Amid more than 2,500 similar events nationwide, a “No Kings” rally in the City of Falls Church is expected to draw a huge turnout of citizens lining Broad Street (Rt. 7) from endto-end this Saturday morning, Oct. 18. The rally is set as a participant in “the biggest day of non-violent protest in U.S. history, designed to show love for community, country and democracy,” organizers say.
The “Hands Across Falls Church” event will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. co-organized by Falls Church Indivisible and Democracy Falls Church, and citizens urged just to show up with handmade signs (positive signage or flags are encouraged) or not, anywhere on the length of Broad Street in the Little City, from Haycock Road on the west end to the Seven Corners intersection on the east to be part of a “human chain.”
A pre-rally gathering will occur at the historic Falls Church Episcopal Church, 115 E. Broad St. “We’ll show that we don’t want kings or crowns and won’t back down against chaos, cruelty and corruption,” organizers state.
A bold full-page ad sponsored by Home of the Brave on Page 5 of the Washington Post Wednesday announced “We will peacefully protest our false king, noting he “has declared war on
AN HONOR BESTOWED
Readers and supporters of the Falls Church News-Press are being called on to drive a return to the home delivery of the paper to every household in the City of Falls Church.
The News-Press has established a crowdfunding account that anyone can use to put contributions toward this end. Financial issues compelled this paper to abandon its free home delivery component earlier this year after almost three decades of providing everyone in the Little City with the paper on their doorsteps.
Now, by popular demand, the weekly newspaper has estab -
lished a mechanism for financing the return to that popular, long-standing practice.
The newspaper’s impact on its hometown community has not suffered from the transition to bulk-site-only distribution. The same number of papers as before have been delivered in this new fashion and surveys conducted have established that the papers are being read each week at the same level they were during home delivery.
But in response to overwhelming reader and supporter sentiment, the paper has nonetheless decided to give a return to carrier home delivery another shot.
The delivery will still include availability at bulk sites and, notably, in the mailrooms of the now significant numbers of multi-dwelling apartment and condo buildings in town.
“We have never abandoned our goal over the last more than three decades to make our paper available to anyone and everyone in Falls Church and the surrounding areas who wants it,” said Nicholas F. Benton, founding owner and editor of the News-Press . “So, if people feel it is more favorable to have the paper dropped at everyone’s doorstep, then we’ll give it another try. But it will have to work for us financially.”
There is no question that the News-Press has been beating the odds to stay in business with its weekly print edition in a climate over the last decades that has been horrendous for print journalism, generally, and local newspapers, in particular.
“To anyone who recognizes the role the News-Press has played in Falls Church civic life in these three dozen years, helping to restore home delivery is not a matter of one’s own interest, but of the community interest as a whole. We hope that enough Falls Church citizens, and those anywhere who
by Nicholas F. Benton Falls Church News-Press
by Nicholas F. Benton Falls Church News-Press
Falls Church Business News & Notes
Regional Workforce Digital Tool Activated
The Greater Washington region has launched a digital platform, Talent Capital, to assist displaced federal workers in navigating career transitions. TalentCapital.ai offers free job matching, reskilling, credentialing, and coaching. It is housed at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and is powered by BuildWithin’s agentic AI, technology that thinks, adapts and acts on behalf of each user. https://talentcapital.ai/
4th Quarter Business Leader Survey
The Northern Virginia Chamber (NVC) is partnering with Pinkston once again on the 2025 Business Leader Survey, which is designed to gather timely insights on the state of our region’s economy, workforce, and business climate. Members are invited to participate in the final quarterly survey of the year. Their input will contribute to a report that will help inform regional policy conversations. The final report will be released on October 22, and these results will be shared with elected officials and media outlets across our region. This ensures that decision-makers hear firsthand the realities and priorities of the leaders driving our economy. The survey runs through 9:00 am on Monday, October 20. The short survey is available at: https://pinkston.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_868Nug5hxCGws1U
Webinar: Financing a Small Business
The Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) offers a webinar on the basics of organizing and securing financing for new small businesses. Participants will learn the different types of financing, funding sources and financing programs, misconceptions, and strategies for bank presentations. The session is led by Timm Johnson, director and Senior Business Counselor of Mason SBDC on Wednesday, October 22, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. The session is free, and the link will be shared upon registration at https://clients.virginiasbdc.org/workshop. aspx?ekey=110450035.
Rape Aggression Defense Class Opens
Registration is now open for the Falls Church Police Department’s next Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) class, scheduled for October 27-28 and November 3-4 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. R.A.D. is a free, four-evening program of realistic self-defense tactics taught by certified instructors open to all women, 12 years of age and older. Register with your name, phone, street address, and age to Kathleen Dempsey: ksdempsey@gmail.com. Participation is not limited to the city limits and the class is filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Raising Cane at Sunset
Raising Cane’s presents the last film of the 22nd Annual Sunset Cinema Series in Cherry Hill Park. “Shrek” will be shown on Friday, October 17 at 6:45 p.m. Food trucks will be on site one hour before the movie begins. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and a picnic. Drinks, popcorn, and snacks will be available for purchase.
2nd Annual Hope Trivia Night for a Cause
Hope for Healing Hearts is joining with Solace Brewing again for the 2nd Annual Hope Trivia Night for a Cause on Monday, October 20, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. at Solace Outpost. There will be a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and trivia where the top three teams win a prize. The money raised will support the nonprofits’ monthly programming for grieving families in the area. https://business.fallschurchchamber.org/events/details/2nd-annual-hope-trivia-night-for-acause-81754?calendarMonth=2025-10-01
Open House at Culmore Clinic
Local nonprofit, Culmore Clinic, is hosting an Open House on Tuesday, October 21, 4:30 – 7:00 p.m. The event begins with a reception and silent auction, followed by the annual report presentation and tours. The clinic provides services for those in need and is located at 6165 Leesburg Pike. https://www.culmoreclinic.org/rsvp
The Mousetrap Comes to Mason District
Providence Players brings Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery, “Mousetrap,” to the stage, guessing and second guessing to the final gasp. The production runs through October 25: Thursday – Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. through October 25, and Sunday matinee on October 19, 2:00 p.m. www.providenceplayers.org/tickets
Business News & Notes is compiled by Elise Neil Bengtson, Executive Director of the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at elise@fallschurchchamber.org.
Produced by Kadira Coley Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey Directed by Frank D. Shutts II
‘No Kings’ Rally Saturday in F.C. to Be ‘Human Chain’ on Broad St.
our Constitution, our rule of law and our federal courts.” It adds, “He has sought absolute, unchecked power. He has proclaimed the free press to be the ‘enemy of the people.’ He has invented false emergencies to seize powers that he does not have. He has unleashed the military in our cities without our consent. He has sent masked and unidentified men to abduct us. He has undermined vaccines and dismantled the agencies that protect us from plagues, putting American lives at risk. He has abused the power of the presidency to attack and prosecute his political opponents. He has attempted to stifle our speech and silence our dissent. He has exploited his office to enrich himself, his family and his friends.”
Another large ad calling for participation in the Falls Church rally, calling for “No Thrones, No Crowns, No Kings,” also appears in this edition of the News-Press, paid for by the two local organizing groups.
In addition to a major event in D.C. at noon, the Falls Church event will be joined by other area rallies, including a “Bridge Visibility Event” in Arlington on Friday at 4:30 p.m. on the overpass on I-66 at 5705 Fairfax Drive, on Saturday a march across the Memorial Bridge to D.C. at 10 a.m., a rally in McLean’s Central Park at noon, at 11 a.m. in Bailey’s Crossroads at 3480 S. Jefferson, and more.
A “Voices for Justice” free event at the Rock Springs United Church of Christ in North Arlington, 5010 Little Falls Rd., will be held Saturday at 3 p.m. involving six local church choirs.
The core message of the “No Kings” rallies is a peaceful rejection of authoritarianism and a reaffirmation of democratic principles. Organizers are mobilizing millions nationwide to protest against what they perceive as dictatorial tendencies, corruption, and the abuse of power. The movement asserts that America belongs to its people, not to any “king” or corrupt ruling class.
The rallies, many organized locally by groups like Indivisible and the AFL-CIO, aim to counter political actions seen as hostile to American democracy. Protesters demand an end to the influence of billionaires in government, protection of social programs, and opposition to attacks on marginalized communities. A central theme is the rejection of chaos and cruelty in favor of unity and democratic values. Events emphasize nonviolent action and de-escalation, while local rallies also include community efforts like food and supply drives.
A Falls Church organizer said, “No Kings is more than a slogan. It’s a founding principle of this nation. People across America are uniting to defend that ideal and to show that power still rests with the people, not with
We often delay planning for the what ifs of aging. By preparing now, you can stay in the home you love. And with Goodwin Living At Home, you will find a partner who helps you age safely and securely, so you can enjoy more of what’s next. Join us for a virtual info session on Oct. 24, Nov. 11 or Dec. 9 to learn more.
