12-12-2024

December 12 - 18, 2024

Falls Church, Virginia • w w w . fc n p . c o m • Free

Founded 1991 • Vol. XXXIV N o . 44

The City of Falls Church’s Independent, Locally-Owned Newspaper of Record, Serving N. Virginia

F.C. Council SANTA’S ON FIRE (TRUCK) Budget Kick Off: Maybe A Tax Hike But F.C. Far Better Off Because of Its Growth

by Nicholas F. Benton

Falls Church News-Press

The Falls Church City Council took the uncommon step of modifying its own draft document relaying its expectations for its coming annual budget cycle at its meeting this Monday. By what became a unanimous vote, the Council added language to its budget guidance memo to open the possibility of a tax rate increase.

It comes at a time when manifestations of weaker economic realities are becoming clearer throughout the region, and, in that context, the relative strength of the City of Falls Church’s fiscal situation is very noticeably evident.

Nonetheless, the impacts of uncertainty, especially as they relate to federal government contractions that are being signaled by the incoming Trump administration, of skyrocketing home prices, of other inflationary pressures, and of an alarming regional office space vacancy rate, are generating headaches for policymakers. While maybe less so, still Falls Church is not immune from all that.

The economic report from Kiran Bawa, the City’s chief financial officer, projects $5,900,000 in new revenue for the City, but $7,910,000 in projected new expenditures ($4,960,000 by the City schools and $2,940,000 by the general government), leaving a budget gap of $2,000,000. Given that a penny on the tax rate is now equivalent to roughly $500,000, the gap could be made up for with an increase of 2 cents in the tax rate above the current

Continued on Page 3

A LONG-STANDING AND CHERISHED tradition in the City of Falls Church is the annual promenade through Little City streets by the F.C. Volunteer Firefighters, whose truck is outfitted with lights and colors of the season and, oh yes, Santa himself ! Volunteers walked alongside greeting onlookers and handing out treats. (Photo: News-Press)

Collective Bargaining to Impact New F.C. Budget

by Nicholas F. Benton

Falls Church News-Press

Taking its place for the first time as a major factor in the City of Falls Church annual budget process, collective bargaining in the shaping of teacher and other employee compensations was felt in the first public steps toward a FY26 budget taken at the City Council meeting this Monday.

This is the first year that collective bargaining has figured into the budget process, based on a new law passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2021 that allowed for public sector bargaining for the first time. Subsequently, the Falls Church School Board voted in May 2023 to allow it here.

So, based on the agreement that was hammered out behind

the scenes since 2021, employee compensation for Falls Church City public schools was determined to include a minimum of one full “step” and a 2.5 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) raises for all employees.

That number dropped into the mix of budget numbers was a definite factor in what Council came forward with at its meet-

ing, namely a unanimously adopted resolution that opened the possibility of a tax rate increase, if modest, in the coming year’s deliberations.

Three members of the Falls Church City Education Association (FCCEA), the bargaining entity for school system employees, came before the

Continued on Page 4

PAGE 2 | DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024 | PAGE 3

Small Tax Hike Maybe, But F.C. Budget Gains From Growth

Continued from Page 1

$1.21 per $100 assessed real estate valuation.

The City government’s anticipated cost drivers are $1,800,000 for wage and benefit increases, $150,000 to fund positions previously funded by federal ARPA dollars, and an additional $1,000,000 in WMATA and other regional contracts. The sums do not include any new positions, new initiatives or expanded services.

While real estate assessments will not become official until mid-February, it is estimated that there will be an additional $4,713,718 in real property taxes marking a 6.9 percent increase over last year, and with another roughly $1.2 million in other taxes, an overall increase in revenue of 5.9 percent.

But most important are the estimates indicating that real property values are jumping by 7.8 percent in Falls Church, almost double that for Fairfax, estimated at 3.91 percent, and way above Alexandria City which is at 1.57 percent.

While total numbers are not indicated for Arlington County, differentials compared to regional neighbors are very pronounced when it comes to values for commercial real estate including apartments. Reflecting wider economic realities, the commercial real estate values are projected to decline by as much as 2.6 percent in Arlington and to decline by as much as 1.27 percent in Fairfax, while in Falls Church they are projected to increase by 2.4 percent, and new construction in Falls Church

is estimated to leap by 3.4 percent year-overyear (compared to 0.51 percent in Fairfax).

It means that, for projected new tax revenue, while Falls Church projects an overall 5.9 percent increase, for $5,900,000 in new revenue, an impressive $2,900,000 will be coming from new construction for the year.

In a sobering note for Falls Church, trends indicate that no real gain in meals taxes will be coming to the City in the next year, despite all the classy new restaurants that are opening here, and business (BPOL) taxes are also not expected to increase in the coming year.

As for what the actual assessed real estate value increases may be when the City’s Assessor Erwving Bailey issues individual formal assessments in mid-February, Bawa noted that of 4,500 properties in the City, there were only 20 appeals of his decisions that came from owners last year.

Mayor Letty Hardi, who attended the meeting remotely from a location in Germany, noted that the gap between revenue and expenditures are not due to economic growth, but, on the contrary, not only did that growth pay for improvements in the schools, but without that growth, the gap would be much bigger. She noted Falls Church’s growth is two or three times better than its neighbors.

Vice Mayor Deborah Shantz-Hiscott noted that there are a lot of unknowns that will be impacting the budget process. She said that schools are the major institutions that make Falls Church different, and growth in enroll-

ment is a natural cost of growth. Council member Laura Downs said the schools “are our crown jewels,” and “we need to be very careful” about not funding what they request.

Council member Marybeth Connelly opened the discussion about allowing for a tax rate hike in the Council’s budget guidance, since that would “cut off a lot of conversations.”

Council member Justine Underhill stated that “growth pays for growth, or otherwise we’d be in a much bigger hole.”

Going forward into the new budget cycle, the next step will be on January 14, 2025

when Superintendent Noonan presents his recommended budget to the School Board and the School Board acts on its 5-year capital improvement plan, and following a number of presentations and public hearings, the School Board will adopt its budget on March 11. City Manager Shields will present his recommended budget to the Council on March 24. The Council will adopt its official budget, including the School Board budget, with whatever tax rate they adopt on May 12, and the School Board adopts its final budget the next day, and the new fiscal year will begin on July 1.

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Commentary: A Closer Look at Brown’s Hardware

by Christina Novak

Brown’s Hardware sits quietly on the corner of West Broad Street and Lee Highway in Falls Church, Virginia as it has for the last 141 years. A three-generational business, and the oldest in the City of Falls Church, began as a grocery store in 1883 by a schoolteacher named James W. Brown. After he died in1904, his son, Horace Brown, took over the store when at 18 years old when it had become a general store carrying not only groceries but hardware and sundries.

Hugh Brown, Horace’s son, was born in 1926. He worked with his father, expanding the store more into the hardware store that it is today.

When Hugh was a boy in grade school, he started delivering groceries to the area residents in-between chasing rabbits in the fields across the street from the store.

Before there were huge corporations squeezing out small and medium businesses, there were mom and pop stores that were the backbone of our society. In spite of corporations practically taking over our entire economy, Brown’s always held its own. One of the main reasons

is that they have provided consistently dependable service to countless thousands of customers. Even when people have moved away to other towns, they come back to shop because they know that their needs are important to Brown’s.

Brown’s Hardware has never been a big noise. They have always offered a variety of necessary items to the local residents. They have always been a reliable stronghold to the Little City of Falls Church and to the communities around them.

