January 21 – 27, 2021
FA LLS CHUR C H, V I R G I NI A • WW W. FC NP. C OM • FR EE
FOU N D E D 1991 • V OL. X XX NO. 49
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Biden Inaugurated as 46th President of U.S.
Comes Into Office Focusing on Pandemic, Economy
BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
Two days prior to yesterday’s historic inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. as the 46th president of the United States, his longtime ally and current U.S. Representative from the 8th District of Virginia that includes the City of Falls Church, Donald S. Beyer Jr. was here in the Little City for a ceremonial event marking Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at the Tinner Hill Foundation. Beyer, who was at the inauguration ceremony across the Potomac with his wife Megan yesterday, foreshadowed the work facing the new Biden administration with a bold set of initiatives to combat systemic racism in our culture. It was exactly in step with the moves Biden is taking in his first days. “Our division has more than one cause, but we must be brave enough to acknowledge that the first and primary cause is our structural, systemic and deeply seated racism,” he said. “This is a racism that is obvious and apparent everywhere in our culture and in our economy. It is not new, we have accepted it, nurtured it, and even fought against it for more than 400 years.”
Beyer provided a stark example, suggesting that if those who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, “who beat up police officers, defecated on the Senate floor, threatened to hang the Vice President and assassinate the Speaker, if they were black, how many would have died?” Meanwhile, in the wake of the attack on the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, regional law enforcement, including that in the City of Falls Church, were placed on high alert, with F.C. Police Chief Mary Gavin telling the City Council here that she was on conference calls multiple times daily, noting that the murderous Jan. 6 assault was “one of the most widely documented crimes in U.S. history.” While it was reported that numbers of the demonstrators at that event were staying in City hotels and motels past Jan. 6 in hopes of trying to disrupt the Jan. 20 inauguration, the only incident here that occured at a local shopping center was not related to the demonstrations, she reported. She said that monitoring of online “chatter” indicated there were no direct threats to Northern
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JOE BIDEN became the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday during his inauguration. The unique angle of this picture for his first speech as president was courtesy of U.S. Congressman Don Beyer, Jr. (P����: C������� D�� B����)
Key F.C. Developments Looking to Adjust Scope BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
In the context of the punishing consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on business development activity worldwide, three of the large mixed use projects now in development in Falls Church are requesting potential revisions in their agreements with the City to take into account prospects for
pulling back. The first addressed by the Falls Church City Council last week involved the Falls Church Gateway Partner’s plans to develop 9.5 acres in the City’s west end, involving an adjusted payment schedule and reported in last week’s edition. Two more came before the City Council in its work session this Tuesday that will be voted on at its next business meeting this coming
Monday. In one case, the City will be asked to OK a change in its agreement with the Mill Creek developers of the 4.3-acre Founder’s Row project, well on its way to completion at the intersection of W. Broad and N. West Streets. In that one, Mill Creek is coming with the unhappy news that the Studio
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SEE REAL ESTATE, PAGE 11
SEE COMMENTARY, PAGE 17
The housing market will lead the post-Covid economic recovery. But those who can benefit from it depends on how they fared financially during the pandemic.
The NAACP was founded in 1909 by a multiracial coalition of Blacks, Jews, and other whites, I’m reminded by Julius “J.D.” Spain Sr., president of the Arlington branch, that over the past year the organization has exploded in visibility.
P����������� B������ C������ T���� �� W��� B������ Preservation Biscuit Company is hosting a pop-up event at Settle Down Easy Brewing Company in Falls Church on Saturday, Jan. 23 from noon – 2 p.m., while supplies last. The event will feature miniature versions of Preservation’s biscuits and more SEE BUSINESS NEWS, PAGE 19
INDEX
Editorial............................................... 6 Letters................................................. 6 News & Notes..................................... 8 Comment ................................ 7,10,17 Crime Report .................................... 12 Calendar ........................................... 18 Business News ................................. 19 Classified Ads ................................... 20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ......... 21 Critter Corner.................................... 22