Falls Church News-Press 9-17-2020 by Falls Church News-Press

September 17 – 23, 2020

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3 F.C. Council Candidates Appear at First Joint Campaign Event Candidates Express Commitment To Walkability, Affordable Housing & Development In Virtual Forum BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

A new breed of candidates for public office has surfaced in the race to temporarily fill a vacancy on the Falls Church City Council. All three are passionate about affordable housing, social equity, City walkability and economic development, and two of them don’t even own cars. Some two dozen members of the

Falls Church Chamber of Commerce signed onto the Zoom online portal for a lunch hour meeting Tuesday to meet the three candidates for the first time that are on the ballot this season to fill the Falls Church City Council seat vacated by the untimely death of the late Daniel X. Sze in July. The three candidates — Debora Shantz-Hiscott, Joshua Sharif Shokoor and Simone Victoria Pass-Tucker — are all either very long-term or lifelong

Downtown Project’s New Parking Plan Increases Chance of Approval BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

The 3.16 acre, mixed use project at the intersection of Broad and Washington in the center of the City of Falls Church appeared to turn the corner toward eventual approval by the Falls Church City Council Monday night as developers presented a sharper plan about how they will address the temporary parking woes brought on by its construction. Technically, the development plan — which will be home to 60,000 square foot Whole Foods megamarket — was deferred until no later than Oct. 10 when it will seek a “first reading” approval by the Council. That’s subject, subsequently, to review and recommendations by City boards and commissions before coming back for a final disposition by the Council probably not before January.

The project promises to add $2.2 million in annual new tax revenues to the City coffers, a critical boost in the context of the current economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. With only five members of the Council hearing the Insight Property Group’s latest presentation of its plan Monday (given the passing of Councilman Dan Sze and a recusal for a potential conflict of interest by Councilman Ross Litkenhous), it appeared that if there will be continued progress securing temporary parking agreements for adjacent businesses during the construction process, at least three members of the Council seemed to incline toward support. Monday’s presentation was less than a week after the Council’s work session on the same topic. Based on feedback then, Scott Adams and

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residents of the City of Falls Church. All stated commitments that reflect the core values of equity, accessibility and opportunity for all in the Little City. The winner will be able to take office as soon as the electoral returns are certified by the registrar of voters and sworn in by the City Clerk, which should be by mid-November. The official Election Day is Nov.3. But the ballot they share with races for U.S. president, U.S. senator, U.S. con-

gressman and two proposed Virginia constitutional amendments is already being mailed out to citizens seeking to vote by mail and as of tomorrow, voters can cast those ballots at the voter registrar office at City Hall. In this context, more opportunities for Falls Church voters to evaluate the three candidates will occur beginning this Sunday, Sept. 20, when the Citizens for a Better City (CBC) will hold the first of three Sunday hour-long online

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candidate interviews. This Sunday’s interview is with Hiscott, the one on Sept. 27 with Shokoor and on Oct. 4 with Pass-Tucker. Also, this coming Wednesday night, Sept. 23, will be a second joint, online appearance hosted by the City’s chapter of the League of Women Voters and the Village Preservation and Improvement Society.

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FIFTY-SEVEN high school juniors and seniors were sworn-in to serve on various Falls Church City boards, commissions and civic groups on Tuesday. See the full list of the students’ names on Page 8. (P��: C�� J�� K��)

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SEE STORY, PAGE 4

SEE HOME IMPROVEMENT, PAGE 11

SEE STORY, PAGE 19

The prosperous past six months major chain grocery stores have enjoyed is only somewhat on par with the experience of momand-pop grocers, who have wrestled with finicky supply chains and hold mixed views of how they’ll emerge from the pandemic.

While most businesses have been struggling throughout the coronavirus pandemic, design and build firms as well as the suppliers and subcontractors they work with have been one of the few prosperous ones. Read all about how two Falls Church firms are holding up.

After 13 years as a restaurateur of five different properties, Katherine Thompson of Thompson Italian is being recognized for her skills as a pastry chef across the region with her spot in the finals of the restaurant industry’s RAMMY awards this Sunday.

INDEX

Editorial............................................... 6 Letters................................................. 6 Comment ................................ 7,12,13 News & Notes............................. 10,11 Crime Report .................................... 12 Calendar ........................................... 14 Business News ................................. 15 Classified Ads ................................... 16 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ......... 17 Critter Corner.................................... 18

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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BUOYED BY ITS popular butcher, Plaza Latina Market (left) has been able to embrace the positives Covid-19 has brought the grocery industry once it got its supply chains under control. Culmore Supermarket, however, has limited and marked up its exotic produce, like dragonfruit, due to those same supply challenges. (Photos: News-Press)

Small F.C. Grocers Endure Covid-19 Struggles Unlike Larger Chains

by Matt Delaney

Falls Church News-Press

Fears of catching the novel coronavirus have caused mask-clad runs for groceries to replace trips to a favorite restaurant or bar for a bite to eat. But the prosperous past six months that major chain grocery stores have enjoyed is only somewhat on par with the experience of mom-and-pop grocers, who have wrestled with finicky supply chains and hold mixed views of how they’ll emerge from the pandemic. “This is worse than pre-pandemic,” Alex Lee, owner of the Culmore Supermarket said of his current revenues. “And before [the pandemic], I’ve never had such a good business.” Lee owns the grocery store, along with a few neighboring spots in Culmore, such as Taco Ssam, but said that his revenues have shrunk in the tens of thousands since the boosted unemployment benefits expired on July 31. In his talks with other small grocers as close as Seven Corners and as far as Alexandria, he said it’s been a growing pattern they’ve all seen in their day-to-day operations. It’s a sharp reversal from the challenges Lee was experiencing when the virus came to the front of everyone’s mind in the spring. Then, he said, the store could hardly keep even its least popular items on its shelves. It was a

good problem to have when everything from the typically undesirable Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup to pasta and frozen foods had been cleaned out by customers. Rosa Susinski, owner of Plaza Latina Market in Idylwood, noticed much of the same activity in her small shop. Certain dairy products were hard to come by, and they also had to scrap to get pork for the chorizo made in the store’s popular butcher shop. “We have come a long way from the beginning of all this,” Susinski said. “March, April and May were hard for us to get merchandise.” A large part of both of their struggles comes from negotiating directly with international suppliers. Susinski, for example, said that beans from El Salvador were difficult to acquire, and sometimes shipments of rice would get held up in Miami, pinching Plaza’s tiny supply even more. Some of the more exotic fruits that Culmore Supermarket provides were cut back on by Lee, such as dragonfruit, which jumped from $3.49 per pound to $5.49 per pound once the pandemic set in. Other times the prices for his produce became so high that he had no choice but to stop stocking it; for instance, the Salvadoran edible herb, loroco, cost $4.99 per pound pre-pandemic and rocketed to $10.99 per pound as the virus

spread. He also dropped special seafood, such as red snapper and octopus. Gotta-have-it items like toilet paper and hand sanitizer were obtained either at high costs or through hardball tactics. Susinski couldn’t believe that her customers were purchasing small bottles of hand sanitizer at marked up prices of $16.99. And Lee said when he couldn’t get toilet paper through his primary source, his secondary sources would offer him a solid deal but force him to make a decision on the spot — what he jokingly referred to as “mafia style.” The intricacies handled by local shop owners are spread among the leadership of corporate grocery chains, and that’s helped make the past six months one of the most lucrative times for these businesses. The Kroger Co., which is the parent company of Harris Teeter, reported that its profits tripled in the second quarter of this year, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Aldi’s U.S. CEO Jason Hart told Supermarket News that Covid19 hasn’t slowed its growth in the states at all, with its plans to become the third-largest grocery retailer by the end of 2022 still intact. And Giant Foods was doing so well, according to DCist, that it gave employees a 10 percent bump in weekly pay throughout the region until lockdowns ended in early June.

