Falls Church News-Press 6-1-2023

June 1 - 7, 2023

Founded 1991

Vol. XXXIII

No. 16

F.C. Schools’ Summer Fare

Reduced from 4 to 3 Weeks

by Kylee Toland Falls Church News-Press

Falls Church City Public Schools’ plans for this summer were spelled out in detail at last week’s F.C. School Board meeting, and it was announced that this year’s summer programming will run for three weeks instead of four.

Director of Equity and Excellence Jennifer Santiago and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Julie Macrina led the presentation last week on how summer school programming will look for Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS), as well as how this programming will support students in each school. These schools include Jessie Thackrey Preschool, Mount Daniel and Oak Street Elementary Schools, Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School and Meridian High School.

The overall purpose of this year’s programming, Santiago said, is to provide space and time for students who need intervention in preparation for their next year of learning and to fulfill student needs based on decisions of the Individual Education Program (IEP) committee. In addition, high school students will be offered remediation and “extension credit options.”

This year’s summer school programming will run for three weeks instead of four, like in previous years. Santiago said

Continued on Page 3

SO, IT RAINED ON OUR PARADE

Moran Shifts Endorsement to Dehgani-Tafti

by Charlie Clark Falls Church News-Press

Key new endorsements have spiced things up in the heated Democratic Primary race for Arlington-Falls Church Commonwealth Attorney. With the June 20 election day now just three weeks away. Incumbent Parisa Dehghani-Tafti won a major new endorsement in the last week and challenger Josh Katcher added two new ones, as well.

Former Congressman Jim Moran withdrew an earlier endorsement of Katcher to back Dehghani-Tafti. “Originally, a friend was raising money for Katcher,” he told the News-

Press , “but when I told my wife, Deborah Warren,” who is a deputy director of the county Human Services Department, “she told me Parisa is very competent and doing a good job. So I listened to Parisa speak and would [be] up [to] agreeing to switch my allegiance.”

Meanwhile, Katcher picked up endorsements from the Arlington Coalition of Police and two longtime Arlington County officials, former Clerk of the Circuit Court David Bell and former Treasurer Frank O’Leary. In similar emailed statements, the two Democrats said they were taking an unusual step of opposing a Democrat “not suited by skill, experience

or inclination” for the job, as Bell put it.

As the June 20 Democratic primary day nears, the two candidates for Commonwealth’s Attorney and their backers are exchanging ever-angrier ripostes depicting the incumbent’s record on personnel vacancies and indictment policies.

Current office holder Dehghani-Tafti‘s restorative justice reform agenda, pursued with national media attention since 2019, has drawn fire from her former deputy Katcher, who accuses her of lax enforcement and dishonesty.

“Crime is up and indictments are way down,” read Katcher’s

May 24 press release quoting campaign manager Ben Jones.

“According to the FY 2022 and FY 2024 Arlington County Proposed budgets, in the two years prior to Dehghani-Tafti taking office Arlington County saw 2,172 and 1,747 felonies reported, resulting in 1,045 and 713 criminal indictments brought, respectively. In 2021 and 2022, despite 2,054 and 1,800 felonies committed, only 449 and 274 indictments were handed down, meaning that more crimes in our county are going unpunished than at any point in recent history.”

“In 2021, only 21 percent of

Continued

RAINIEST Memorial Day Parade and Festival in at least 30 years in Falls Church this Monday, being the biggest event of the year for the Little City. Nobody was spared, and also no one drowned or melted, so it turned out as a novel experience for all. See Editorial, Page 6, and many more photos inside. (Photo: Gary Mester)

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West End Project Seeks Delay Of Senior Housing Component

According to a blog post from Falls Church Vice Mayor Letty Hardi, the F.C. City Council is being asked to consider a modification to the terms of its deal with the West End Project’s development team of Hoffman, Inc. to permit a delay in the completion of the project’s 14-story senior living facility. The reason given is that the principal developers of the project, Trammel Crow, have pulled out due to the unstable state of the economy.

Bob Young, head of the F.C. Economic Development Authority, told the News-Press concerning the issue, “Under the current economic circumstances in the U.S., it’s a miracle that Hoffman has been able to move ahead as quickly and efficiently as they have. In these circumstances, it’s not at all surprising that one of the several buildings in the project has experienced difficulty in closing. I’m confident they will be able to find a new partner for that building soon. In the meantime, the financial impact on the city is not consequential.”

F.C. No. 1 in Virginia for Wealth Per Capita

The SmartAsset investor website announced this week that it has ranked the City of Falls Church the No.1 jurisdiction in Virginia for the level of overall wealth per capita — inclusive of median income, investment income and median home value parameters. Its “overall wealth index” is pegged at 72.89, markedly higher than the No. 2 and No. 3 jurisdictions, Arlington and Fairfax counties, at 64.86 and 53.46 respectively.

Mustang Alley at Meridian HS To Close June 16 — August 14

The Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS) announced a temporary closure of Mustang Alley, adjacent to the FCCPS Secondary Campus, due to the ongoing West Falls Project development. The closure will begin immediately after school is dismissed on June 16, 2023.

The decision to close Mustang Alley to all vehicular traffic was made to expedite the project’s completion of the finished Mustang Alley roadway and ensure the safety of students, staff, and community members. However, a pedestrian/bicycle path will remain open, the Schools’ statement said.

F.C. Councilman Duncan Offers New Update on Surgery

Falls Church City Council member Phil

Duncan offered the following update on his recovery from full lung transplant surgery earlier this month:

“27 days since my bilateral lung transplant. Memorial Day finds me at the Inova Fairfax inpatient Rehabilitation Center. I ‘graduated’ last Tuesday from the hospital to rehab, where 3x daily physical therapy sessions aim to rebuild stamina and agility sufficient to return home and continue gaining strength from there.

“My support team this past week included daughter Meredyth, son Tyler, and, of course, spouse Leslie. Meredyth happened to be back East presenting a paper at an international marine biology conference in Baltimore for the Master’s degree she expects to finish this summer at San Francisco State University. TD was back from a well-deserved vacation in the Dominican Republic with co-workers in the Arlington County PD. The highlight of today’s therapy drills was an unassisted climb-and-descend of more than a dozen steps, one target I need to hit consistently in order to return home.”

Teens Arrested for Tuesday Shooting-Stabbing That Killed 2

Fairfax County Police announced yesterday they’ve arrested Vladimir Garcia Montes, 18 of Greater Falls Church and a 17-year old in the double-homicide shooting and stabbing that took place Monday afternoon in the 2200 block of Pimmit Run Lane, just west of the City of Falls Church line, behind the Whole Foods on Leesburg Pike. The two arrested are charged with robbery resulting in death. Anyone with knowledge of the incident is urged to call the Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, or the anonymous tip line at 1-866-411-TIPS.

Police say the incident is believed to be drug-related. K9 officers located a “significant amount of marijuana nearby believed to be connected to the homicide,” according to FCPD, who added that “all individuals involved are believed to be known to each other such that this is not a random act of violence.

The two deceased victims were identified as Braden Deahl, 18, of Arlington County and Jonas Skinner, 20, of Ashburn. Skinner was found deceased with a gunshot wound in a laundry room in the apartment complex, and Deahl and two others, both believed to be minors, were found suffering stab wounds in a parking lot. Deahl was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital. One of the two surviving victims remains in the hospital with non-life-threating injuries.

FCCPS Summer Program to Provide ‘Space & Time’ for Students

the shortening of the program was due to this year’s summer being shorter and to ensure a break for both teachers and students. The program will run Monday through Friday from July 10 to 28 at each school location.

Administrators at each summer school location were introduced at the meeting; they included Katy Reardon at Jessie Thackery, Jed Jackson at Mount Daniel, Michelle Goldberg at Oak Street, Andrea Chew at Mary Ellen Henderson and Laura Schomer at Meridian.

At Jessie Thackrey Preschool, the summer school programming will run from 8:30 a.m. — 11:30 a.m. and will focus on “students with IEPs” who indicate a need for Extended School Year (ESY) services, along with Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) students. Reardon said their instructional program will focus on “literacy, numeracy, communication and

social development” for their “youngest learners [ages three and four].”

Students at Thackrey’s program will also have access to additional speech, occupational and physical therapy, counseling and other related services for special education students. Reardon said 28 invitations for the program have been sent, with 24 students confirmed to attend so far.

Mount Daniel will hold its summer school program from 9:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. and target “students needing intervention” as rising kindergarteners, first and second graders. Jackson said “approximately 65 students” will be attending the program that will focus on language arts and math instruction that will use “evidencebased programs” designed to strengthen foundational skills and “close instructional gaps.”

Jackson went on to say that although there will be a focus on the academic needs of students, social emotional needs will also be concentrated on with weekly “social emotional” (SEL) lessons. She also

added that it is also hoped that the program will “provide a smooth transition” for rising kindergarten students.

Oak Street Elementary’s summer school program will be held for students who “qualify” for intervention in the areas of Math and English Language Arts (ELA). From 9:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m., 36 confirmed students out of 68 invited will participate in daily morning meetings, math instruction, ELA instruction, social emotional learning instruction and lunch/outdoor recess.

Goldberg, Oak Street Elementary’s guidance counselor during the academic year and summer school advisor, said ELA, mathematics and SEL lessons will focus on various topics, such as reading comprehension, collaboration, team building and “key standards” students will need “in order to approach the next grade level with success.”

CAREERS (Creative and Real-World Engaging Experiences Realized this Summer) and (Rising) 6th

Grade Jumpstart will be the theme of this year’s Mary Ellen Henderson’s summer school program, with students focusing on grade-level math/ reading standards and how to infuse them into “real-world, problem-based activities.”

From 8:30 a.m. — 12:00 p.m. at Meridian High School, this program will also offer history and science “infused” content to support “core academic areas.”

On August 9 from 9:00 a.m. — 2:00 p.m., Henderson Middle School will also provide the “Husky JumpStart” program, which Chew said will target “academic needs, organizational lessons and communication skills” to support the transition from Oak Street to Henderson. They will give special attention to “team bonding, tours of the campus and lockers.”

Meridian High School’s summer advisor, Laura Schomer, said its summer program is “unique” due to it being virtual and the students working asynchronously. From 8:30 a.m. — 12:00 p.m., stu-

dents have the option of taking a new credit, credit recovery or enrichment (i.e. auditing a course) course. In-person support is also available in Meridian’s library if needed.

Courses offered for Meridian’s summer program include English, math, science, social studies, interdisciplinary (personal finance and economics) and health and physical education for both new credit or credit recovery options.

To support each school’s program, Santiago said transportation routes will be set up and ready for those accessing buses, breakfast and lunch will be provided to all students, custodial support for “deep cleanings” will be provided and health clinics will be staffed with School Health Aides and a public health nurse will be available at all times.

“We are very much looking forward to a good, successful summer supporting students transitioning into new buildings and being ready to start the new year on the right foot,” Santiago said.

Key New Endorsements Spice Things Up in Heated Democratic Primary Race

felonies that were reported in the county resulted in a criminal indictment and last year only 15 percent,” the statement continued. “Serious crime is no longer being taken seriously.”

Asked by the News-Press to respond, ParisaForJustice campaign manager Josh Artis released Dehghani-Tafti’s statement saying she “has successfully eliminated the practice of overcharging of felonies.” The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office can only indict

on a crime when police have successfully identified a suspect. Unfortunately, overall arrests have been down 24 percent since 2019 as police face staffing shortages like so many departments nationwide. Additionally, felony indictments are down in my term because unlike the prior administration, my office does not engage in stacking charges to force plea deals or the immoral practice of overcharging. For example, in the prior administration, a man was charged with a felony for misspelling his last name to the police. My

office would not take that draconian approach. The last administration charged very low-level drug possession cases as felonies. Our office does not engage in this punitive `War on Drugs’ approach which increases felony indictments without increasing public safety. We work to divert people with substance abuse issues to treatment.”

The Katcher campaign on May 17 hit the incumbent with new numbers on staff vacancies—portrayed as a sign of disgruntlement with her management — obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. It said her office “currently has 16 unfilled full-time positions in an office with 53 total giving it a 30 percent vacancy rate. These vacancies include nine Assistant Commonwealth Attorneys out of the 24 the office would have if fully staffed.” Back on April 28, Dehghani-Tafti said her office had only two permanent full-time vacancies. She “is either unaware of how many critical vacancies exist in the office she manages, or is intentionally trying to mislead Arlington County residents.”

In rebuttal, Dehghani-Tafti said she is “proud of her honest and open campaign based on her successful first term….and is most proud of the team” she has assembled. “Katcher has created a campaign based on false narratives, personal attacks, and according to at least one newspaper, `sexist’ innuendo,” Dehghani-Tafti argued, saying many post-pandemic agencies nationwide—including the Arlington sheriff’s office— are down in recruitments.

“Katcher’s politically-driven narrative about staffing shortages has been addressed time and again. Like all agencies, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office is fluid, with staffing changing,” she added. “Katcher isn’t ignorant to this nationwide and local staffing shortage, yet purposely misleads the public.”

On the consumer listserv Nextdoor, Katcher backers promoted a cable TV ad featuring Rose Kehoe, the mother of Washington-Liberty High School basketball player Braylon Meade, who died last

November at the hands of a drunk, under-18 driver. Kehoe has faulted Dehghani-Tafti’s handling of her tragedy as too concerned with the perpetrator at the expense of the family victims.

