Life In The Fast Lane

by Charlie Clark

The one time-colleagues vying to be Commonwealth’s Attorney for Falls Church and Arlington present a contrast in resumes and in approaches to the national reform movement known as restorative justice.

Incumbent Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, who won an upset victory in 2019 on a reform agenda, was confronted

Patricia Leslie reviews Creative Cauldron’s “Diagnosed,” the premiere, powerful drama of the theater’s “Bold New Works” of Women’s Voices. See what Leslie has to say about this performance on mental health, race and gender.

See Page 9 this November by a challenge in the coming June Democratic primary by Josh Katcher, whom she had named as deputy commonwealth’s attorney before he resigned in disillusionment last August.

Both active Democrats (the winner of their primary is often a shoo-in against Republicans in November), the two in interviews with the News-

Press claim similar goals but differ markedly in backgrounds and styles.

Dehghani-Tafti, who grew up poor in an Iranian immigrant family, brought 18 years as a public defender to the elected position. She sees herself as a “change agent” battling establishment resistance to principles deployed by allies around the country seeking to focus pros-

This past Sunday, many Falls Church residents gathered to remember the impressive life of Eileen Hecht Levy. See how locals remember Eileen with various kind words and tributes.

See Page 10 ecutors’ resources on violent crimes while approaching smaller crimes with rehabilitation and improved case follow-up.

Katcher, with more than a decade in the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, has prosecuted hundreds of cases, including 50 jury trials in the