It’s no different within the City of Falls Church. The Commissioner of the Revenue’s office reported that the four major grocery stores in the City — which include Harris Teeter, Aldi, Giant and Good Fortune Supermarket in the Eden Center — were up 33 percent in year-to-date revenue from Jan. – July 2019 to Jan. – July 2020. Overall, grocery stores in the City are up nearly $560,000 over their 12 month average. Tom Clinton, the City’s Commissioner of Revenue, said that it was encouraging to see none of the stores were cannibalizing each other, with their respective clientele’s remaining loyal. And at a big picture level, the revenues brought in by the over-achieving grocery stores has helped lessen the pain of money lost from hotel, retail and meals taxes. At the small business level, it’s been a split. Susinski said that after getting over early troubles with the supply chain, the store has been doing great in terms of revenue. She credited the store’s butcher shop for giving it an appeal that extends from outside of just local Latinos to all kinds of nearby residents. And as Virginia climbed up from Phase One to Two to now Three, it allowed her to welcome a more normal amount of customers to her store. “We were letting someone in, then letting someone out, and then

locking the door,” Susinski said. “It was only 6-8 people at a time — it was nuts...Just keeping everybody clean and healthy, that was a challenge in the beginning.” Lee, however, is still concerned about what’s to come given the blue-collar pocket of the world his store serves. And with school starting, he’s afraid that parents with jobs that can’t be done remotely will have to forgo work to stay home with young children (in Fairfax County, children 13 and under cannot be left alone for more than three hours.) How that is already affecting his patrons’ buying decisions gives him some anxiety. Lee expects that the collective slimming down budgetwise as well as in peoples’ social life will also negate any jolt in holiday spending that comes from entertaining large gatherings. He’s bracing for a harrowing upcoming stretch. “My neighborhood is 22041. We’re no 22180.” Lee said, referencing the socioeconomic differences between Bailey’s Crossroads, where his store is located, and Vienna, where he lives. “No matter what, January, February [and] March are slow, with or without coronavirus. That’s jobs, that’s whatever. Because of the weather, there’s no landscaping, no construction, all that’s gone. My customers are those kind of hard laborers, so then what?”

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Backgrounds in Education, Housing & LGBT Issues Make Up Diverse Field

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The three candidates all indicated at the Chamber of Commerce’s event Tuesday that they are campaigning actively door-to-door throughout the community, and that they all intend to run again when the seat, one of seven on the City Council, will come up again in a year for a full four-year term. Hiscott, 51, introduced herself at the event as a 24-year resident of the City who has served as the executive director of the non-profit Falls Church Education Foundation for the last eight years. She said her experience working with this group with its 6,000 involved people, has developed her skill in fostering “mutually beneficial relationships.” She stressed the importance of shopping locally and “smart growth,” equity and accessibility in the context of the current “tough fiscal realities.” Shokoor, 33, born and raised in Falls Church, noted that businesses in the City are not back to pre-pandemic levels, and that the biggest threat to Falls Church families is the lack of affordable housing, disproportionately impacting the likes of people of color, teachers and

small business employees. His internship with the Housing and Human Services department of the City, ongoing role as a member of the Housing Commission and authorship of the “Affordable Living” chapter of the City’s Comprehensive Plan have heightened his fear, he said, “that nothing will be done to address the affordable housing crisis.” Pass-Tucker, 22, also a lifelong resident of Falls Church with activist and advocacy experience in LGBTQ and Jewish community interests, said “I know what it’s like to be underrepresented,” and will stand up for “those with no voice, the environment and small businesses.” As one of only two “non-binary” persons seeking public office in the entire nation now, Pass-Tucker said the City “should focus on its strengths to help those who need it most,” adding “the City is at a crossroads” concerning how well or poorly it stands up for people who need an advocate.” On mixed use projects built here since 2002 and ones now coming forward, Hiscott said she’s “looking for well financed, well vetted developers to

build more.” She said the Harris Teeter project has been a “great net positive” to the City and said she will evaluate the proposed Broad and Washington project in terms of its comparable impact. Shokoor said, “I love density” and “what’s happened in the City since the days when the Red Lobster and fast food places were the City’s foremost restaurants. Development, he said, “creates more affordable housing options” as revenue generators, and that four of the top five tax revenue sources in the City are mixed use projects. Pass-Tucker stated agreement with the importance of mixed use developments, but that more commercial spaces should be sought in the process. The idea of the “15 Minute City” was presented, that everything a person needs should be within a 15 minute walk or bike ride. “We’re not there yet, but moving in the right direction,” the candidate said. All three candidates expressed strong views at redressing racial and social inequality in Falls Church despite the overwhelming majority of this City of 15,000 being White single family homeowners.

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A NEW DROP BOX for electoral votes is now located outside Falls Church’s City Hall. (Photo: News-Press) Pass-Tucker shared concerns for “structural racial inequalities” in the City, noting for example that current zoning laws favoring single family homes are “a legacy of Jim Crow racial segregation,” even while affirming that “Falls Church is really a unique place and it has been a privilege to grow up here.” They (the preferred pronoun for a non-binary person) feel “it is important to bring in diversity such that everyone feels welcome and has a seat at the table.” Hiscott cited her commitment to public education, and for a valid response to the current national unrest, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and LGBTQ issues in Falls Church, in addition to addressing issues stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic, and she hailed the “brave” action by the current City Council to introduce

new gun control legislation in the last months. Shokoor, citing his internship at City Hall, role on the Housing Commission, authorship of the City’s housing policy and articles he’s written for the NewsPress about achieving racial equity though housing, said he’s been inspired by the activism of young people in Falls Church, including the BLM march in July and BLM signs around the City. As a “person of color” raised by a single parent in an affordable unit in the City, he said he wants to work to make the City more welcoming and accessible to “people like me.” All the candidates supported zoning changes to encourage the development of so-called “granny flats,” or “auxiliary dwelling units” that can be built on existing residential properties to add affordable options.

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3 Impressive City Council Candidates

We were genuinely impressed by all three candidates at the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce-hosted online event Tuesday featuring the three candidates who have qualified for this fall’s ballot to fill the F.C. City Council seat vacated by the death of Dan Sze this summer. Please be reminded that no-excuse absentee voting begins this Friday, Sept. 18, ahead of the Nov. 3 Election Day, and mail-in ballots are already being sent out, too. By their nicknames and in alphabetical order, Debbie Hiscott, Josh Shookur and Simone Pass-Tucker are all on the ballot. It was confirmed by City Attorney Carol McCoskrie that a swearing in and seating of the winning candidate can occur at any time after Voter Registrar David Bjerke certifies the result in November. Also, all three candidates have stated that, no matter the outcome of this election, filling the unexpired term for only a year, they will all compete again for the next full four-year term come November 2021. Despite all the big issues on the ballot this time, including the U.S. presidential election, races for the U.S. Senate and House and two proposed Virginia constitutional amendments, citizens of Falls Church, routinely delivering the highest percentage turnout of registered voters of any jurisdiction in Virginia, will undoubtedly be energetic in support of their local Council candidate of choice. All three Council special election candidates acquitted themselves impressively at the Chamber debate, and all three shared impressively their agreement on matters of growing importance during this year of reckoning on the issues of race and inequality, proposing practical solutions for bucking the trend in the City of Falls Church to buckle under growing real estate values, even in the current Covid-19 quarantine crisis, and pressures to serve the interests only of the best-heeled and socially privileged. This newspaper has been editorially howling for a serious affordable housing policy during our entire 30 years of publication, even as the issue became even more pronounced during the last decade of relative inaction on that front. Existing Council members are speaking out on to the issue better than in the past, but it is a matter of priorities for them. Indeed, what we need on the Council are folks who will put the matter at the top of the list of City priorities. Policies that we’ve sought, including for “granny flats,” or Accessible Dwelling Units, and the pursuit of greater voluntary concessions from developers, have been augmented by baby steps toward so-called “micro-unit” housing and hybrid residential-home office housing products. All three candidates appear to be all-in on such things, beyond mere lip service. So we hope. Even though voting is already beginning, we’ll be looking in the coming weeks to see which candidate emerges best suited to drive this new policy direction home either as a member of the current Council, or by drawing more support behind them to achieve it in the next.