Please Don’t Eat Your Children, Part 3
Nicholas F. Benton
Obviously, the notion of “Please Don’t Eat Your Children” is applicable to the Epstein Scandal.
The correlation between pro-fascist authoritarianism and the degradation of women and children, along with minorities and gays, is a factor in the cultural history of the last 150 years that doesn’t get enough attention.
It relates to the appetite for cruelty and domination that fuels the passions of authoritarians, which can be seen reflected in the behavior and attitude of schoolground bullies. Yes, it is true that someone severely bullied himself might internalize the mindset of a bully, and that could explain the personality types of a Donald Trump or Stephen Miller.
The adopted mentality takes delight in pure cruelty with the caveat that it is exercised against perceived weaker or less capable objects, from household pets to a wife, child or queer.
We learn from our schoolground days that, while many are victimized or avoid direct victimization by either extreme avoidance or servile compliance, the only way a bully is deterred is ultimately by an aggressive rising up of others to take him on.
Trump and Epstein arose in the decade of the 1970s, perhaps the worst decade in modern American history for its abandonment of democracy-related ideals and turn toward the precursors of what plague the whole nation today.
The Martin Luther King, Jr.-inspired ideals which drove the civil rights movement of the previous decade were trampled on in the socalled “Me Decade,” which gave way to the politicization of previously marginalized aggressively anti-rational Christian fundamentalists, the Reagan Revolution, the elevation of “Greed Is Good” over “I Have a Dream,” the Gingrich Contract On America, the George W. invasion of Iraq, the rise of the Tea Party and the stolen election of 2016 that led to Trumpism in the White House on the notion that outright lying is a viable political strategy.
Collateral events through this era of descent toward the abyss included the detente-driven Russian
mafia invasion into the U.S., the decimation of the feminist movement and its replacement with an explosion of exploitative pornography and diminishment of women, the AIDS epidemic, and the cultivation through mass cult formation of mindless tools of exploitation. Dominant popular music shifted away from the soft love and human rights themes of the 1960s to either an introverted psychedelia or pounding, shouted anger.
Trump and Epstein became buddies in this 1970s-driven world and carried out their crimes in that context, when it was OK as long as it was moderately hidden from public view. It was in that decade when elites reaching down onto the mean streets of New York and other big cities for sexual gratification was a standard modus operandi.
A model for Trump was his personal attorney, Roy Cohn, who was notorious for cruising the streets of Manhattan for young men and boys on a daily basis. So Trump was exposed to that kind of behavior, which accounts for why he enjoyed the company of Epstein, whose operation made it easy for him. It did not rely on direct procurement of homeless inner city runaways.
Child victims of this process, of course, were treated like dirt and unceremoniously dumped when elite overlords exercised their cruelest ways with them and then were done with them. (Actually, none of this should be in the past tense).
The culture that was permitted and encouraged in the 1970s was, to be sure, reinforced by the philosophies of the counterculture (“Just do it! 100 years from now, who will know the difference?”), with the anti-science and anti-truth excesses of postmodern thought and license, as given permission through the reification of philosopher Michael Foucault and others.
The so-called counterculture and its cults that were the backdrop for so much of this included a strong pro-Nazi component, evidenced in the published views of Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey and others whose ideas were so heavily promoted in that era.
Meanwhile, the average standards of living of Americans also began a long descent, making homebuying, for example, possible only by the outrageous conditions that led to the Great Recession of 2008. Things have only gotten worse since.
We’ve a lot of cleaning up to do.
COMMENT
A Penny for Your Thoughts
By Penny Gross Former Fairfax County Supervisor
Most big cities have dozens of access points from surrounding jurisdictions, but few have the sweeping and elegant ceremonial entry that features the Arlington Memorial Bridge (the proper name of the bridge) and the Lincoln Memorial into Washington. D.C. The low-slung neoclassical bridge connects the Memorial Circle on the Virginia side of the Potomac River to another circle that wraps around the classic marble architecture of the Lincoln Memorial. Rush hour drivers navigating the travel lanes may be too busy to ponder the remarkable design that has endured nearly a century.
The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in 1922 after several years of construction adjacent to the river. That was decades after Arlington National Cemetery was established on the grounds of Robert E. Lee’s Arlington House mansion during the American Civil War. The Arlington Memorial Bridge was opened in 1932, bringing to full “circle” the grand entry into the Nation’s Capital. The bridge placement, on an axis between the memorial and the cemetery, reflects a nation united, connecting North and South, according to the planners and architects.
Crossing the bridge on a bright sunny day highlights the creas-
es and shadows of the magnificent marble edifice celebrating President Abraham Lincoln, blazing on the exterior and cooling on the interior. Making the trip back to Virginia, crossing the river at dusk or later, can be magical, as the eternal flame marking President John F. Kennedy’s Arlington National Cemetery gravesite glows in the distance, reminding passersby of the supreme sacrifices made by the hundreds of thousands of military personnel, veterans, and family members buried there. That view never fails to create a lump in my throat. The sweeping viewshed, punctuated by a majestic natural and human-made landscape, is both sacred and wondrous.
That’s why the disclosure last week that Mr. Trump wants to build a “triumphal arch” on the Memorial Circle to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary is troubling. His proposal for a monumental arch appears to block the view of Arlington House, the eternal flame, and the hallowed cemetery. Even before the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated, municipal planners had proposed a variety of arches for what sometimes is termed, awkwardly, “dead space” in Memorial Circle. Fortunately, none of these ill-conceived ideas has come to fruition,
City of Falls Church Crime Report
Week of Oct 6 - 12, 2025
Shoplifting, S Washington St, Oct 7, 1:35 a.m., an unknown suspect stole merchandise. The suspect is described as a white male, approximately 25-30 years of age, with shoulder length blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing a dark short sleeve shirt with a planet on it, dark colored pants, and black and gray Nike shoes.
Assault, W Falls Station Blvd, Oct 7, 8:00 a.m., victim reported being assaulted by a coworker.
Shoplifting, W Broad St, Oct 7, 9:30 p.m., two unknown suspects stole merchandise. The first suspect is described as a black male, approximately 35-40 years of age and 5’4” to 5’7” in height, bald with a black beard, a red, black, and white t-shirt, white shorts, and white tennis
shoes. The second suspect is described as a white female, approximately 30-35 years of age and 5’4” to 5’7” in height, with blonde hair, wearing a black long sleeve shirt and unknown pants.
Larceny of Vehicle Parts, N Washington St, Oct 8, between 12:00 a.m. and 6:58 a.m., an unknown suspect removed the tires and rims from two vehicles.
Shoplifting, W Broad St, Oct 8, 12:32 p.m., three unknown suspects stole merchandise.
Public Intoxication, Wilson Blvd, Oct 9, 12:01 a.m., a male, 59, of the City of Falls Church, was arrested for Public Intoxication.
Commercial Burglary/Theft of Motor Vehicle, N Washington St, Oct 9, 4:52 a.m., two unknown suspects gained entry to a business and stole a beige, 2025 Volvo XC50. The first suspect is a male,
OCTOBER 16 - 22, 2025 |
and the splendid viewshed has been maintained.
It’s no secret that Mr. Trump loves France’s Arc de Triumph in Paris, along with the grand military parades that march through and around that edifice. Earlier this year, he got his military parade (very expensive but a bust) and now it appears he wants his arch. A bit of history about the Arc de Triumph – it was started in 1806 by Napoleon (no surprise!) and it took 30 years to construct (again, no surprise!). It was not completed until 1836, 15 years after he died. The nation’s 250th anniversary is only a few months away. If Mr. Trump wanted an arch, he should have proposed it during his first term, not his last.
Good taste and esthetics are not values attributed to Donald Trump, whose appetite for the massive, the brash, and the goldembellished never has been satiated. Whether the proposed “triumphal arch” is real or simply another attempt to flood the zone and distract from serious challenges – a fragile economy, rising household and healthcare costs, the Epstein scandal, weaponization of government against its citizens – remains to be seen. The energy and expense for this latest Trump folly would run to tens or hundreds of millions of dollars that could be far better spent on addressing real problems facing our region and nation, like infrastructure, healthcare, and homelessness. Let’s keep Memorial Circle the simple, elegant riverside design that has endured for nearly a century!
described as wearing all black clothing, with black and white Nike Jordan shoes. The second suspect is a male, described as wearing a white hoodie and a white “Bass Pro Shops” hat.
Shoplifting, Hillwood Ave, Oct 10, 8:11 p.m., three unknown suspects stole merchandise. The first suspect is described as a white male, approximately 24-30 years of age and 5’4” to 5’9” in height, wearing a black baseball cap, white t-shirt, black shorts, black socks, and gray Crocs. The second suspect is described as a white male, approximately 24-30 years of age, 5’4” to 5’9”, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, gray jeans, and red shoes. No description is available for the third male suspect.
Shoplifting, W Broad St, Oct 11, 2:41 p.m., an unknown female suspect stole merchandise.