To the incumbent’s defense on Nextdoor came Brad Haywood, chief of the Office of the Public Defender for Arlington and Falls Church, who published detailed results of research in the courthouse community. He concluded that the decision not to try the defendant as an adult and the final sentence— one year detention and three years probation—were typical for Arlington due to the challenges of proving guilt in court. They were the result of the probation officer and judge more than Dehghani-Tafti, who had requested three years detention, Haywood wrote. “No outcome is truly ‘just’ in a situation like this,” he said. “I just don’t see how the outcome would have been different under” her predecessors among Commonwealth’s Attorneys.

The Wondrous Rain On Our Parade

Yes, it’s true. For the first time in over three decades, the annual Falls Church Memorial Day Parade and Festival, the biggest event of the year in the Little City, got rained upon, and heavily. As photos from the event by Gary Mester in this edition document, it wasn’t just a sprinkle. There were more than one heavy downpours that got everyone plenty wet. But, on the other hand, the temperature was mild, unlike some real roasters in the past, including just last year.

Folks can judge for themselves when the video of the parade gets edited and prepared for repeat showings on the Falls Church Cable Access channels (11 for Cox, 31 for Verizon and 2 for RCN). But trust us, Mother Nature, and not the South Jersey Shore Mermaid, Bolivian dancers or the Shriner putt-putts was the headliner item in this year’s parade. Mother Nature even eclipsed Harry Shovlin’s moving annual memorial service in front of the Community Center, as it was completed before the rains came around 2 p.m.

And so be it. The heavy rain did not diminish one iota of the amazing spectacle of this special day. If anything, it was made more memorable by the intervention from the heavens. Nobody drowned. Nobody melted.

For our soaked owner/editor, riding in the FCNP’s signature forest green Mustang convertible with managing editor Nick Gatz, his daughter, Emmy, and writer Charlie Clark, it was reminiscent of the summer of 1991. Only months into this newspaper’s first year, on the spur of the moment, he and Danny O’Brien decided on a quick road trip to Manhattan for one of the famous Concerts on the Lawn in Central Park featuring Luciano Pavarotti. After Pavarotti’s first song, there was a lightning and a great clap in the skies, and an unrelenting gushing thunderstorm proceeded to wash out the event, entirely. Thousands of folks who’d laid out picnics to watch had to flee the torrent, and after an hour the concert was called off. But to our heroes, the whole thing was a blast. They sat as others fled and only long after it was postponed did they make their way to the car with a long, wet, happy drive home.

For our team this year, including Kylee Toland, Brian Reach and intern Catherine Kane manning the FCNP booth, it was another wonderful occasion to happily interact directly with many of our readers, including tons of little ones probably a season or two from being able to read the paper for themselves.

We are reminded of the great hit song from the Woodstock festival of 1969, when Melanie Salka became an overnight star with her rendering of “Lay Down, Candles in the Rain,” a classic homage to the rain that not only ceased to deter that historic concert, but more, in fact, blessed it from on high as a great inflection point for peace and beautiful music in that, our nation’s troubled era.

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Letters to E ditor

11th Hour Plea

Editor, Sudan has experienced severe human rights abuses against civilians and conflict escalated again in February, leading to fighting with heavy weaponry in April. A beloved community member (and U.S. citizen) has been trying to get his family here from Sudan. His wife and three children had interviews in December resulting in visas for all but his seven-year-old. A group of community members has been trying to help rectify what may be an oversight, which is severely impacting this family enduring civil war, avoidable separation from their father, and increased expenses.

The most recent communication from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo (5/14) states: “Before issuing any visa, we must ensure that applicants do not pose a security risk to the United States...” The applicant in question is a seven-year-old boy and his father is a U.S. citizen. The response was to a congressional office, leaving us to wonder if the sender of this boilerplate message appreciated the fact that the inquiry is about a child.

Efforts with immigration lawyers and congressional offices have been unsuccessful, and we are in the 11th hour. If only the U.S. Embassy in Cairo would pick up the paper and approve this seven-year-old child so that he can join his family.

Immigration lawyers advise the mother to come to the U.S., get her passport stamped and return. But would any of us consider leaving our seven-yearold child in a war-torn country to travel halfway across the world?

Their visas expire the first week of June and it takes two days to reach Egypt and a flight to the United States. A seven-year-old is not a security risk and we can only assume that this is an oversight. If anyone in our community can help, please let us know: helpforsudan2023@gmail.com.

Youngkin as Poor Boy’s

Sonia Bolanos, Kari Forsee & Samantha Fiddy

Editor,

Youngkin says, “Ronald Reagan changed lives.” But he forgets to mention Ronald Reagan also

changed the national debt . . . in a bad way. He was the first President to boost the national debt to a trillion dollars, setting a precedent for big government spending for the next 40 years and landing us in the debt ceiling mess we are in today at 31 trillion dollars.

The Republican formula for killing America with an insurmountable debt is ever more defense spending. But why do we need more defense spending when we already spend more than the next ten countries combined? And we have the two largest oceans in the world to protect us against invaders?

Only Central and South America have invaded us lately, and not with guns. Republicans are getting rich on defense spending we don’t need, especially after revelations in the Wall Street Journal that Congresspersons and federal regulators are going wild on insider trading.

Virginians need to wake up to Youngkin.

In Support of Legalizing ADUs

Kimball Shinkoskey Editor,

I am writing to express my support for legalizing accessory dwelling units (ADUs). ADUs are small, independent living units that can be built on the lot of a single-family home. They can be used by homeowners to provide housing for family members, friends, or renters. ADUs are a key tool for addressing our housing crisis. They can help to increase the supply of affordable housing, reduce the cost of homeownership for families, and allow seniors to age in place. This is an important issue to me personally as my father is nearly 70 and currently lives in a single-family home. He is in good health, but he is starting to need some help with things like snow removal. He would like to downsize, but he can’t afford to move into a smaller home closer to me since the price of rowhomes and the like has gone up so much in the last decade. If Falls Church residents were legally allowed to build ADUs on their property my father would be able to live closer to me, age in place, and still keep his independence for years to come. I urge you to support ADUs and help to make our community a more affordable and fair place to live.

Joseph Schiarizzi

Awaiting the Votes of Millennials & Gen Z’ers

For those of us who are looking to avoid panic in the context of the current political landscape in the U.S., there is a lot that’s hopeful to consider. If we can, as a nation, hold onto our democracy over the critical next couple of years, then the rise to voting age of the Millennial (age 27-42) and Gen. Z (age 11-26), also known as Plurals, populations can all but assure us that the kind of progressive, pluralistic, compassionate policy choices will prevail, and by an increasingly dominant amount.

The biggest changes will occur when all the Gen. Z’ers, called Plurals by some because they overwhelmingly affirm pluralistic values, hit voting age over the next decade.

The Republicans’ resort to extreme anti-pluralistic policies, from outlawing abortion to undoing the whole array of current pluralistic policies and rigging election outcomes through gerrymandering, reflects a growing sense of desperation that time is running out on all their increasingly radical programs.

Readers need to take that into account when the freaky policies of Trump, DeSantis and all the other Republicans who are jumping onto the 2024 presidential bandwagon are magnified by regrettable TV news coverage.

These trends are not new, despite the latest reporting by the Brookings Institute and Pew Research. I wrote long ago that the choice was up to the GOP to adapt to this reality either by acting to suppress it as much as possible, or by the wiser path of finding policies that can advance their agenda while appealing to emerging younger and minority voters.

But nope, the GOP locked itself onto the former path and is now following it into oblivion. It escalated with the reaction to the election of Obama in 2008 and the subsequent rise of its racist so-called Tea Party. They chose to appeal to and arouse the most backward, racist and sexist sentiments in the population.

A majority of the people they sought to recruit to their cause were not as extreme to begin with as the GOP sought to reshape them through ridiculously reactionary rhetoric springing from their most marginalized and incendiary crackpots like the late Rush Limbaugh.

Using old mantras from residual racist outlooks dating back 100 years or more, and activating them in the context of the Obama presidency, they dashed anyone more moderate in the process, recruiting nut cases to “primary” the old GOP, and were eager to win the tacit support of key among the nation’s most dangerous adversaries, especially the most reactionary elements of the Russian leadership.

It has been truly astonishing to witness the past decade’s growing alignment between Putin’s Russia and the most radical elements of the reshaped GOP. The two elements are effectively one entity now, united in their hatred of any and all progressive, pluralistic political agendas.

The fact that these two factions have found a common enemy in the LGBTQ+ population is illustrative of this bizarre alliance and the dangerous trend it represents. Now, far from representing any set of policies that could correspond to the GOP agenda of old, from the days when the GOP was considered progressive itself, this new fixation on the kind of perceived personal morality that has overtaken the party is both a reflection of and contributor to its eventual crushing demise.

Hatred of the notion of the autonomy of women and non-nuclear family identities of any sort is the oldest and cruelest form of oppression historically. It is the only form of social order that guarantees dominant males unchallenged access to do as they please, no matter what. This is the culture that America has struggled over many decades to overcome, and progress to that end has been halting and often stifled, but has on balance brought us to the point now where male supremacy as a cultural identity can be overthrown.

And it is to that end that today’s youth, today’s Millennials and Gen. Zers, our Plurals, offer the mosthope for the kind of seismic transformation of our culture that the best of our true patriots over the recent centuries have hoped for.

This is the humanity that’s fit for our planet’s launch out into this, our great universe.

Our Man in Arlington

By Charlie Clark

A new history book comes out this month chock full of Arlingtoniana.

Cassandra A. Good’s “First Family: George Washington’s Heirs and the Making of America” (Hanover Square Press) is a fresh take on the 18th and 19th century Custis siblings and how these early American “celebrities” used their kinship with our founding father and handled — or mishandled — their ownership of enslaved people.

An associate history professor at Marymount University, Good unearths new details on life at Arlington House and Abingdon Plantation (on the site of today’s Reagan National Airport) and the 18th- and 19th century Custis siblings’ treatment of the enslaved. She also cites my own biography of George Washington Parke Custis (McFarland Books, 2021), and thanks another in our small club of former Mount Vernon Research Fellows: Matthew Costello, also an Arlingtonian academic working at the White House Historical Association, and who wrote a fine book on the meaning of Washington’s tomb.

Good’s other sources include Steve Hammond, the Syphax family historian who advises Arlington House, and my Arlingtonian wife, Ellen McCallister Clark, retired as library director at the Society of the Cincinnati.

As a journalist-generalist, I tip my hat to Good’s deeper, scholarly approach to penetrating the culture and political behaviors of the early-American period and shaping a narrative anything but worshipful

of the four grandchildren of Martha Washington. Born in the 1770s were Elizabeth “Eliza” Parke Custis (Law), Martha “Patty” Parke Custis (Peter), Eleanor “Nelly” Parke Custis (Lewis), and born in 1781 was male heir George Washington Parke Custis, known among Mount Vernon family as “Washy.”

With chapter titles such as “The Custis Empire,” and “Washington City’s First Family,” Good—who has specialized in women’s roles in the early United States—provides a modernization to the other work on this clan, the 1997 “Custis Chronicles” by James Lynch. She brings characters to life, as in her account of Custis’s mother Eleanor, after the death of her first husband Jacky Custis, becoming a “player” in Cupid’s market at Alexandria dances before remarrying to doctor-politician David Stuart. (The Custis estate would pay George and Martha Washington to raise Nelly and Washy.)

Good describes how the Custises inherited, bought and showed off GW relics and engaged in political discussions. She displays a keen grasp of clashes between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.

She adds to our knowledge of Eliza Custis, who had a rare early American divorce from real estate investor Thomas Law (that’s her former house in Alexandria now the administration building for Episcopal High School).

The author is frank about the scandals: The women such as Wash’s wife Molly Fitzhugh, his Prince George’s County aunt Rosalie Stier Calvert and his nonresident mother

Eleanor “had few options in the face of their husbands’ sexual abuse of the women they enslaved.” Wash and Eliza during their lifetimes freed several of their enslaved, but Nelly and Patty only one each, Good concludes.

Her treatment of my subject reports that many of the first enslaved at Arlington House were likely lent by his mother because they had more farming experience than the Mount Vernon domestic workers. I loved that Wash gave a portrait of George Washington to the Alexandria Academy, how he showed war-hero Andrew Jackson Mount Vernon in 1815, and how upset Wash was that battlefield paintings drew an unkind review in a prominent 1836 newspaper.

Reviews of Good’s book will be superior.

***

As a sideline, Prof. Good is also pitching in to advise the Arlington Historical Society’s “Enslaved in Arlington” project.

This month its volunteer researchers, aided by public school students, unveiled its first entry: a spreadsheet documenting the lives of more than 1,400 individual African-Americans who toiled under slavery in Arlington from 1669-1865. Actual names have been recorded for 800, along with background on the enslavers and their locations. Posted with the spreadsheet on the society’s website are a timeline and a collection of related personalized stories. An interactive map is in preparation.

Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington is sponsored by Virginia Humanities and JBG Smith Cares.