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Respect For Teachers Needed In National Reopening Debate Editor, As a former English teacher in Japan, I have seen firsthand the respect shown to senseis in a country which values and respects the profession. As we try to navigate school openings in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic — with mixed success so far — our elected officials should show that same respect to the concerns of our own teachers, who are putting their health and lives on the line to educate our

children. We all would like all our schools to resume in-person learning as soon as it’s safe. But in their demands that states start in-person classes immediately, or risk losing federal funding, President Trump and Secretary of Education Betsy Devos are showing no such respect, and in fact are treating the lives of our teachers, students, and school staff as political props who exist solely to benefit the President’s

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reelection campaign. According to the Washington Post, at least six teachers have died of Covid-19, and a number of schools have had to suspend inperson classes due to Covid-outbreaks. Vice President Biden, on the other hand, has a comprehensive roadmap to support reopening schools, which starts with getting Covid-19 under control, and includes: First and foremost, getting Covid19 under control; setting national safety guidelines and empowering local decision-making; providing emergency funding for public schools and child care providers; ensuring high-quality learning; and closing the Covid-19 educational equity gap

The Vice President would collaborate with the Department of Education to create a Safer Schools Best Practices Clearinghouse to help schools and child care providers across the country and internationally share approaches and tools for reopening safely. He would also work with the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health to share the latest information with families about how Covid affects children. The education of our children should be one of our highest priorities as a country. Accordingly, let us treat those directly involved in this field with the respect they deserve. Daniel Moss Arlington

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SEPTEMBER 17 – 23, 2020 | PAGE 7

Covid-19 Has Challenged More Than Just Physical Health B� A�� C��

As the last six months have demonstrated, no one is immune to the impacts of Covid19. Its effects have been far-reaching here in Northern Virginia and have touched everyone’s life in some way. In the blink of an eye, our world has turned upside down, and we have felt the impacts in so many areas of our lives: mental, emotional, and relational health; and our jobs, finances, and education — just to name a few. Sunstone Counseling has always been here to serve the community, but we’ve seen an influx of new and returning clients reaching out specifically for help with managing Covidrelated stress. As I thought about writing this column, I wanted to include the voices of our staff and what they’re hearing from the community as a reminder that we are all in this together and to help normalize the difficult emotions that many of us are experiencing. Shared concerns At Sunstone, our counselors are hearing that health and school issues spark the most worry and stress. This is not surprising given the severity of the physical effects of Covid and its ability to affect everyone — young and old. Combine that with distance learning for kids and parents stepping in as teachers and it’s the perfect recipe for emotional distress. Job worries and relationship issues follow closely behind as stressors for many in the

community. The specter of unemployment, working from home, and being quarantined with family have left many people feeling unmoored and overwhelmed. Even our highly trained Sunstone Counseling staff is not immune to the mental health impact of the pandemic. Our counselors face challenges

“In the blink of an eye, our world has turned upside down, and we have felt the impacts in so many areas of our lives.” such as screen fatigue, isolation, and navigating co-parenting while working from home. This is a good reminder that regardless of our training or profession, we’re all human and face similar hurdles, especially in times of crisis. Ways to cope At Sunstone Counseling we’ve always been committed to guiding our clients to a brighter tomorrow and a healthier and more fulfilled life. While that commitment may be harder to deliver during the pandemic, we

have doubled down on helping the community navigate this challenging time and offer the following suggestions: • Self-care. Now more than ever it’s important to care for yourself so you can care for others and face life’s challenges. Start with the basics such as eating well, exercising often, and getting enough sleep. It is also important to prioritize those restorative acts that bring you joy — whether it’s taking a bath, listening to music, or eating dinner with your family. • Self-soothing. Our counselors have long advocated for clients to use strategies such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, visualizations, meditation, and exercise to calm the mind and body. These techniques are powerful stress reducers and are quick and accessible methods to find relief from episodic and longterm stressors. • Get Zen. One of the many things the pandemic has highlighted is our lack of control over most things. This crisis presents a great opportunity to practice self-compassion as well as acceptance of what you can and cannot control. It’s perfectly understandable to worry about when we’ll get back to “normal” or have a vaccine. The key is recognizing that most of your worries are out of your control. Instead, use this time to focus on what you can control such as maintaining social connections, taking precautions against getting sick, and helping those in need in your community. When you’re focused on what’s in your circle of control, your mind can be calm and clear.

Pleasant surprises

Amid the pandemic and social and political unrest, it’s understandable to slip into a dark place and pay more attention to the negative events unfolding. But, as we’ve heard from our staff and clients, there are some surprising outcomes and benefits from the pandemic. With the reduced flurry of activities, errands, and social obligations, we have an opportunity to catch our breath and rest. We can — literally and figuratively — stop and smell the roses. Additionally, the slower pace gives us time to reflect on what’s important. Suddenly the pre-pandemic activities and obligations don’t seem as compelling as connecting with loved ones, valuing our health, or enjoying the outdoors. Valuing our mental health As I think ahead to what is coming around the bend for our community, I certainly don’t have all (or even most) of the answers, but I do know that in some ways it has brought out the best in our community and offers us the opportunity to prioritize our mental health. It is my hope that more open and honest mental health conversations will take place and that everyone will feel comfortable and empowered to seek help when they need it — during the pandemic and beyond.

Amy Clay, LPC, is co-owner of Sunstone Counseling

Q�� W�� Are you encouraged by young activists getting involved in F.C. City politics? • Yes

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• Not sure

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Fa l l s C h u r c h

F.C. Council Supports ‘Wayfinding’ Signage Project

57 Students Join F.C. Boards, Commissions & Civic Groups

At Monday’s Falls Church City Council meeting, the City’s Economic Development Authority presented the work it has accomplished with the support of professional consultants to design, identify sites and propose a joint EDA/City financing for a comprehensive development and deployment of attractive new place-making and wayfinding signage throughout the 2.2 square miles of the Little City. It includes four “Welcome to Falls Church” gateway signs at entrances to F.C. on Routes 7 and 29 and many others identifying public parking lots and special landmarks. “This is incredibly important for establishing our unique identity,” Councilman Ross Litkenhous said. Bob Young, chair of the EDA who presented the plan said, “This will help demonstrate that the City has its act together.” Whether the project can be completed in its entirety next spring, or must be split into two phases will be determined at a coming Council meeting.

NEWS BRIEFS In the program begun by the Falls Church Citizens for a Better City (CBC) in 2014, this school year a whopping 57 high school juniors and seniors applied, were interviewed and recommended by the CBC for appointment as non-voting members to City of Falls Church boards and commissions, the Electoral Board and a variety of civic organizations. The CBC’s Nancy Brandon introduced the students’ names during Mondays online City Council meeting, and the students were sworn in during a collective online event Tuesday afternoon. The fifty-seven is a record number of applicants for the program, growing from 17 in the first year. Brandon said it is only program of its kind in the U.S. Nominated and sworn in this week are: City Boards and Commissions: Emerson Mellon, Arts and Humanities Council; Annie Moore and Kathernie Teague, Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Transportation; Richard “Rex” Crespin and James Trombo, Economic Development Authority; Hanna Hall and Andrea Valderrama, Electoral Board; Max Caboti-Jones, Meike Van der Steen, Maia Vollen, Environmental Sustainability Council; Sarah Lambert, Historical Commission; Jessica Cummings and Jillian Kendrick, Housing Commission; Joseph Dakin, Eva Williams and David Ziayee, Human Services Advisory Council; Raissa Borges and Erin Tarpgaard, Library Board of Trustees; Thomas Downs and Nate Kusic, Recreation and Parks Advisory Board; Dylan Petrillo, Urban Forestry Commission; Civic Organizations: Marco Ferrara and Anna Tarter, Chamber of Commerce; Elle Ehrlich and Coleman Gardner, Creative Cauldron; Joseph Burke, Ella Reithinger, Elisabeth Snyder, and Grace Tarpgaard, Falls Church Democratic Committee; Ariana Hameed, Alexis Holewinski and Lauren Mellon, Falls Church Education Foundation; Dominik Krotzer and Sara Rollins, Falls Church Homeless Shelter; Emma McDonald, Falls Church League of Women Voters; Stella Turner, Falls Church Women’s History; George Vogel-Rogers, Lions Club; Hans Abruzzi, Hope Kleinberg and Olivia Scappa, Tinner Hill Social Justice Committee; Lena Csaszi and Alexis Niemi, Village Preservation Society.

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F.C. School Chair Chair Issues Statement on Re-Naming Proposal Greg Anderson, chair of the Falls Church School Board, issued a statement last week on the status of the board’s consideration regarding wishes by some in the community to change the names of two public schools in the City — George Mason High and Thomas Jefferson Elementary — on grounds that the figures for whom they are named owned slaves. Anderson’s statement is as follows: “In June, the School Board decided to consider changing the names of George Mason High School and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. There is strong community interest in this issue; we have received more than 100 public comments to date with support both for and against name changes. These comments represent a small share of our community and we believe it is imperative to seek input and give Falls Church residents, as well as Mason alumni, multiple avenues to share their thoughts on this issue. To gather feedback, the School Board has hired an outside consultant to conduct a community survey. In addition to the survey, the Board will hold at least two public comment sessions where members of the community can give their input on school renaming. “During the process of selecting a firm to conduct the survey, the Board took into consideration the scope of the work needed and also the cost, in order to minimize expenditures. The basis for deciding to retain an outside consultant was twofold: a desire to have FCCPS staff remain solely focused on managing academics and return to school amidst the Covid-19 crisis and to have an independent and unbiased third party overseeing the survey and its results.”

