January 25 – 31, 2018
FA LLS CHUR C H, V I R G I NI A • WW W. FC NP. C OM • FR EE
FOU N D ED 1991 • VOL. XXVI I NO. 49
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The George Mason High School campus and West End Economic Development Project will be the subject of a community forum at the Falls Church Community Center Sunday, Jan. 28, at 2 p.m. SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 8
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It’s never too early to start planning for summer! The NewsPress 2018 camp guide is here with all the information you need on summer camps in and around the Falls Church area.
In 4-2 Vote, F.C. Council Approves First $880K for Library Renovation W����� W����
Project Added to City Hall & High School Renovation Efforts
BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
governor last spring, to a hair-thin 51-49 margin with two elections held in the balance until the day the legislature was seated on Jan. 10. The results so far, Saslaw and Simon reported, have been mixed, but the mood has most certainly changed. When Republicans attacked the
The first $880,000 of funds for the renovation and expansion of the Mary Riley Styles Library in Falls Church was approved by a 4-2 vote of the F.C. City Council Monday night, with the majority led by Mayor David Tarter citing the will of the voters in a landslide passage of a public referendum in support of the effort. Other Council members, Vice Mayor Marybeth Connelly, Phil Duncan and Dan Sze, cited the same reason, Sze stating, “The people voted to do it, and I am encumbered to execute it in the best manner possible.” Citing the burdens of the George Mason High School and City Hall projects, Council members Letty Hardi and Ross Litkenhous voted against, saying they were for it, but the timing was wrong. “It’s too much to do all at once,” Hardi said, “Too many balls in the air at the same time.” But with the go-ahead from the Council Monday, the Library Board of Trustees, with a strong representation at the meeting, will host three community meetings to refresh and update citizens on the library’s expansion and renovation, to be held next Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 9:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the library’s conference room (120 N. Virginia Ave, Falls Church). One of the undetermined questions that could impact the cost of the project (the 2016 bond referendum approved $8.7 million) is whether, or for how long, the library will remain open during the two-year renovation.
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If Donald Trump’s election taught us anything beyond the salience of white nationalism among our fellow citizens, it’s that passion matters, and that people respond when they see a leader who is willing to champion them even when it’s risky. SEE PAGE 14
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Roughly two weeks out from the postseason, George Mason High School girls basketball team continues its New Year’s roll. SEE SPORTS, PAGE 26
THE SECOND ANNUAL Women’s March on Washington took place last Saturday, drawing thousands to rally for what organizers say is a mission to “harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change.” According to Digital Design & Imaging Service, specialists in crowd size and safety studies, the peak size of the Lincoln Memorial crowd occurred at about 1 p.m. (P����: D������ D����� � I������ S������, I��.)
Saslaw, Simon Tell of Lively Open to General Assembly BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
INDEX
Editorial.................6 Letters...................6 News & Notes12–13 Comment ..14, 24-25 Sports .................26 Business News ...29
Calendar .......30–31 Classified Ads .....32 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ..........33 Critter Corner......34
The impact of the huge 15-vote swing in the Virginia House of Delegates was assessed by Falls Church’s two representatives in the State Legislature before a standing room only assemblage of constituents at a town hall in the F.C. Community Center on
Saturday. Democrats Sen. Dick Saslaw and Del. Marcus Simon faced an energized but supportive audience to give a lay of the land report on Richmond after its first 10 days in session. The November election tightened the GOP control of the House of Delegates from a 66-34 edge, when it was just barely enough to uphold vetoes from a Democratic