Taking on Travel in All Members Show at Falls Church Art Gallery

by Mark Dreisonstok

The All Members Show at the Falls Church Arts Gallery continues May 27—June 25, this time around covering artists whose surnames begin L-Z. Artworks have been executed in various media, and there is no one theme. While we noted in our previous tour of the A-K artists this spring a particular preponderance of works within the topic of the beach and ocean, this time a running theme seems to be one of travels—traveling in terms of exploring different lands and different cultures. Four works in particular which caught our attention were “Swiss Alps,” “Newport,” “Angus YinYangus,” and “Diagonal Chai.”

Tony Neville’s watercolor “Swiss Alps” depicts a beautiful snow-kissed mountain scene. Though the painting is deeply realistic, the shape of the trees gives the painting a surreal feel. The artwork consists mostly of cool colors, creating a peaceful ambiance for the viewer. This entrancing work invites one into the beautiful world of the Swiss Alps, or perhaps even conjures up traveling to a Shangri-La which might be imagined at the other end of the summit in this utopian landscape.

Next we journey to the State

of Rhode Island: “Capturing a scene during my cliff walk along the shore of Newport,” says Randa Fakes LoGerfo of her acrylic “Newport.” This painting opens a small window into the glory of summer: there is a suggested sandy beach just beyond the yellow stone wall which dominates most of the painting. On the left side of the painting, a brilliant aquamarine blue blends sea and sky almost seamlessly. Meanwhile, at center and right, vibrant oranges, yellows, greens, and whites form the stone wall. Atop the wall, yucca shrubs sprout upwards into the light, a further reminder of summer travels to seaside settings.

In “Angus YinYangus,” artist Ernie Sanders combines traditional (pen-and-ink) and digital media in order to take the viewer on a journey to classical Chinese philosophy. Mr. Sanders provides a unique take on the traditional Yinyang symbol, “a serious yet whimsical presentation,” as he terms it. There is here a focus on the Taoist union of opposites but also a playful and fun image of two pets, the same but drawn in opposite shades within the circle.

Traversing again various cultures, we come to Naomi Lipsky’s “Diagonal Chai.” In 23k gold leaf on quilling paper,

the Hebrew word יח (chai), meaning “life,” is presented—a word connotating such notions as a life full of meaning, living life to the fullest, and how precious life itself is. We see in this unique three-dimensional artwork multitudinous warm colors full of life, unfurling like plentiful springtime flowers in differing shades of pink and red. Here and there among the bursts of orange, pink, and red we espy the shapes of flowers blooming out at us. Looking more closely, the Hebrew word “chai” appears. Artist Naomi Lipsky explains: “‘Chai’ means ‘life’ in Hebrew, and life often takes us in surprise directions.”

This exhibition does well in displaying many styles, including the realistic still-life (Brittney Stafford’s “The Peonies in My Dining Room”), photography (“St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” Midtown Manhattan,” in which the Gothic is dwarfed by skyscrapers), and even the “collage” in watercolor (Craig Wright’s “Bottle Caps,” suggestive of travel through German, Dutch, and Mexican beer).

Like its predecessor last month, the new All Members Show again clearly has something for everyone. It is well worth a visit during one’s “travels” through downtown Falls Church.

Increased Construction Costs Hit Falls Church HS Renovation

by Catherine Kane Falls Church News-Press

The latest effects of inflation and supply chain troubles have hit Falls Church High School hard as district staff and school board members try to find ways to mitigate the impact of rising costs on the school’s ongoing renovation. The project, which began last spring, is slated to increase the building’s square footage, capacity for students and update aging facilities.

Planning for the project began in 2017, after Fairfax County voters approved a bond measure that provided funding for the design of the renovations and addition. In June 2020, Fairfax County Public Schools staff presented the school board with a $107 million price tag for the renovation, a number derived from the architectural plan created by Perkins Eastman and current material and labor prices.

Fairfax County Public Schools,

which owns 198 schools and centers, funds its major capital improvements through bonds. In November 2021, voters approved a $360 million bond that earmarked $130 million towards the renovation of Falls Church High School, according to documents released by the district. Subsequently, Fairfax County Public Schools solicited bids from construction contractors to build the updates to the school.

The lowest bid came from Grunley Construction, a Shady Grove, Maryland, based contractor that submitted a bid price of $142.6 million. Fairfax County Public Schools later negotiated the contract down to $133.6 million.

In negotiations, Fairfax County Public Schools staff worked with Grunley on a “value engineering process” which resulted in thirteen modifications to the original plan for Falls Church High School. This process is done for every major capital improvement project, according

to people familiar with the matter. The largest reductions in cost came from revising the plan for updated athletic facilities. Deferring work on baseball, softball, press box and sports lighting facilities reduced renovation costs by $3.1 million. Additional cost saving measures include material and product substitutions, saving the district $1.3 million. This involves substituting finishes “with durable, but more cost-effective materials” in areas such as drywall, tiling and a gymnasium wood floor, according to documents reviewed by the News-Press.

Other features have been cut all together. A planned bridge over the cafeteria that would have connected two hallways for improved egress was scrapped to save $221,000. Plans for solar hot water heating and the conversion of the auxiliary gym to a courtyard have also been removed.

Some responsibilities have been shifted out of the contrac-

tor’s scope of work, including invasive species remediation, furniture removal for classroom moves, and lead paint abatement, which will now be handled by the Office of Facilities Management.

In instances of altered or removed features, people familiar with the planning said those elements could be added back in later rounds of funding.

Falls Church High School, whose renovation is considered long overdue by many in the community, occupies the building of the former Whittier Intermediate School, a building constructed in 1959. Capacity enhancements were made in 1989, but much of the original building from nearly 65 years ago remains untouched and still in use. A 2008 report by consulting firm Samaha Associates found the building’s code compliance severely deficient. Falls Church High School

will be the last high school in the county to get a sprinkler system.

Paula Prettyman, the vice president of the PTSA at Falls Church High School, said she hopes the renovation will be equitable.

“The FCHS community shouldn’t have to take cuts because of inflation,” she said.

Prettyman and other parents in the PTSA and Athletic Boosters organizations plan to “audit” the project later in the construction by comparing its features to other recently renovated high schools, like Fairfax High School and Oakton High School.

Craig Day, a Falls Church High School alum, former substitute teacher and track coach said the school community has waited long enough for the renovation for it to be cut back by pandemic related cost increases. “I want the best for Falls Church,” Day said.

“ANGUS YINYANGUS” by artist Ernie Sanders is a piece created with pen, ink and digital color. (Photo: Ernie Sanders)

“DIAGONAL CHAI” by artist Naomi Lipsky will be featured at the Falls Church Arts Gallery until June 25. (Photo: Ernie Sanders)

PARADE WINNERS

EMERGENCY: FALLS CHURCH VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT

FLOATS: FALUN DAFA OF WASHINGTON DC

MILITARY: MARTIN LEPPERT SIPES VFW POST

PROFESSIONAL BAND: JOHN F NICOLL PIPE BAND

VEHICLES: KENA SHRINERS

WALKING GROUP: CENTRO CULTURAL BOLIVIA

YOUTH GROUP: GIRL SCOUT SU-14

SHOTS FROM THE 2023 Memorial Day Parade and ceremony. (Photos: Gary Mester)

George Mason University Baseball Team Punches Ticket to NCAA Tournament

by Nick Gatz Falls

The George Mason University Baseball team captured its secondever A10 tournament title this past Saturday at The Diamond in Richmond Va. Mason was led by outstanding pitching, great defense and some timely hitting. The Patriots (3524,13-10 A10) went 5-1 at the 2023 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship. They won three elimination games to claim the title. The 6th seeded Patriots knocked off the 4th seeded Saint Louis Billikens in back-to-back do-or-die contests in the final.

In game two, Mason sent eight batters to the plate in the top of the sixth and scored a pair of runs to take a 3-2 lead. With one out, Jordan Smith reached on an error and was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore catcher Connor Dykstra. Reece Woody, a sophomore first baseman produced an RBI single to tie the game at 2-2.

In what turned out to be the defining moment of the game, second baseman Brett Stallings got on base due to the Billikens, third error of the inning. Woody raced home to put the Patriots ahead for good at 3-2. The Patriots tacked on a run in the top of the eighth and added 2 insurance runs in the 9th for a 6-2 victory.

Two Mason freshman pitchers excelled in the title game. Starter Logan Rumberg threw four innings allowing only two runs while reliever Owen Stewart pitched five innings of two-hit shutout ball to earn the win. Sophomore starter Chad Gartland was the Most Outstanding Performer of the tournament. Senior South Trimble, junior Kyle Menaker and sophomore Reece Woody were also named to the All-Championship Team.

Gartland threw 9.2 innings over two appearances during the championship. He completed 8.0 innings vs No. 3 Dayton and pitched 1.2 innings in relief to earn the save in an elimination game vs. Dayton. Gartland finished with a 2.79 ERA and .257 opposing batting average with nine strikeouts and a save.

Under the leadership of first year manager Shawn Camp the Patriots won their first conference tournament title since 2014. Camp took over the program after longtime head skipper Bill Brown retired.

Camp had been on Brown’s staff for the previous three seasons. He is a former Patriot pitcher who played under Brown and was a MLB reliever who enjoyed a 11 year career in the majors. Throughout his career Camp was praised for his ability to adapt. He was a catcher in high school and

Falls Church School News & Notes

Chew & Chat’s Project Ripples Through F.C.

In response to virtual learning three years ago, Ms. Andrea Chew started a club called Color & Chat, which allowed her students to socialize from home. Then, once school returned in-person, the students still wanted to meet to chat — so they started coming up to her classroom during their lunch shift. They renamed it Chew & Chat because they would eat lunch and chat about whatever was on their minds. The club has grown in size from about 5 students to 45.

This year, the club applied for (and was awarded) a grant about youth changing the world. The club decided to do a Kindness Project to spread kindness throughout both school and community. Their kindness is spreading through the City of Falls Church through activities such as sharing a kindness quote each morning over the PA System to start the school day with a positive

mindset; painting “Be Kind” Canvas Plaques and hand delivering them to the school staff and local community businesses; installing Kindness Words on steps at the school — so students and staff members can read a positive word as they climb the steps; distributing water bottles with “Kindness Labels” and filling the inside with small snacks and a handwritten “thank you” note by the students. The water bottles were given to all bus drivers/aides, custodians, maintenance workers, and cafeteria workers.

Chantilly Jazz Fest Awards Superior Ratings

The Meridian High School Jazz Ensemble performed for the prestigious Chantilly Jazz Festival on Friday, May 12. The three-day event featured 28 jazz groups from across the state.

The Jazz Ensemble received

converted to a pitcher in college. Camp brought that same tenacity and fight to the college coaching ranks that he had while on the mound. When talking to the News-Press, he emphasized pitching, defense, and speed. He stated, “I’m old school,” a philosophy and a goal the team set out with from day one. He stressed that his staff works hard and gets the best out of the players, capitalizing on their players’ strengths and not asking them to do things they can’t. While the Patriots may not hit a lot of homers, they will steal bases, play great defense and pitch well.

Camp described his team as,

“We are the West Coast offense to baseball, we don’t have the resources of big schools. We work with what we have and over-develop our players. We play fast and force teams to feel uncomfortable.” The Patriots are a team that utilizes everyone’s best abilities and look for traits that other teams may not value. One of those is moving runners on bunts, putting the ball in play and stealing bases. The Patriots have two players in the top 50 in the country in stolen bases.

Mason’s A10 title was a testament to their manager who brings old school mentality and approach to the game. In game two on Saturday

those traits were on full display as the Patriots were paced by young arms and small-ball.

With their A10 title, the Patriots earned the league’s automatic bid in this year’s NCAA Tournament. For the eighth time in school history, the George Mason Patriots will send a baseball team to the NCAA Division I Regionals. That regional is set to begin Friday, June 2. Mason will travel to Wake Forest to take on the No. 1 national seeded Demon Deacons in the Winston-Salem Regional at 7 p.m. The tournament will be played in a double-elimination format. The games will be aired on ESPN+.

straight superior ratings from three judges. Adjudicator Chuck Dotas, James Madison University Jazz Director, provided a clinic for the group after performing three selections featuring Afro-Cuban, swing, and blues music.

Four Jazz Ensemble members were recognized for their outstanding performance and were selected for the All-Star Jazz Ensemble. Congratulations to Casey Dimock, trombone; Nate Hill, piano; Danielle Kuck, bass; Carlos Ortiz, trumpet and Kaethan Virmani, trombone.

Ceremony Recognizes Student Achievement

The Falls Church Education Foundation (FCEF) joined the Choral Boosters, Band Boosters, and other community organizations in recognizing student achievement at the 2023 Scholarship and Awards ceremony. Scholarships include recognition of

students who are: immigrants, dedicated to service learning, first-generation college students, community college attendees, planning on a career in teaching, attending vocational programs, ESOL program graduates, students pursuing visual arts, creative writing, and journalism, a full tuition and fees scholarship, and more. Three new scholarships were included: The Torey Fay Scholarship, The Matthew Valley Visual Arts Scholarship, and The Matheson-Linamen Scholarship.

FCEF has disbursed almost $2M in donor-designated scholarships to date. If one wishes to contribute to a scholarship, please go to www.fcedf. org and click “Donate Now.” It will be a guide to specify the scholarship one wants to donate to. If there is interest in starting a new scholarship, don’t hesitate to contact FCEF Executive Director Debbie Hiscott at dhiscott@fcedf.org. Learn more about each scholarship on the FCEFfunded legacy kiosks.