6 | OCTOBER 16 - 22, 2025
Since 1991, an award-winning LGBT-owned general Interest community newspaper.
Vol. XXXV, No. 36 OCTOBER 16 - 22, 2025
• City of Falls Church ‘Business of the Year’ 1991 & 2001 • • Member, Virginia Press Association •
Nicholas F. Benton Owner & Editor-In-Chief nfbenton@fcnp.com
Nick Gatz Managing Editor ngatz@fcnp.com
Sue Johnson Advertising Sales sjohnson@fcnp.com
Ted White Copy Editor Circulation delivery@fcnp.com
To Contact the News-Press
phone: 703-532-3267
email: fcnp@fcnp.com
display advertising sjohnson@fcnp.com
703-587-1282
classified & Legal ads classads@fcnp.com
letters to the editor letters@fcnp.com News & Notes newsandnotes@fcnp.com Obituaries obits@fcnp.com subscriptions distribution & delivery delivery@fcnp.com
Thank you once again to the Falls Church City School Board for nominating and then presenting the Falls Church News-Press with yet another Virginia School Boards Association Media Honor Roll recognition last week. The News-Press has been a proud recipient virtually every year since the annual honor was initiated in 2003.
It is heartening to know that the role of an independent media is appreciated in Falls Church, as it has been our mission since our founding in 1991 to enhance the efforts of those who have stood for the development of Falls Church for the sake of the education of its young.
We feel this vision remains vitally important to this globally-exemplary governmental jurisdiction as the wider region has been plunged into what Moody’s is already calling a recession here due to the terminating of so many federal jobs and, consequentially, of federal government contractors. The fallout of this is far from being fully felt yet.
As Falls Church’s newspaper of record, we stand at the ready to participate as fully as we can to alert and notify the public, including the wider public of the wider Northern Virginia region, of as many resources as there are that may be developing to address this crisis. We feel it is important in this context not to downplay the seriousness of the current economic crisis, and to keep an eye on where these trends may be leading. It will be up to our local governments to come up with creative policies to mitigate or offset any negative impacts on behalf of the people they represent.
As one of the Washington, D.C. Metro region’s few remaining print newspapers, we also stand in solidarity with our colleagues in the nation’s capital who are fighting against attempts by the present federal administration to curb their efforts. We are proud of those news organizations covering the Pentagon, for example, who have refused to cow-tow to authoritarian government attempts to do just that by requiring news organizations to sign a pledge that would denude them of their ability to do their jobs.
Refusing to sign that pledge as demanded by the current Defense Secretary have been all but one organization (a shamelessly pro-Trump small outfit). The list of refusers includes ABC News, Air and Space Forces Magazine, Al Jazeera, AL-Monitor, Associated Press, The Atlantic, Aviation Week, Axios, Bloomberg News, Breaking Defense, C41SRNET, CBS News, CNN, The Daily Caller, Defense Daily, Defense News, Defense One, The Economist, Federal Times, The Financial Times, Fox News, The Guardian, The Hill, HuffPost, Military Times, MSNBC, NBC News, The New York Times, Newsmax, National Public Radio, PBS Newshour, Politico, Real Clear Politics, Reuters, Task and Purpose, USNI News, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Examiner, The Washington Post, The Washington Times and WTOP.
Emphatic statements in defense of those who’ve refused have come from the White House Correspondents Association (where we are members) and NPR. We stand foursquare with all those who have refused to back down.
Platform
1. Keep the news clean and fair.
2. Play no favorites, never mix business and editorial policy.
3. Do not let the news columns reflect editorial content.
4. Publish the news that is public property without fear or favor of friend or foe.
5. Accept no charity and ask no favors.
6. Give ‘value received’ for every dollar you take in.
7. Make the paper show a profit if you can, but above all keep it clean, fearless and fair.
Letters to Editor
Laura Downs Has A Brilliant Idea
Editor,
To prove a point, I found out about a proposal from Falls Church City Councilmember Laura Downs from the Falls Church News-Press, in which she suggests purchasing space in the FCNP for a weekly announcement for residents on important issues and events. What a great idea! I would gladly have my tax dollars go for that purpose, to better ensure transparency in government, and to reach the largest group of residents possible. How better to serve the public than to print something available to all residents.
Cherri Harris
Falls Church Roundabout
Editor,
We totally agree with Ted White’s Letter to the Editor in the August 28th issue of the News Press
We live on West Broad and never had a problem crossing between S. Maple and Annandale.
The only problem was that a button had to be installed to have a “walking man” to signal when to cross the street, perhaps a camera and most of all adjustment of the timing on the lights to extend the crossing time.
That is it!! Why spend millions of dollars on a roundabout which not many people like. It will cause more confusion.
Any chance there could be a change of plans and forget the roundabout and just adjust the
lights?
Also, we think the money could be used for paving a lot of the roads and parking lots that are in dire need of repair.
Any other opinions and feedback ?
Vote For Abigail Spanberger
Fran and Tom McMahon Editor,
After watching the debate on Thursday, October 9, it was completely apparent to me that only one candidate is prepared to be the next governor of Virginia and that is Abigail Spanberger. Abigail Spanberger came ready to answer all questions seriously and thoroughly. She also presented her plans for education, the economy, housing and energy. Her opponent came ready to bully and evade. If Abigail Spanberger’s opponent had been a student in my fifth-grade class, she would be spending time writing apologies to Abigail, the moderators, and the voters of Virginia for her grossly inappropriate and rude behaviors on stage. Abigail Spanberger has a lengthy commitment to public service in law enforcement, CIA, and the U.S. House of Representatives. She has Incredible self-control and focus which she demonstrated for an entire hour of vile interruptions by her opponent. Abigail Spanberger is intelligent, hard-working, and down-to-earth. Join me in voting for the best candidate to lead our commonwealth. I’m voting for Abigail Spanberger for governor of Virginia.
Denise Wilcox
The News-Press Endorses in Falls Church This Fall: For City Council
Marybeth Connelly, Laura Downs, David Snyder, Arthur Agin.
For School Board
Kathleen Tysse, Anne Sherwood, MK Hughes, Sharon Mergler.
From the Sept. 18 N-P Editorial:
“We are confident in our endorsement decisions, also, not only because of what we’ve observed with our own eyes and ears covering local government here week in and week out for, low, these many years, because we because we have sought important counsel from among those who work behind the scenes in City Hall and at the City schools. We are mainly motivated by a desire to get it right for our readers and all citizens of Falls Church.”
recognize the importance of this, will step up with generous contributions to make this campaign a success,” News-Press managing editor Nick Gatz said.
Over the last three decades the United States has seen a steady, structural retreat of print newspapers — a loss driven by falling circulation, evaporating advertising dollars, consolidation, and changing audience habits. At the turn of the century weekday print circulation in the U.S. was roughly 55–56 million; by 2020 it had fallen to about 24 million, a decline that continued into the 2020s as readers migrated to free online sources and social platforms for quick news and searchdriven access.
The economic engine that once supported local papers — classified and display advertising — largely migrated to digital platforms. Classified revenue vanished as Craigslist and other online marketplaces replaced help-wanted and for-sale sections; display advertisers followed audiences to Facebook, Google and programmatic ad networks. As Brookings and industry analyses show, total newspaper ad revenue fell dramatically, forcing newsroom layoffs, reduced publication frequency, and cuts to local reporting
capacity. Fewer reporters and thinner pages became an industry norm.
Another striking indicator is the rate of closures: research tracking local journalism notes thousands of print newspapers have disappeared since the mid-2000s — more than 3,200 titles gone since 2005 — and the country has been losing papers at a pace of roughly two per week in recent years. That attrition has created expanding “news deserts” where municipal government, school boards, courts and local business coverage is sparse or nonexistent.
Northern Virginia mirrors the national trend, though its proximity to major metro media has softened some effects while exposing others. Longstanding community weeklies and hyperlocal titles have folded or sharply reduced print frequency; prominent regional titles have cut print days, merged operations, or shifted to digital-first models. Examples include the disappearance of historic local publications and the Sun Gazette’s 2023 closure and re-formation under new stewardship — a pattern of contraction followed by small-scale reinvention.
The Falls Church News-Press stands out as a remarkable exception to the national decline of print newspapers. Founded by Benton in 1991, it has maintained continuous weekly publication and
strong local readership for more than three decades — a rarity in an era when thousands of local papers have folded.
Serving the City of Falls Church and surrounding Northern Virginia communities, the News-Press has succeeded by focusing relentlessly on hyperlocal coverage: city government, schools, community events, and economic development.
While larger papers shifted to digitalfirst strategies and reduced neighborhood reporting, the News-Press continued printing and circulating free copies each Thursday. Through steadfast leadership, a recognizable voice, and community trust,
the News-Press has become both chronicler and advocate for local life. Its endurance demonstrates that in tightly knit communities where residents see their lives reflected in print, a local newspaper can still thrive — proving that the civic value of journalism, when rooted in place, can outlast industry trends.