Mr. Hugh Brown said that his grandfather and father believed in the “golden rule”: treat others as you want to be treated.

“Many of our customers have expressed the wish for us to continue the operation of this business into the future, even though we know that they have other hardware choices available to them in the general area, such as Home Depot. After all, Hechinger’s is gone and we’re still here. It is my understanding that there is already a large number of ladies prepared to lie down in front of the bulldozers should the need arise.”

He always had a good sense of humor. Dave Taylor, an employee

since 1999 said: “I loved his predilection for saying something seemingly random, but it would be out-ofthe-blue, ridiculously funny.”

Brown’s customers have said how charmed they have been by the efforts made by Mr. Hugh Brown and his employees to meet whatever the customer needs, large or small, are presented. Even when he was well into his 80’s, on almost any day, you would find Mr. Brown carrying a bag of mulch out to a customer’s car. He was a modest man, often dressed in a plaid shirt with brown trousers. He supported the local little league baseball teams, the volunteer fire department, the Wounded Warriors, and the American Heart Association, among others.

John Taylor, employee and friend of Brown’s for 28 years, says of Mr. Brown: “He was the most generous, gentle, quiet, frugal, shy, and unassuming person. He was a great man.”

Mr. Brown was a kind and caring man who was privy to the enormous changes that were brought into Falls Church by the passage of time.

Brown’s Hardware store opened twenty years after the end of the Civil War and has seen the formation of the American Telephone and

Telegraph company in 1885 which brought telephones into every home; the transition of horse and buggy to automobiles; Prohibition; the Great Depression; two World Wars followed by several other wars and the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The changes of the world were fast and furious such as farms to fast food, and cursive writing to computers and the internet. Thorough it all, the people of Brown’s just kept doing what they did so well, working hard to supply their communities with the necessary supplies to carry on.

Brown’s legacy senses the threat of “progress” and the march of time.

The business and its friends have seen its share of tear downs and development. Visiting Brown’s is a nostalgic trip back in time to a simpler, gentler way of life.

Larry Gutierrez, a devoted employee of Brown’s, shares: “On one especially cold January day, we couldn’t find Mr. Brown. We looked all over the store and finally found him in the garden shop standing in front of the windows, soaking up the winter sun.”

MR. BROWN PICTURED in his store. (Photo: Christina Novak)

Collective Bargaining Deal With Schools Factors in Budget

Continued from Page 1

City Council Monday to articulate their position that shaped last spring’s collective bargaining agreement.

FCCEA President Pam Mahoney, a teacher at Meridian High School and a City resident and taxpayer, reported to the Council that the FCCEA “has one of the highest concentrations of members in all of Virginia. We represent all staff, not just teachers,” while noting that only licensed and support staff can bargain for a contract.

The contract agreed to “guarantees, among other things, reasonable wages and benefits, especially in light of significant inflation over the last few years,” she said. Still, she added, despite efforts that have raised FCCPS salaries to among the top three in the area, “our staff salaries in Virginia are still considerably behind the national average, even compared to D.C. and Maryland, and salaries for teachers in Northern Virginia are up to 30 percent less than our peers with the same amount of education, as noted

by Forbes Magazine.”

She added, “In fact, the Economic Policy Institute finds Virginia’s teacher wage penalty, the gap between education attainment and commensurate private sector pay, to be the worst in the nation,” a problem that needs to be addressed at multiple levels in the state “if Falls Church wants to continue to be able to be competitive in our hiring.”

Kenny George, a teacher at Meridian High, FCCEA board member and City resident, told the Council that “we must be financially prepared as a city and a public school system to greet any new students as a result of growth with the staffing and support that make Falls Church City and its school system a gold standard.

“It’s not lost on me that our future in Falls Church, and the greater DMV, is uncertain. We will have a new executive administration in January. A lot of economic development within our city is slated to come online in the upcoming months, and there are other unknowns,” he said, adding, “Although a transfer greater than organic growth will mean other budgetary challenges will arise, I

truly believe it is important that we make the investment to fund the school budget.”

Emily Donovan, the daughter of two lifetime Falls Church residents, the parent of two FCCPS graduates, a teacher at Mt. Daniel Elementary and vice-president of the FCCEA, noted the recent years’ changes in the national economic landscape.

“The cost of living has risen, but for many of us in education, our salaries have not kept pace. We’ve seen a growing disparity between the cost of living and the pay we receive. When surrounding districts are discussing COLAs of more than 2.5 percent, we are concerned about FCCPS’ ability to retain and recruit the best teachers.”

She added, “We ask for school funding that allows the School Board to both honor their contract with us and to deal with growthrelated issues that are results of the City’s effective planning for economic growth. We believe that by working together, we can create a system where our school staff are both recognized and supported, and where the quality of education remains a priority for all of us.”

Meanwhile, the School Board

has kicked off an effort to find a replacement for Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan, who has announced his retirement after a long career in education that included eight years

at the head of FCCPS. Noonan was present for the first meetings on the new budget, the joint work session with the City Council December 2, and this week’s Council meeting.

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

What Russian Bots Seek to Accomplish

Nicholas F. Benton FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

It is widely recognized that Russian counterintelligence services intervened fiercely in the 2024 presidential election, as they did in 2016 and 2020, favoring the election of Trump, winning two out of three.

But how did they do it?

That is, not technically, wherein they used bots and other disinformation instruments to mainly impact matters by online means, but in terms of the kinds of narratives or messaging that worked for them.

There is a level on which they operate most effectively that is missed completely by most people, including professionals. It goes to acting on the psychological triggers behind the words to elicit a desired emotional response.

It is not the words, the causes or slogans, that the experts in the Kremlin work on to produce their results, but triggers, key emotional touch points that can cause someone to fly into a rage, spiral into self-pity, or otherwise alter their normal mental or moral functioning.

The operational level below even that where psychological manipulation seeks to grab the unsuspecting victim and send them in the direction of desired outcomes delves into deep self-doubt and related core vulnerabilities. Here is where the tearing away at sensitive egos and the building up of alternative identities and world views can happen.

Central to this process of “conditioning” is a constant drumbeat which relays a notion that a person’s life and life itself is meaningless and crappy. It is why so many of the Russian bots that pop up on social media pages are filled with the most vile and disgusting language. It is aimed at inviting the reader to descend to the same level of lurid name-calling and strings of expletives.

But even if the reader doesn’t go there, so to speak, he or she is psychologically assaulted by such angry diatribes as to feel violated or driven to depression or demoralization.

The goal may be to shatter an impressionable mind’s belief that life and people are basically good

and worth helping or relating to.

No, Mr. Russian bot seeks to convince you, life is crap and so are you. There is a shady way this approach, used all the time in recruitment efforts for trafficking and coersion, can infect the minds of naive or unsure persons and steer their behaviors into predetermined pathways.

If nothing really matters, as this messaging seeks to convince a victim, then why not succumb to that which is the most expedient, or perhaps pleasurable? It is a fast track to a complete loss of control and susceptibility to any number of forms of bondage, through chemical addictions or psychological ones.

The key is the capacity to demoralize, and that notion grabs at the heart of a person’s identity.

Demoralization, indeed, is demoral-ization. A morality, no matter how personal or unique, is at the heart of most people’s sense of self-worth and positive self-identity, and it almost always relates to how a person brings him or herself forward in the world. To be moral means to be true to friends, most basically, to be honest and reciprocal in relationships.

