JANUARY 2 - 8, 2025
Falls Church, Virginia • w w w . fc n p . c o m • Free
Founded 1991 • Vol. XXXIV N o . 47
The City of Falls Church’s Independent, Locally-Owned Newspaper of Record, Serving N. Virginia
‘25 Brings 7 Movie Screens to Little City
NEW WELCOMING SIGNAGE
Paragon Theaters Preparing May Ribbon Cutting Here by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
New businesses opening in Founders Row 1 in the past year have led to a surprising outcome. The interior plaza of Mill Creek’s four-acre project at the corner of N. West and W. Broad Street has evolved quickly into a mini-town center surrounded by major elements of a colorful urban life led by top-drawer restaurants, luxury apartments and other retailers. But if it casts that kind of ambiance now, well, as the saying goes, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!” Enter the Paragon Entertainment Holdings, Inc., with their seven-screen motion picture complex that is building out the space, deceptive now because most of it is out of the public view on the second floor, now scheduled to open in May. With over 600 seats facing seven screens, 30 percent of which are what they call “Lux Boxes,” or the “Paragon Theaters VIP Lux Box Dine-In Seating sections.” These sections are described as “private enclaves of seats with their own stairwells of access that feature the best viewing experience in every theater, including Paragon’s exclusive large format screens, known as Axis 15 Extreme.” In this section of each auditorium, “each VIP luxury seat electronically reclines with
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THE NEW SIGNAGE ATTACHED to the Falls Church City Hall last month features the word, “Welcome,” in over 20 different languages. A ceremony to lift the cloak off the sign featured the F.C. City Council and key members of the City staff. (Photo: News-Press)
‘In a World Full of Donalds, Be a Jimmy!’ Tribute
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
“In a world full of Donalds, be a Jimmy.” “Jimmy Carter was the embodiment of the saying, ‘Instead of building a bigger wall, build a bigger table.’” News of the passing at age 100 last weekend of the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, led to an immediate outpouring of gratitude for his service not only as president from 1976
to 1981, but as an exemplary human being who manifested a deep faith with practical acts of generosity and kindness. An outpouring of positive sentiments not only in memory of Carter, but also rendered more poignant by the prospects of what the new Donald Trump term will hold, has been overwhelming. Statements as tributes to the life and work of Jimmy Carter have issued forth from every quarter, age group, nation and political party. In the City
of Falls Church, Jeff Person, the chair of the Democratic Committee here issued the following statement: “The Falls Church City Democratic Committee Chair Jeff Person on behalf of the Falls Church City Democratic Committee joins the nation and the world in mourning the passing of former President Jimmy Carter, a leader whose life was defined by an unwavering commitment to peace, justice, and service. With his passing, the world has lost a true icon
and a great man. President Carter dedicated his life to public service, beginning as a naval officer and continuing as governor of Georgia, the 39th President of the United States, and a tireless advocate, diplomat, and philanthropist in the years following his presidency. He used his global platform to fight against war and injustice, bring attention to the plight of the poor and marginalized, and help
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