January 9 — 15, 2020
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. XXIX No. 47
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Historic General Assembly Convenes in Richmond
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Yesterday morning, as a momentous Virginia General Assembly was called to order in Richmond for a two-month legis-
lative session, history was made in the first minutes as the House of Delegates elected the first-ever woman, and first-ever Jewish person, at its Speaker of the House in the 401-year history of the body. State Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn
was sworn in by Virginia Supreme Court chief justice Donald W. Lemons to become the House’s 56th Speaker. Filler-Corn, whose 41st District is west of Falls Church in Fairfax County but east of the
City of Fairfax covering the communities of Burke and Mantua, had been the first ever leader of a party caucus in Richmond before the Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in last November’s election.
The stunning speed by which the Democrats wrested control from what had been a dominant Republican majority in the House and Senate between the 2017 and
Continued on Page 4
Beyer Family’s Let the New Decade Commence Busy Schedule On 3 Fronts by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Voting on one of three versions being debated of a War Powers resolution to assert the Constitutional requirement of the U.S. Congress, not the president, to initiate war with a foreign power was expected to happen today in the U.S. House, according to U.S. Rep. Donald S. Beyer, Jr., who represents the 8th District of Virginia that includes the City of Falls Church. Beyer told the News-Press in an exclusive interview yesterday that he has been in the midst of non-stop discussions and deliberations since the unilateral action by President Trump to order the taking out Iran’s most powerful military leader, Qasem Soleimani, earlier this week.
Continued on Page 5
THE CROWD CHEERED as the Watch Night star descended to the ground marking the beginning of 2020 at the City of Falls Church’s New Year’s Eve celebration last week. Hundreds of revelers turned out to enjoy the evening’s unseasonably mild weather during the Little City’s annual celebration downtown. See more Watch Night photos on page 8. (Photo: J. Michael Whalen)
Inside This Week Tarter, Connelly Elected Mayor & Vice Mayor Again
A Stronger Push to Tackle Homelessness
See News Briefs, page 9
See Story, page 15
By unanimous 7-0 votes of the Falls Church City Council Monday night, P. David Tarter was elected to a record-tying fourth two-year term as mayor and Marybeth Connelly to a third term as vice mayor of the City of Falls Church.
A new look for the Bailey’s Crossroads Shelter and Supportive Housing brings promise for the county’s mission to end homelessness, which also means heightened expectations on the shelter’s staff to deliver in that goal.
Index
Editorial........................................................ 6 Letters.......................................................... 6 News & Notes.....................................10–11 Comment............................................12–13 Business News..........................................14 Sports........................................................16 Calendar.............................................18–19 Classified Ads............................................20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword..................21 Crime Report.............................................22 Critter Corner.............................................22