To truly de-moral-ize someone is to remove that core sense of self-worth and replace it with a shell of selfish aggrandizement, and then to offer someone in this condition options of anger and rage as tools for getting even with a new-found sense of being victimized by phantoms of social expectations, or the “deep state.”

Now we have the foulmouthed bully, self-impressed only by the strings of ugly swear words that can be self-generated and the looks of fear that such strings can induce in others (even if only imagined as reactions from others online).

When the claim is made that online social network sites impact young people by causing them to feel badly toward themselves if they don’t see themselves as attractive enough, for example, this is but the tip of the iceberg. More aggressive Russian online bots play on more than just adolescent self-doubts to fashion the kind of social monsters they are turning our people into.

The solution? When are we, as a society, going to wake up and begin to invest in the virtues of decency and morality over greed and selfishness?

CO MME NT A Penny for Your Thoughts

DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024 | PAGE 5

By Penny Gross Former Fairfax County Supervisor

President-elect Trump’s nomination of numerous American billionaires for his second-term Cabinet may not be surprising but raises significant questions about how their decisions will affect tens of millions of Americans who rely on government programs for assistance with retirement, health care, food and housing. The quality of life for untold millions of families has been boosted throughout the decades since the establishment of Social Security (1940), Medicare (1965), and food stamps (1964), now the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The currently fictitious Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has received lots of media attention as billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy threaten to cut two trillion dollars from the federal budget and fire 75 percent of the federal workforce.

Their assertion that short term pain will achieve long term gain dismisses the economic pain already plaguing so many Americans.

For nearly as many decades, thousands of community nonprofit organizations have stepped into the breach to support needy neighbors through private donations. One of the oldest local nonprofits is ACCA, the Annandale Christian Community for Action, originally a consortium of churches

that has expanded to encompass and serve families in Annandale, Baileys Crossroads, Falls Church, and Lincolnia. Founded by Fred and Emily Ruffing in 1967 to create a quality childcare program as women began to access the workforce in greater numbers, ACCA’s flagship Childhood Development Center, based at the original Annandale Elementary School on Columbia Pike, served nearly 300 children this year by providing highquality early childhood programming. Since 2020, ACCA’s Family Emergency Assistance Program has provided rent, utilities, and medical needs to nearly 2000 local families, and the Nutrition/ Hygiene Ministry assisted almost 6500 families with a seven-to-ten-day food supply. The Furniture Program provides beds, sofas, tables and chairs to many refugee families who arrive with little or nothing to establish a new household. One Afghani refugee family was able to turn an empty apartment into a comfortable home with ACCA donations. Their young son expressed the family’s thanks as his parents spoke only Dari.

ACCA works with county social workers to identify those in need who may, or may not, qualify for government programs.

Often, ACCA’s assistance is the little extra boost needed to resolve immediate

needs. Perhaps the most remarkable boon for ACCA is that, except for the Child Development Center, all of these programs are provided by volunteers who work, on a regular basis, from their dining room tables or home offices. One longtime volunteer told me “when you call ACCA, you probably will reach me in my bedroom, still in my slippers!” ACCA’s administrative expenditures make up just 6.7 percent of total expenditures, one of the best and most efficient outcomes in local philanthropic chronicles.

Despite an outstanding track record, like most other local nonprofits, ACCA needs help. Since COVID, philanthropy has waned, but need has not. Child poverty rates in Fairfax County are 27 percent, and food insecurity rates for the most severely impacted parts of ACCA’s service area are between 40 and 55 percent. Tax deductible donations to ACCA support local programs, so donors are assured that their donations will be used for local needs, not national campaigns.

ACCA and other non-profits need financial support year-round, but the holidays are favorite times to show appreciation and share the blessings of the season. More information about ACCA, and how you can help, can be found at www. accacares.org. Or share your good fortune with another favorite nonprofit organization. Regardless of the recommendations that may be made by Trump’s invented DOGE, neighbors helping neighbors is basic to American society, and everyone can help!

C i t y o f Fa l l s C h u r c h C R I M E R E PO RT Week of December 2 — 8 , 2024 Simple Assault, W Broad St, Dec 2, 12:41 p.m., victim reported they were punched by a known suspect following a disagreement.

Larceny, W Broad St, Dec 2, between 6:30 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., an unknown suspect stole an unsecured pink Micro Maxi Delxue scooter.

Smoking Inside Prohibited Establishment,

Wilson Blvd, Dec 3, 7:30 p.m., an male, 65, of Fairfax, was arrested for Smoking Inside Prohibited Establishment.

Larceny, Ellison St, Dec 4, between 6:45 p.m. and 7:15 p.m., an unknown suspect stole a package from the victim’s porch.

Smoking Inside Prohibited Establishment, Wilson Blvd, Dec 6, 8:24 p.m., an male, 36, of Centreville, was arrested for Smoking Inside Prohibited Establishment.

Driving on Suspended License, W Broad St, Dec 7, 12:09 p.m., a male, 46, of

Fcnp.com

Fairfax County, was arrested for Driving on Suspended License.

Trespassing, W Broad St, Dec 7, 2:34 p.m., a male, 45, of no fixed address, was arrested for Trespassing.

Trespassing, Grove Ave, Dec 7, 4:56 PM, a female, 23, of no fixed address, was arrested for Trespassing.

No Valid Operator’s License, N Sycamore St, Dec 7, 10:05 PM, a male, 35, of Oxon Hill, MD, was arrested for No Valid Operator’s License.

PAGE 6 | DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024

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Growth Has Helped, Not Hurt F.C.

The two members of the Falls Church City Council who are insisting that the difficulties being anticipated with this next fiscal year’s budget that will be hammered out over the next five months are due to the City’s rapid economic growth are dead wrong, and they should well know it.

No, the Little City’s impressive growth has not created what will most certainly be a challenge to balance revenues with costs for the fiscal year that will begin next July 1. On the contrary, but for the growth, the difficulties that the Council will face to balance the budget would be much worse than they will be.

At present, it looks like the Council may have to increase the real estate tax rate by two cents (per $100 of assessed valuation) above its current $1.21. This follows recent years’ major cuts in the rate from a peak of $1.355 only three years ago, even while taking on the costs of a brand new high school and major renovations to City Hall and the library. This Monday, the Council took action with a unanimous vote to issue a “budget guidance” that opened the door for a possible modest rate increase.

The pressure on the budget comes not from Falls Church’s growth but from factors influencing the wider region, and the nation as a whole. It will become clear in the next months that surrounding jurisdictions will be facing budget woes far more severe than Falls Church’s. Stagnation in the commercial real estate market, in particular, is the biggest culprit, along with inflation and major upward pressures on home prices, single family home prices, in particular.

Quite the contrary to what the two Council members said on the matter at the meeting this Monday, it is Falls Church’s stunning growth which will be insulating City taxpayers from more severe impacts facing the wider region, while continuing to maintain the best school system in the commonwealth and one of the half dozen or so best in the nation.

Ironically, it is the result of last year’s first ever collective bargaining outcome between employees and the administration of the Falls Church City Public Schools that will also insulate City residents and taxpayers from the downside of what may be coming next year. That is to say, insofar as the agreement stands as a bulwark against pressures to cut teacher pay, it protects the City’s Goose That Lays the Golden Egg, its first-rate school system.