CONGRATULATIONS TO Oak Street 3rd and 4th graders Nathan Donofrio, Julia Kieffer, James Labukas, Kaitlyn Mathers, and Annie Novotny, who traveled to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals at Michigan State University over the weekend. (Photo: Martha Mathers)

GEORGE MASON CAPTURES 2023 A10 tournament title. ( Courtesy: Mason Athletics )

Church News-Press

Smurfs and Red Robbers Advance In FCKLL Playoffs

by Erika Toman

In the FCKLL Majors Division, the Smurfs were victorious over the Greyhounds with a score of 9-3 in the first round of the playoffs. The Smurfs pulled away for good in the fifth inning with several hits, including key doubles by Drew Fay and Cole Beck. The Smurfs tallied 13 hits in the game with Fay, Beck, Liam Horgan and James Owen recording multiple.

On the mound for the Smurfs, Horgan surrendered only two runs while striking out five. Pitching in relief, Fay notched three strikeouts in an inning of work.

The Greyhounds tallied seven hits on the night being led by Harrison Carmody, Davis Nicholas and Henry Upton. Kellan McCormack and Carmody split pitching duties, each going three innings and striking out seven batters.

the Red Robbers advancing in the playoffs

Copperheads Baseball Win Memorial Day Tournament

by defeating the Ranch by 15-9.

Teddy Greiner and Hayes Vaughan led the Robbers with two hits each, driving in six runs. The Red Robbers tallied 11 hits including contributions from John “Tig” Fatzinger, Aiden Ortiz, Kaiden Caceres, Jonah Molloy, Xander Wagner, Max Smith, Jacob Emmons and Otto Litton. Ortiz finished out the game by striking out three and only allowing four runs.

The Ranch bats were alive in the evening, with ten total hits, but unable to fend off the defeat. Tanner Hammond, Reid Edmonds, Aidan Izawa and Patrick Verasin each racked up multiple hits for the Ranch. The Ranch were led by Nate Landers with three strikeouts.

The Smurfs and Red Robbers advance to the semi-final round where they will face the Hammerheads and Cherry Bombs. The community is invited to attend Championship

by Mike Nicholas

The Falls Church Copperheads, a youth travel program featuring players from the Falls Church Kiwanis Little League, fielded teams in local Memorial Day tournaments in their 9-through 12-year-old programs. The 11U team won at the large regional Kyle’s Kamp Tournament in dominating fashion, with the 10U team taking second place in their division.

The 11U team was dominant, scor ing 47 runs in five games, while only yielding two runs. The Copperheads had strong pitching performances from Bronson Rogers, Asher Sequeira, Evan Toman, and Luca Pipia who combined for a remarkable .28 ERA, allowing just four walks and 15 hits on 93 bat ters faced. Defensively, the team was dominant, with 74 putouts and only two errors. Kellan McCormack, Davis Nicholas, John “Tig” Fatzinger, Harrison Carmody and Michael Downs were sig nificant defensive contributors across the tournament. The offense was equally hot, with the team delivering 33 hits and

33 stolen bases, including Sequeira’s steal of home plate. Offensive leaders included James Owen, with multiple extra base hits, and multiple hits recorded by Landon Tucker, Hayes Vaughan,

Both Meridian Soccer Squads Advance to Regional Finals

by Ryan McCafferty

Supporters of Meridian Mustang athletics were treated to a trifecta of home games on Tuesday night, with both soccer teams hosting Culpeper County and baseball playing against Caroline. All three teams had a spot in the Regional Finals – and an automatic entry into the state tournament – at stake, and two out of three were able to earn their way there.

The girls’ soccer team played first, and in a low-scoring affair, held serve with a 2-0 victory. Madie Miller scored both goals, the first one midway through the opening frame just moments after a golden opportunity had barely stayed out of the net, and the second one after the break to pad Meridian’s lead. They will now travel to Brentsville for the Regional Finals on Thursday, but win or lose, they’ve punched their ticket to the state tournament.

Afterwards it was the boys’ turn to take the field, and they made their statement early and often in a 7-0 rout. Jack Ettinger and Alex Gardner scored in the opening ten minutes and then Luke Borg and Felix Green added tallies later in the first half, while after the break Ettinger and Green both scored again. Then, Fletcher Saaty capped things off by converting the metaphorical extra point. Even better for the boys was that Goochland upset top

seeded Manassas Park on the road, meaning the Mustangs will be at home on Thursday as they play for the regional title.

Meanwhile, baseball unfortunately saw its season come to an end, as they were unable to hold serve against visiting Caroline. Caroline went up 1-0 in the first inning and then expanded their lead to 3-0 in the fourth before the Mustangs finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth on a Mason Duval single. A three-run seventh inning by the visitors then put the game out of reach, although a late Meridian rally was able to make things interesting as they fell 6-3.

RED ROBBERS (Photo: Matt Vaughn)

THE SMURFS (Photo: Whitney Owen)

THE COPPERHEADS (Photo: Emily Carmody)

SEMI-FINAL (Photo: FCCPS Photo/ Shawna Russell)

A Penny for Your Thoughts News of Greater Falls Church

By Supervisor Penny Gross

Aircraft noise has plagued area residents for decades, perhaps since the development of National Airport (DCA) as an airline destination in the early 1940s. The airport’s convenient location to Washington, D.C. and Capitol Hill, enhanced now by a Metro stop at the terminal, is designed to serve 15 million passengers annually, but welcomed more than 23 million last year. That’s a lot of airplanes flying over residential neighborhoods during takeoffs and landings, the noisiest part of a flight. So, it’s no wonder that a lot of opposition is being voiced against another congressional attempt to expand the number and distance of flights in and out of DCA. Due to its restricted geography and airspace, the airport limits the number of daily flights and the flight distance to less than 1250 miles. That’s known as the slot and perimeter rule, established by Congress in the 1960s, and long defended by area neighbors and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which owns and operates both DCA and Dulles International Airport (IAD).

Some members of Congress, especially from the American Southwest and the West Coast, want to change the slot and perimeter rule, which would make their frequent trips in and

out of Washington easier and more convenient — for them. Changing the rule also would bring more noise to neighborhoods and could result in the elimination of shorter flights in favor of longer ones. Dulles, now conveniently accessible by Metro’s Silver Line, is designed to accommodate the longer domestic flights, as well as international flights to anywhere on the globe, so a change to DCA’s schedule is unnecessary and indefensible.

In fact, the perimeter rule is essential for maintaining a balance between the two airports which, according to a recent study, contribute more than $14 billion annually to the region’s economy, and generate $1.1 billion in state and local taxes.

When flights shift away from Dulles, it raises costs for the airport’s airlines and passengers, and upsets the operational and financial balance of the airport system which, in turn, erodes the airports’ contribution to the regional economy.

So, while airplane noise may be the most readily noticeable airport issue, it is much more complicated, adding safety, access, and economics to the regional discussion. The region’s congressional delegation has gone on record as opposing the congressional attempt to change

City of Falls Church CRIME REPORT

Drunk in Public, S Washington St, May 23, 10:50 PM, a male, 67, of Falls Church, VA, was arrested for Drunk in Public.

Drunk in Public, Wilson Blvd, May 24, 1:57 PM, a female, 36, of Annandale, VA, was arrested for Drunk in Public.

Drunk in Public, E Fairfax St, May 24, 7:40 PM, a male, 38, of Alexandria, VA, was arrested for Drunk in Public.

the perimeter and slot rule, and both the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission have joined that effort. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is considering the latest Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization legislation, but no firm schedule for action has been announced.

Flights not governed by the slot and perimeter rule are the frequent helicopter missions seen, and heard, across our skies. In Mason District, many of those flights are federal or military and follow I-395 to the Pentagon. Emergency medical flights to INOVA Fairfax and other local hospitals also are not affected, and Fairfax County’s two police helicopters are called out to assist in criminal searches and for missing persons, especially children and the elderly. For more information about the police helicopter flights, log on to www.fairfaxcounty. gov/police/helicopterdivision/ fairfax1.

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

The end of May marks an important time of reflection and remembrance across the country. Memorial Day reminds us of the sacrifices that are made daily to protect our democracy and uphold the values our country was founded on. We must never forget the bravery and courage of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the freedoms we cherish.

As the calendar turns to June, the upcoming primary and general elections become top of mind. As one of the last remaining Democratic strongholds in the South, we need to expand our Democratic majority now more than ever. We are the last southern state where a woman can access the reproductive healthcare she needs, and we are one of the last holding the line on voting accessibility and protecting public education from harmful policies. Over the last two years, Senate Democrats have been playing defense. When we were in the majority, we made significant strides by raising the minimum wage, ending the death penalty, providing historic raises for teachers, and significant funding for education, but that was just the beginning. There is major work yet to be done on gun violence prevention and mental healthcare access.

Petersen—all of whom have been legislative titans for our region. They have ensured Northern Virginia has received its fair share of funding and attention over the years. I cannot stress how important their roles have been in shaping the success of our community. Their experience will help guide newly-elected Democrats to success in their first few years in the legislature. I welcome your support of their re-election campaigns and encourage you to vote for them. Early in-person voting is currently underway until June 17 and absentee ballots are available to request until June 9. For more information, you can go to https://www.elections. virginia.gov/.

Theft of Vehicle Parts, W Broad St, between 8 AM and 3 PM, May 25, unknown suspect(s) removed all four tires and wheels from a gray Acura Integra.

Driving Under the Influence, Wilson Blvd, May 27, 4:50 AM, a male, 54, of Ft Washington, MD, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence.

Arson/Drunk in Public, S Washington St, May 27, 10:27 PM, a male, 44, of no fixed address, was arrested for Arson and for being Drunk in Public.

Trespass, W Broad St, May 29, 6:59 AM, a white male, 56, of Washington, DC, was issued a summons for Trespass

Today, very little stands between Governor Youngkin and his ability to dramatically shift the way Virginia operates. For the last two years, the Senate Democrats have been the only thing preventing Republicans from turning the Commonwealth into Florida. Republicans have tried to break down our caucus, but we have held strong against every attempt. It is imperative we elect candidates this election season who will continue to build on the progress we have made and fight tirelessly against attempts to wind back the clock in Virginia.

With the primaries rapidly approaching on June 20, I urge you to get involved to support incumbent candidates. As you may know, the Senate is guaranteed to lose at least 30 percent of its current makeup due to retirements and other career opportunities. As we usher in a new wave of Virginia politicians, it is especially important for us to continue our support of current members who have the trusted experience for Northern Virginia. I have fully endorsed Senators Dave Marsden, George Barker, and Chap

Thanks to the efforts of Democrats in 2020 and 2021, we’ve made the voting process more accessible for everyone. We expanded early voting and simplified absentee ballots, and as a result, more people have been participating in elections. Unfortunately, Republicans have continued to attack the changes we made. From attempts to end absentee voting entirely, to now removing Virginia from a bipartisan voter database, Republicans are targeting accessibility and election safety. In particular, Governor Youngkin’s recent withdrawal from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) puts our voter rolls at risk for fraudulent activity — which has ironically been a frequent Republican talking point since the 2020 presidential election. It is my expectation and hope that this partisan withdrawal will not affect the coming election.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the pending federal debt ceiling crisis. As it stands today, it appears President Biden and House Republicans have come to an agreement to fix the looming disaster. Experts have predicted that, due to Virginia’s high number of federal employees and robust military community, we would be disproportionately affected if Congress were to default on the debt. I am hopeful a compromise will be definitively reached, to avoid catastrophic economic repercussions.

As I continue to serve out my final months in office, please continue to reach out with any questions, concerns, or constituent requests. My staff can be reached at district35@senate.virginia.gov.

Senator Dick Saslaw’s Richmond Report

Community News & Notes

Creative Cauldron Awarded

Second Ross-Roberts Grant

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia has awarded $20,000 to Creative Cauldron through the Ross-Roberts Fund for the Arts, addressing two of the core pillars of the Community Foundation’s strategic work: to build community resilience and advance social and economic mobility for all of Northern Virginia’s residents. This is the second time Creative Cauldron has been awarded the grant.

The grant will expand Creative Cauldron’s “Artes Para Todos” Phase Two programs, which will reach more young people from Spanishspeaking households who attend Fairfax County Title One Schools.

Mathnasium an Approved Vendor for Learning Grants

Mathnasium of Falls Church is now an approved vendor for the K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants program in Virginia. This grant was made available by Governor Glenn Youngkin in March 2023 to help Virginia families address the impact of the pandemic on student learning. The $30 million initiative provides microgrants from $1,500 to $3,000 to parents of school-age children for tutoring in core content areas such as English, science, and mathematics. Tutoring options include in-person, virtual or hybrid formats in one-on-

one, small group, or large-group settings. The grant program is open to parents of K-12 students in Virginia, regardless of school type.

To take advantage of this grant one must have at least one schoolaged student residing in Virginia, fill out an application on the VA Department of Education’s website and upon approval, be prepared to use at least $750 of the grant by August 15, 2023.

Boys State of Va. Program Opens Slot for Candidate

The A.L. Post 130 has one slot for an opportunity to attend The Boys State Program. The candidate must be a 11th grade male, currently attending Meridian High School. Contact Harry Shovlin for details at 703-532-4359 or the American Legion Post 130 at 703-533-1945. No cost to attend.