F.C. Police Have Leads in Diva Lounge Homicide Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields told the City Council Monday that City police are pursuing promising leads in the effort to bring to justice a man who fatally shot a patron of the City’s Diva Lounge in the Eden Center last week. In the meantime, Shields said, the ABC has suspended the liquor license for the establishment.

Council Hears Request to Remove ‘Hangman’s Tree’ Plaque A letter was referenced at Monday’s F.C. City Council meeting from the F.C. Historical Commission requesting the removal of the “Hangman’s Tree” plaque from the W. Broad at N. Virginia Ave. location where a tree once stood allegedly used by Confederate Col. Mosby to hang captured Union soldiers and their supporters during the Civil War. City Manager Wyatt Shields reported that granting the request would not require a formal Council vote since it was the Historical Commission that put it there in the first place when the then-dead tree was removed in 1968. In an editorial last summer, the News-Press called the tree’s legacy a Jim Crow era racist taunt, a “veritable noose.”

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F O R FA L L S C H U R C H C I T Y C O U N C I L Early/No Excuse absentee voting and by mail absentee voting begins September 18th OR vote in person on Election Day November 3rd. Vote Debbie Hiscott for Falls Church City Council. For more info visit www.debbiehiscott.org Authorized and paid for by friends of Debbie Hiscott for Falls Church City Council.

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Each of these contestants will create their own recipe using

• The Happy Tart Bakery

prize from the Falls Church News-Press. The recipes will be

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Community News & Notes

FELIX AND KURT BARTH (Trinity School ‘21), along with Jonathan Oppenheimer (George Mason High School ‘21), completed their Eagle projects with the help of fellow Scouts and friends. Felix (top) led the construction and painting of three wooden benches that were installed at a Fairfax County playground. Kurt (bottom left) led the construction of an outdoor classroom at Pine Springs Elementary School. Oppenheimer (top left) led the painting of a U.S. map, multiple blacktop games, a basketball key and Danny the Hippo at Mount Daniel Elementary School. (Photo: Courtesy Stephanie Oppenheimer)

NVCC Presents Virtual Constitution Day Speech The Northern Virginia Community College Annandale Campus Lyceum Committee is launching the Fall 2020 Semester Lunch and Learn Justice and Equity Series via Zoom on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. as NOVA History Professor Nathaniel Green starts it off with the annual Constitution Day speech on Sept. 17. Information about the Constitution Day speech and registration details for it, as well

as information on the other three speeches in the Lyceum Justice and Equity Series, can be found on the Lyceum Committee blog at blogs.nvcc.edu/lyceum. Entitled “The Man of the People: Political Dissent and the Making of the American Presidency,” Dr. Green’s Constitution Day speech will be based upon his book of the same name published by the University Press of Kansas and available in October 2020. The book traces the shaping of our concept of the presidency beginning with the public debate

on ratification of the Constitution in 1787 through to Andrew Jackson’s presidency to show how the basic description of the executive in the Constitution became the “man of the people” and how president-centered nationalism still defines today’s politics.

2nd McLean Governing Board Meeting on Sept. 23 The second McLean Community Center (MCC) Governing Board meeting, the Public Hearing on the FY 2022 Budget, will be held virtually at

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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7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Residents may continue to submit written comments after the public hearing through Monday, Oct. 26. The Board will approve the FY2022 budget when it meets at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The final budget will be approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in spring 2021. For more information, call the Center at 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, or visit the Center’s website, www.mcleancenter.org.

Mason Students Make Merit Scholarship Semifinals Two George Mason High Schools students, Katherine Donovan and James Trombo, qualified as National Merit Scholarship Corporation semifinalists. Nationwide, there are approximately 16,000 National Merit semifinalists, representing less than one percent of high school seniors, and are just a fraction of the 1.5 million students who took the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test as juniors and entered the scholarship competition. Semifinalists are the highest-scoring entrants in each state. Scholarship winners will be announced in four groups between April and July 2021.

Point of View Eyewear Welcomes New Optometrist Bill Mueller and his team at Point of View have welcomed Dr. Rohini Mehta O.D. as the store’s in-house optometrist. A longtime resident of Falls Church, Mehta graduated from Falls Church High School and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia before getting her Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from the State University of New York in Manhattan. Her areas of practice include ocular disease, contact

lenses, cataract and refractive surgery co-management. Mehta is a highly rated and experienced eye doctor who has been practicing in mostly Northern Virginia for the past 20 years. She has also practiced in Maryland, Washington, D.C., New York and Connecticut. Mehta also has extensive volunteer healthcare experience. That includes a mission to Nicaragua where she provided exams and eye medications to underprivileged children and adults. She has also volunteered at Fairfax Hospital, Virginia Hospital Center, UVA hospital, free clinics and as an Emergency Medical Technician. Point of View is taking full precautions to help avoid spreading the novel coronavirus for its staff and patients. For any questions or to schedule an eye appointment, call 703-237-6500.

SEPTEMBER 17 – 23, 2020 | PAGE 11

Open House Featuring Join the Journey at VFW On Sept. 19, a free open house event hosted by Join the Journey nonprofit at VFW Post 9274 (7118 Shreve Rd., Falls Church) from noon – 3 p.m. Interested attendees can come and meet Join the Journey and other local organizations at this event. Covid-19 regulations will be followed such as mask wearing and social distancing. Food and drinks are available for purchase. Music will be provided by Spin City productions.

Native Trees for the Urban Home Landscape Trees on private residential properties comprise a significant proportion of the urban forest canopy cover for a city or county. The environmental benefits to the community of a healthy well-distributed urban tree canopy depend in no small part upon the efforts of thousands of homeowners to care

EVEN A PANDEMIC can’t cure the wait at the DMV, or in this case, the City of Falls Church’s DMV Connect events. While the mobile set-up at the American Legion 130 Post moved briskly in comparison to standard DMV locations, having to sit around before getting the new Real ID helped remind folks what “normal” feels like. (P��: N��-P��) for mature trees and plant new ones in their own yards. Extension Master Gardener Amy Crumpton will discuss best practices for caring for trees, how to assess their site’s conditions for new tree plantings and how to select from the many native tree species that thrive in our area on Sept. 18 from 10 11:30 a.m. Free. RSVP at mgnv.org/events to receive link to participate.

Grace Christian Academy Holds Virtual Gala on Sunday On Sunday, Sept. 20, Grace Christian Academy (GCA) will hold its fourth annual fundraising gala — virtually. This year’s gala, “Sing a New Song,” will feature a performance

OUR ONLINE STORE IS OPEN AGAIN! It’s time to purchase a Falls Church t-shirt or sweatshirt! 100% of the profits will be used to purchase gift cards from local small businesses, and specifically-requested food and household items for residents in our community.

BETTERTOGETHERFC.ORG

by critically-acclaimed singer/ songwriter Melanie Penn. GCA alum Zach Satorius will be the evening’s remote emcee, serving that role from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary where he is studying to become a minister. The gala will include live and silent auctions featuring prizes donated by area artists and businesses. The Silent Auction opened on Sept. 6. Proceeds from the gala will be used towards Grace Christian Academy’s tuition assistance program. The school’s credo is “No child will be denied a Christian education because of financial hardship.” Currently 30 percent of the school’s students are receiving need-based financial aid. Sponsors of the event, which

is expected to be attended by supporters all over the country, are Thrivent Financial-Dulles Group, Kingdom Workers and Walsh Electric. Silent auction prizes from individuals and local artists and businesses include gift cards, handicrafts, jewelry, electronics, original works of art, travel, and golf experiences. A complete list of items can be seen by texting “gracefamily” to 843-6065995. The Live Auction, hosted by Justin Swisher of Richmondbased Swisher Auctions, will feature trips, an original oil painting by Falls Church artist Alexia Scott, and more. More information and a link to register can be found online at: gracechristianacademy.org/gala.