Less than perfect aspects of the City’s infrastructure do not play a major role in the value assessment of the City in the minds of the region, not in the way that the recognized superior quality of the school system does. So sticking with the formula that has worked so well for Falls Church the last quarter century, of promoting economic growth to build and maintain the high quality of its schools, remains the best way forward.

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DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024 | PAGE 7

PAGE 8 | DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024

LO CA L

News-Press

News & Notes

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

sion of plans for the roundabout, which would be the first ever in the City, will be held in January.

VPIS Announces 2024 Holiday Tree Fest Winners

97 AND THRIVING, Silvia Susa (left), a vendor at the Falls Church Craft Fair last weekend at the Community Center, was joined by her daughter, Maristala Sossa. (Photo:News-Press)

THE ANNUAL TREE FEST, now sponsored by the Village Preservation and Improvement Society, was a huge success, with non-profits decorating trees that the public bid on, the proceeds going to the non-profits. (Photo:News-Press)

senior living development for NexCore and the second development in The Reserve Collection, the company’s luxury line of senior communities.

Watch Night Plans Revealed For New Year’s Eve

MERIDIAN HIGH SCHOOL singers graced the annual Falls Church Craft Fair held in the Community Center last weekend. They sang songs of the season to grateful shoppers and sellers, alike. Meridian musicians participated the next day.

(Photo:News-Press)

Anthony’s Restaurant Honors Tony & Faye Dec. 17, 18 Anthony and Faye Yianarrakis, who founded Falls Church’s iconic Anthony’s Restaurant in the early 1970s and ran it successfully until earlier this year when they finally sold it, will be the special guests of honor at the restaurant in its current location at 3000 Annandale Road just outside the City. They will be the guests of new owner Panagiotis Fotopoulos next Tuesday, Dec. 17, and Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m.

All the patrons and friends, past and present, of Anthony’s are encouraged to come by and pay their respects to Tony and Faye and sign a guest book.

Reservations can be made at 703532-0100.

Groundbreaking on West End Senior Living Project Construction has begun on a 15-story senior living building, to be called The Reserve at Falls Church, in the West End project of Falls Church, according to the NexCore Group, a privatelyowned diversified healthcare real estate development, investment, and management company with a national footprint spanning 29 states.

The new 15-story community features 215 units, including a one-of-a-kind penthouse level.

This community is the eighteenth

The Falls Church CATCH Foundation and the City of Falls Church have announced plans for Watch Night, Falls Church’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration, on Dec. 31.

Events will be held at multiple venues both outdoors and indoors and the 100 Block of West Broad Street will be closed to auto traffic for the event, as is traditional since the event began in 27 years ago.

Local legend Andrew Acosta and the Little City String Band will play a full concert of American Roots music at the Falls Church Episcopal. The popular Northern Lights Dance Orchestra will return. Performers for the on-street Crossroads Stage new to the Watch Night will be announced soon.

Wilson Honored With Library’s DeLong Award Catherine Wilson, a “loyal and exemplary library employee since 2009,” was named the 2024 recipient of Chet DeLong Award

for Outstanding Service to Falls Church’s Mary Riley Styles Public Library, as announced at the F.C. City Council meeting Monday night. The award recipient is identified as one who “exemplifies the civic life of Chet De Long, who served on the Library Board of Trustees for more than 25 years, volunteered up to 300 hours at the library each year, helped establish the Library Foundation and much more.”

Wilson has organized much of the donated historical collections, and “can be counted on to find a historical document or artifact when no one else can,” according to a City statement.

“She has grown a comprehensive travel guide collection as well as shaped and ministered to much of the rest of the library’s non-fiction section.”

Shields: Maple-Annandale Roundabout Condemnation?

Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields told the F.C. City Council Monday night that plans for a traffic roundabout at the intersection of S. Maple and Annandale Road are moving forward, but might require a condemnation to gain access to some land owned by the bowling alley at that intersection if negotiations to access it fail.

Shields said a public discus-

The annual Falls Church Holiday Tree Fest held last weekend was organized by the Village Preservation and Improvement Society with support of Ireland’s Four Provinces Restaurant. Twenty-one local non-profit organizations participated by decorating small trees and offering them to highest bidders.

Lorraine O’Rourke of VPIS, manager of the program in recent years, said “that each organization designs and enters their own trees, and the silent auctions proceeds for each of the trees goes to that organization. The creativity they bring is amazing.” The program was initiated by Melissa Morse.

The public voted their favorite trees and the results of the People’s Choice Awards were: Most Nostalgic – Friends of Cherry Hill; Most Imaginative – HOPE for Grieving Families; Most Artistic – Mary Riley Styles Library Foundation; Best Themed Tree – VFW Post 9274 Auxiliary Most Beautiful – American Association of University Women.

F.C. Schools Launch Search To Fill Noonan’s Shoes With Falls Church Public Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan retiring in June 2025 after eight dedicated years of service, the search has begun to hire a leader to guide the City’s public schools starting July 1, 2025. The schools have contracted with HYA Associates, a respected national firm, to lead the process. Community input will be sought through forums and surveys to help define the qualities that matter most in the next FCCPS superintendent.

These will begin with community feedback sessions January 13-14, 2025, with a final selection to be made in early May.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

‘The Man Who Came to Dinner’ Comes to FC’s Trinity School

by Mark Dreisonstok

Trinity School at Meadow View in Falls Church is staging a play popular in the mid twentieth-century: “The Man Who Came to Dinner.”

In this screwball comedy, we meet arrogant critic and radio personality Sheridan Whiteside. After slipping and injuring himself on the ice while visiting a wealthy family, he threatens to sue them, leading to their allowing him to rehabilitate in their home. He soon commandeers the household, making the owners peripheral figures in their own home as he “holds court”, making expensive international phone calls, and working with his secretary, Maggie Cutler, in the home he has usurped.

Even his secretary becomes tired of his overbearing ways, hoping to escape and find happiness by marrying a local journalist. Sheridan devises an elaborate ruse to keep Maggie in his service, but she develops a counter-plot…

Trinity School has a classical curriculum which usually focuses on dramas by Aeschylus, Shakespeare, and T.S. Eliot, with juniors and senior classes each performing two such plays per year. “The Man Who Came

to Dinner,” written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, is a bit of a departure, as it is a popular Broadway comedy that first appeared in 1939 that has enjoyed a number of revivals and film and radio treatments. Patty Whelpley, co-director of the play and Humane Letters teacher at Trinity tells Falls Church News-Press: “At Trinity School at Meadow View, our Classical Education model allows students to read and discuss many treasured philosophers and classic novels. While we usually perform Shakespeare comedies during eleventh grade, we thought this would be a good time to expose them to some great American playwrights.”

Indeed, the play makes reference to a number of fixtures of twentiethcentury American culture, including stage and film actress Ethel Barrymore, Hollywood producer Samuel Goldwyn, classical violinist Jascha Heifetz, popular composer Irving Berlin, and Surrealist painter Salvador Dali. There are also Christmas references, making this a timely choice for a December school production!

The young cast does admirably with the play. Sam Friddle is excellent as the imperious Sheridan

Whitside, delivering his acerbic comments with joy. Isabel GarciaMcIntire as Maggie conveys a believable exasperation just right for the role. Joseph Krueger lends an inquisitive approach to his character, journalist Bert Jefferson, while Tatum Hotmire presents a suitably enigmatic presence to her mysterious character Harriet Stanley. Lauren Kelley brings to the fore the humorously eccentric nature of her character, Dr. Metz. The effect of the play is greatly enhanced as props such as a candlestick telephone, a manual typewriter, and a vintage press camera evoke the 1940s time period, as do vintage dress fashions, a classic nurse’s uniform, and striped prisoner uniforms (the last commonly seen in classic Hollywood cinema).

