October 27 - November 2, 2016
Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee
Fou n d ed 1991 • Vol. X X V I No. 36
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week Mason High Ranked #4 In Va. By U.S. News Falls Church’s George Mason High School was the fourth ranked high school in Virginia according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 high school ranking issue. See News Briefs, page 8
Matt Hills Helps Keep Mason Well-Balanced
By 4-3 Vote, F.C. Council Puts $200K Of Surplus to Pedestrian Safety Steps
Big Turnout as Adults, Children Cite Dangers On Lincoln Avenue
by Nicholas F. Benton
George Mason High School’s Matt Hills is entering his fourth year at the school, but it’s his first as the school’s principal, taking over the position after his predecessor Tyrone Byrd stepped down last May.
Falls Church News-Press
celebrates its history and community character and invests in its neighborhoods, schools and natural environment. These community investments are made possible by a growing population and economy.” In terms of the extensive “visioning process” to date, inclusive since June 17 of two community meetings, a school town hall, four “pop up” discussions around town, and a survey with 472 respondents, at least four steps in the process are planned before a projected final adoption
By a narrow 4-3 vote, a majority on the Falls Church City Council Monday night voted to allocate $200,000 of the $921,000 surplus from the Fiscal Year 2016 budget for traffic calming. It was conceded, though, that with the onset of the late fall and winter seasons, no significant work could be done until the spring, even after the FY18 budget is adopted in April. However, a large turnout of adults and their young children to the City Council meeting Monday proved persuasive, especially concerning the need for crosswalks along the stint of Lincoln Avenue in the City between the Lincoln Park at Great Falls and the City limits near Yucatan Street. That wide strip is notorious for speeding motorists as a cut-through to get on I-66 especially during rush hours and there are no pedestrian crosswalks there now. Parents and children alike, ranging from articulate Mt. Daniel Elementary to Henderson Middle School students, testified before the Council on the hazards of trying to get across Lincoln Avenue now. “It is a fatality waiting to happen,” said parent Sarah Tarpgaard. The intersection at Meridian, where there are school bus stops on either side of Lincoln, presents a particular hazard, she and others said. Council members noted that there are other neighborhoods in the City where similar problems exist, but the debate on the
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See page 9
David Brooks: The Epidemic of Worry
We’ve had a tutorial on worry this year. The election campaign isn’t really about policy proposals, issue solutions or even hope. It’s led by two candidates who arouse gargantuan anxieties, fear and hatred in their opponents. See page 14
Press Pass with HalfNoise
Zac Farro, the ex-Paramore drummer and creator of the indie rock musical project HalfNoise, recently returned from Los Angeles to his home base in Nashville, where he is gearing up for a month-long tour. See page 25
Index Editorial..................6 Letters..............6, 18 News & Notes.12-13 Comment......... 14-17 Sports..................19 Calendar.........20-21
Business News....22 Food & Dining......23 Classified Ads .26-27 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword...........29 Critter Corner.......30
BOY SCOUT MEMBERS OF DEN 5, Pack 681 at St. James School weighed in for better traffic calming and pedestrian safety measures in their appearance before the Falls Church City Council Monday night. (Photo: News-Press)
Population, Economic Growth Words Included in Draft Vision by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
“The elegant simplicity” in the last sentence of the City of Falls Church’s draft new “vision statement” is how F.C. City Councilman Phil Duncan described it at Monday’s City Council meeting. The sentence in the short statement seemed to draw the most attention as the Council reviewed the long history that’s gone into crafting the new words. It credits “a growing population and economy,” for making possible the community’s invest-
ments in its core values. F.C. Principal Planner Paul Stoddard affirmed that the placement of that sentence was considered both important for acknowledging reality, and self-evident. The entire draft vision statement component of the City’s Comprehensive Plan, which has been the subject of so much discussion and appeals for public input from City Hall, reads as follows: “In the year 2040, the City of Falls Church is an independent, walkable small city within the Northern Virginia region. Through all the changes, the City