Contributions to the News-Press ’ restore home delivery campaign can be made at giveahand.com/fundraiser/ news-press-home-delivery or by scanning the Q code that appears on page 11 in this issue.
16 - 22,
Japanese Anime and Culture Convention Returns in Crystal City
By Mark Dreisonstok
AnimeUSA again made its annual appearance this past weekend in Crystal City’s Hyatt Regency Hotel. This celebration of anime boasts symposiums on the art of Japanese animation and manga, or comics. In addition, there are many different types of games, including video games, board games, and even a “Jeopardy”-style live quiz competition: “The Anime Showdown Game Show.” Sample question: In the “Naruto” manga series, what food is Naruto’s favorite? Answer: Ramen. It is notable that the answer to this question involves Japanese culture, for ramen is the wheat noodle soup beloved in Japan. In fact, in addition to anime discussions, AnimeUSA also features demonstrations of the Japanese fine arts, including Japanese tea ceremony, a performance of the koto musical instrument, and ikebana, or flower arranging.
We interviewed Chris Needham, AnimeUSA’s chairman of the board as well as director of cultural and educational programming. Mr. Needham explained the reason behind this high culture focus in a popular anime convention: “Our organization exists to promote both Japanese anime and traditional culture. The goal is to link both, so we bring in a tea school from Washington, D.C., to conduct a tea ceremony and have a musician play the koto and explain why it is the iconic Japanese instrument. People have seen these Japanese cultural elements in anime, but they have never experienced an actual tea ceremony live.”
One of the delights of the AnimeUSA convention is to speak with the many attendees who are cosplayers, that is, people who dress in the costumes of their favorite anime and manga characters. We met, for example, Alicia who hails originally from Brazil, lived in Indiana, and now attends American University in Washington, D.C., where she is a literature major. She was appareled as Fuu Hououji from the “Magic Knight Rayearth” manga world. She likes Fuu, for she represents female characters from 1990s Japanese manga and anime. Alicia feels she herself not only looks a bit like the character in real life but can identify with Fuu’s characteris -
tic reserve, politeness, and logical nature.
We found Cordelia, dressed in Rococo- and Victorianinspired Japanese Lolita fashion, in conversation with Grayson, who cosplayed Hololive’s Mori Calliope. Grayson is from Fairfax, studies graphic design at George Mason University, and anticipates Halloween with her Japanesestyle Grim Reaper Mori character, complete with scythe. Of course, AnimeUSA has a broader appeal than merely college students interested in Japanese anime. We met, for instance, the father-anddaughter cosplayers Justin and Anastasia, who portrayed Mabel and Grunkle (“grand uncle”) Stan, the latter with a Shriner-style red fez iconic to his character. These two characters stem not from anime at all but from the Disney
Channel’s “Gravity Fall” animated television series.
A very interesting person to meet and who has saved many a cosplayer’s costume is Alex. Holding up a sign proclaiming “Cosplayer Repair,” he can be seen wearing a costume from a Renaissance festival as he mingles with cosplayers. Alex carries with him a backpack and satchels with tools to come to the rescue of cosplayers who have “wardrobe malfunctions” such as tears in their apparel or broken props such as crowns, wands, and rayguns.
Clearly, all of the AnimeUSA attendees share a love of anime as well as a strong desire to share their favorite characters with like-minded animation aficionados, Japanophiles, and intrigued hotel guests!
ROCOCO- AND VICTORIAN-INSPIRED “Lolita” fashion meets the somber anime Mori, the Grim Reaper. (Photo: Mark Dreisonstok)
ANASTASIA AND JUSTIN as Mabel and Grunkle Stan from the Disney Channel’s “Gravity Falls.” (Photo: Mark Dreisonstok)
ALICIA AS FUU HOUOUJI, the quintessential 1990s female anime heroine. (Photo: Mark Dreisonstok)
Creative Cauldron’s ‘Turn of the Screw’ Delivers Haunting Thrills
By Patricia Leslie
Just in time for Halloween, Creative Cauldron presents the musical and psycho thriller, “The Turn of the Screw,” by Henry James, one of “two great supernatural works of horror in a century,” says writer Stephen King (the other being “The Haunting of Hill House”).
After seeing Creative’s version, I’d rank it number one.
Folks: This is not the “Sound of Music,” but music it’s got a lot, 28 songs, most of them short in duration over a total play run time of 90 minutes (without intermission), the best songs which are the harmonies sung in duets and groups.
Helen Hayes Award winners, nominees and Broadway stars are among cast members.
The story starts out tame enough but it doesn’t take long for it to escalate, scene by creepy scene.
A new governess, Ms. Giddens (Susan Derry), arrives at a remote country house where a man (an uncle never
named, but Bobby Smith in real life) hires her to take care of his niece and nephew, Flora (June Tuss) and Miles (John Poncy) after their parents have died.
Miles is away at boarding school where he is soon thrown out for some unannounced reason (but we can hazard a guess after we “meet” Miles!).
He returns to the house where his strict and indifferent uncle does not live, but Uncle lives in Londontown where he likely wines and dines.
Whatever he does there, Uncle explicitly tells Ms. Giddens not to not bother him with details or any information about his new brood!
Just do your job and be done with you...and them! (To give you an idea of her voice, Derry has sung the lead role of Christine in “Phantom of the Opera.”)
A housekeeper, Mrs. Grose (Karen Kelleher who has the strongest voice of the lot) helps Ms. Giddens around the place.
Soon the ghosts of for -
mer employees Jessel (Marcy Ledvinka) and Quint (Christian Montgomery) start to show up, unseen by all except Governess Giddens. Or, perhaps the children see her? The governess is uncertain.
Mrs. Gross reveals details about the demise of the two employees and whatever is Ms. Giddens talking about, please? Pshaw! Seeing ghosts, are you?
Miles has a sinister, creepy personality and looks to kill, while his little sister is all sweetness and goodness until she isn’t.
The ghosts’ makeup grows more ghoulish, matching the increasing anguish of Ms. Giddens. Is she losing her mind?
Surprise, surprise, suddenly Uncle turns up to sing and dance with Ms. Giddens in a mesmerizing piece, and in a different scene, the ghouls dance, too. (Mr. Smith, the choreographer.)
The modern, stark set by Margie Jervis reminded me of a René Magritte surrealistic painting with black and white
pieces, overturned chairs and puddles of black squares on the floor, sharp angles without human or warm existence.
The only colors Jervis adds to the stage are puppets. When it rains, it pours and visuals against the backdrop of a wall of streams of water and, in a different scene, waves from a lake are cleverly screened by Nicholas J Goodman, projection designer, and Edward Wiant, technical director.
Keyboardist Paige Rammelkamp directs musicians on violin and cello who draw emotional responses as they set the stage and play along.
Tessa Grippaudo dresses the actors according to the Victorian era when James wrote it in 1898. Lynn Joslin was the lighting designer.
Director Matt Conner wrote the music and Stephen Gregory Smith, the lyrics and book.
Conner says in program notes that the phrase —“turning the screw”—can be “an investigative process” and “tightening pressure, like a device slowly
wound until unbearable. In that sense, we all ‘turn the screw’ in our own lives, as we struggle to uncover hidden truths, examine our pasts, and confront the parts of ourselves we might otherwise keep in shadow.”
Creative has revived the play from its successful 2015 world premiere which was the first of the theatre’s “bold new works” envisioned by Laura Connors Hull, Creative’s founding artistic director.
Tickets start at $40 with $15 discounts available for 2 p.m. Sunday matinees using code SSS. Also on Thursday –Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. through Oct. 26, 2025. Group rates, available.
This play is recommended for ages 13 and up, but I dare say that some up to age 99+ might need to know: This is not your grandma’s cup of tea. Park for free in the garage at 127 E Broad St, Falls Church, VA 22046 in Creative’s gorgeous new venue. For more information, call 703-436-9948 or write info@creativecauldron.org
June Tuss is Flora in Creative Cauldron’s “Turn of the Screw.” (Photo: William T. Gallagher Production LLC)
BOBBY SMITH IS the Uncle, Susan Derry is Ms. Giddens and, in the background, Karen Kelleher is Mrs. Grose in Creative Cauldron’s “Turn of the Screw” (Photo: William T. Gallagher Production LLC)
The reason behind the world’s longest running play is it’s a keepyou-off-your-seat murder mystery asking “who dunnit?” and, more importantly: “who’s next?”
“The Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie (1890-1976) opened in London in 1952 and except for a Covid-19 break, it’s run ever since, topping 30,000 performances as of last March and now Falls Church residents can see it, too, presented by the Providence Players at the James Lee Community Center on Annandale Road.
A loud and piercing scream opens the play on a dark, (repeat) darkened stage.
Lights up!
It’s a cold and snowy night at Monkswell Manor, a guesthouse hosted by Mollie and Giles Preston (Kate Bierly and John Paul Odle), where five visitors arrive one by one, out they come, all the usual suspects, distinctly different personalities, weird in their own ways (like most everyone you know, except for you).