Trinity School asks its students to write reflections on the plays they perform, and this is the time at which students are encouraged to express comments on the play in light of the school’s classical curriculum. Callie Fullilove, for instance, who plays Mrs. Stanley, one of the homeowners on whom Sheridan imposes himself, writes: “‘The Man Who Came to Dinner’ presents several examples of philosophy studied at Trinity…

John Locke defines tyranny as a ruler exercising power beyond their right. He explains that the ruler oversteps his right when he uses his power for personal benefit rather than the good of those under his rule.

Whiteside creates just such tyranny in the Stanley household. He constantly spews a barrage of insults at any unfortunate person who wanders within range of his wheelchair as he convalesces, drawing on his ready wit to supply him with his newest missive.”

Sydney Arllen, who plays Mrs. McCutcheon, citing Aeschylus’ ancient “Oresteia” cycle of Greek tragedies, notes that there are ethical questions in the play which hark

CAST OF Trinity School’s “The Man Who Came to Dinner” ( Photo: Annie Ryland)

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back to ancient yet also reflect modern human experiences: “The questions in The Man Who Came to Dinner are focused on personal gain.

How do one’s actions benefit him- or herself? Does this personal gain hurt others? Is it ever good to look for personal gain in a situation?”

Audience members who enjoy a good comedy, 1940s Americana, and perhaps speculating on deeper philosophical issues as did the Trinity students would do well to come to “The Man Who Comes to Dinner.” The play, which is gratis, runs Friday and Saturday, December 13 and 14, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at the Pozez Jewish Community Center in Fairfax, Virginia 22031.

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024 | PAGE 11

A Holiday For Art at Falls Church’s Local Studios at 307

by Mark Dreisonstok

We recently reported on the Studios at 307, a building in which artists occupy small studios to create their works, display their talents, and invite visitors to see the results of their artistic efforts. Since our first visit, new artists have joined the community, and on Saturday, December 7, a holiday event with food and music afforded an opportunity to view new works by the resident artists at 307 East Annandale Road in Falls Church.

On the ground floor of the building, a large poster of N. C. Wyeth’s 1922 “The Giant” depicts six children on a beach looking up in awe at a giant. The giant, however, would seem to be conjured up from cloud shapes by sixth by the power of childlike imagination—a suitable metaphor as one ascends the staircase to where most of the studios are located and in which artists relish the exercise of their imaginations in various media.

Sam of Strange Lens has brought to her small studio an interior design with everything in a pink scheme. A pink dial phone, a pink TV set, pinkpainted books, peach-colored walls,

cotton candy-like carpet, and (when we visited at sunset) a pink-colored sky seen through the windows all brought the art display to life. For lovers of the color pink, this is a dream come true, and for others, this is striking and memorable example of how a studio can be turned into an artwork itself.

We continue the theme of pink in Caroline Day Cherry’s studio and her pink-themed paintings, including “Dinner Party Painting,” which depicts a table set with color-coordinated dinner items on the table.

Atop the picnic-style checkered tablecloth are freshly scented flowers with two slender candles lit, imbuing this image with a warm and homey atmosphere. The nearly empty wine glasses and wine bottles suggest a convivial dinner is well under way.

Interestingly, the bottles and glasses look realistic from afar but are painted with paint swatches up-close with a varied color palette, thus uniting a dream-like look with realism.

We then visited the studio of Mara L. Flynn. Like a scene right out of a summer’s day at the lake, her “Sailor’s Delight,” an acrylic on canvas, showcases the glory and grace of a stunning sunset both gleam-

ing above the ridgeline of the treetops and then mirrored on the water below. Off to the far top left, wispy clouds sweep from the turquoise blues into the ever-brightening pinks, oranges, and grapefruit reds of the sunset. Below this, the water is like a mirror, shining up with a softened version of the scene just above, and in the nearest foreground, a strip of beach helps to create the feeling of standing there to witness this splendid scene ourselves.

The same artist’s “Sea Dreams” (again an acrylic on canvas) nears the world of abstraction. Here we cannot quite tell where the sea ends and the sand begins, or even which is truly which. Yet a certain charm is created by this softer view of reality in which one can discern what one wishes from the work—a point painter Dave Curtis makes about his works.

On our previous visit to Studios at 307 , we met surrealist artist Curtis, who is deeply cognizant of Jungian archetypes, the power of symbols, and the many strands which connect the religions of the world.

One painting, for instance, “Odin’s Aquarium,” depicts a Viking longship and the spear of the Germanic god Odin inscribed with mystic

runic letters and submerged deeply in water. Other works present the expulsion-from-Eden narrative from the biblical book of Genesis as Adam and Eve encounter, to their great misfortune, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Still other Curtis canvases have notable Buddhist references.

On this visit, we met for the first time Jenny Kanzler. Raised in Falls Church, she holds an MFA in Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and depicts in her artworks what could be described as the nightmares of childhood. Her somber-toned

“Dancing Horses,” for instance, presents horse-costumed dancers, possibly children, emerging from the curtain of a dark vaudeville stage. This oil on panel, the artist tells us, “presents ideas of vulnerability and protection; innocence and fear; as well as the act of play and performance in expressing irreverence for the absurdity of certain social constraints.”

Readers would do well to avail themselves of a visit to the unique Studios at 307 in Falls Church during such public events and engage with artists as well as explore their many unique works of art.

THE PINK-THEMED studio of Strange Lens. ( Photo: Mark

JENNY KANZLER, “Dancing Horses.” ( Photo Courtesy: Jenny

Dreisonstok)

Kanzler)

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PAGE 12 | DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

2024 Church Christmas Events

Christ Crossman United Methodist Church

Columbia Baptist Church

The Falls Church Episcopal

A Little Christmas in the Little City

LITTLE CHRISTMAS CITY

Saturday, December 14th, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.

Parish Hall

Enjoy a live petting zoo, hot chocolate and S’mores, and making cool crafts. Still hungry? We’ll have a food truck on hand. Best of all, your family can participate in an easy hands-on service project to benefit local children experiencing food insecurity. All are welcome to this free event. So stop by, warm up, and share in the comfort and joy of the Christmas season!

384 N. Washington St., Falls Church Saturday, Dec.14, 2-5 p.m.

Join for a joyful and engaging Christmas celebration weekend filled with fun, music, and community! Outdoors, you’ll find a Live Nativity and petting zoo, while indoors, the foyer will be bustling with legos, toy trains, roving musicians, and mini concerts from hand bell choirs and vocalists. Plus, capture the moment with photos with Santa.

103 W. Columbia St. Falls Church, VA 22046 Friday December 13, 6-8 p.m.

Saturday, December 14, 4-8 p.m.

Sunday December 15, 4-8 p.m.

St. Nicholas Party

Advent Lessons and Carols

Sunday, December 22nd, 10:00 a.m.

Historic Church

Christmas Eve Narrated Nativity & Eucharist,

Dulin United Methodist Church

Music Ministry Concert

Saint James Catholic Church

Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24 Children’s Mass 5:00 p.m.

(4:30 p.m. Carols)

Carols From Around The World

Mass 7:00 p.m.

Mass 9:00 p.m.

Mass Midnight (11:30 p.m. Carols)

4:30 p.m.