Tysons Corner’s Paws on The Plaza To Take Place Saturday

Tysons Corner Center hosts its 2nd annual Paws on the Plaza on Saturday, June 3. Pups are invited to roam the dog park with obstacles and splash pads, while adults are invited to enjoy the Beer Garden, visit local vendors, including Woofbowl + Woofie’s of McLean, or take part in other activations, like a pet friendly photo booth and free caricatures of your pet. The event is sponsored

by Becky’s Pet Care, Dyson and PetMedic Urgent Care is free and open to the public.

110 Students Graduate Global Leaders of Local Program

The third year of the Global Leaders of Fairfax County program concluded with a ceremony held on May 21 at Oakton High School that recognized 110 Fairfax County high school seniors for successfully completing the program.

Global Leaders of Fairfax County, founded in 2020 by former Fairfax County School Board At-large Member Ryan McElveen, aims to prepare fellows to be global citizens and change agents in their local community and the world. Throughout their senior year of high school, fellows have opportunities to engage with leaders from various fields and undertake field trips to civic institutions to advance their understanding of international affairs and global issues.

Cherry Hill Park and includes sports, games, crafts, field trips and more. Applicants must be at least 21 years old. Pay is $23 per hour. Apply online at fallschurchva. gov/Jobs.

Falls Church Libraries Host Desegregation Conversation

Public libraries are the cornerstones of American democracy but they have not always been accessible to all. Please join the Falls Church libraries on Sunday, June 4 at 1:30 p.m. for an informative program on the desegregation of the City of Falls Church’s library system with an interactive discussion on access to libraries today.

Hours” at Clare and Don’s Beach Shack (130 N Washington St) on Tuesday, June 6 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Parents, students, teachers, staff and community members may drop by (no registration required) to ask questions and offer feedback in a casual environment. As this will not be a private setting, community members who prefer to have a private exchange with the School Board can locate members’ email addresses at fccps. org/page/school-board. This will be the last Office Hours for the academic year. Office Hours will resume in September.

Free Concert Performed at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

Summer

Fun Camp Director Needed

This summer position is still available. The Summer Fun Camp Director will supervise counselors and counselors in training from June 20 — August 11.

Camp of about 85 participants runs from 8:30 a.m. — 3:30 p.m. in

Panelists will be Chris Barbuschak, the Head of the Virginia Room at the Fairfax County Public Library and co-author of the recently published book, “Desegregation in Northern Virginia Libraries,” Jennifer Carroll, the Director of the Mary Riley Styles Public Library since 2017, Edwin Henderson II, the founder of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, Vice-Chair of the City’s Historical Commission, and a former FCCPS board member, and more.

FCCPS School Board Chairs to Host Office Hours

FCCPS School Board Chair

Laura Downs and Vice Chair

Tate Gould will hold “Office

NoVA Lights Chorale, a mixed chorus based in Fairfax County, will present a free concert at 4 p.m. on Sunday June 11 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 3439 Payne Street, Falls Church, VA (Bailey’s Crossroads). The theme, “An American Song,” encompasses music from American composers, starting from the earliest years of the country. Listen to classics by Ellington, Gershwin, and Bernstein, as well as some lesser known artists who have contributed to the American songbook. See novalightschorale.org for more information.

IN CELEBRATION OF Public Works Week, the City’s Department of Public Works (DPW) hosted an open house at the Property Yard on Wednesday, May 24. Community members young and old were able to touch trucks and buses, get a tour of the property yard and learn about the City’s stormwater, sewer and transportation system. (Photo: Gary Mester)

NATIONAL PRIDE MONTH, celebrating the immense value of the LGBTQ+ community, was recognized by City Council by a proclamation signed by Mayor Tarter, and was received by Brian Reach (center) of NOVA Pride and LGBT Falls Church. (News-Press Photo)

THIS WEEK IN THE LITTLE CITY

THURSDAY

JUNE 1

Registration Open:

Summer Reading Program

Programs for all ages, 0-125!

Visit Mary Riley Styles Public Library starting June 1 for a bingo card. Read five books to earn a free book at the end of summer, and earn awesome prizes the more you read! Mary Riley Styles Public Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church), 10:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m.

Tysons Library

Book & Media Sale

Large selection of books and media for all ages and interests. Daily through June 4, when a $10 fill-your-own bag sale will take place. TysonsPimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church), 10:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m.

Electoral Board Meeting

Electoral Board meeting. City Hall (300 ParkAve., DogwoodA-B, Falls Church), 2:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m.

Deep State

Deep State performs. Clare and Don's Beach Shack (130 N. Washington St., Falls Church), 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

JUNE 2

Western Loudoun

Art & Studio Tour

The Western Loudoun Art and Studio Tour offers a weekend of art, shopping, and relaxation. Friday through Sunday, meet over 40 talented artists as you wind through the scenic countryside and historic villages of western Loudoun County. Enjoy paintings, pottery, jewelry, photography, fiber, sculpture, and more! Details at wlast.org. place (address, city, st), 10:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m.

National Symphony Orchestra

Free concert. Members of the National Symphony Orchestra play a program of chamber music. Patrons are encouraged to arrive early. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage (2700 F St. NW, Washington, DC), 6:00 p.m.

SATURDAY JUNE

3

Arlington Civitians

Flea Market

One of the area’s largest and oldest public flea markets, located in the

I-66 garage in north Arlington, adjacent to Washington-Lee H.S. and the Arlington Planetarium (15th and North Quincy Streets, Arlington, Virginia), 7:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m.

Falls Church

Farmer's Market

Shop the award-winning market every Saturday, year-round! City Hall Parking Lot (300 Park Ave., Falls Church), 8:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m.

Paws on the Plaza: A Pet Event

Pups are invited to roam the dog park with obstacles and splash pads, while adults are invited to enjoy the Beer Garden, visit local vendors, or take part in other activations, like a pet friendly photobooth and free caricatures of your pet. The event is sponsored by Becky’s Pet Care, Dyson and PetMedic Urgent Care is free and open to the public. The Plaza at Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Rd., Tysons, VA), 11:00 a.m. — 3:00 p.m.

Quarterfest Crawl

Annual Ballston celebration, with performances from local entertainers and musicians at five satellite pop-up concerts across the community, food and drink specials at local eateries, and more. Visit quarterfestballston.org for details. Ballston Quarter (4238 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA), 12:00 p.m. — 11:00 p.m.

History Lecture: The Peaceniks

"The Peaceniks: The Thankless Job of Trying to Keep America Out of War." Join for a lecture on the history of the U.S. Senators who took unpopular stands resisting rushes to war in the 20th and 21st centuries. In each case, their positions gained wider acceptance with the passage of time. Robert LaFollette and George Norris in 1917; Wayne Morse and Ernest Gruening in 1964 and Paul Wellstone (Yorktown High School class of 1962) in 2002. Speaker Arthur Amchan grew up in Arlington and attended Wakefield High School, graduated from Miami University in 1967 and Harvard Law School in 1972, was drafted into the Army in 1969, and spent a year in Saigon (1970-71). Amchan has worked in the field of law for 50 years, but has spent much of his spare time as an amateur historian, focusing on U.S. and modern German and Russian history. Mary Riley Styles Public Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Upper Floor Conf. Rm., Falls Church), 1:00 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.

Asian Beer & Specialty Cocktail Festival

Enjoy a taste of something new while enjoying live music and games in a dog-friendly outdoor environment! Don't miss out on a variety of limited time only selections, including specialty cocktails made with Asian liquor brands and beers from China, Japan, and Korea. Shipgarten (6579 Colshire Dr., Tysons, VA), 1:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m.

Mosaic Pride Festival

Join Mosaic’s 2nd Annual Pride Parade! The parade begins in front of One Medical, and runs all the way down District Ave. to its conclusion at the Main Stage at Glass Alley, where the celebration will continue with drag queens, music and dance! Mosaic District (2905 District Ave., Fairfax, VA), 2:00 p.m. — 8:30 p.m.

Passing Strange

A young man discovers his musical calling and sets off for Europe, leaving behind his mother and comfortable suburban life. In his rebellion filled with sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, he yearns for something in life that he thinks can only be found in art. Signature Theatre (3200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA), 2:00 p.m.

National Community Band Festival

The fourth annual NCBF, sponsored by American Music Abroad, the Fairfax Wind Symphony, and the George Mason University School of Music, promises to be a great weekend of music-making and friendship. Falls Church Concert Band will perform. GMU Center for the Arts (4373 Mason Pond Dr., Fairfax, VA), 4:30 p.m.

The Coozies Clare and Don's Beach Shack (130 N. Washington St., Falls Church), 5:30 p.m.

Recordando

la Alhambra

Local flamenco dance company, Furia Flamenca, ends its 2022-2023 residency with a program combining flamenco and Middle Eastern dance traditions. The Alden Theatre (1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean, VA), 7:00 p.m. — 9:00 p.m.

Josanne Francis

DC-based award-winning artist, composer and educator Josanne Francis began playing steelpan at age 9 in her native country of Trinidad & Tobago. She delivers unmatched technical mastery and an energetic and emotional complexity that enchants listeners across the world. Workhouse Arts Center (9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton, VA), 7:30 p.m.

The

Overnight Walk

Once a year, thousands join together to walk through the night to fight suicide. The connections people make last a lifetime, and the funds raised will save lives. Over 16 miles from dusk till dawn, find support and understanding in a community of others affected by suicide. Help put a stop to this leading cause of death. More at theovernight.org. Lincoln Memorial (2 Lincoln Mem. Cir. NW, Washington, DC), 8:00 p.m. — 6:00 a.m.

BETTY

BETTY: Alyson Palmer (vocals, bass, guitar), Elizabeth Ziff (vocals, guitar, electronic programming), and Amy Ziff (vocals and cello) use beguiling melodies, compelling lyrics and signature harmonies to create legendary live shows that mix music, performance art, politics and comedy. Singing of joy, love, longing, sex, food, heartbreak and the universal hilarity of human existence, BETTY uses music to channel their passion for fairness and equality. From the beginning,

Indie pop trio

PASSING STRANGE BURSTS with energy (from left: Michael J. Mainwaring, Kara-Tameika Watkins, Imani Branch, Deimoni Brewington, Tobias A. Young, and Alex De Bard). (Photo: Daniel Rader)

EVENTS, MUSIC, ART & THEATRE

they’ve lent their voices to causes they champion, their talent in collaboration with other artists of every medium, and their time in support of women and girls worldwide. BETTY will appear at the Reston Pride Festival earlier that day. For the evening performance, it’s recommended that children under 16 be accompanied by an adult. The CenterStage (2310 Colts Neck Rd., Reston, VA), 8:00 p.m.

SUNDAY JUNE 4 F.C. Arts

All Member Show

Falls Church Arts features the works of member artists with last names beginning with letters L-Z, on display in the gallery daily, except Mondays, through June 17. Falls Church Arts (700-B W. Broad St., Falls Church), 11:00 a.m. — 4:00 p.m.

Desegregation of F.C. Libraries

Community Conversation: Desegregation of Falls Church Libraries & the Question of Access. Public libraries are the cornerstones of American democracy but they have not always been accessible to all. An informative program on the desegregation of the City of Falls Church's library system with an interactive discussion on access to libraries today. Mary Riley Styles Public Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Lower Level Conf. Rm., Falls Church), 1:30 p.m. — 3:30 p.m.

The Nacirema Society Requests

The Honor Of Your Presence…

LTA production of Pearl Cleage’s

The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years. Matriarch Grace Dunbar is more annoyed with than inspired by the civil rights movement. While fearful that the protests will overshadow her treasured cotillion, she is at war with change, but will not go down without a fight. A sparkling comedy of manners set in Montgomery, Alabama in 1964, this play’s clever and sharp dialogue pokes fun at a Black social group’s preparation for the 100th anniversary celebration of its cotillion, even as the civil rights protest efforts are looming. The Little Theatre of Alexandria (600 Wolfe St., Alexandria, VA), 3:00 p.m.

MONDAY JUNE 5

Queer Joy Art Party

Get ready for pride! Create your own t-shirt, button, or other work of art to wear during Pride Month using designs and equipment provided by The Shop!

Meet other folks celebrating pride! Limited materials provided. First-come, first-served. Free event. Central Library (1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA), 6:00 p.m. — 8:00 p.m.

Evening Art Critique Group

Free and open to all artist levels. Bring a piece to share for feedback, or join other art enthusiasts for community. Falls Church

Arts (700-B W. Broad St., Falls Church), 7:00 p.m. — 9:00 p.m.

City Council Work Session

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. Watch the meeting at fallschurchva.gov/CouncilMeetings or FCCTV (Cox 11, RCN 2, Verizon 35). Video will be available after the meeting both online and on FCCTV. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Dogwood A-B, Falls Church), 7:30 p.m. — 11:00 p.m.

TUESDAY JUNE 6

Paper Weaving Workshop

Join local artist Molly McCracken for a workshop on exploring the art of paper weaving. Learn basic techniques, consider materials, be inspired by artists using paper weaving in their practice and create your own masterpiece in a supportive and inclusive setting. All levels of experience with art are welcomed. Mary Riley Styles Public Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Lower Level Conf. Rm., Falls Church), 10:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.