Nothing is right for Mrs. Boyle, one of my two favorite characters of the night, the other being the hyperactive Christopher Wren (Joshua Mutterperl) who scampers from person to person to place like a squirrel on steroids, curling up like a ball,
going into hibernation perhaps.
Gayle Grimes is excellent as Ms. Boyle, portraying an old gripey lady who finds nothing pleasing ever, constantly sneering at whatever ails her which is everything, both she and Mutterperl acting with finesse, experience and exaggeration to make their characters truly stereotypical and humorous.
Major Metcalf (Kirk Lambert) mostly keeps to himself, the strong, silent type who smokes a pipe and doesn’t say much, looking rather like Sherlock Holmes. Hmmm....
Then there’s Miss Casewell (Abby Smith) who is anything but, yapping at everyone like a snapping turtle while she putters here and there in mysterious ways.
The last guest to arrive is a Mr. Paravicini (K Sridhar) who wears a constant smile and is never ruffled by happenings at the manor, to make a viewer wonder: What did he have up his sleeve? Or under his wig?
A recent murder in London not far from the manor has everyone on edge since the police think there’s a link to the guesthouse and they send in Sergeant Trotter (Bruce Alan Rauscher) to investigate.
Although they are the hosts, the Prestons are not immune to questioning by the inspector, and they begin to bicker.
Says the detective: “All criminals
slip up.”
But, look! Oh, no! Someone has cut the phone line! The skis are missing! The lights go dark and eeekkk! Another murder, but this time ... at Monkswell Manor.
Odle and Rauscher were exceptionally credible in their roles, my dislike of husband Preston (Odle) increasing as the show wore on. Just what director Eleanore Tapscott wanted, she who assembled a talented set of actors who portray their characters vividly as they exit and enter at precise moments to keep everyone guessing.
It’s fun and great family entertainment.
Who done it?
Ubiquitous set designer Matt Liptak has created a perfect parlor with many doors, stairs to upstairs rooms, photographs of old gentlemen, a cozy fireplace, and a muchused window with snow piled high in the corners.
Outside the window we glimpse the frozen outdoors in case anyone forgets that it is a cold and snowy night.
Sound engineer Jason Hamrick does a fine job with musical selections and radio operations.
The Providence Players have dedicated the first two pages of their program to former U.S. Congressman Gerry Connolly (1950-2025) who
was an active partner with them for many years.
In 1999 I saw “Mousetrap” in Toronto where it’s Canada’s longest running play of 26 years. Until I saw it here last Friday night with the biggest Providence Players’ crowd I’ve ever seen, the ending escaped me.
(An usher told me an even bigger crowd was expected this weekend. All tickets are $25 with discounts for seniors and students.)
The murderer will guarantee a good time and you can learn the secret to longevity.
Other key production team
members are: Kevin A. Harnisch, producer and properties; Micheal J. O’Connor, stage manager; Adam Konowe, lighting and fight choreographer; Farrell Hartigan, costumes; Robbie Snow, hair and makeup.
Now through Oct. 25, 2025, Thursday – Saturdays, 7:30 p.m., and a Sunday matinee, Oct. 19, 2025 at 2 p.m. James Lee Community Center Theater, 2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church 22042 with plenty of free, lighted parking. For more information, call (703) 425-6782 or write news@ providenceplayers.org.
Abby Smith as Miss Casewell and Joshua Mutterperl as Christopher Wren in Providence Players’ “The Mousetrap”.(Photo: Chip Gertzog)
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News & Notes
Final 2 F.C. Council Candidate Forums Next Week
The only forum involving all five candidates for the Falls Church School Board this election cycle will be held tonight (Oct. 16) at Meridian High School on the Noonan Learning Stairs at 7 p.m. The candidates Lori Silverman (incumbent), Sharon Mergler, Anne Sherwood (incumbent), MaryKate Hughes and Kathleen Tysse (incumbent) are all expected to be present.
The final two formal forums to which all six candidates competing for four open seats on the Falls Church City Council will be held in the coming week. Back-to-back, the candidates have all been invited to appear at the monthly luncheon of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce next Tuesday, Oct. 21, at noon at the Italian Cafe, and the next day at an event at 7:30 p.m. hosted jointly by the Citizens for a Better City and Falls Church Forward at the conference room at the 301 W. Broad apartments.
F.C. Arts Annual Plein Air Winners Announced
Artists competed for over $5,000 in prizes at the 16th annual Falls Church Arts Plein Air Festival competition October 4. Around 500 onlookers cast votes for the People’s Choice Award winner, Unrushed Light by Abinaya Ayyamperumal. Juror Ted Reed selected the remaining prize winners:
First Place: Children at Cherry Hill by Ginger Browning; Second Place: Little Falls Café – Let’s Roll into Fall by Dipali Rabadiya; Third Place: Evening at Tallwood by Arker Kyah; Barbara Cram Plein Air Prize: Praying by Jinsheng Song.
The June Beyer Art Quick Draw Awards went to: First Place: Farmers Market by Dipali Rabadiya; Second Place: The Vegetable by Yik Chak Phan; Third Place: Bird Your Own Banquet by Lauren McDanell.
The prizes were made possible by the generous contributions of Plein Air Festival sponsors: The June and Mike Beyer Family Charitable Fund, New Editions Consulting, Inc.,Tori McKinney ROCK STAR realty group, June Beyer Art, The Kensington Falls Church and Founders Row.
Statewide Survey: LGBTQ+ Citizens Are Worried
By Emily Grinstead VCU Capital News Service
The LGBTQ+ community say same-sex marriage, discrimination and transgender rights are top issues driving their votes this year. Some attendees at Virginia Pridefest, held Sept. 27, said fear of state and federal actions are motivators in the upcoming gubernatorial election. Actions by the federal government could impact state legislation, and attendees hope elected
officials will protect Virginians.
An executive order issued by President Donald Trump on his first day in office states that the government recognizes two biological sexes, defined as male and female.
The current administration of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued school policy in 2022 that transgender students must join sports teams, use bathrooms, locker rooms, and other facilities that correspond with their biological sex.
Youngkin recently issued an executive directive to support the Virginia Board of Health beginning a process to ban transgender athletes from female sports. This follows the U.S. Department of Education finding five Northern Virginia school districts in violation of Title IX for bathroom policies, and threatening funding. Nearly 4 percent of Virginians identify as LGBTQ+, according to the Williams Institute. Both gubernatorial candidates have spoken on issues relevant to this population.
Abigail Spanberger, Democratic nominee for governor, promises to ensure the rights of LGBTQ+ Virginians and support legislation that would enshrine marriage equality in Virginia, according to Spanberger’s campaign website.
Winsome Earle-Sears, Republican nominee for governor, published an opinion piece in the Washington Post stating that transgender and nonbinary bathroom policies in Virginia schools violate Title IX.
Pride Night This Thursday At Creative Cauldron Show
The Creative Cauldron in Falls Church is hosting a Pride Night this Thursday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in conjunction with a performance of the highly-acclaimed musical, “The Turn of the Screw.” A special post-performance discussion with its co-writers Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith and reception open to all play attendees will highlight this LGBTQ+ affirming evening.
2 F.C. Restaurants Make A Final D.C. Top 40 List
Two City of Falls Church restaurants have made Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsma’s final list before retiring of top 40 restaurants in the wider D.C. region. The new Vietnamese restaurant in Founders Row, Nue Elegantly Vietnamese, has made the list and the other is Ban Mi Oi, the wildly popular take-out location in the Eden Center.
While the highly acclaimed Elly Bird did not make his list, it’s owners’ other restaurant, Rooster and Owl, did.
The Post also featured Falls Church’s Lazy Mike’s Deli In its weekend edition as a prime location for a pastrami sandwich.
FOLLOWING A PERFORMANCE to a capacity house at the Falls Church Episcopal Church last week, Yale University Whiffenpoofs singer Quincy Rosenzweig (center) met with audience members. (Photo: News-Press)
PUMPKIN DECORATING, blacksmith demonstrations, and pony rides brought crowds to Cherry Hill Park for Falls Church Farm Day. (Photos: Gary Mester)
PICTURES FROM AROUND F.C.