Contemporary Church

Livestreamed on FB @ DulinFallsChurch and YouTube @ DulinChurch

The Nativity of the Lord, Wednesday, December 25

Choral Prelude, 8:00 p.m. & Festal Eucharist, 8:30 p.m.

Historic Church

Featuring Sanctuary Choir, Handbells, Instrumentalists and Soloists

Mass 7:30 a.m. (no music) Mass 9:00 a.m.

Mass 10:30 a.m. (Livestreamed) Mass Noon (Contemporary Choir) Mass 2:30 p.m.

(Spanish, Livestreamed

Christmas Day

Reception to Follow

Holy Eucharist, 10:00 a.m.

Historic Church

513 E. Broad St., Falls Church

115 E. Fairfax St., Falls Church

Sunday, Dec. 15th, 4 p.m.

905 Park Ave., Falls Church

A Little Christmas in the Little City petting zoo

THIS SAT. Dec.14 2-5pm

kid’s crafts service project

food truck and more!

The City of Falls Church

@ Christ Crossman UMC

384 N. Washington Street • Falls Church office@christcrossman.org • www.christcrossman.org

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024 | PAGE 13

Saint James Catholic Church - Christmas Week 2024 Wednesday, December 18 Thursday, December 19 Friday, December 20 Saturday, December 21 Monday, December 23 Tuesday, December 24

Confessions 7:00-8:30pm 7:00-8:30pm 7:00-8:30pm 9:00-10:00am, 3:30-4:30pm, and 6:30-7:30pm 9:00-10:30am and 7:00-9:00pm 9:00am

Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24 Children’s Mass 5:00pm (4:30pm Carols) Mass 7:00pm Mass 9:00pm Mass Midnight (11:30pm Carols) Mass Mass Mass Mass Mass

The Nativity of the Lord, Wednesday, December 25 7:30am (no music) 9:00am 10:30am (Livestreamed) Noon (Contemporary Choir) 2:30pm (Spanish, Livestreamed)

905 Park Avenue Falls Church, VA 22046 / www.StJamesCatholic.org

PAGE 14 | DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024

CA L E NDA R

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

THIS WEEK AROUND F.C. THURSDAY DECEMBER 12 Creative Cauldron Show – Returning to Creative Cauldron for his fifth Christmas show, Stephen Carter-Hicks will be accompanied by Howard Breitbart at the piano, Virgil Night on bass, and percussionist Jeanie Broderick. The evening will take you over the river and through the woods with both secular and sacred Christmas songs and will include stories of Christmases past in DC, on Broadway, and in Las Vegas, 400 S. Maple, 7:30.

Meridian H.S. Foreign Service Youth Club Potluck – Celebrate our diverse international experience and heartfelt farewell to departing families.

Meridian Cafeteria, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY DECEMBER 13 Saint Anthony of Padua School (PreK - 8th grade) Open House — For prospective families. 3301 Glen Carlyn Road, F.C.. 4 p.m.

Meet the principal, preschool director and current parents. No reservations required. (Paid notice) Meridian H.S. Boys Basketball – Vs. Fauquier, MHS gym, 7:15 p.m.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 14 Meridian H.S. Singers — Caroling with seasonal tunes

in the Falls Church community from 9 a.m.-Noon to raise money for their spring trip to Montreal.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 15 Virginia Dream FC – Vs. Steel Pulse, Maryland Super Soccer League champs, Thomas Jefferson H.S., 6 p.m.

Del. Marcus Simon’s Annual Latkepalooza – Lazy Mike’s, 7049 Leesburg Pike, 4 p.m.

Falls Church Forward – Informal Holiday Gathering at Clare and Don's. Free hot chocolate, see old friends and meet new ones, and help wrap some gifts for our "adopted" Homestretch family.

MONDAY DECEMBER 16 Meridian H.S. and Henderson M.S. Rock and Jazz Bands – ‘Big Band Bash’ at Solace Outpost, 444 W. Broad, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY DECEMBER 17 Anthony’s Restaurant Welcomes Founders – Owner Panagiotis Fotopoulos of Anthony’s Restaurant welcomes Tony and Faye Yianarrakis, founders of the legendary Anthony’s, 3000 Annandale Rd. 7 p.m., also Wednes-

day. Reservations 703-532-0100.

Clean Fairfax – Online presentation about an environmental toolkit, Virginia Plastic Pollution Prevention Network.

F.C. Chamber of Commerce Monthly Luncheon – Italian Cafe, 11:30 a.m,.7161 Lee Highway, F.C. Annual Holiday Buffet with Ugly Ties and Sweaters galore.

NVAR Housing Forecast – 8407 Pennell St., Fairfax, 9 a.m.

Meridian H.S. Girls Basketball – Vs. Liberty, MHS gym, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 18 Meridian H.S. & Henderson M.S. Choir Concert – Meridian auditorium, 7 p.m.

YOUR EVENT HERE

Send Event Details to calendar@fcnp.com!

Want your event in next week's Calendar? Email details to calendar@ fcnp.com by Monday every week!

Space is limited; submission does not guarantee inclusion.Space is limited; submission does not guarantee inclusion.

To guarantee your event is included, purchase a calendar listing ($25) by emailing calendar@fcnp.com, or ask about how an ad could maximize your brand's expo-

sure by emailing ads@fcnp.com!

F.C. Chamber of Commerce Monthly Luncheon – Italian Cafe, 11:30 a.m,.7161 Lee Highway, F.C. Annual Holiday Buffet with Ugly Ties and Sweaters galore. (Photo: FCNP)

ANTHONY’S RESTAURANT WELCOMES founders Tony and Faye Yianarrakis, on Tuesday and Wednesday. 3000 Annandale Rd. 7 p.m., Reservations 703-532-0100. (Photo: FCNP)

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024 | PAGE 15

Fa l l s C h u r c h

Business News & Notes

CTA Filing Deadline Halted Many businesses have been scrambling to comply with the Corporate Transparency Act’s (CTA) requirement that they file a Beneficial Owner Information Report (BOIR) with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) by December 31, 2024, or face significant penalties. However, on December 5, 2024, a federal court in Texas blocked implementation of this requirement, which means that companies are not required to file BOIR reports by the end of the year.

Virginia Dream FC Championship: Sunday Virginia Dream FC are Virginia Super Soccer League (VSSL) Champions for the fourth consecutive season, defeating the Great Falls Toros. They will face the Champion of the Maryland Super Soccer League (MSSL) on Sunday, December 15, 6:00 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson High School. The winner will receive the title, Champion of Champions. Visit https://www.instagram.com/virginiadreamfc?igsh=M Wg0MHRseWd5NDZpMw== for the latest updates.

New Editions Celebrates Employees and Donations New Editions Consulting, Inc., announced the Employee of the Year and four Outstanding Contributors at 2941. Employees and their guests from six different states attended the annual cocktail party at 2941. New Editions donates $3,000 to charities that the honored employees chose. This year, donations were made to the Trevor Project, Penny Appeal USA, HEAL Palestine, Rural Organizing and Resilience, and Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation.

Opening Soon: Blazin Chicken & Gyro Blazin Chicken & Gyro is opening its first brick-and-mortar expansion outside of the New York area. The first restaurant will open in Tysons Station on Route 7, and the other in Fairfax. Starting as a food truck serving halal to taxi drivers, it plans to franchise. The menu includes halal meats, gyros, burgers, subs and more.

