They’re usually in the 80s and 90s 66. Many Caltech grads, for short 67. Asner and Sheeran 68. Unconvincing argument, in modern parlance ... or a hint to something found in the answers to the starred clues

AUGUST 13 - 19, 2020 | PAGE 17

Down 1. Legendary NYC club that helped launch punk rock 2. “Are you in ____?” 3. Good-for-nothing 4. A grasshopper may go on one 5. The Oilers, on NHL scoreboards 6. Food Network’s “Pioneer Woman” ____ Drummond 7. It’s dynamite! 8. WWII naval craft 9. Still-life vessel 10. Farm animals that butt 11. Iron man event 12. One getting hammered 13. “Picnic” playwright William 16. This year’s starlet 20. Blend well together 22. Tag 23. ____ soup 26. Reference work next to Bartlett’s, maybe 27. Full of excitement

JOHN DEERING

Sudoku

29. Squeal of pain 30. Suffix with trick 31. “Super” campaign orgs. 32. Modern replacement for a cash register 33. Nonthreatening types 36. “____ to a Kill” (1985 Bond film) 39. “The Motorcycle Diaries” actor ____ GarcÌa Bernal 42. Elizabeth I was the last of them 43. Sticks together? 47. Brandishes 48. New Age author Chopra 50. It might make you start 53. Surprise declaration at the altar 54. “No ____, Bob!” 55. ____ good example (is a role model) 56. Fury 57. “Gotcha” 58. Hopped to it 61. Seating specification 62. Nail, as a test 63. Org. with the slogan “Every child. Last Thursday’s Solution M O I A R C G O E S C H P L A I C A V S T H E H T O W A G E S

R E F I T

A V O B O O C U L I A R D D N N E A S D D U I A P L

A T R A R E A D R A Z I E E E D T A O C T C H I K I N T T O S I O G T R A W O W N I N K B L O Y A L

C E E L O

E R R

E L A I G S N A E W O F N F O T T O

M A I M B I T E R

A P P A R E L

P O I N T T O

A R T S H O W

B O O B O O S

E Y W A E D N T A R T Y

By The Mepham Group

Level 1 2 3 4

Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle

NICK KNACK

8/9/20

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.

LO CA L

PAGE 18 | AUGUST 13 – 19, 2020

BACK IN THE DAY

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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25 � 10 Y�� A�� N��-P�� Falls Church News-Press Vol. XX, No. 24 • August 12, 2010

Falls Church News-Press Vol. V, No. 21 • August 10, 1995 Mayor Responds to Accusation of Improper’ Early Retirement Offer

W Broad Property Placed Under Contract to Tysons Hotel Group

Mayor Jeff Tarbert addresses all citizens of Falls Church in a lengthy statement submitted to the News-Press Tuesday, detailing events surrounding an early retirement offer made by City officials to a police officer here that has been characterized by some as “improper.” In the statement, published in full on Page 2 of this edition, Tarbert presents a chronology of events related to the incident since the first of the year.

It wasn’t long ago that the Falls Church City Council voted over the vociferous objections of St. James School parents and local neighbors to approve the construction of a Hilton Garden Inn hotel at 706 W. Broad St. As with almost all other significant development projects, the plan, though approved, fell victim to the recession and ground to a halt. Until now, the same plan has been revived.

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Larceny from Building, 400 blk W Broad St, between April 1 and August 7, unknown suspect(s) took items of value from a residence.

CRIME REPORT Week of August 3 – 9, 2020

Drunk in Public, 200 blk Tyson Dr. August 3, 12 am, a male, 18, of Annandale, VA, was arrested for drunk in public and issued a summons for possession of alcohol while underage. Credit Card Fraud, 500 blk Roosevelt Blvd, Between July 24 and August 3, unknown suspect(s) fraudulently used credit card information to purchase items. Larceny, 6600 blk Wilson Blvd, August 4, 3:35 pm, two unknown suspects took items of value from a person. Driving Under the Influence, 900 blk W Broad St. August 6, 1:22 am, a female, 23, of Falls Church, VA, was arrested for driving under the influence. Identity Theft, 100 blk Great

Falls St, Between July 16 and August 4, unknown suspect(s) fraudulently used personal information to obtain money.

Driving Under the Influence, 500 blk N Washington St. August 9, 1:14 am, a male, 55, of Falls Church, VA, was arrested for driving under the influence.

SKY’S 10-year-old human sister, Bea writes about her family’s one-year-old cattle dog mix. Sky was adopted from Cookeville, Tennessee and loves to chase her sisters all around the backyard and play with her friends Penny and Lucy. She’s very fast, so perhaps agility training is in her future... Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.

Status Update on Wednesday, August 12 City of Falls Church Date

Cases Hospitalizations

Wednesday, August 12 Monday, August 10 Wednesday, August 5 Monday, August 3 Wednesday, July 29 Monday, July 27 Wednesday, July 22 Monday, July 20

61 61 59 59 54* 55 54* 55

9 9 9* 10 10 10 10 10

Deaths # Cases per 100,000 People 6 6 5* 6 6 6 6* 7

412.9 412.9 399.4 399.4 365.6 372.3 365.6 372.3

*NOTE: These numbers went down as the Virginia Department of Health found that the individuals lived in the Fairfax County part of Falls Church, not the City of Falls Church.