FCCPS School Board Office Hours

Parents, students, teachers, staff, and community members may drop by (no registration required) to ask questions and offer feedback in a casual environment. This is not a private setting. Community members who prefer to have a private exchange with the School Board should contact the members via email to set up a meeting. This will be the last Office Hours for the academic year. Office Hours will resume in September. Clare and Don's Beach Shack (130 N. Washington St., Falls Church), 6:00 p.m. — 8:00 p.m.

Economic Development Authority Meeting

Regular monthly EDA meeting. Viget Offices (105 W. Broad St., 5th Floor, Falls Church), 7:00 p.m. — 10:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 7

Meridian High School Graduation Ceremony

The News-Press congratulates the Meridian High School Class of 2023 on their graduation day! The graduation ceremony will be held on the football field. Meridian High School (121 Mustang Alley, Falls Church), 10:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m.

Planning Commission Meeting

Planning Commission meeting. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Council Chambers/Court Room, Falls Church), 7:30 p.m. — 10:00 p.m.

Kumanana!

Opening night! As poets, musicians, dancers, choreographers, and historians, Victoria and Nicomedes Santa Cruz led the resurgence of Afro-Peruvian arts in the 1960s. Their efforts to restage and reconstruct forgotten genres of Afro-Peruvian cultural history in Lima’s most prestigious theaters provided powerful resistance to their marginalization at a crucial moment in history. Celebrating the legacy of the Santa Cruz siblings in this captivating musical revue that features their own original music and writing, Kumanana shines a spotlight on the wealth of artistry from the Afro-Peruvian community. Gala Theatre (3333 14th St. NW, Washington, DC), 8:00 p.m.

PUPS ROAM OBSTACLES and splash pads at last year's Paws on the Plaza in Tysons. The event returns Saturday with a beer garden where pooches can leave their adults. (Courtesy Photo)

The Pendulum of F.C.’s Independent Bookstore

BY PHEBE FAHMY FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

One More Page Books (OMP) brings life to the minds of readers. A lively bookshop, the independent bookstore acts as a community center, connecting people and serving as a place of discovery for those looking to broaden their reading horizons. Its shelves are lined with a broad range of books, and its staff consists of welcoming workers looking to greet customers. Known for their clever Post-Its filled with book blurbs, One More Page Books is a gem of a once-struggling bookstore.

Struggling financially with fixing lights, air conditioning and with plumbing maintenance, Eileen McGervey — owner of One More Page Books — recently reached out to the community for help. Her GoFundMe wrote of rising rent, being slammed with unexpected expenditures and the tiny profit margin for small businesses. Her words echoed the struggles of all small independent bookstores in a digitally dominant world.

What the community understood, however, was that OMP creates an experience that cannot be mimicked online. Its presence is irreplaceable and a remarkable resource to the public. A bighearted tribe, the Falls Church community responded to McGervey’s request, donating $35,000 to the bookstore’s GoFundMe within a week.

“I was hopeful, but I thought it would take a while,” McGervey said. “But I remember in my old life, as I call it, someone telling me that you have to ask if you need help, and that’s a hard thing to do. It’s very humbling. We were all completely overwhelmed that it happened so quickly.”

One More Page Books is a prime example of the swinging pendulum of independent bookstores. Autonomous bookstores like OMP are attempting to ascend with the growing number of people that are uncomfortable in a world devoid of connection. According to McGervey, as a small independent bookstore, OMP serves to provide book recommendations and be a place of discovery. It hosts book

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clubs and authors while allowing people of all different walks of life to bond over a shared interest in reading.

“We are a community bookstore… it’s really a place where people can come together who share this one really important thing in common: that they love to read,” said McGervey.

McGervey created One More Page Books out of an intense love for reading. Previously working as a consultant in high tech, she ultimately decided it was worth it to try pursuing her passion for books. Despite working with a tight budget, introducing the community to this place of discovery proved to have been beneficial for McGervey.

“I always say if I knew then what I know now I don’t know if I would have done it,” McGervey said. “But, I’m glad I didn’t know that because it’s totally been worth it.”

As opposed to superstores (like Barnes & Noble), McGervey’s store focuses on the community’s and independent customer’s needs. While superstores buy books in bulk, OMP might purchase around five copies of a single book title, thus reinforcing their goal of discovery. Their book summary blurbs on Post-Its allow readers to uncover new book titles, and their staff is always willing to jump in to help a customer find something new.

“People who read are passionate about what they read and so they enjoy talking about it,” McGervey said. “And what’s really cool to me is when people who don’t even know each other come in and they bond over a book that that one of them is looking at…we’ve had people who’ve made friends here.”

McGervey’s ultimate goal is to keep One More Page Books open for as long as possible. With such a strong connection to the Arlington/Falls Church area, OMP hopes to remain where they are currently located, and with the aid of the community around them, that seems to be a likely possibility.

“We love our customers and I think even if we moved somewhere else...we would lose that connection…and so we want to stay here,” said McGervey.

Lee Design Studio Anniversary

Falls Church-based Lee Design Studio, founded by Matt Lee in 2017, is celebrating its fifth anniversary. Matt Lee has over 15 years of experience with leading design firms in the DMV and enjoys running the small business and architecture practice in Falls Church. The architecture and design firm focuses on single-family, multifamily, and retail projects, as well as renovations and remodels in the region.

Rinearson Honored by NoVA Jewish Community

Robin Rinearson, founder of Jake’s Ice Cream, received the Eleanor Sue Finkelstein Inclusion and Disabilities Award from the Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia. Rinearson, a retired optometrist, opened her shop on Columbia Pike in 2021 in response to the lack of accommodations to employ people with disabilities during the pandemic. She collaborated with her brother, whose son Jake has cerebral palsy.

One More Page Remains Open

The independent bookstore on the Arlington-Falls Church border held a community fundraiser after unexpected expenses threatened closure. It has been reported that the GoFundMe page met its fundraising goal within one week.

ADA-Accesible Park Opens

The Fairfax County Park Authority has completed a new park project in the greater Falls Church area of Glencarlyn. The Boyd A. and Charlotte M. Hogge Park offers ADA-access to a pavilion, play area, multi-sports for pickleball and basketball, a playground, community gardens, and trails. The County purchased the six-acre property from Charlotte Hogge to expand its park facilities.

Northrop Space Force Design

Under a 2020 Space Force contract, Northrop Grumman has been cleared to begin producing the U.S. Space Force’s next-generation early warning missile system. This includes the production of sensor payloads for detecting infrared heat signatures of incoming ballistic and hypersonic missiles and a high-bandwidth communication system for transmitting data to assets on the ground. The sensors are being built in partnership with Ball Aerospace in California.

 Business News & Notes is compiled by Elise Neil Bengtson, Executive Director of the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at elise@fallschurchchamber.org.

EILEEN MCGERVEY and OMP staff thank the Arlington/Falls Church community for their generous gift of $35,000.. (P����: E����� M�G�����)

The Weekly Diplomatic Reach

by Brian Reach Falls Church News-Press

Pride Month Begins With DHS Warning

Earlier in May, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a warning that, as Pride Month approaches, hate crimes are on the rise — as are threats from domestic extremists — leaving DHS concerned that an attack targeting the LGBTQ+ community may take place in the coming months.

“These [threats] include actions linked to drag-themed events, gender-affirming care, and LGBTQIA+ curricula in schools,” the warning reads.

This comes amidst a wave of hate legislation sweeping the nation, with the ACLU currently tracking 491 homophobic bills in state legislatures.

In Virginia, 12 bills were narrowly defeated, thanks to a single-vote advantage the Democrats currently hold in the Virginia Senate.

This November, the entire Virginia House and Senate are up for election. There is currently a primary underway.

No Pride For You

Unlike Virginia, most hate bills were passed by other states. This includes new laws banning minors from being in the presence of somebody dressed in drag, or in some scenarios any mention of the existence of queer people, let alone their preferred pronouns.

In response, many Pride organizations are being forced to choose between breaking the law, excluding components of the community, being adultsonly (most Pride festivals are family-friendly), or canceling altogether.

Tampa canceled their river parade. St. Cloud canceled their entire Pride Festival, saying “we have recently become aware of a number of factors that make it unsafe to hold this event at this time,” before referencing the “climate of fear and hostility” in Florida putting the community at risk.

Target Partially Pulls Pride Merchandise

Target pulled their line of Pride merchandise from stores in response to escalating aggression between customers and

employees. In a statement, Target said:

“For more than a decade, Target has offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month. Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work. Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior. Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year.”

Many LGBTQ+ individuals and supporters were outraged with Target, and many still are, however this decision was made in response to very real threats, acts of violence, and vandalism that left the company with understandable concern for the safety of their customers and employees. Target was a leader in introducing pride-themed merchandise, however, and still supports the community with a massive presence at festivals and parades, volunteers, employee resource groups, and financial contributions. Don’t boycott Target. Fight the hate.

Terminology Intentionally Conflated

This writer has struggled through the 73 pages comprising the bills passed in Florida and, as a queer person with an extensive resume of LGBTQ+ leadership, can see homophobia woven throughout the fabric of every page.

In particular, the bills repeatedly (incessantly, in some cases) use the inaccurate/disinformation term “sex-reassignment prescriptions” when referring to puberty blockers.

Puberty blockers have been used since the 80s. They have regularly been used for precocious puberty (when puberty begins prior to age 8-9) for 40 years — including in toddlers. Treatment involves an annual implant or an injection every one, three, or six months.

Once the child is physically and mentally equipped to handle puberty, treatment stops. Once treatment stops, puberty starts.

The treatment is reversible and safe.

Though previously believed to cause some decrease in bone mineral density as adults, recent findings show low bone mineral density before beginning treatment, particularly in trans girls, suggesting decreased exercise to be the true culprit (likely in an attempt to avoid developing a masculine build). Regardless, even with a decrease, they are safe and effective, and risks are well-known after decades of use.

Puberty blockers are also the true target of the bills focused on “sex reassignment,” but because the science of these blockers doesn’t back the disinformation being spread, the language in the bills obfuscates what we’re even discussing.

Can We Agree On Some Basics?

There is no acceptable level for hate in our administration of justice or opportunity in our society, nor in our political discourse.

Puberty blockers can only block puberty if they are taken before and during puberty, and puberty happens before adulthood, so anybody debating their use in minors is doing so in bad faith.

Parents make the final call when it comes to healthcare for their children, and nobody is questioning that. These bills are overriding parental decisions, not protecting or establishing parental rights.

When bills are proposed for hateful purposes, targeting a group of people for harm, there is nothing good to salvage from the bill. The hate is in the minutiae of the sentence structure; it’s in the definitions; there are little gaslights across all 73 pages of the bills passed into law in Florida.

You cannot wash the hate out of bad-faith bills, and trying is itself giving quarter to hate. Trash them.

If a candidate doesn’t believe fully in LGBTQ+ equality, seems unable to bring themselves to speak about it, and/or has a history of causing direct harm to the LGBTQ+ community… don’t ask your queer friends for absolution if you’re prioritizing down their humanity.

Certainly don’t try to justify whatever calculation you’re making.

We’re used to being disappointed, so we’ll probably

move on, but you can’t undo compromising our safety for, as an example, a big campaign contribution — so just realize that, yes, we do indeed care and notice… like we always have.

Oh Look, They Learned A New Word

The word “indoctrinate” is being overused and misused as a new favorite word by hateful voices on the right. Indoctrinate, largely, means ‘to teach’ — though usually it implies teaching values, principles, or other foundational knowledge.

Parents don’t “indoctrinate” their kids; they raise them. Teachers don’t “indoctrinate” kids; they teach them. The next time somebody invokes that word, please ask them to explain exactly what indoctrination they’re referring to, and please let this writer know if they are able to coherently respond, or if it’s just a weird vocabulary flex.

Why do I Keep Bringing This Up?

First of all — to be clear — this writer, along with all other queer people, didn’t bring this up. We’ve never wanted to regularly hear speculation about our private lives, nor have we ever requested our validity or agency as individuals to be challenged in the public square.

This writer keeps bringing this up because, well, I’ve been witnessing an alarming backslide in the public dialogue lately. I’ve heard excuses for objective and explicit homophobia, and I’ve encountered transphobic disinformation coming from friends who consider themselves allies — fully unaware that they’ve been spun around by manipulative charlatans posing as ‘concerned protectors of the innocent.’

This writer has also heard multiple reports of violence

and vandalism targeting members and leaders within the local LGBTQ+ community, which have been noticeably escalating as Pride Month approaches.

The conflation of issues and terms appears to be quite effective in creating confusion and questions in many (unaffected) heterosexuals surrounding the minutiae of being transgender — including folks who consider themselves progressive.

As a result? This writer is afraid.

I’m afraid that the truth isn’t getting ahead of the lies quickly enough.

I’m afraid straight people are taking the bait.

I’m afraid that parents protecting their trans kids’ privacy means their stories aren’t told, while the charlatans pass disinformation into law.

I’m afraid that another generation of queer kids will grow up as traumatized by grade school as this writer was… or worse.

In particular, I’m afraid because many politicians we trusted as allies are now encountering homophobia for the first time as elected leaders, and they appear to be failing the stress test with ironically flying colors. Leadership involves, believe it or not, leading; if a politician cannot seem to lead on an important issue, vote them out.

The Final Word

Most LGBTQ+ people aren’t historians, scientists, politicians or surgeons — your average queer neighbor is not an expert on all things gender and sexuality. We aren’t equipped to discuss another individual’s personal, private life. Neither are you.