Scramble Parkour in Shirlington: Grand Opening

Scramble is expanding. The grand opening for Scramble Parkour in Shirlington will be on Friday, December 13, 4:00 – 6:30 pm. Scramble Parkour offers thrilling obstacle courses for teenagers, kids, and toddler.s. Each area is specially designed for a particular age group.

 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.

Advertise For The Holidays!

Contact Sue: sjohnson@fcnp.com

Senator Saddam Salim’s

Richmond Report Democrats’ Housing Failures Are Driving Voters Away As Virginia Democrats, we have always focused our energy on creating a better commonwealth that works for all Virginians, one where the principles of opportunity, equity, and sustainability lift everyone up. Yet, the 2024 election results reveal a glaring failure in executing that vision: we have failed to address the escalating housing crisis, a failure that has cost us politically and is reshaping our communities for the worse.

For the first time in decades, more people are leaving Virginia than moving in. Nowhere is this more visible than in Northern Virginia. This migration is hollowing out our middle class, weakening our economic competitiveness, and jeopardizing our long-term growth.

Over the past decade, three-quarters of Virginia’s net migration losses have come from Northern Virginia. Our population is leaving for Republican-controlled states like North Carolina, Florida, and Texas, where housing is more affordable, or relocating within Virginia to areas like Richmond, which has experienced a population boom.

The primary reason? Housing costs. New data from UVA confirms that the high cost of housing is the leading driver behind the outflow of residents from Northern Virginia to other parts of the state and beyond.

This loss isn’t just a housing problem—it’s a political and economic one. The exodus has slowed Virginia’s population growth, potentially reducing our representation in Congress and the Electoral College. It’s also eroding our middle class, as rising housing costs force working families to seek opportunities elsewhere. This same story has already started to play out in longtime Democratic-run states like New York and California. If we do not change course, Democrats risk losing over a dozen electoral votes and congressional seats after the 2030 census and redistricting.

As Democrats, we should be the party of solutions. Yet too often, we’ve been complicit in perpetuating the housing shortage. In Democratic-run cities and counties, local resistance to development, restrictive zoning laws, and cumbersome permitting processes have all contributed to a lack of housing supply, particularly in high-demand areas.

These policies have allowed affluent homeowners to block the construction of new housing under the guise of “neighborhood character,” leaving working- and middle-class renters and prospective homebuyers to bear the brunt of the crisis. This approach not only deepens inequality but has also alienated young, diverse, and working-class voters, many of whom shifted toward Republicans in November.

I know firsthand how important this issue is. When my family immigrated here, our apartment in D.C. was slated to be demolished, and we were left homeless. It took years for us to

find stable, affordable housing, and we were eventually lucky enough to afford a home— something that is now falling out of reach for more and more families across our country.

Republicans have seized on this issue to advance their narrative, blaming out-migration from Democratic strongholds on taxes, crime, and cost-of-living. While their critique often oversimplifies the issues, we cannot ignore the truth: our inaction on housing has made us vulnerable to political attacks and failed the very people we claim to fight for.

The path forward is clear: we need to build more housing.

We must start by reforming zoning laws.

This includes legalizing certain types of multifamily housing and accessory dwelling units in areas currently reserved for single-family homes, especially near job hubs and transit. We need to streamline development by cutting red tape and speeding up permitting processes that unnecessarily slow down housing construction.

We also need to consider state-level action.

While we are frequently hesitant to override local land-use decisions, the housing crisis has reached a point where this may be necessary.

Every tool must be on the table to bring down housing costs, including statewide policies that override local restrictions and encourage housing production.

The data is clear: cities like Austin and Minneapolis, which have dramatically reformed their zoning laws and expanded their housing supply, have actually seen rents fall relative to inflation over the last few years. This comes at a time when most cities have experienced historic increases in rents and housing prices.

Building more housing should be paired with additional solutions, including new funding for affordable housing programs, tax incentives for developers who build below-market-rate units, and robust tenant protections to prevent displacement and exploitation while increasing supply.

The housing crisis touches every aspect of our society. Without affordable homes, families can’t thrive, workers can’t live near their jobs, and our communities lose their vibrancy.

Housing costs are eating up more and more of families’ budgets, and housing affordability is now consistently ranking as one of the top issues for voters. If Democrats are serious about building a Virginia where everyone has a fair shot, we must make housing abundance a central plank of our platform moving forward.

Northern Virginia’s struggles are a warning sign. We are at risk of losing not only residents, but also the progressive vision that makes our communities strong. Embracing a pro-housing agenda will not only help everyday Virginians but also show voters that Democrats are ready to lead.

The 2024 election was a wake-up call. Let’s use this moment to champion bold housing solutions and build a future where every Virginian has a place to call home.

PAGE 16 | DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF A PETITION BY VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY D/B/A DOMINION ENERGY VIRGINIA FOR APPROVAL OF A RATE ADJUSTMENT CLAUSE DESIGNATED RIDER SMR CASE NO. PUR-2024-00205 During its 2024 Session, the Virginia General Assembly enacted Chapter 789 (SB 454) of the 2024 Virginia Acts of Assembly, which was codified as § 56-585.1:14 of the Code of Virginia (“Code”). Code § 56-585.1:14 authorizes a Phase II Utility, such as Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion” or “Company”), to petition the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) for approval of a rate adjustment clause, pursuant to Code § 56-585.1 A 6, for the recovery of project development costs for small modular nuclear reactors (“SMRs”).

On November 1, 2024, Dominion filed a petition (“Petition”) with the Commission, pursuant to Code §§ 56-585.1:14 and 56-585.1 A 6, for approval of a rate adjustment clause, designated Rider SMR, to recover the projected and actual project development costs associated with the development of one or more SMRs on Company-owned property adjacent to the existing North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, Virginia. Pursuant to Code § 56-585.1 A 7, the Commission must issue a final order in this proceeding no later than nine months from the filing date.

Dominion states that it must undertake certain siting, design, permitting, environmental, constructability, and technology review efforts before determining whether to proceed with the full development and construction of an SMR, and that SMRs require approximately ten years to develop, permit, and construct prior to commercial operations. As such, Dominion asserts that a final decision to deploy an SMR at North Anna has not yet been made, and the Company instead plans to proceed with the development of an SMR at North Anna in separate development phases. According to the Company, such a phased approach is consistent with the way it has presented other large capital projects for Commission review and would afford the Commission and interested parties an opportunity to review the Company’s activities and costs on a more immediate timeframe.

In this Petition, the Company seeks approval to recover the costs of the SMR project development activities that are anticipated to be incurred between July 1, 2024, and August 31, 2026 (“Phase I”). More specifically, Phase I encompasses preliminary project development costs and includes activities necessary to determine the feasibility of deploying an SMR at the North Anna site, evaluation of SMR technologies, and evaluation of federal funding opportunities.

Dominion’s total cost estimate for the Phase I scope of work is $24.8 million.

The Company, however, is only seeking to recover $17.2 million of this amount through Rider SMR, which, pursuant to Code § 56-585.1:14, excludes project development costs incurred prior to July 1, 2024, and constitutes 80% of the Virginia jurisdictional costs expected to be incurred between July 1, 2024, and August 31, 2026. According to the Company, the remainder of the costs would be recovered through the Company’s rates for generation and distribution services. Therefore, the Company seeks approval of the total revenue requirement of $17.2 million for recovery in Rider SMR during the proposed rate year of September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026. According to Dominion, implementation of the proposed Rider SMR on September 1, 2025 would increase the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month by $0.29.