CANDIDATES FOR THE FALLS CHURCH CITY COUNCIL this fall running in an election that culminates on Nov. 4 appeared at a Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS) meet and greet in Founders Row last week. They included (l. to r.) James Thompson, VPIS moderator Barbara Lipsky, Brian Pendleton, Arthur Agin, Marybeth Connelly and Laura Downs. Two more candidate forums are set for next week. (Photo: News-Press)
the
AT THE GRAND OPENING of the Levine School of Music’s new location in Falls Church last week, V-P of Marketing Bobby Conselatore (left) chatted with Levine CEO Jeffrey Tribble Jr. (Photo: News-Press)
IN AN ANNUAL TRADITION, windows of businesses in downtown Falls Church have been decorated by citizens with Halloween themes, like this one at rhe CVS Pharmacy. (Photo: News-Press)
CO-EDITORS OF THE MERIDIAN High School student newspaper, The Lasso, were also honored with Virginia School Boards Assocation Media Honor Roll recognition at the F.C. School Board meeting last week. Shown here are Alba Selle and Rachel Grooms. (Photo: News-Press)
THE MONTHLY MEETING of the Falls Church Economic Development Authority was held at City Hall with a full agenda. (Photo: News-Press)
FAMILIES PACKED
Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department’s Open House on Saturday, Oct. 11, enjoying station tours, live demonstrations, and kids’ fire-safety activities during Fire Prevention Week. (Photo: Gary Mester)
Lawsuits Pile Up as Americans Push Back Against Data Agenda
by Nick Gatz
Part 3 in a series on Technology, Power, and the Trump Administration.
Freedom is not being taken by tanks in the streets. It is being taken in data centers and federal contracts. In 2025, the Trump-Vance administration has built an unprecedented machinery of data consolidation, and Americans are meeting it in the courts.
In Part 1 of this series, the News-Press reported on how algorithms invisibly shape what people see, believe, and even vote for. In Part 2, we revealed how new Titans like Zuckerberg, Musk, Thiel, Bezos, and BlackRock have merged their monopolies with politics, creating systems of control that reach into every part of life. In Part 3, those fears are no longer theoretical. They are already being tested in lawsuits that could decide the future of democracy.
On September 30, the League of Women Voters of the United States, joined by its Virginia and Louisiana chapters, filed a class action lawsuit in federal court along with the Electronic Privacy Information Center. Represented by Democracy Forward, CREW, and the Fair Elections Center, the plaintiffs accuse the administration of secretly creating “National Data Banks” that consolidate massive amounts of sensitive information.
These efforts are no accident. They echo Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s 900-page
Trump term, which explicitly called for dismantling federal guardrails and consolidating government data systems under tighter executive control. What critics once feared as theory is now surfacing in legal complaints across the country.
The Virginia connection is key. Joan Porte, president of the League of Women Voters of Virginia, is one of the lead plaintiffs. She said Virginians “deserve the assurance that their right to privacy and right to vote will be protected” and described the databases as an illegal invasion of residents’ most personal records.
The complaint spells out what these systems contain: Social Security records, IRS tax returns, HHS and Medicaid files, Department of Labor data, state voter registrations, biometric identifiers, and even children’s case files. The lawsuit argues that by pooling such sensitive data, the government is violating both the Privacy Act of 1974 and the U.S. Constitution.
Already, the merged data has been repurposed to purge voter rolls. In Virginia, civil rights groups fear that naturalized citizens could be disproportionately flagged as “non-citizens” based on outdated or mismatched records, putting their right to vote at risk in 2026 and beyond. The plaintiffs warn that hundreds of thousands of legitimate voters nationwide could be stripped from rolls in the same way.
New York and California have filed suits to stop the administration from seizing Supplemental
records, which contain the Social Security numbers and immigration status of more than seven million families. Attorneys general in both states warn the demand will terrify households into abandoning food aid for fear of surveillance.
At the same time, the Justice Department has sued California, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and New Hampshire to force them to turn over their full voter registration lists. These files include addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers for tens of millions of voters. State election officials describe the move as an unprecedented federal takeover of voter rolls.
This push is straight out of “Project 2025,” which advocated expanding federal oversight of state elections to fight “fraud.” Opponents argue that in practice, it risks mass disenfranchisement by turning clerical errors into grounds for expulsion from the rolls.
California has also filed a separate lawsuit to block Medicaid health records from being shared with immigration enforcement. More than fifteen million Californians are enrolled in the program, and the state argues that handing over their files would violate HIPAA protections.
Unions are also taking action. The American Federation of Teachers and other groups have sued to prevent the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency from collecting stu-
ment records, and Treasury data.
Earlier this year, 19 attorneys general won an injunction that stopped the department from accessing Treasury’s payment systems, which process more than five trillion dollars annually in tax refunds and Social Security checks. The ruling marked the first major legal setback for the administration’s data agenda.
The Privacy Act of 1974 was written after Watergate to prevent the creation of national databases. HIPAA was passed in 1996 to guarantee the privacy of medical records. Both laws are being tested now.
History has already shown the danger of data hoarding.
In 2015, hackers breached the Office of Personnel Management and stole records of 21.5 million Americans, including fingerprints and security clearance files. Intelligence officials believe those records are now in the hands of foreign adversaries. The new systems being built are far larger and far more dangerous.
Once created, these databases will not disappear. They will outlast presidents and elections. Whoever controls them will control the people they contain. And if “Project 2025’s” central vision is fulfilled, that control will be concentrated in the executive branch with minimal checks and balances.
Falls Church has about 15,000 registered voters. Even a one percent error rate in a national purge system could wrongly flag 150 local residents. In a city
ed by small margins, that could swing outcomes.
Families using SNAP or Medicaid could see their personal data exposed without consent. Students with loans could have their financial records tracked and analyzed by political operatives. Seniors relying on Social Security could have their payments tied to files in a federal data vault.
The lawsuits are not remote skirmishes in Washington. They are about whether citizens in communities like Falls Church will have their rights protected or stripped away by code and databases.
The courts now face a historic test. If judges enforce the Privacy Act and HIPAA, they may stop the consolidation of personal data and preserve the boundaries between state and citizen. If they do not, the architecture of a data-driven state will stand.
The lawsuits piling up are the first line of resistance. What is at stake is not just privacy, but the survival of democracy itself. Freedom may not be lost in a single dramatic moment. It may vanish through a login, a purge, or a breach.
And this is only the beginning. In Part 4 of this series, the NewsPress will examine what happens when the government hands its power to private corporations with no oversight and no accountability. These companies are building custom systems that lock Americans into closed platforms where one corporation holds absolute control over identity, records, and rights. If national data banks are dangerous, outsourcing them to private Titans could prove irreversible.
Falls Church News-Press
OCTOBER 16 - 22, 2025 | PAGE 15
‘One Battle After Another’: Powerful Action Movie Review
By Lisa Sinrod
This R-rated film is an action thriller which mixes elements of political commentary, satire and dark comedy in a big scale production. Directed, written and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson, who is known for his ambitious storytelling and character driven plots, it was released on September 26. I had high hopes, given the reputation and prior works of the director and a cast including Leonardo DiCaprio as activist Bob Ferguson and Sean Penn as military strategist Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw. The film is many things, including chaotic, dramatic, over the top, and at times tender, with the multiple themes seeming to vie with each other.
It opens with a violent and complex operation by a radi -
cal group called French 75, on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Bob Ferguson and key operative Perfidia (played convincingly and passionately by Teyana Taylor) are leaders in the movement to free detained immigrants and take hostages amongst the opposition, which includes Sean Penn’s character (Lockjaw). Racist overtones are apparent with Lockjaw and some of his military cohorts. Penn and DiCaprio play well off each other in the cat and mouse game between these two strong willed individuals, although Penn overacts his character to the detriment of the performance. Bob and Perfidia are romantic partners, which has something of a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde feel as they plan their attacks. Early in the film, the story jumps forward 16 years. At
this point, Perfidia has vanished after giving birth to a girl named Willa, who is now a teen. Having left the movement, Bob is raising this child off the grid in an effort to stay safe after his years of trying to challenge oppression and systemic injustice.
Chase Infiniti, making her feature film debut, does an exemplary job playing Willa. DiCaprio turns in a quality performance as he portrays Bob navigating parenthood while also trying to maintain his revolutionary ideals. It’s a change to see DiCaprio in the role of a life-weary man in middle age. In the fast forward, Colonel Lockjaw continues to be obsessed with the former French 75 leaders and it seems that his ego is at stake in still chasing them down. The film’s best performance turned out to
be Benicio del Toro as a karate instructor who aids Bob and his daughter Willa when new drama erupts involving their safety. He plays the role with both heart and irony, displaying his powerhouse of talent.
“One Battle After Another” has heavy themes and thus, I found the comedic twists to be misplaced as if they didn’t belong. Throughout the film, there’s a tension involving political and ideological conflict as well as around the navigation of family responsibility, love and loss. The movie explores the limits and contradictions of the activism that Bob and Perfidia engaged in during their earlier years. They viewed themselves as ground-breaking revolutionaries, willing to risk almost anything for their cause, and the long view back seems to pon -
der whether it was worth it as well as a question about what was accomplished. Whether the movie is giving a nod to current events in our world seems unclear. It is important to note that the setting is an alternate version of the U.S. A key through line of the script is the concept of state oppression. At 2 hours and 41 minutes, I found the movie to be overly long. However, there is a lot to experience in this smorgasbord of a film. It is anything but light, and ends with questions and poignancy. My high hopes weren’t fully met, yet the film is likely a worthwhile experience for anyone finding these themes or actors to be of interest. For those who enjoy pure action and innovative chase scenes, this is also probably a good choice.