Please don’t expect to be educated with authority on, for example, puberty blockers for trans girls by your gay hairdresser.

It’s none of their business, either.

Guest

Commentary:

by Josh Katcher

I am a lifelong Democrat who believes in public safety. I am also a reform prosecutor who believes that we can create a fair and equitable local criminal justice system that respects victims. However, that possibility is rapidly slipping away because the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney is in free fall. In the past 18 months, 14 attorneys have quit, and there are nine fully-funded attorney positions that remain unfilled.

My campaign commitment is “Real Reform, Real Justice.” Real Reform views cases through a contextualized and humanized lens, rather than looking at incarceration as the only tool to wield. It connects individuals who desperately need services and programs to treat underlying issues with an eye towards diversion. Think of matters involving kids doing kid things, the

Commonwealth Attorney Candidate Katcher on Campaign

mentally ill, the homeless and the addicted. It means not prosecuting simple marijuana cases and opposing the death penalty. However, Real Reform does not shy away from aggressive and unapologetic prosecutions for offenses such as murder, rape, robbery, major drug dealing, and serious gun charges.

Real Justice means embracing, not just giving lip service to, the belief that justice for victims is bedrock in our judicial system. It means unequivocally upholding the constitutional rights of the accused. It means always remaining focused on just and equitable outcomes for the convicted. But the promise of 21st century reform prosecution requires more than just good intentions and slick talking points; it requires the relevant experience to lead and train a team of prosecutors in this complicated task. I have that experience.

I have been a local pros -

ecutor for the past 11 years. I have practiced in every court, been in front of every judge, and collaborated with all our local law enforcement agencies. I have tried hundreds of bench trials and over 50 jury trials. My opponent has not personally prosecuted a “single” case since taking office.

Last August, I made the difficult decision to quit a job I loved, because I had lost faith in the leadership and management of the office. Prior to doing so, I was the Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney supervising the largest team in the office. Specifically, my opponent entrusted me to train up our next generation of reform prosecutors.

Over the past 11 years, I have served as president of the Arlington County Bar Association and as a member of the Virginia State Bar Council. I have often been invited to train prosecutors, defense attorneys,

and police officers on the law across the state. I have been fighting for Democratic values my entire life. I have served as a local precinct captain twice, the head of voter registration, a member of our local Democratic Steering Committee, and a host of other roles.

As your Commonwealth’s Attorney, I will not retreat to the corner office when I’m elected. I will be in court on our most serious cases. I will handle cases from our juvenile justice docket. And I can and will pull my prosecutors off the line and handle their dockets myself when they need relief.

My opponent promised that she would use her background to reimagine prosecution in a way that aligned with our collective values. She stated that transparency would be a hallmark of her administration, yet she refuses to release any data. We have no way of evaluating any of her supposed accomplishments.

As Commonwealth’s Attorney, I promise to release crime data within the first 12 months. My public-facing dashboard will inform the community how categories of cases are being handled. Reality and the truth are more important than politics. This election is about choosing a leader that has the right experience to deliver on the promise of 21st century reform. We have to move forward with reform in our community, not backwards. It takes informed experience to make the difficult judgment calls about which cases can be diverted entirely, which individuals need more services and support on their path away from the system, and which crimes need to be prosecuted. I am a Democrat who believes that there is a way to uphold public safety, respect victims, and improve our justice system. And I have the experience, temperament and judgment to do so.

Guest Commentary: Campaign Finance and Our Local Elections

By The CBC Campaign Finance Working Group

As part of our Little City’s unique character and sense of place, community engagement and correspondingly related effective governance are commonly mentioned as key ingredients that help make up our “special sauce.” Indeed, many of our citizens – young and old, newcomers and long-time resi -

dents – are volunteer activists who work diligently to make Falls Church a wonderful place to live. For example, if one steps into any of the myriad nightly local board, commission, or other civic organization meetings, what they’ll readily see is good governance at work, with participants routinely showing their commitment to trying to keep our City running smoothly and move forward to a brighter future.

But, as we consider our “special sauce,” there’s another critically important element that must be mentioned: our long-lived model of local elections. For decades elections for the School Board and City Council have been at the center of effective governance in our Little City. They have truly been local in concept and practice and accessible to and affordable for any qualified citizen interested in being a candidate. In addition, reflecting this longestablished construct, they have been characterized by a pattern of campaign spending that has been remarkably restrained. Campaign expenditures have been for typical items, such as yard signs and printed materials;

sponsorship of local events, ads in the Falls Church News-Press and on social media, t-shirts and buttons, and campaign launch, election night and other events in between.

However, in recent times things have been changing dramatically. We’ve all become aware of the alarming trend that’s been evolving, in which national interests and organizations have injected themselves into local school board and city council elections, fueling selected candidates’ campaigns with enormous sums of money and other resources. This has been happening across the country, throughout Northern Virginia and, as of the 2021 election cycle, right here in Falls Church, where for the first-time large contributions from outside sources were made to candidates. Making this situation even more concerning, campaign contributions and expenditures in Virginia are virtually unregulated and can be used by candidates however they may wish during the election and after it’s over.

Spurred by these findings and concerned about the threat they represent, CBC invited 21

local groups and organizations to discuss the campaign finance issue. The meeting took place on May 17, with designated representatives and/or members of the AAUW, Women’s History Group, Welcoming Falls Church, the League of Women Voters, VPIS, Falls Church Forward, Bike Falls Church and two elected local officials. Results included: A clear consensus that campaign funding from outside organizations and interests are threatening our City’s guiding principles of keeping local elections local, affordable, and accessible; agreement that public attention needs to be focused on this matter to forestall it from happening again; and a discussion of possible ways to address this problem, including developing a plan to apply “soft pressure” on those intending to stand for election, via a voluntary signed Campaign Finance Pledge, which might include language such as:

“I pledge to make every effort to support my campaign with contributions from family, friends and neighbors who hold the interests of Falls Church uppermost in their minds. Whenever possible, I will

endeavor to seek and accept only contributions from those residing within our borders, longtime friends and family excepted.”

CBC volunteers are working on developing this voluntary candidate pledge and will circulate the draft for public review and input in time for the upcoming campaign season. Additionally, we intend to carefully monitor candidate fundraising results and assure that that information is posted conspicuously and regularly.

We sincerely look forward to an ongoing public discussion of the campaign funding issue and widespread attendant input from the community. The more people involved, the more intense the spotlight and the greater the public pressure that can be brought to bear to assure that our School Board and City Council elections remain local, affordable, and accessible.

Questions and comment can be addressed to fallschurchcbc@gmail.com. Submitted by the CBC Campaign Finance Working Group: Hal Lippman, Don Foley, Ross Litkenhous, Pete Davis, Sally Ekfelt, and Nancy Brandon.

An Overview of the Upcoming Fairfax Democratic Board of Supervisors Primary

by Sam Mostow Falls Church News-Press

The Fairfax County Democratic party will hold its primary on June 20, allowing voters to select nominees for the two open Board of Supervisors seats: Mason District, which includes Annandale, and Dranesville District, which includes McLean, Great Falls and Herndon. Neither included incumbents in either race for the first time since 1995. In addition, neither incumbent has endorsed a candidate in advance of the primary.

Mason District Primary

Penelope A. “Penny” Gross, who represents Mason District, is stepping down, having been first elected in November 1995 and serving seven terms. She is vice-chair of the Board. Gross

also represents Fairfax County on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Board of Directors. After serving seven terms, she will step down.

The four candidates who are vying to replace Gross in the Mason District Democratic primary are Jeremy G. Allen, Andres Jimenez, Steve Lee and Reid Voss.

Allen is a staffer for Rep. Don Beyer (D–Va.) and hopes to prioritize housing affordability if elected. He purchased a home through the Fairfax County Workforce Development program after struggling with housing costs in the area. Additionally, he was a leader in the “Save Bren Mar” movement, which stopped a rezoning proposal to alter his residential neighborhood.

Jimenez is the Executive Director of Green 2.0, which is an environmental non-profit organization. He previously worked at

the Citizens’ Climate Lobby as the Senior Director of Government Affairs. He is a former staffer of the House Judiciary Committee’s Immigration Subcommittee and the New York Mayor’s office. He has also worked for Rep. Howard Berman (D–Calif.) and Rep. Linda Sanchez (D–Calif.).

Lee is an entrepreneur who has owned businesses in the Mason District for more than 40 years, working at local establishments such as 9292 Korean Barbeque and Cafe V. He represented Mason District on the Fairfax County Economic Advisory Commission, is a co-founder of the Taste of Annandale festival and is President of the Korean American Association of the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area.

Voss is a Northern Virginianative, real estate agent and small business owner. He has two chil-

dren who attend Sleepy Hollow Elementary School and is active in his local homeowner’s association. He also coached at Justice High School.

Dranesville District Primary

John W. Foust is the supervisor for the Dranesville District, totaling four terms after his first election in 2007. He has served as President of the McLean Planning Committee and the McLean Citizens Association. Additionally, he has been the Chairman of the Advocacy Committee of Fairfax County’s Medical Care for Children Partnership and the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council’s Legislative Committee.

The two candidates seeking to replace Foust are James N. “Jimmy” Bierman and David R. Fiske.

Bierman worked on healthcare reform advocacy at Families USA and in the Biden-Harris Administration at the Department of Homeland Security as an Attorney Advisor. Since 2019, Bierman has served on the Fairfax County Police Civilian Review Panel, chairing it from March 2021 – February 2022. He clerked for Beverly B. Martin of the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Fiske is a board member of the McLean Citizens Association and is a member of the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce. He worked at NASA as a government researcher. Although the voter registration deadline passed, early voting began on May 5 and continues until June 17. Election Day is June 20. The deadline to request a mail ballot is June 9. The polls on Election Day will be open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. For more information, check fairfaxdemocrats.org/primary.

Guest Commentary: Delegate Kory Reflects on Women’s Healthcare

by Delegate Kaye Kory

A decade ago, I established the Virginia Women’s Health Care Caucus in the Virginia General Assembly. I created this caucus because I knew the obstacles women across Virginia had to go through in order to access the care they need and that change required coordinated efforts from lawmakers and advocates to get things done.

One focus of our caucus was improving access to affordable and quality healthcare, particularly through Medicaid. As Virginia began the year-long Medicaid unwinding process in April – which was incidentally Medicaid Awareness Month – it has become even more important to share how Medicaid has transformed the lives of women across Virginia and how we have strengthened the program over the last few years.

Many of us can remember the historic nature of 2020 when I joined my colleagues in electing my long-time friend Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn as Virginia’s 56th Speaker of the House of Delegates. She made history as the first woman and first JewishAmerican to hold the position in Virginia’s over 400 year legislative history. What some of us

forget to mention is that, under her leadership, we passed one of the most transformative budgets in Virginia’s history that included many of the priorities the Virginia Women’s Health Care Caucus had been working to advance for years.

The budget approved in 2020 included funding to extend postpartum care for women in low-income women in Medicaid from 60 days to a full year. This is a transformative policy decision approved by the legislature that is currently improving health outcomes for new mothers and their children. That same budget also removed the harsh 40 quarter work requirement for legal permanent residents to be eligible for Medicaid. For many immigrant women, this additional barrier meant they would go without care for a minimum of 10 years and meant that at any moment, a health issue could lead to bankruptcy. We also finally added dental coverage, which many experts cite as important for maternal health because there is link between oral health and preterm birth. As a Delegate who represents a district with many new mothers and new Americans, I can see the impact these policy decisions continue to have on my constituents today.

Subsequent budgets passed by the legislature have continued that progress we started in 2020 of improving access to health care by increasing reimbursement rates for services coverage by Medicaid, expanding prenatal coverage regardless of immigration status, and more. In a few years, much of the legislative goals of the Virginia Women’s Health Care Caucus were achieved thanks to the tireless work of advocates and the legislative leadership of former Speaker Filler-Corn. I celebrate these victories and the role I played in laying the groundwork for many of these policy wins because I know that I have transformed the lives of many because of the votes I cast over the last few years. I also know that there is still much work to be done on protecting and strengthening Medicaid in Virginia and across the country.

Republicans in Congress are threatening to gut Medicaid and cut coverage for millions of families, including here in Virginia as they hold the budget hostage. Here at home, there is also a lack of planning regarding a 12 month Medicaid redetermination process known as Medicaid “unwinding” that could disproportionately impact

immigrant women, Black women, and more. It is estimated that nearly 172,000 people will lose coverage, despite still meeting the eligibility requirements to stay enrolled in Medicaid. While the legislature has approved some funds for the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services and the Virginia Department of Social Services, the two agencies tasked with leading the unwinding process, to provide additional capacity we need a plan to provide targeted outreach to communities who may lose coverage, even though they

remain eligible for Medicaid. Protecting Medicaid and keeping people enrolled is a women’s rights issue. It is a vital tool in our efforts to combat the maternal mortality crisis we are experiencing in Virginia. As I finish my final term in the Virginia House of Delegates over the next few months, I am laser-focused at keeping Governor Youngkin’s administration accountable to ensure my constituents do not lose coverage, particularly those with language or economic barriers that make it harder to stay enrolled in the program.