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PAGE 12 | SEPTEMBER 17 – 23, 2020

A Penny for Your Thoughts

News of Greater Falls Church By Supervisor Penny Gross

Number one question these days is “how do I vote?” Not “should I vote” or “who ya gonna vote for,” but “how and where” can I vote? In Fairfax County, absentee in-person voting, now also known as early voting, begins tomorrow at the Office of Elections at the main Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax (12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax 22035). Hours are 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Tomorrow also is the first absentee ballot mailout for voters who applied, by mail or on-line, for an absentee ballot. Because of the enormous number of requests, ballots will be mailed in batches so, if you already applied for a ballot, it may take a few days for the Office of Elections to catch up. Early voting at satellite locations will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and continue through Saturday, Oct. 31. Weekday hours are 1 – 7 p.m.; satellite locations are open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The closest satellite locations for Mason District voters are the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike in Annandale, and the Thomas Jefferson Library, 7415 Arlington Boulevard (Route 50) in Falls Church. However, Fairfax County voters may cast an in-person absentee ballot at any satellite voting site in the county during those hours of operation. If you decide to vote in person on Nov. 3, Election Day, you must do so at the regular polling place that serves your residential address. When the Virginia General Assembly approved the use of ballot drop boxes at the end of August, it may have been too little, too late. The approved legislation gave very little guidance for usage, security, or placement, and left no time to order the several hundred heavy duty metal

boxes that would be required to accommodate Fairfax County voters. Electoral Boards are loath to spend taxpayer dollars on equipment that has not been authorized, and the General Assembly’s approval relates only to this year’s Nov. 3 election, so the move seems temporary at best. According to information available at this time, Fairfax County will utilize collapsible plastic boxes at the satellite voting locations, during operating hours only, or at each precinct polling location on Election Day. The boxes will be indoors, not curbside, and each voter will have to deposit his/her own ballot into the box. The boxes will be emptied every day by authorized election workers, with ballots taken to the Office of Elections for safekeeping. While the ballot drop box system may alleviate concerns about using the United States Postal Service to return ballots, it will not be as easy as dropping an envelope into a drive-thru postal box, as some voters assumed. Whichever way you decide to vote — in-person absentee, by drop box, by mail, or in person on Nov. 3, the important thing is to VOTE. The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 13; the last day to apply to receive an absentee ballot by mail, fax, and online is Friday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. If you plan to vote by mail, please allow plenty of time for the Post Office to deliver your cast ballot. And please, vote only once. Each vote counts, but it only counts once!  Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.

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CRIME REPORT Week of Sept. 7 – 13, 2020 Larceny-Theft from Building, 1100 blk W Broad St. September 1, an unknown suspect took merchandise from a business without paying. Drug/Narcotic Violation, 400 blk E Jefferson St. September 8, 11:09 PM, a male, 18, of Herndon, VA, was issued a summons for possession of marijuana.

ground at the entrance to a building. Commercial Burglary, 400 blk W Broad St. September 11, 5:34 AM, an unknown suspect forced entry into a business and stole merchandise. Homicide Investigation, 6700 blk Wilson Blvd. September 11, 12:05 AM, police and medical personnel responded to a report of a shooting at a business and discovered that a male victim had been shot. The victim was

pronounced deceased at the scene. The suspect fled the area prior to police arrival. The investigation is ongoing. Driving Under the Influence, 7100 blk Leesburg Pk. September 12, 10:28 PM, a female, 48, of Dunn Loring, VA, was arrested for driving under the influence. Motor Vehicle Theft, 200 blk Douglass Ave. Between September 12 and September 13, unknown suspect(s) stole a motor vehicle from a residential street. Domestic Assault/Unlawful Entry, 900 blk Ellison St. September 13, 11:05 AM, a male, 41, of Falls Church, VA, was arrested for domestic assault. a male, 48, of Falls Church, VA, was arrested for simple assault and unlawful entry stemming from the same incident.

Larceny-Theft from Motor Vehicle, 1000 blk W Broad St. September 9, an unknown suspect unlawfully entered a parked car and stole an item of value. Larceny-Shoplifting, 1200 blk W Broad St. September 9, 11:46 am, a male, 21, of Falls Church, VA, was issued a citation for petit larceny. Credit Card Fraud/Theft, 200 blk W Jefferson St. September 9, an unknown suspect fraudulently used a stolen credit card to purchase merchandise at a local business. Driving Under the Influence, 100 blk Rees Pl. September 9, 11:58 PM, a female, 38, of Falls Church, VA, was arrested for driving under the influence. Destruction of Property, 400 blk W Broad St. Between September 4 and September 10, unknown suspect(s) poured paint on the

Status Update on Wednesday, September 16 City of Falls Church Date Cases Hospitalizations Wednesday, September 16 66* 10* Monday, September 14 67 11 Wednesday, September 9 66 11 Wednesday, September 2 66 11 Monday, August 31 66 11 Wednesday, August 26 66 11 Monday, August 24 64 10 Wednesday, August 19 63 9

Deaths 6* 7 7 7 7 7 7 6

# Cases per 100,000 People 453.6 453.6 446.8 446.8 446.8 446.8 433.3 426.5

*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.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Delegate Marcus Simon’s

Richmond Report With voting in the 2020 election beginning as early as this Friday, Sept. 18, I need to use this week’s column to redouble my efforts to encourage everyone to VOTE NO on Amendment #1 to the Virginia Constitution that appears on the ballot. I have and continue to be a dedicated advocate for improving the way we draw legislative districts in Virginia. Unlike the proponents of the Amendment, I have never wavered from my commitment to the axiom that for democracy to work as intended, voters need to choose their representatives, not the other way around. Unfortunately, that’s not what Amendment #1 on the 2020 ballot does. In fact, it does just the opposite, enshrining the role of legislative leaders while shutting out the voices of the Virginia electorate from the process, with no guarantee that communities of color will have any meaningful input in a process that for generations has been used as one of the most effective tools to limit their ability to have meaningful and proportional representation in the legislature. Among the Amendment’s most glaring flaws: • It creates a bipartisan commission, rather than a nonpartisan one, while giving legislators immense power in the process — even if 14 of the 16 members of the Commission agree to the maps, just 2 legislators can veto that vote. • It’s not a citizen commission in any meaningful way. The non-legislative members of the Commission are chosen from a list of nominees provided by the political leadership of both houses. And a panel of retired judges selected primarily by, you guessed it, the political leaders of both houses of the General Assembly. • It misses a crucial opportunity to enshrine real and lasting protections for communities of color in the redistricting process going forward. • It does not guarantee transparency or public input in the Constitution or the redistricting process. • It creates an untenable timeline that risks the integrity of our entire election process. Let’s talk more about the very partisan nature of the Commission. Any independents or third party adherents reading this, you will have no voice in this process. As noted above, all the members of the Commission with be loyalists from one of the two largest parties. That’s by

design. The Amendment only aims to make partisan gerrymandering impractical. It does so through a convoluted selection process that ensures no party is able to have an upper hand in negotiations. All the safeguards in the Amendment itself are designed to guarantee an equal voice to the largest political minority, as opposed to any voice for racial, ethnic, or language minorities. While the Amendment does have language with some racial criteria, it only says “where practicable, opportunities for racial and ethnic communities to elect candidates of their choice” should be provided. That is a suggestion, not a requirement. Black Virginians and other minorities should not have to rely on the generosity of white people, it should be in the Amendment. The Amendment first passed the General Assembly in 2019 under a Republican-led legislature after it became clear that Democrats were on the cusp of taking control of the legislature. Prior to 2019, they’d steadfastly opposed every effort to bring fairness, transparency, and citizen participation into the redistricting process. Lest you think this is just an effort led by Democrats enjoying their newfound majority status and who’d like to do back to the Republicans what they’d always done in the past, please note that there are several grassroots organizations working to defeat this Amendment. Organizations like Progress Virginia, Virginians for Independent Redistricting, and New Virginia Majority are just a few of these organizations. During the 2020 legislative session, the General Assembly passed into law HB1255, which outlaws racial and political gerrymandering. This bill passed on a 100% party line vote, with all Democrats voting in favor, and all Republicans opposed. Amendment #1 would void that law, and once again bring gerrymandering back to Virginia. This is not a situation where the perfect is the enemy of the good. We shouldn’t settle for a so-called anti-gerrymandering redistricting amendment that doesn’t actually end gerrymandering. Amending our state constitution is not an easy process, nor should it be. For this reason and for the reasons I outlined above, we should be highly discerning in what we add to our State Constitution and VOTE NO on Amendment #1.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