Guest Commentary: There is No Shortcut to the Brown Vote!
By David Hoffman
With those words of challenge to Democrats in Virginia, still looking and hoping to return Hispanic voters to the Democratic Party fold on Election Day November 4, Marco Davis addressed a group of party activists gathered to hear him speak last week at the venerable Woman’s National Democratic Club in Washington DC.
“Don’t guess what Latinos need and want. Ask them!” Davis explained at the WNDC event, held at The Whittemore House in DuPont Circle. “The Hispanic population is not a monolith but is instead a patchwork quilt born of at least 20 countries and not always even speaking the same language,” after pointing out that some speak Portuguese not Spanish, and many speak English primarily or exclusively.
Even if they speak Spanish, “their heritages, their national customs and traditions, are not identical,” he declared, adding that just getting “close is not good enough to motivate a voter.” (He acknowledged that using the terms Hispanic and Latino in overlapping ways is somewhat imprecise, but that most co-called Brown people
use the terms essentially interchangeably.)
“There is no shortcut to the Brown vote,” explained Davis, president and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the research arm of the all-Democratic Hispanic membership. (Until 2000, when its three Republicans resigned, the caucus was bipartisan.)
“Increasingly in Congress there’s a toxic mood,” he added, largely due to the near total grip on the Republican Party today by Donald Trump’s malevolent and feral style.
“Party politics have overwhelmed the Hispanic caucus, especially concerning Latino Republicans, where loyalty to Trump has triumphed over ethnic solidarity with Democrats.”
Davis himself identifies as Afro-Latino, as his father is Jamaican but entered the US via Mexico after time spent there.
A graduate of Yale University, he currently is a Terker Distinguished Fellow at George Washington University and a former member of President Biden’s Commission on White House Fellowships.
Davis told the WNDC gathering that there are now roughly 68 million Hispanics in the US, citing Census Bureau estimates, so about 20 percent or one in
five are US residents, including those who are undocumented as well as those legally living in this country. He said that 80 percent are believed to be US citizens. “More than 25 percent or one in four of those under 18 are Hispanic, and of those 95 percent are US citizens.”
According to Davis, Latinos are now the largest so-called nonWhite ethnic group on college campuses.
When it comes to Hispanic voting behaviors, Davis agreed that the data clearly documents an increased Hispanic trend to vote more Republican than before. This trend towards the GOP accelerated in 2016 and continued to jump higher still in 2020 and 2024. But Davis demurred when asked to project what will happen in Virginia next month. He just didn’t know enough to be confident, he said.
During an exclusive interview with him, I asked if an explanation for the past increase in Republican Hispanic voter turnout might be the presence of the so-called Latino Machismo Factor, one driven of late by the explosive psycho-sexual dynamite of heated community controversy over Transsexuals in school bathrooms and sports locker rooms. Again Davis demurred. “I just don’t know
enough,” he said, adding that “The jury is still out.”
Then Davis challenged the very notion of so-called Machismo even being especially more prevalent among Hispanics. Patriarchal attitudes and deeply embedded misogyny are widespread throughout all corners of society, he explained, including women as well as men, arising in how the masculinist culture reproduces itself widely beginning in childhood and beyond.
Perhaps our gaze needs to shift from Davis and social science and go instead to literature and art, to the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and the Mexican American memoirist Richard Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who is gay, is the author of a trilogy of meditative books reflecting on his life, the most recent of which is “BROWN: The Last Discovery of America” published in 2002. It’s been cited by one reviewer as filled with “linguistic bravado” and “images with the brio of Shakespeare and the wicked humor of a political cartoonist.”
I first spoke to Rodriguez in 2003, when he appeared at a discussion of his book hosted by the US Department of Labor, and he confided in me that his book and his appearance was of course, among other things, a “perfor-
mance” meant to challenge listeners and readers, and not always to be taken strictly literally. For one thing, he told me that he did not feel especially Hispanic himself and that he personally identified more as African American and also as Irish Catholic.
In his book, he reflects on the color Brown itself and the meaning of Hispanics in America today. According to Rodriguez, America has actually been Brown since its inception after 1492 through what is now often celebrated as Indigenous Day, not Columbus Day. Profound and poetic, the color Brown comes into view, says Rodriguez, in the very moment of ultimate diversity when the African and the European meet within the Indian eye.
But I stand by my literal forecast for how Virginian Hispanics will vote this Election Year, which is Democratic, and in a landslide. I got a hint of how right my prediction will turn out recently, over lunch in Arlington’s Pentagon City. Our waiter, Jose, was from Mexico originally. At first, he was a little hesitant when I asked him pointblank how he intended to vote next month (he’s a citizen now). But when he finally answered his voice was steady: Democratic. (Next question, why? To be continued.)
This Week Around Falls Church
Thurs, October 16
Falls Church Fiber Artists
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Upper Level Conference Room
Fall Storytime
10:30–11:00 a.m.
MRSPL, Lower Level Conference Room
Playtime with Early Literacy Center
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
MRSPL, Lower Level Conference Room
“Raise Some Dough” for MRSPL Foundation
4:00–8:00 p.m.
Panera, 450 W. Broad St. (use code FUND4U)
Creative Cauldron: The Turn of the Screw: The Musical
7:30 p.m.
127 E. Broad St.
FCCPS School Board
Candidate Forum
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
The Learning Stairs, Meridian High School
Fri, October 17
Fall Baby Time
10:30–11:00 a.m.
MRSPL, Lower Level Conference Room
Used Book Sale (Preview; 5-item limit)
1:00–5:00 p.m.
MRSPL, Upper Level Conference Room
Sunset Cinema (People’s Choice Film)
6:45–9:00 p.m.
Cherry Hill Park, 312 Park Ave.
State Theatre: New York’s Finest — Tribute to Sting & The Police
7:00 p.m. doors / 8:30 p.m. show
The State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St. Sat, October 18
Falls Church Farmers Market
8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
City Hall Parking Lot, 300 Park Ave.
No Kings Rally – Falls Church
9:30–11:30 a.m.
Broad St. (Rt. 7) from North Roosevelt St. to Haycock Rd.
Used Book Sale
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
MRSPL, Upper Level Conference Room
No Kings Day March –Arlington
12:00–3:00 p.m. Welborn Square, Arlington
Falls Church Ghost Tour
6:00 p.m.
Cherry Hill Farmhouse & Park, 312 Park Ave. (90-min walking tour; $10 donation or canned goods requested)
State Theatre: Saved By The 90s — A 90s Dance Party
8:00 p.m. doors / 9:00 p.m. show
The State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St.
Sun, October 19
Used Book Sale
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
MRSPL, Upper Level Conference Room
Meet the Wizard: A Conversation with UFC Fighter Ryan Hall
Chamber of Commerce: City Council Candidate Forum 12:00 p.m. Italian Cafe
Armchair Travel: Istanbul and “Hidden Turkey” 1:30–2:30 p.m.
MRSPL, Upper Level Conference Room
Wed, October 22
CBC & Falls Church Forward F.C. City Council Forum 7:30–9:00 p.m. 301
Ongoing this week
LEGAL NOTICE
VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE
Final day of registration is Friday, October 24th for the November 4th, 2025 General Election. Sample Ballots can be found online: http://www.fallschurchva. gov/vote
All citizens, including those who are currently 17 years old, who will turn 18 years old by the November 4, 2025, General Election are eligible to register and vote.
Online Voter Registration and early/absentee ballot by mail applications: http:// www.vote.virginia.gov/
Deadline for applications submitted online via the Virginia Department of Election website is 11:59 pm on October 24th, 2025. Only applicants with a DMV ID like a driver’s license can submit an application electronically and these applications may also be untimely if missing material information. Please note: those applications filled out online that are required to be printed and delivered to the registrar should be treated as regular mailed in applications and need to be postmarked by October 24, 2025, to meet the deadline. The 5:00 p.m. deadline on October 24, 2025, applies if any of these are submitted in-person at the registrar’s office.
The deadline for mailed in applications remains that they be postmarked by October 24, 2025.
Early/Absentee Voting for the City of Falls Church
In-Person early voting began in May at our office at City Hall, 300 Park Ave, and will continue through Saturday, November 1st, 2025. During that time, residents wishing to vote early can do so 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday. We are open the following additional hours. Saturday, October 25th: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, October 26th: Noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday, October 29th: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, November 1st: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mailed ballots with a postmark no later than November 4th, 2025 can be received by our office until noon on Friday, November 7th, 2025.
Vote By Mail: The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot by mail is Friday, October 24th, 2025, but we don’t recommend that you wait that long. Election Day Reminders for the City of Falls Church
and
Residents are reminded that on Election Day, street parking is available on both sides of Little Falls Street by the Community Center and on Oak, Seaton, Fellows, Parker, Timber, and Jackson near Oak Street Elementary School. Additional details, can be found online at www.fallschurchva.gov/Vote. Contact the Registrar’s office at 703-248-5085 (TTY 711) or vote@fallschurchva.gov for more information.