PUBLIC NOTICE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA PLANNING

COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING

On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 7:30 PM, the City of Falls Church Planning Commission will hold a public hearing during their regularly scheduled meeting, in the City Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church Virginia 22046, on the following:

(TR23-15) RESOLUTION TO ADOPT THE

EAST END SMALL AREA PLAN AS A GUIDING DOCUMENT IN DECISION MAKING FOR PLANNING, ZONING, AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, CITY REGULATIONS, AND POLICIES

Interested persons may appear and present their views on the proposed legislation. The plan is available on the City’s website at: www. fallschurchva.gov/EastEndSAP.

The materials for the above item will be available on the city’s webpage prior to the public hearing: http://www.fallschurchva.gov/PC.

The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5014 (TTY 711).

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) of the City of Falls Church, Virginia will hold a public hearing on June 15, 2023 at 7:30 PM in the Council Chambers, located at 300 Park Avenue, for consideration of the following items:

Variance application V1640-23 by 127 Broad Street, LLC, applicant and owner, for the following variances: - Section 48-1265(1) to allow wall sign area and quantity above the maximum (50 square feet and two signs per tenant) permitted in the zoning district; - Section 48-1265(1)(b) to allow a sign placement higher than 20 feet maximum above grade; - Section 48-1265(2) to allow projecting sign area and quantity above the maximum (10 square feet and one sign per tenant); - Section 48-1269(b) to allow aggregate sign area and quantity above the maximum (125 square feet and four signs) permitted, for the Broad and Washington mixed-use building and Whole Foods Market located at premises known 111 E Broad Street, RPC #53-104-037 of the Falls Church Real Property Records, zoned B-2, Central Business.

Variance application V1641-23 by Joe Larson and Ann Marie Rosas, applicants and owners, for a variance to Section 48-238(3)a. to allow a front setback of 24 feet instead of 30 feet minimum to construct a second story addition, located at premises known as 310 Shadow Walk, RPC #51-110-083 of the Falls Church Real Property Records, zoned R-1A, Low Density Residential.

Variance application V1642-23 by David and Phoebe Hilde, applicants and owners, for a variance to Section 48-238(3)a. to allow a side setback of 10 feet instead of 15 feet minimum to construct a second story addition with an open porch over the existing garage, located at premises known as 312 Forest Drive, RPC #53-207-026 of the Falls Church Real Property Records, zoned R-1A, Low Density Residential.

Public comments and questions may be

submitted to zoning@fallschurchva.gov until 4:30 pm on June 15, 2023. Agenda and application materials will be available the week prior to the scheduled hearing at: http://www. fallschurchva.gov/BZA

Information on the above application is also available for review upon request to staff at zoning@fallschurchva.gov.

Volunteers who live in the City of Falls Church are needed to serve on the boards and commissions listed below. Contact the City Clerk’s Office (703-248-5014, cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov, or www.fallschurchva.gov/BC) for an application form or more information.

Positions advertised for more than one month may be filled during each subsequent month.

Architectural Advisory Board (alternate)

Arts & Humanities Council of Falls Church Board of Equalization

City Employee Review Board

Historical Commission

Human Services Advisory Council

Recreation and Parks Advisory Board

Regional Boards/Commissions

Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services

Board Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia Long Term Care Coordinating Council Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Commission

Virginia Career Works Northern Region

Ad Hoc Committee Sold Waste Management Plan Advisory

Committee: This Committee will advise the City Council in the development of the City’s 20-year Solid Waste Management Plan.

ABC NOTICE

3plus1 Llc trading as Afghan Kabob Restaurant, 6357 Rolling RD, BLDG, Springfield 22152 . The above establishment is applying to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC)

Authority for a Retail Restaurant or Caterer

Application - Restaurant, Wine, Beer, Mixed Beverages, Consumed On and Off Premises

License. Massouda Kohistani, Managing Member 3plus1 Llc. NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200

Virginia Brass LLC trading as Aurora Nail Spa, 4000 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite B, Arlington VA, 22203. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC)

AUTHORITY for a Marketplace license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Hai Trieu Bach-Huynh, Owner

Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

HELP WANTED

Part time bookkeeper / administrative aide to run accounting software. Would like someone with accounting experience. Will train on software.

Also general secretarial, light typing, data entry Will help coordinate shipments to domestic and overseas customers.

General computer skills, word processing, willingness to learn.

Flexible hours 3-5 hours a day, salary based on qualifications. Email nick@tranzglobal.com

YARD SALE

Saturday, June 3rd 8 AM to 1 PM 7246 Idylwood Road Falls church, VA 22043

Rain date Sunday, June 4th 8 AM to 1 PM

AUCTIONS

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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PUZZLE NO. 912

PUZZLE NO. 911

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 911

HOW TO PLAY:

PUZZLE NO. 913

Complete the game so that each large triangle and each horizontal and diagonal line contains numbers between 1 and 9, with no two numbers repeating.

HOW TO PLAY:

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.

Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line.

You already have a few numbers to get you started. Remember: you must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column or 3x3 box.

HOW TO PLAY:

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.

Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line.

You already have a few numbers to get you started. Remember: you must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column or 3x3 box.

PUZZLE NO. 914

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 912

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 914

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 913

HOW TO PLAY:

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.

Find the two identical pizza slices.

Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line.

You already have a few numbers to get you started. Remember: you must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column or 3x3 box.

Where To Find The News-Press

• 24 Hour Fitness, 1000 E. Broad St.

• 450 W. Broad St. Lobby Building

• 7 Eleven (Box), 3019 Annandale Rd.

• 7 Eleven (Box), 201 S Washington St.

• Amazing Smiles, 444 W. Broad St. – D

• Arlington Hospital Center (Box), 1701 N. George Mason Dr.

• Anthony’s Restaurant, 3000 Annandale Rd.

• Arlington Hospital Center ER (inside), 1702 N. George Mason Dr.

• Bakeshop. E Fairfax St.

• Borek G Turkish Mom’s Cooking. 315 S Maple Ave.

• Bowl America, 140 S. Maple Ave.

• Box at Federal Credit Union, 1226 W. Broad St.

• Broad Falls Apartments, 809 W. Broad St.

• Brown’s Hardware, 100 W. Broad St.

• Burke & Herbert Bank, 225 W. St. Broad St.

• Bus Stop (Box), Lee Hwy. and Hollywood Rd.

• Café Kindred, 450 N. Washington St.

• Celebrity Deli – Graham Park Plaza, 7263A Arlington Blvd.

• Central Library. 1015 North Quincy Street.

• Cinthia’s Bakery, 5860 Columbia Pike.

• City Hall. 300 Park Ave.

• Clare & Don’s Beach Shack, 130 N. Washington St.

• Crumbl Cookies, 1106A W. Broad St.

• Cuates Grill 502 W. Broad #5t.

• CVS, 1150 W. Broad St.

• CVS (Box), 134 W. Broad St.

• CVS (Box), 6404 N Williamsburg Blvd.

• Dogwood Tavern, 132 W. Broad St.

• Dominion Hospital, 2960 Sleepy Hollow Rd.

• Dominion Wine and Beer, 107 Rowell Ct.

• Don Beyer Volvo, 1231 W. Broad St.

• East Falls Church Metro (Box), 2001 N. Sycamore St.

• El Tio Restaurant, 7630 Lee Hwy.

• Elevation Burger, 442 S. Washington St.

• Eaves Fairfax Towers, 2251 Pimmit Dr.

• Exxon Gas Station, 400 W. Broad St.

• Falls Church Arts Gallery, 700-B W. Broad St.

• Falls Church City Public Schools, 800 W. Broad St.

• Falls Church City Public Utilities, Gordon Rd.

• Falls Church Community Center, 223 Little Falls St.

• Falls Church News-Press, 105 N. Virginia Ave. Suite #310

• Falls Church News-Press, 105 N. Virginia Ave. Lobby

• Five Guys, 913 W. Broad St.

• Flippin’ Pizza, 800 W. Broad St.

• Floyd’s 99 Barbershop, 8296 Glass Alley, Fairfax

• Foxcraft Design Group, 110 Great Falls St.

• Giant Food, 1230 W. Broad St.

• Giant Food, Loehmann’s Plaza

• Goodwin House, 3440 South Jefferson St.

• Happy Tart. 410 S. Maple Ave.

• Harris Teeter, 301 W. Broad St.

• Harvey’s, 513 W. Broad St.

• Hillwood Cleaners, 165 Hillwood Ave.

• Hilton Garden Inn, 706 W. Broad St.

• Idylwood Towers Condominium, 2300 Pimmit Dr.

• Idylwood Towers Condominium, 2311 Pimmit Dr.

• Ireland’s Four Provinces, 105 W. Broad St.

• Islamic Center, Leesburg Pike and Rio Dr. Bus Stop

• Java Loco Coffee & Tea.

• Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do, 1136 W. Broad St.

• Lazy Mikes Deli, 7049 Leesburg Pike

• Ledo Pizza, 7510 Leesburg Pike

• Liberty Barbecue, 370 W. Broad St.

• Lil City Creamery, 114 W. Broad St.

• Lincoln. At Tinner Hill Apartments, 455 S. Maple Ave.

• Long & Foster Realtors, 4600 Cherry Hill Rd.

• Lost Dog & Cat Rescue, 6801 Wilson Blvd

• Madison Apartments, 600 N. Roosevelt Blvd.

• Mark’s Pub, 2190 Pimmit Dr.

• Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, 7130 Leesburg Pike

• Mary Riley St.yles Library, 120 N. Virginia Ave.

• Medical Building, 405 N. Washington St.

• Medical Building, 407 N. Washington St.

• Meridian High School, 121 Mustang Alley

• Merrill House Apartments, 210 E. Fairfax St.

• Metro Diner, 4711 Lee Hwy.

• Moby Dick House of Kabob, 444 W. Broad St.

• Modera Founders Row. 110 Founders Ave.

• Mom’s Organic Market, 8296 Glass Alley, Fairfax

• Multicultural Center. 701 W. Broad St.

• Munson Hill Apartments, 6729 Leesburg Pike

• N Virginia Av & W. Broad St. (Box), 105 N. Virginia Ave.

• N. Washington & E. Columbia St., 106 E. Columbia St.

• Northern Virginia Immigration Law, 180 S. Washington St.

• Northern Virginia Pediatric Associates, 107 N. Virginia Ave

• Northgate Apartments (lobby), 450 N. Washington St.

• Northside Social, 205 Park Ave.

• Falls Green Apartments, 501 N. Roosevelt Blvd.

• Park Towers Condos, 200 N. Maple Ave.

• Peach Tree Towers, 2042 Peach Orchard Dr.

• Pearson Square Apartments, 410 S. Maple Ave.

• Pete’s Barber Shop, 5847 Washington Blvd.

• Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, 7700 Leesburg Pike

• Pizzeria Orso (Tax Analyst building), 400 S. Maple Ave.

• PNC Bank, 402 W. Broad St.

• Point of View, 701 W. Broad St.

• Post. Office, 800 W. Broad St.

• Preservation Biscuit 102 E. Fairfax St.

• Professional Building, 313 Park Ave.

• Quick Copy, 417 W. Broad St.

• Rare Bird Coffee Roasters, 230 W. Broad St.

• Read Apartments, 402 W. Broad St.

• Rembrandt Assisted Living, 6669 Gouthier Rd.

• Roosevelt Towers, 500 N Roosevelt Blvd.

• S. Washington & W. Broad St. (Box) 101 W. Broad St.

• Safeway, 5101 Wilson Blvd.

• Safeway, 2500 N Harrison St.

• Safeway – Route 29, 7397 Lee Hwy.

• Sfizi Café, 800 W. Broad St.

• Silver Diner, 3200 Wilson Blvd.

• Sislers Stone, 7139 Lee Hwy.

• Smokey’s Garage, 1105 W. Broad St.

• Solace Outpost 444 W. Broad St.

• Sonic Car Wash, 1050 W. Broad St.

• The Spectrum, 444 W. Broad St.

• The Spectrum Cleaners, 444 W. Broad St.

• Starbucks, 244 W. Broad St.

• Sunrise of Falls Church, 330 N. Washington St.

• Super A Market, 2800 Graham Rd.

• Taco Rock, 116 W. Broad St.

• Target, 500 S Washington St.

• Target – Skyline Mall (Box), 5107 Leesburg Pike

• Tasty Dumpling, 112 W. Broad St.

• The Broadway Apt (in mailroom), 500 W. Broad St.

• The Byron Apartments, 513 W. Broad St.

• The Falls Church Episcopal, 115 E Fairfax St.,

• The Kensington Falls Church, 700 W. Broad St.

• The Neighborhood Barbershop, 417 W. Broad St. #103

• The Original Pancake House, 7395 Lee Hwy.

• The UPS St.ore, 1069 W. Broad St.

• Thomas Jefferson Library, 7415 Arlington Blvd.

• Towne Place Suites – Marriot, 205 Hillwood Ave.

• Unity Club, 116-B W. Broad St.

• UPS Store Seven Corners, 6312 Seven Corners Ctr.

• US Post Office, 2045 Wilson Blvd.

• Verso Founders Row, 105 Founders Row

• Westlee Condominium 2200 N. Westmoreland

• Wendy’s – Bus St.op, 7391 Lee Hwy.

• West Falls Church Metro (Box) 7040 Haycock Rd.

• Woodrow Wilson Community Library, 6101 Knollwood Dr.

• Yayla Bistro, 2201 N. West Moreland St.

Paid for and authorized by Chap Petersen for State Senate