When Trump Won’t Concede

I am among those Washington, D.C. orbited political junkie sorts who often desire the more cerebral and thoughtful forms of Sunday morning political talk shows, and so one of my favorite options is CNN’s Farid Zakaria’s GPS, or “Global Public Square” as he calls it. It’s less partisans spewing their predictable lines in a combative framework that I guess major network geniuses have decided generate better eyeball counts and thus prefer. I met Zakaria in 2012 and found him brilliant and articulate, then as always carrying himself in a thoughtful manner, with little or no histrionics getting in the way of a rational dialogue or discourse. So, I spilled my coffee last Sunday FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS when Zakaria opened his show with another reasonable commentary, but this time it was about how plausible it is that there will be total pandemonium on this coming presidential election night, November 3, with a president who refuses to accept defeat. Yes, the turning point we are reaching, now under 50 days before the election, is that we must take deadly seriously that President Trump will “not go peacefully into that good night” of a projected electoral defeat. We’ve heard those formerly around Trump tell us he is not going to let the election stop him from continuing his presidency, such as his former confidant, fixer and attorney Michael Cohen, who knows Trump and what makes him tick better than most. Zakaria quoted a recent article by Dan Baer of the Carnegie Endowment, a nonprofit, titled, “How Trump Could Refuse to Go.” In that context, he quoted a Trump tweet after the November 2018 midterms, when early returns showed the GOP holding its own, but after all the provisional and absentee ballots were counted, the Democrats wound up gaining over 40 seats in the House. Trump tweeted then that “results must go with election night.” This November 3, as Zakaria notes, projections are that as of that election night, Trump could have a significant enough lead that if all ballot counting stopped right then, he would have a majority of Electoral College votes to win. That’s because an enormously higher percentage of Democrats are likely, according to polling, to mail in their ballots or vote absentee this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and their uncommonly motivated passion for defeating Trump with a very high turnout. But Trump has already made it clear that he is already seeking to discredit and destroy confidence in mail-in voting, and he’s got his sidekick in crime, Attorney General William Barr, already echoing his line and perhaps preparing to void all ballots not cast and counted as of 11:59 p.m. on Election Night by pronouncing the election far too tainted to permit of anything else. Barr has shown himself to be willing to engage in such treachery in the name of the Opus Dei theocracy he hopes to help bring about. Barr is more dangerous to democracy than Trump, who only wants to assuage his own clinically insane ego, because he’s driven by a fanatical religious belief system. Trump won’t die for anything, but Barr likely would. So, if Trump and Barr were intending to steal the November election in this way, or something like it, there is no doubt there would be rioting in the streets. But that’s all part of the plan. Sources among security details at the White House report discussions about how to prepare for a literal “storming of the gates” of the White House in the wake of Trump being declared the winner. Zakaria, while not describing the scenario as I have put it forth here, says that the election outcome may wind up in the hands of John Roberts, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, He may be the decisive swing vote, as he often is, on that body to declare the winner maybe not until January 2021. However, even then, that ruling may not be accepted by a large enough percentage of the population such that some exercise of force may be required. The fact is that this is a plausible, not crazy, scenario, and who in defence of our democracy is preparing and planning for it?  Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.

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SEPTEMBER 17 – 23, 2020 | PAGE 13

Nicholas F. Benton

Our Man in Arlington By Charlie Clark

The coming November ballot referendum on state redistricting reform has exposed tensions among Arlington’s majority Democrats. Activists who’ve long agreed on the need to end gerrymandering find themselves at odds over whether to take the bird in hand of a proposed new citizen-led commission to draw electoral boundaries — or hold out for something better from the current Democratic majority in Richmond. It’s a messy, multi-pronged issue packed with contingencies that many officials hesitate to discuss. The proposed constitutional amendment would curb legislators’ past authority to draw their own electoral maps by creating a 16-member commission. To select its members, judges would draw names from legislature-supplied lists for four state senators (two per party), four state representatives (two per party) and eight citizens, one of whom would chair the public meetings. Final maps would need approval from six of eight legislators and six of eight citizens. If the commission fails to meet deadlines for drawing new districts, the task would fall to the Republican-dominated state Supreme Court. That’s what worries some Dems. The proposed constitutional amendment was backed last year by most Virginia Democrats and Republicans (who still back it strongly), including marquee

names: Gov. Ralph Northam, U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, Rep. Don Beyer, state Sens. Janet Howell, Adam Ebbin, and Barbara Favola. Throw in advocacy groups: One Virginia2021, Common Cause and the League of Women Voters. But after Democrats took over the legislature, calculations changed. Some in the black caucus and delegates like Mark Levine smelled a rat. Republicans seemed too eager, raising fears they would stack the commission. “I fear any `democracy’ in which control of the legislature is chosen by judges who were chosen by a legislature that was chosen by the judges chosen by the legislature in a never-ending loop that permanently circumvents voters,” Levine said. “I’m now convinced the proposed amendment is worse than imperfect: It could lock in partisan gerrymandering forever.” Del. Patrick Hope also opts for seeking a better deal. I listened to Arlington Democrats at their Aug. 5 meeting (Zoom) debate twin questions — whether to take a sample ballot position to guide voters, and whether to oppose passage of the referendum. “We CAN and WILL do better!” many Dems argued, mentioning newly enacted criteria defining fair boundaries. Much support for the amendment from establishment figures is out of date, argued longtime organizer Mary Detweiler. “Fear of controversy” is not a good reason for the local party to avoid taking a position — even if some volunteers who

hand out sample ballots disagree, she said. “We owe it to voters to produce guidance” and “carefully scrutinize what goes in the state Constitution.” The majority at the general meeting agreed — 68.7 percent wanting the party to take a stand, 78 percent opposing the amendment. But, warned precinct captain Chris DeRosa, “I don’t think it’s a good look for Democrats battling among themselves.” Statewide, 70 percent of voters support the amendment, according to a Christopher Newport University poll in December. “What Democrats are arguing is the potentiality that the commission is not going to work,” Democrat Michael Raizen told me. “We should give it an opportunity to see its potential. If we don’t, we miss the 10-year Census, and it’s going to take at least two sessions of the legislature to get a new constitutional amendment.” The current referendum, he added, “is going to pass.” *** National Football League watch — Arlington edition: M.J. Stewart, the 2014 Yorktown High School graduate who became the first athlete from that school to make the pros, received disappointing news in early August: He was being dropped from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as one of their cornerbacks. Good news is that the University of North Carolina star and 2018 second-round draft pick was quickly picked up this month — by the Cleveland Browns.

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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.

LOCALEVENTS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 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 pick-up only in front of City Hall (300 Park Ave.). A list of participating vendors and information on pre-ordering can be

found at fallschurchva.gov/547/ Farmers-Market-To-Go. Join the Journey Open House. Interested attendees can come and meet Join the Journey and other local organizations at this event. Covid-19 regulations will be followed such as mask wearing and social distancing. Food and drinks are available for purchase. Music will be provided by Spin City productions. VFW Post 9274 (7118 Shreve Rd., Falls Church). Noon – 3 p.m.

VIRTUALEVENTS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 Thursday Evening Book Group (Online). The Thursday Evening Book Discussion Group normally meets on the first Thursday evening of each month in the library’s conference room. This month’s book is “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America

from 1890 to the Present” by David Treuer. This discussion will be held online. Visit fallschurchva.gov/LibraryAtHome for details. 7 – 8 p.m.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 City Council Work Session (online). City Council work sessions are held the first and third Monday of the month, with the exception of August and December when only one meeting is held. These meetings are open to the public and are conducted to allow Council Members to discuss upcoming legislation and policy issues; the public is not generally invited to speak. All participating members of the City Council will be present at this meeting through electronic means. All members of the public may view this electronic meeting via www.fallschurchva.gov/CouncilMeetings. The meeting may also be viewed on FCCTV (Cox 11, RCN 2, Verizon

Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 7 p.m. 703-858-9186.

35). Video will be available after the meeting both online and on FCCTV. 7:30 – 11 p.m.

Abby Middleton: “I Didn’t Cut My Bangs in Quarantine & Other Stories of Resilience” — mask and social distancing required. Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave., Falls Church). $30. 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

City Council Debate. Resident questions for the candidates may be sent to CandidateForumFCh@ gmail.com by Monday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m. The Zoom link will be posted at vpis.org, or attendees can contact Barbara Lipsky from LWV at blipsky@cox.net for more information and to obtain a Zoom link for the forum. 7:30 p.m.

Four bands benefitting Project Mgmt for Change — The Silver Books (4 p.m.); Jehovah’s Favorite Choir (5:45 p.m.); Stealing Liberty (7:30 p.m.) and Uncle John’s Band (9 p.m.) with Arielle’s Oyster Company Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 703-858-9186.

LIVEMUSIC

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 Irene Jalenti (online). Watch concert at creativecauldron.org/virtual-concerts-and-cabarets.html. 8 p.m.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 The Rock Creek Band. Falls Church

Griefcat in Concert — mask and social distancing required. Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave., Falls Church). $30. 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 Open Mic hosted by the Field Shaman — bring an instrument, all are welcome. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 5 p.m.. 703-858-9186.