NOTICE Supreme Barbeque LLC, trading as Mang Eton Filipino Food 6920 Braddock Rd STE J, Annandale, VA 22003 is applying to the Virginia ABC board for a Restaurant, Wine, Beer, Consumed On and Off Premises License. NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of 2 required newspaper legal notice. Objections should be registered at www.abc. virginia.gov or 800-552-3200
AUCTIONS
ATTN. AUCTIONEERS: Promote your upcoming auctions statewide! Affordable Print and Digital Solutions reaching your target audience. Call this paper or Landon Clark at Virginia Press Services 804-521-7576, landonc@vpa.net
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We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal
newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-8530. Toll free call (888) 551-3247. For the hearing impaired call (804) 367-9753.
Meridian Football Rests Up, Field Hockey Streak Hits Double Digits
By Ryan McCafferty
It was a light week for sports action at Meridian High School, but with fall playoff season coming up right around the corner, it won’t stay that way for long. Let’s take a look at where every Mustang program stands.
Football was on a bye week, remaining 3-3 before gearing up for the road contest at Brentsville this week. PJ Anderson’s squad has had a few key players out injured who they’ll be hoping to get back on Friday night.
Field hockey finally returned
home for the first time in nearly a month, beating Thomas Edison 6-0 last Wednesday a day after taking down Liberty (Bealeton) 7-0 on the road. That brings them to 11-1 on the season, with all eleven wins coming consecutively after dropping their season opener back on August 25th. This week, they’ll host Kettle Run tonight.
The boys’ volleyball team took a pair of road losses, in three sets at Herndon last Tuesday and in four at Marshall last Thursday. That drops them to 3-13 for the year, with a chance to get back
in the win column at South Lakes tonight. The girls meanwhile kept on rolling, holding serve in two home games against Brentsville on Monday and Fauquier last Tuesday, each in three sets. They’ll be at Manassas Park tonight as they look to extend their winning streak to five, while improving upon their 11-5 overall record.
Cross country was off this past week, but will compete in the Third Battle Invitational this coming Saturday. That will wrap up their regular season.
MERIDIAN JUNIOR DREW FISHEL (far right) shot a 74 to tie for fourth place at the Class 3 State Golf Championship, earning All-State honors and helping the Mustangs finish third in Virginia.(Photo: FCCPS Photos/Tim Sample)
Our Man In Arlington
Bill Fogarty
This month’s “Front-Page News” column takes us back to October 23, 1930. What was going on in Arlington and the nation 95 years ago? It turns out that this was a politically controversial time in the County; and it was also a politically challenging time for everyone in the nation. The Wall Street crash of October 1929 marked the beginning of the worldwide Great Depression that lasted for over a decade. One year later, there already were efforts to “feed the hungry jobless”, as noted in this Washington Evening Star front-page headline on October 23, 1930: “U.S. Wheat To Aid Unemployed”.
The headline in the adjacent column on the front-page contained a reference that echoes to this day: “Jews To Ask U.S. Help In Palestine”. But the greatest amount of front-page news coverage was devoted to a murder trial where the accused was an Arlington businessman, Herbert Campbell. Two articles were devoted to the testimony given at trial, which included witnesses who stated that Campbell had “the same general appearance of the man they saw struggling” with the young woman who had been murdered. (It turns out that their testimony was not convincing, and Campbell eventually was acquitted, with the murder never solved.)
Arlington news with a more mundane tone related to the ongoing political controversy regarding Arlington’s governance structure – a controversy that lives on to the present day. The Evening Star devoted three articles to its coverage of a proposal to get rid of the then-current structure (three Board members, one each from three distinct geographic districts). In very Arlington-like fashion, a coalition group was formed to lobby for the new proposal, which had three components: expand the board to five members; have at-large positions only; and switch to a new government structure known as “the
County Manager plan”.
This coalition group went by the name of The Better Government League, and it included the most powerful organizations of that time: the Civic Federation, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Bar Association. The newspaper articles included endorsements by the Ashton Heights and Lyon Village civic associations. But all good controversies seem to inspire counter-coalitions, and in the local newspaper, The Chronicle , there was an editorial opposing the changes, and giving coverage to a new coalition group, the Voters Service Club, which also opposed the changes.
In reading the various accounts, it seems that the main point of contention was only about the move to at-large elections. I must say that the points made by The Better Government League were a bit misleading, but in the subsequent referendum vote, The Better Government League won on all three proposals. Ironically, in less than a decade, there were calls for changes and tweaks. The Civic Federation successfully called for the use of staggered terms later in the 1930s, and then, in the 1940s, changed their mind and unsuccessfully called for a return to having all five positions elected in the same year.
The evolution of Arlington’s governance structure, and its political parties, will be the subject of a talk I will be giving at the Glencarlyn Library on Tuesday, October 21 at 7:00 p.m. I am finding that this history has relevance when considering the recent legislation proposed earlier this year by Delegate Patrick Hope. I will mostly touch upon the 20th century history of Arlington’s structure, but will also review the issues highlighted by the recent legislation: Should the number of Board members be expanded? Should geographic districts be included? Should the staggered term system be modified? And... might Arlington end up with an updated version of The Better Government League in 2026? Stay tuned!
Delegate Marcus Simon’s Richmond Report
The office of Attorney General in Virginia is often overlooked, buried down-ballot beneath the governor’s race and even some state legislative contests. But make no mistake: this office is one of the most consequential in the Commonwealth not only for its influence on Virginians’ daily lives, but for its power to check federal overreach when Washington veers off course. In the age of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the party that holds this office will determine whether Virginia stands up for the rule of law or stands aside.
As the Commonwealth’s chief legal officer, the Attorney General doesn’t just give legal advice or defend state agencies. The AG decides when to sue the federal government, whether to join multi-state coalitions to protect civil rights or the environment, and how aggressively to enforce consumer protection laws. The AG’s opinions can shape state policy for years. When the federal government acts beyond its authority, it’s the state attorneys general who decide whether to fight back or to cooperate.
That’s why the upcoming race for Virginia Attorney General has drawn national attention and national money. It’s not just about Richmond politics. It’s about whether Virginia will be a firewall for democracy and constitutional order at a time when federal institutions are under pressure to bend to partisan will.
We’ve already seen what can happen when those institutions bend. In September, Erik Siebert, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, reportedly resigned after resisting pressure from Trump administration officials to bring criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, the AG who successfully prosecuted Trump for civil fraud in New York. Federal prosecutors in Virginia concluded there was no probable cause for the charges. But within days of Siebert’s departure, Trump installed Lindsey Halligan, a longtime Trump ally with no prior prosecutorial experience, as interim U.S. Attorney. Halligan promptly presented the case to a grand jury, resulting in an indictment many legal experts viewed as politically motivated.
Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner decried the move as retaliation for Siebert’s refusal to “weaponize federal law enforcement.” The episode underscores a chilling reality that when the independence of the Justice Department is compromised, state attorneys general may be the last line of defense for accountability and constitutional norms.
During Trump’s first term, Democratic attorneys general from states like California, New York, and Massachusetts success-
fully blocked dozens of unlawful federal actions – from the travel ban to the rollback of environmental protections to efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. If Virginia’s AG had joined those coalitions, the Commonwealth’s 8.8 million residents would have had a stronger voice in those national fights.
Instead, under Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, Virginia has charted a different course that aligns closely with Trump-era priorities. Miyares has used his office to investigate locally elected prosecutors, issue politically charged “reports” on Commonwealth’s Attorneys he disagrees with, and withdraw Virginia from multistate coalitions defending abortion rights, voting access, and environmental protections.
If the next AG shares that philosophy, Virginians should expect the office to cooperate with, rather than check, Trump’s federal agenda even when that agenda undermines state autonomy or civil rights. But if a Democrat wins, the office could once again serve as a counterweight, joining national efforts to protect the rule of law, fight censorship, and preserve basic rights under the U.S. and Virginia Constitutions.
There is a lot at stake in this election. The Attorney General’s office influences whether Virginia sues to block harmful federal rollbacks in education, housing, or environmental policy. It affects how forcefully the state protects consumers from predatory corporations or defends the rights of LGBTQ+ Virginians when the federal government won’t. And it determines whether Virginia stands with other states in defending reproductive freedom and access to healthcare, both of which are once again on the chopping block.
Every administration tests the boundaries of power. But the Trump administration has shown a willingness to cross them, pressuring prosecutors to pursue political enemies and punishing those who refuse. The federal system was designed to withstand such pressure because the founders envisioned strong, independent states with their own legal guardians. In Virginia, that guardian is the Attorney General.
So when voters head to the polls over the next few weeks, they’ll be choosing more than a lawyer for the state. They’ll be choosing whether Virginia remains a state that upholds the Constitution or one that looks the other way when it’s violated.
This is why I’m not getting distracted by the noise. I know Jay Jones will represent the best interests of the Commonwealth and protect the things my constituents in Falls Church care about the most.