Share Curiosity. Read Together. www.read.gov

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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B�� N�� N�� The Toy Nest is Now Open for Safe Play The Toy Nest is now open for safe play. Visits are limited to one hour and should be scheduled in advance. Two families will be allowed in the toy library at a time and will be required to maintain social distance, sanitize hands, remove shoes, and everyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask. For more information, visit www. thetoynest.com.

Broad Street Brand Partners Launches Limited Time Pro Bono Work Broad Street Brand Partners has launched in Falls Church with an offer of limited time pro bono work for Falls Church businesses. Broad Street Brand Partners is a local brand strategy and marketing consulting group led by Falls Church residents Clay Gaynor and Armand LeVasseur, who offer a combined 35 years of experience in brand and marketing strategy. The firm will partner with businesses to find their lever — the idea, story, or strategy that vaults brands from the crowd into differentiation — through relationships that are simple, transparent and effective. Three local Falls Church City businesses will be granted the opportunity to partner on a project for up to 20 hours pro bono. Interested business leaders are to send information on their business, brand, current challenges, and the project or area in need of assistance to Hello@broadstreetbrandpartners.com. Work may include branding, marketing strategy, post-Covid business strategy, or a media plan. The pro bono offer is a one-time offer. Projects will be chosen by Broad Street Brand Partners based on the opportunity that is presented. Learn more at www.broadstreetbrandpartners.com.

New to You Celebrates 28 Years in Falls Church New to You recently celebrated its 28 years in Falls Church. The “chic boutique” was founded by Christina Novak in 1992 and it continues to be one of the area’s top destinations for gently used luxury women’s apparel and accessories such as Hermes scarves, Gucci belts, vintage cocktail dresses, and high-end designer handbags, jewelry, shoes, and clothing. New to You is located at 108 W. Broad Street. For more information, or to shop or view the shop’s anniversary video, visit https:// newtoyou.net/ or #NEWTOYOUINC on Instagram.

Trio Grille, 2941 Restaurant Part of Metro D.C. Restuarant Week Two Falls Church restaurants, Trio Grille and 2941 Restaurant, will participate in Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week. This year’s Restaurant Week to Go promotion will run for two weeks from Monday, Aug.17 – Sunday, Aug. 30 and include a rewards program and family style to go meals. Trio and 2941 will offer special 3-course dinners for $55. This year’s promotion is sponsored by Events DC, JBG Smith, OpenTable, National Landing, NBC Washington, and Streetsense. More information and a full list of participating restaurants, including those also offering $22 lunch and $35 dinner options, can be found at www.ramw.org/restaurantweek.

Rebuild VA Opens Applications for Small Business Grants Applications are now available for the Rebuild VA Small Business Grant Fund. The program was launched to help small businesses and nonprofits disrupted by Covid-19. Eligible businesses include restaurants, brick and mortar retail, exercise and fitness facilities, personal care and personal grooming services, entertainment and public amusement establishments, and campgrounds. Businesses and nonprofits that are approved for a Rebuild VA grant may receive up to three times their average monthly eligible expenses up to a maximum of $10,000. For more information, visit www.governor.virginia.gov/rebuildva.  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.

AUGUST 13 – 19, 2020 | PAGE 19

BECOME A MEMBER OF THE NEWS-PRESS & HELP US KEEP COMMUNITY JOURNALISM ALIVE & WELL IN THE LITTLE CITY. Since 1991, the News-Press has been on a mission to provide independent and honest journalism to the Falls Church community. We recognize and appreciate the support the City, its businesses and residents have shown us for the past 29 years. Now, we need your help to continue with our mission. If you ﬁnd value in our work and believe the News-Press contributes to the betterment of the Falls Church community, please consider becoming a member today and help us keep you informed on all the happenings — big and small — in The Little City. Never before has the ﬁght to ensure a free press been more important.

Visit FCNP.com/members to become a member of the News-Press today

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PAGE 20 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2020

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FOR SALE!

$1,449,900 710 Timber Ln, Falls Church City

Brick rambler on lovely tree-lined street located in the desirable Fenwick Park neighborhood of Falls Church. Living room has hardwood floors and a large front window for lots of natural light, separate dining room also with hardwood floors and updated kitchen with dishwasher installed in 2020. The family room addition has a gas corner fireplace with sliding glass door leading to a 2 tiered 800 square foot deck with retractable awning and private back yard. A total of 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths (includes master bedroom and bath) office and den. There are pulldown stairs for easy access to the attic and ample extra storage space. Location has easy access to 495, I-66, Rt. 50, and The Dunn Loring Metro is just a couple of miles away with a bus stop just up the block. Walkable to the adjacent Shops at West Falls Church center for groceries, restaurants, and other conveniences. Priced at $599,900. Call Karin to see 703-626-3257

$1,499,900 7307 Allan Ave, Falls Church

5 Bed

He/She Shed

5 Bed

3.5 Baths

Sport Court in back

6.5 Baths

SOLD!

3-Car Garage Custom & Designer finishes throughout

SOLD! 299 Gundry Dr, Falls Church City 3 Bed 2.55 Baths

$836,000 6609 Moly Drive, Falls Church

REALTOR®

5 Bed

Open Floor Plan

3.5 Baths

In-law Suite

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

2101 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201

$690,000

Lower Level Rec Room Walk to shops, dining, & more!

CALL 703-867-TORI