November 3 – 9, 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. 37
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week Mason Row Site Plan Submitted
The Falls Church Planning Department confirmed that developers of the 4.3-acre Mason Row mixed use project have filed their site plan for review by the department and the Planning Commission. See News Briefs, page 8
Falls Church Halloween Carnival Photos Inside Revelers gathered at the Falls Church Community Center Saturday to partake in the City’s annual Halloween carnival filled with games, arts and crafts, a haunted house and more.
Local Library Bond Measure on F.C. Ballot With Clinton-Trump Beyer Race, Too;
In 10th Can Bennett Upend Comstock?
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
The two groups with their 14 members decided to create a working group of two members from each to work with the City’s Link Strategic Partners consultants in hopes of meeting an accelerated schedule of planning for decisions on the land by next spring that will be ready for a public referendum to bond for a new and/or renovated Mason High by November 2017.
With a new tightening in the polls energizing voters nationally who’d otherwise be operating on fumes by now, one of the most important presidential elections in memory comes to every U.S. citizen Tuesday. Three polling places in the City of Falls Church will, like those throughout the Commonwealth, be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8. The City of Falls Church has a long-standing record of turning out the highest percentage of its registered voters in the entire state for presidential elections, and the keen interest here suggests this time will be no exception. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a former first lady and U.S. Senator from New York, is seeking the U.S. presidency as a Democrat with her running mate, Virginia’s own Tim Kaine. She is pitted against New York developer and reality TV personality Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Michael Pence. Also on the ballot in Virginia are the Libertarian Party’s Gary Johnson, the Green Party’s Jill Stein, and Utah-based independent Evan McMullin. Locally, Democratic Congressman Don Beyer, long hailed as Falls Church’s “Favorite Son” since he moved from his City-based car dealership and leader in the local Chamber of Commerce to seek statewide election in 1989. Now, he is on the ballot seeking a second term as our U.S. Congressman from the 8th District. He faces opposition from
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See photos, page 24
David Brooks: Read Buber, Not the Polls!
We’ve got the self-enclosed narcissism of Donald Trump and, to a lesser degree, the mistrustful defensiveness of Hillary Clinton’s campaign. See page 14
Press Pass with Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin, who just started a tour of the U.S. and Europe in Vermont on Tuesday likes to create an intimate atmosphere at his shows. He said that in preparation for his tours he sits on his couch and plays his songs over and over again by himself. See page 29
DEMOCRAT LUANN BENNETT (right), challenging incumbent Republican Barbara Comstock in the 10th District that runs from McLean to western Loudoun County, is shown at an event at her campaign office recently, accompanied by U.S. Senator Mark Warner and State Del. Kathleen Murphy (left). (Photo: News-Press)
F.C. City School Enrollment Projected to Double by 2032 by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Index Editorial..................6 Letters....................6 News & Notes.12-13 Comment...14-16, 21 Sports..................19 Business News....25
Food & Dining......27 Calendar.........30-31 Classified Ads .....32 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword...........33 Critter Corner.......34
Projections from the WeldonCooper firm show that enrollment in the Falls Church City Public Schools will almost double from 2,065 students this fall to 3,915 by the year 2032, the Falls Church School Board was told at its meeting Tuesday night. W i t h a capacity of 750 now, George Mason High School enrollment is projected to soar above 1,000 by 2021, and even with its expan-
sion and renovation now scheduled to begin this summer, Mt. Daniel Elementary School will hit its “hard enrollment cap” also by 2021. The data formed the backdrop for the joint meeting of the Falls Church City Council and School Board in a work session at the School Board’s offices to mull the next moves on how to develop the City’s West End annexation of 39 acres which are home to George Mason High presently.