November 30 – December 6, 2017
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. XXVI I NO. 41
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The City of Falls Church real estate taxes are due on Tuesday, Dec. 5. The “car tax” bills were due Oct. 5, 2017, and any unpaid bills are subject to an additional 15-percent late payment penalty if not paid before next Tuesday. SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 9
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Mark Green-Smith, a 20-yearold resident of Falls Church, died in a fatal accident when his motorcycle collided with a vehicle at the intersection of Arlington Boulevard (Rt. 50) and South Street Monday afternoon.
F.C. School Board Kicks Off New High School Construction Effort L�� T���� B� L�������
With 7-0 Vote, ‘RFQ’ To Hit Street Friday, Final Choice in July
BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
There has always been a good deal of altruistic spirit in Falls Church, and all the holiday music overload is not likely to deter that. So, this week has seen the introduction of new levels of appeals for support of the many non-profits here, not the least being the local Falls Church Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheon at
The Falls Church School Board voted unanimously after an one-and-a-half hour discussion Tuesday night to authorize the issuance of a so-called request for qualifications (RFQ) to the development world as a critical first step toward getting a new George Mason High School built. While some argued the board was moving too fast — following the 63 percent voter approval of the $120 million school bond referendum earlier this month — the Nov. 30 deadline for this first step has been advertised for over half a year now, Superintendent Peter Noonan reminded the board Tuesday. Noonan also reiterated a big step the process has taken since the Nov. 7 election, which was to make all the important elements of the process public and transparent, something that did not happen when an earlier effort was aborted two years ago. Noonan said that while the new high school “will not be a Cadillac, it will also not be a Pinto,” a reference to the quality of the construction of the new school that the board will be looking to achieve. The timeline for the process goes from this Friday to a School Board selection sometime in February 2018 of a final three candidates for the job, and then the choice of a single candidate by July 2018. The detailed design process is expected to take a full year, with the construction of the new school due to commence in July 2019 and to last two years.
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SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 9
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One uncanny aspect of the investigations into Trump’s Russia connections is that instead of too little evidence there’s too much. SEE PAGE 16
S������ ��� M������� G����, B��� B��������� B���� George Mason High School’s girls basketball team won its season opener while the boys squad kicks off its year against Chantilly High School in J.E.B. Stuart’s Raider Tip-Off tournament tonight. SEE SPORTS, PAGE 18
INDEX
Editorial.................6 Letters...................6 News & Notes10–11 Comment ....... 14–16 Sports .................18 Business News ...21
Calendar .......26–27 Classified Ads .....28 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ..........29 Critter Corner......30
SANTA CLAUS AND A GROUP of children hit the switch on the new annual tradition introduced in the era of Mayor David Tarter: the ceremonial lighting of the holiday tree lights in the 100 block of West Broad Street in Falls Church. Hundreds gathered in the mild weather to witness the event Monday evening, and the lights look better than ever. (P����: G��� M�����)
Many Falls Church Non-Profits Win Exposure Over Holidays BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
It’s “The Season.” All the accoutrements of the holidays kicked into full gear with Thanksgiving last week. Radio stations and piped-in audible sources are fully converted over to the non-stop barrage of all the most familiar tunes and it has not gone without notice that they seem to have launched earlier and
more fiercely this year than usual. We will leave it to the reader to speculate why. All of this seasonal merriment brings with it an intensified focus on supporting do-gooding. We all want to cast our lots with the “after” version of Scrooge, not the “before,” plus for tax purposes making financial contributions before the end of the year can make good sense to your accountant.