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

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

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SEPTEMBER 17 – 23, 2020 | PAGE 15 INSTALLS ON NEW & EXISTING GUTTERS

B�� N�� N�� New Round of Micro-Grants Coming Next Week A second round of $2,000 microgrants to local businesses has been authorized by the F.C. Economic Development Authority that will be in the mail next week to the same 125 local businesses who qualified for and received a first round of grants. The EDA is expecting to be reimbursed by the City Council with a portion of the City’s federal CARES Act funds for the $250,000 it allocated for the first round of grants, and will put another $250,000 of its own funds into the second round. It means that the 125 small local businesses will have received $4,000 to help through the restrictions imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

F.C. Cottages Win Prestigious Award

LIFETIME WARRANTY

VPIS and FC League of Women Voters Sponsoring City Council Candidate Debate The Village Preservation and Improvement Society and the Falls Church League of Women Voters are sponsoring a Falls Church City Council Candidate Debate, via Zoom, on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Questions for the candidates may be sent to CandidateForumFCh@gmail.com by Monday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m. The Zoom link will be posted at www.VPIS.Org.

Virtual Culinary Hospitality & Events Panel Set for Tuesday NOVA SySTEMic, Northern Virginia Community College’s STEM Outreach Program, is offering a STEM Careers Virtual Workshop in the culinary, hospitality, and events industries on Tuesday, Sept.22 at 2 p.m. Panelists, including Courtyard by Marriott-Norfolk Downtown’s Barbara Barrington, Affairs to Remember Catering’s Steve M. Moore, Focus and Fabulous Events’ Sharone Reid, and Wilkinson Rhodes event planners’ India Rhodes, will discuss current issues, industry engagement, and job preparation in those industries. For more information or to register, go to https://campscui.active.com/orgs/ SySTEMicSolutions#/selectSessions/2891808.

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The Original Pancake House Will Donate Percentage of Sales to Arc of N. Virginia

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The Original Pancake House will donate 15 percent of dine-in and carry-out sales on Thursday, Sept. 24 to The Arc of Northern Virginia. The Arc provides programs and advocacy for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their families. Delivery items are excluded due to the costs associated. Original Pancake House is open daily from 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. at 7395 Lee Highway in Falls Church. For more information visit www.ophrestaurants.com and www.thearcofnova.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 Chamber of Commerce Hosting a Mixology Mixer The Falls Church Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Mixology Mixer in partnership with Falls Church Distillers on Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. In honor of National Honey Month and National Bourbon Heritage Month, Meghan Morgan will entertain attendees and teach them how to make “Bee in the Little City” featuring local honey and Great Falls Lemon Verbina Gin and “Falls Church Distillers Mint Julep” featuring Church Bourbon or mocktails without alcohol. Registration is $30 for cocktails and $15 for mocktails. Reservations made by Friday, Sept. 18 at noon includes all required ingredients for one of each drink, which will be available for pick-up. Delivery and shipping options are also available. For more information, visit the calendar at www.FallsChurchChamber.org.

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awards ceremony will be held in mid-October.

Falls Church Economic Development Authority (EDA) chair Bob Young has announced two openings on the seven-member EDA board with the recent resignations of Eric Pelton and Michael Novatny. The authority will seek volunteers to fill the unexpired terms.

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The Virginia chapter of the American Planning Association has selected the Falls Church Railroad Cottages project for its 2020 Red Clay Award which is the Development of the Year Award. The F.C.’s Planning Chief James Snyder called it a “great recognition for a small but impactful project.” A virtual

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PAGE 16 | SEPTEMBER 17 - 23, 2020 Yard Sale Big yard sale on Mendota Avenue, Falls Church, Saturday, September 19th, 8am - 4pm. Lamps, bookcase, clothes, misc.

PUBLIC AUCTIONS In accordance with the Virginia SelfStorage 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:178-David Whiteside & 663-David Alan. Sale will be held online at LockerFox. com. Pictures can be viewed at that site. Bidding will begin at 9:00am on September 20th and will conclude at 9:00 am on September 25th winning bidder will be required to pay a $100.00 per unit refundable clean-out deposit (cash).

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KIDS LOVE SCALLIWAG By Eileen Levy 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.

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Crossword

ACROSS

By David Levinson Wilk 1

33 36

25 31

32 35

43 50

49 53

52 55

1. Writing implement extending from start to end of 20-, 36- and 53-Across 4. Hoisting device 9. Cappuccino cousin 14. Morales who was Bolivia’s presi dent from 2006-19 15. Nebraska’s capital before Lincoln 16. 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year Stoudemire 17. ____ music 18. Brought home the gold 19. No longer sleeping 20. Risking mutual destruction, say 23. You might RSVP to one with a click 24. “You’ve got mail” co. 25. “Who am ____ judge?” 27. Tear to bits 28. Yoga ____ 31. Traditional Christmas gift for a child 33. One of the Hawaiian Islands 35. Things equestrians have on hand? 36. Frank 39. Cook’s garment 41. They make tracks 42. Hannah who coined the phrase “the banality of evil” 44. Nutritional fig. 45. Long-billed wading bird 49. 100∞ or more, say 50. Drop-____ (unexpected visitors) 52. That’s an order

STRANGE BREW

NICK KNACK

SEPTEMBER 17 - 23, 2020 | PAGE 17

53. “Yes, duly noted” 58. They’re raised on farms 59. NBA legend Thomas 60. Tyrant Amin 61. Madison Sq. Garden player 62. “Taxi” character Elaine 63. Actor Cage, in tabloids 64. Serta competitor 65. Shot in the dark 66. It’s found in a 1-Across ... as well as in this puzzle’s circled letters, aptly

Down 1. Bell, e.g. 2. Change over time 3. Half a workout mantra 4. “Gosh, will you look at that!” 5. “That’s my cue!” 6. Da ____, Vietnam 7. In vogue 8. ____ yoga 9. Supreme Court aides 10. Out of control 11. “Enjoy this spectacular view!” 12. State capital near Princeton 13. Morn’s counterpart 21. Since Jan. 1 22. + or - particle 26. Kvetching cries 28. ____ tai 29. Julia Roberts, to Emma Roberts 30. Shocking weapon 32. Tiny 33. Moscow-born abstract artist Wassily

JOHN DEERING

34. Modern replacement for a cash register 36. Capital city north of Johannesburg 37. Horror star Chaney 38. Singer/songwriter Rita 39. “What a relief!” 40. C3H8, familiarly 43. Explosive stuff 45. ____ B. Wells who received a 2020 Pulitzer citation for her pio neering work in journalism 46. String ____ 47. Trapped at a ski lodge, maybe 48. Xmas VIP 51. Some big band music 52. Community spirit 54. With: Abbr. 55. Jacob’s biblical twin 56. Retired Italian money 57. Young fellows 58. Barnes & Noble’s NYSE symbol, aptly Last Thursday’s Solution G A U G E

I T G U Y

M A T H

O S H A

S E A M R I P P E R

C M O C L S E

A V E C

G O L F O D O R B O N O B Y I M P E R E N C A I R R A N G E G G H E H A T T O A M I T S P R I M O P I T A L U I N G E C E S E F L R E T T A

C L O U T

W O R M R I O D A D T E N

P R O P O S E

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S T A N O D D U T E P R U M U B R T A I

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LO CA L

PAGE 18 | SEPTEMBER 17 – 23, 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. V, No. 26 • September 14, 1995

Falls Church News-Press Vol. XX, No. 28 • September 16, 2010

School Board Meets With Council Monday to Plead for More Money

Final Blow to Affordable Housing in F.C.? Council Withdraws $2 Million

Reacting to pressures caused by unprecedented enrollment growth in the City’s schools, the Falls Church School Board will be seeking additional funds “in the range of $70,000 to $200,000” from the City Council in the next few weeks, Board Chairman Jann Murchie told the* News-Press. Murchie reported Monday that the system experienced an enrollment increase of 115 students over the summer, from a K-12 population of 1,346 in May to 1,461 now.

Citing fears associated with tight budget constraints, a three member majority at a Falls Church City Council meeting with two members absent Monday voted 3-2 to take back $2 million it had previously provided to help bring new affordable housing to the City. Mayor Nader Baroukh was joined by newly-elected Council members Johannah Barry and Ira Kaylin to defund the City’s affordable housing efforts.

