January 28 - February 3, 2010
Falls Church, Vi r g i n i a • w w w . fc n p . c o m • Free
Founded 1991 • Vo l . XI X N o . 48
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week F.C. ‘Pleased’ With Fairfax Court Stay
Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields said he is pleased the Fairfax Circuit court order has been stayed after the judge postponed the enforcement of the court’s decree prohibiting Falls Church from taking an annual “return on investment” from its water fund. See News Briefs, page 7
Locals Rush to Aid Victims of Haiti Quake Local residents, rescue squads and area businesses are doing their part to aid Haiti victims following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastation that’s resulted in over 150,000 causalities. See page 19
Helen Thomas: GOP Medical Wrecking Ball President Obama set a goal to change the way Washington works. That was a far-fetched dream, to say the least.
See page 12
Parents, Students, Teachers Urge F.C. School Board Not to Cut $ On City Side, Council OK’s Offer of Early Retirement
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
A standing-room-only crowd of parents and teachers packed solid the main meeting chamber at the Falls Church City Hall Tuesday to urge the School Board to avoid the deep cuts, as much as 8.6 percent of the total budget, that are being considered due to the steep revenue shortfall facing the jurisdiction. One of the largest contingents
Pizza
ever seen at the chamber, with promises of more to come, included a stream of petitioners that came to the microphone to urge the School Board to pressure the City Council to minimize budget cuts. Joel Block, past president of the Falls Church Education Association, said, “We have to ask for what we want, and we need what we have.” But faced with a revenue shortfall adding up to more than $10 million below its $68 million bud-
for a
get adopted last spring, the Falls Church City Council, who will be ultimate arbiter of how much the schools will get this spring, began taking painful budget-cutting steps of its own at its meeting Monday night. The Council approved a plan by City Manager Wyatt Shields to offer early retirement to 58 City employees, including police, to mitigate the number of involuntary layoffs that are almost certain to come with the adoption of the
Cause
Korean Crime Thriller ‘The Chaser’ An expert serial killer film from South Korea and reminder of what a well-made thriller looked like in classic days. See page 26
Index
Editorial..................6 Letters................6, 8 Community News & Notes..............10-11 Comment........12-15 Business News & Notes...................16 Sports.............20-22 Calendar.........24-25 Roger Ebert....26-28
Restaurant Spotlight ............................30 Comics, Sodoku & Crossword...........33 Classified Ads......34 Business & Services Directory..............35 Critter Corner.......36 Business Listing..37 City Focus......38-39
GEORGE MASON High School Principal Tyrone Byrd (inset: right, with Flippin’ Pizza’s Mike Brumagin) helped serve pizza along with GMHS students at the Flippin’ Pizza on West Broad last Thursday to raise money for Haiti relief efforts. A reported $1,190 was raised. A GMHS student-faculty basketball game with proceeds for Haiti relief is now slated for next Wednesday, Feb. 3. (Photos: Gary Mester)
Fiscal Year 2011 budget at the end of April. City Hall is already roiling in controversy, the result of a confidential memo that was circulated which was intended, according to City Manager Wyatt Shields, to be a very preliminary assessment of what positions in the City government might be terminated. On the early retirement offer, Richard Parker, the City’s HR specialist, said that only about 10 employees can be expected to opt for the plan, as the vast majority of
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