Downtown Site Continued from Page 1

Maury Stern of Insight said they worked “furiously” to overcome the parking issue, saying “significant progress has been made,” and on other aspects of their plan. On the temporary parking issue, they announced three major changes. First, they recalculated the twoyear construction process to narrow to three months the time when 64 City-owned free parking spaces behind the adjacent Thompson’s Italian and Clare and Don’s Beach Shack — two popular local restaurants with broad regional draws — will be unavailable. That is down from earlier efforts to limit the downtime to six months, cutting that time in half. The second change was the announcement that an agreement for use of up to 50 parking spaces at the adjacent Park-Washington office condo building was reached. A third was that the developers found additional parking spaces, including at the Kaiser facility and the parking deck at the George Mason Square across the Broad and Washington intersection, no more than 800 feet from the businesses in question (down from 1,200 feet proposed earlier). The developers also expanded on their plan, first unveiled at the work session last week, for including a number of residential rental units that include at-home office spaces. That idea elicited immediately favorable responses from some on the Council, and will be expanded to up to 10,000 square feet on one floor. If the market is there for it, the developers said, it could also

expand onto more floors to include more than the half-dozen units originally proposed. Monday’s presentation also included some revised architectural designs, as well as discussions about the intent to have public art on some facades. It’s an effort to highlight how the area has been identified as an “arts and entertainment district” in City planning documents and is inclusive of the State Theatre and the Creative Cauldron space to be included in the new project. On that score, also presenting to the Council Monday was Laura Hull, founder and principal director of the Creative Cauldron, which is currently on a roll with at least two prestigious region-wide Helen Hayes Awards this season (Matt Conner winning for best director of a musical this week for his work on “Beauty and the Beast” following Nora Palka’s win for best performer in a musical for her role in “On the Air”). The Insight developers of the Broad-Washington project have proffered 5,000 square feet of space for the Creative Cauldron to double the size of their current theatre space on S. Maple Street, and also placing them on a prime location at the City’s premiere intersection. “This is an incredible opportunity for us after our 18 year journey in Falls Church,” Hull said. She praised Insight’s Rick Hausler for his “passion for this,” noting that “no one else in the D.C. region has such an opportunity.” “Our patrons depend on us for a future,” Hull said, and this project will be critical for providing it, augmenting the best vision for the future of the Little City. Finally, the developers offered their latest projections for potential

annual tax revenue yields to the City, noting that the Whole Foods itself will bring in more revenues than the previous plan for Class A office space, boosting projected annual tax revenues from $1.5 million to $2.2 million (currently the yield from the site is $116,000). Council member Letty Hardi said that “it is evident that a lot of hard work has gone into the new elements, noting the agreement for the 50 temporary parking spaces from the Park-Washington building, up from 25 before. “I appreciate the diligence, and would like to see the number of temporary spaces come as close to the 64 City lot spaces that will be lost as possible.” “This can be a great project, much better than what we saw just a week ago,” she said. Councilman David Snyder said he’s pleased that Creative Cauldron could find a long-term sustainable home, noting that it is a regional draw. “I want this to succeed,” he said, adding that he still had some doubts. Vice Mayor Marybeth Connelly said “I want to see this go forward,” nothing that Insight “definitely listened to our concerns from the week before.” Councilman Phil Duncan said he wants the project to be reviewed by the Council’s advisory bodies “sooner rather than later.” Mayor David Tarter said the project will “be beneficial to the City, bringing people downtown.” It will be a “great benefit,” he said, and that “all can thrive” from its development. He proposed a potential walking tour of the site by the Council to get a better feel for it. The motion to defer a “first reading” vote to “no later than October 13 passed 5-0, with Litkenhous’ recusal counted as an abstention.

JOY is a three-year-old Sheepadoodle that can regularly be seen exploring downtown Falls Church (with what looks like a fresh haircut) alongside her owners. Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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Katherine Thompson’s Pastry Skills Land Her in Regional Award Finals by Orrin Konheim

Falls Church News-Press

After 13 years as a restaurateur of five different properties, one would think that Katherine Thompson wouldn’t be this ecstatic about awards. But with her skills as a pastry chef having caught eyes regionally and nationally, it’s hard to suppress her smile. “It’s so flattering to be nominated for anything, I’m shocked by both nominations and equally flattered,” she added. Thompson’s work with pastries at Thompson Italian, the Little City restaurant she co-owns with her husband, Gabe, landed her as one of five finalists for best pastry chef in the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s RAMMY Awards, set for this Sunday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. In May, she was also one of the 20 semi-finalists for best pastry chef in the country as part of the James Beard Awards. While Thompson didn’t advance further in the national competition, it was nice to know people were noticing her work “In our world, the James Beard award is kind of [like] the Oscar of the movie business, it’s a fun way that our industry celebrates our peers,” Thompson said. “I never thought I’d be nominated for anything and it’s also pretty exciting.” The award season comes at an odd time for the restaurant and others in its industry as they do their best to work around the Covid-19 pandemic. While only finalists will get to attend the actual event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, all guests will get to observe virtually once the event goes live Sunday night. Thompson first worked as a restaurant chef, until she got hired to work at Del Posto’s pastry department in New York City, where her specialization really came to shine “I kind of had my fingers in a little bit of everything [in my restaurants], but the pastry program is all mine,” she said. “She’s been a chef of a couple different things in New York, but she just loves the precision of pastry. Regular, savory cooking is probably a little too chaotic for her — she likes the control,”

explained Gabe Thompson. Headliners for Thompson Italian’s dessert menu are a peach melba panna cotta, a tiramisu, and of course, Katherine’s New York trademark’s in the olive oil cake, one of the restaurant’s bestsellers. A vanilla cheesecake, a chocolate budino and an assortment of sorbettos and gelatos help round out the exemplary postdinner treats. For Katherine Thompson, her journey to being a serious chef began with Julia Child while growing up in Arlington. “I was super-obsessed with Julia Child around age 11. I made my way through her cookbook in a couple of years,” she said. Thompson graduated Arlington’s H-B Woodlawn Secondary School in 1995 and attended the College of William and Mary. She majored in business and marketing and worked a couple years in the dotcom industry before deciding to follow her dream and apply to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. The school requires a certain amount of restaurant experience and Thompson was fortunate in that she had worked jobs in the restaurant industry through and after college, including an externship at Chef Geoff’s in Washington, D.C. Katherine and Gabe Thompson are both alumni of high-end restaurants in New York City where they met in 2007. The pair decided to open up their first restaurant that same year. “I’ll be honest. We were too young and naïve to think through the risk. Our friends told us there were too many Italian restaurants in New York City,” Thompson said. “We kind of looked at it like Italian food with an American twist or American food with an Italian twist.” What started as one restaurant became four within three years. On top of that, Thompson became pregnant with her first child in 2010, motivating the couple to move back to Northern Virginia. After spending the first few years in Northern Virginia as a stay-at-home mom while her husband worked, the Thompsons opened Thompson Italian in Falls Church in August of 2019 after feeling she found the right space to re-launch herself.

SEPTEMBER 17 – 23, 2020 | PAGE 19

While the City of Falls Church has phased in outdoor and indoor seating, the Thompsons remain cautious about opening. After hearing about a restaurateur friend in Austin who suffered half his staff getting sick, they decided they didn’t want to put their staff or customers at risk. Additionally, the Thompsons’ children regularly hang out at the restaurant. “It’s scary because we don’t know when things will go back to some semblance of normal,” said Gabe. “There’s been ups and downs with business. We’re doing less business, but we don’t have the same amount of people working and the electricity and water bill has gone down.” During the Covid-19 quarantine period, Thompson Italian (which reopened in April) offers curbside service from Wednesday to Sunday from 4 – 8 p.m. The restaurant is located at 124 N. Washington Street. To watch the RAMMY’s online, visit therammys. org/#rammys20live.

THOMPSON’S OLIVE OIL CAKE, which is a holdover from her and husband Gabe’s days running restaurants in New York City, is a huge hit at Falls Church’s Thompson Italian. One of the main reasons the couple moved to Northern Virginia was it became too much of a hassle raising a family in the Big Apple. (Photos: Courtesy Erika LaChance/Thompson Italian)

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

PAGE 20 | SEPTEMBER 17 - 23, 2020

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FOR SALE!

$1,999,900 308 Poplar Drive, 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. 7316 Mendota Avenue, Falls Church. Priced at $574,999.

$485,000 202 S Virginia Ave, Falls Church City

6 Beds

2-Story Library

2 Beds

Walk to Shops & Dining

6.5 Bathrooms

Gourmet Chef's Kitchen

1.5 Bathrooms

Minutes to METRO

Open Sun 2-4

FOR SALE!

$1,569,900 2515 Buckelew Dr, Falls Church City

REALTOR®

FOR SALE!

Open Sat & Sun 2-4

FOR SALE!

Open Sun 2-4

$269,900 200 N Maple Ave #306, Falls Church City

6 Beds

New Construction

1 Bed

Minutes to METRO

5.5 Bathrooms

2-Car Garage

1 Bathrooms

Walk to shops & dining!

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

2101 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201

CALL 703-867-TORI