Interested persons are encouraged to review Dominion’s Petition and supporting documents in full for details about the Company’s proposals in this case.

TAKE NOTICE that the Commission may apportion revenues among customer classes and/or design rates in a manner differing from that shown in the Petition and supporting documents and thus may adopt rates that differ from those appearing in the Company’s Petition and supporting documents.

The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing in this proceeding that, among other things, scheduled public hearings on Dominion’s Petition. A hearing for the receipt of testimony from public witnesses on the Company’s Petition shall be convened telephonically at 10 a.m. on May 27, 2025. On or before May 20, 2025, any person desiring to offer testimony as a public witness shall provide to the Commission: (a) your name, and (b) the telephone number that you wish the Commission to call during the hearing to receive your testimony. This information may be provided to the Commission in three ways: (i) by filling out a form on the Commission’s website at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting; (ii) by completing and emailing the PDF version of this form to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov; or (iii) by calling (804) 371-9141. This public witness hearing will be webcast at scc.virginia.gov/ pages/Webcasting.

Beginning at 10 a.m. on May 27, 2025, the Commission will telephone

sequentially each person who has signed up to testify as provided above.

On May 27, 2025, at 10 a.m., or at the conclusion of the public witness portion of the hearing, whichever is later, in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, the Commission will convene a hearing to receive testimony and evidence related to the Petition from the Company, any respondents, and the Staff of the Commission (“Staff”).

To promote administrative efficiency and timely service of filings upon participants, the Commission has directed the electronic filing of testimony and pleadings, unless they contain confidential information, and required electronic service on parties to this proceeding.

An electronic copy of the public version of the Company’s Petition may be obtained by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company: Elaine S. Ryan, Esquire, McGuireWoods LLP, Gateway Plaza, 800 East Canal Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or eryan@mcguirewoods.com. Interested persons may also download unofficial copies of the public version of the Petition and other documents filed in this case from the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/pages/ Case-Information.

On or before May 20, 2025, any interested person may submit comments on the Petition by following the instructions found on the Commission’s website: scc. virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments. Those unable, as a practical matter, to submit comments electronically may file such comments by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. All such comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2024-00205.

On or before February 21, 2025, any person or entity wishing to participate as a respondent in this proceeding may do so by filing a notice of participation with the Clerk of the Commission at scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling. Those unable, as a practical matter, to file a notice of participation electronically may file such notice

by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Such notice of participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel, if available. The respondent simultaneously shall serve a copy of the notice of participation on counsel to the Company, any other respondents and Staff electronically as described above. Pursuant to 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, 5 VAC 5-20-10 et seq. (“Rules of Practice”), any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action.

Any organization, corporation, or government body participating as a respondent must be represented by counsel as required by 5 VAC 5-20-30, Counsel, of the Rules of Practice. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2024-00205. For additional information about participation as a respondent, any person or entity should obtain a copy of the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing.

On or before April 8, 2025, each respondent may file with the Clerk of the Commission, at scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling, any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its case. Any respondent unable, as a practical matter, to file testimony and exhibits electronically may file such by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Each witness’s testimony shall include a summary not to exceed one page. All testimony and exhibits shall be served on the Staff, the Company, and all other respondents simultaneous with their filing. In all filings, respondents shall comply with the Rules of Practice, as modified herein, including, but not limited to: 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service, and 5 VAC 5-20-240, Prepared testimony and exhibits. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2024-00205.

Any documents filed in paper form with the Office of the Clerk of the Commission in this docket may use both sides of the paper. In all other respects, except as modified by the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, all filings shall comply fully with the requirements of 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Rules of Practice.

The public version of the Company’s Petition, the Commission’s Rules of Practice, the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, and other documents filed in the case may be viewed at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information.

VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM LEGAL NOTICE

ABC NOTICE Honoo Falls Church VA, LLC trading as Honoo Ramen Bar, 153 W Falls Station Blvd. Falls Church, Fairfax County, VA, 22043, is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Mixed Beverage Restaurant; beer, wine, mixed beverages; on and off-premises consumption license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Fanghuang Lin, Member, Authorized Signatory, Honoo Falls Church VA, LLC. 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 notices.

Objections should be registered at www. abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200 Little Beast FC LLC trading as Little Beast, 111 E Broad ST STE C, Falls Church, Falls Church City, VA, 22046, is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Restaurant, Wine, Beer, Mixed Beverages, Consumed On and Off Premises license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.. Aaron Gordon, Member, Authorized Signatory, Little Beast FC LLC. 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 notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200

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AUCTIONS ATTN. AUCTIONEERS: Advertise your upcoming auctions statewide and in other states. Affordable Print and Digital Solutions reaching your target audiences. 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 housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap.

All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This 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.

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PAGE 18 | DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

C ritter C orner

Meridian Girls Rout Kettle Run Winning To Open Season 2-0

by Ryan McCafferty

Meridian High School’s girls’ basketball team was back in action on Friday night for its second contest of the season, after opening the year with a win over Briar Woods on Tuesday. This time they faced Northwestern District rival Kettle Run, and it was clear from the opening tip that they were out to make a statement.

Ellie Friesen hit a three-pointer only seconds into the Mustangs’ first possession, and shortly afterwards followed it with two more to score the first nine points of the game. Meridian extended its run to 17-0 before the visitors got on the board, and led 29-7 after a quarter with Friesen accounting for 15 of those points, all from behind the arc. The Mustangs continued to pour it on in the

second frame, taking a 46-10 lead into the intermission, and even with Chris Carrico mostly turning to his bench in the second half, they still didn’t let up. Meridian led 56-17 after three and then cruised down the stretch to a final tally of 68-18.

Friesen ended the game with 17 points, while Rose Weatherly had 13 and Charlotte Lieu added 11.

Mustangs Break Four Records In Indoor Track Season Opener

The Mustangs braved cold temperatures to kick off their indoor season with an outstanding performance! The team achieved 4 Top-8 finishes (earning points), 6 Regional Qualifiers, and set 4 new school records.

The throwers made a powerful statement, with Kelsey Just surpassing the school record in the Shot Put by over 3 feet in her first-ever attempt at the event. Ben Berol also shattered his own Shot Put record by more than 2 feet to start the

season strong.

On the track, Emily Beloe broke her own school record in the 55 Hurdles, improving by 0.2 seconds, while Aaron Jacobson dominated the 500m, setting a new school record by a remarkable 3 seconds!

CBC Announces New Logo Design Winner

Falls Church’s Citizens for a Better City (CBC) announced this week that F.C. resident Leesa Margarella is the winner of the contest it conducted recently to update its logo as part of the organization’s 65th Anniversary celebration.

The unique design features stylized hands that represent CBC’s role in fostering civic engagement and supporting our outstanding public schools and City services. Two

leaves attached to a stem, represent CBC’s commitment to environmentally friendly city growth and sustainability. A third leaf, detached from the stem, symbolizes the City’s cherished independent status. The tagline, “Growing Community,” encapsulates and emphasizes what CBC has been doing since its founding in 1959 and is committed to continuing to do in coming years.

TWINKLE SWINEY. SHE is six months old and loves to play with her human brothers Oliver and Cade and her pet siblings Wendell the dog and Lacy the cat. She’s a Himalayan mix and hopes for snow to try out her poofy fur this winter.

(Photo: Gabriel Swiney) Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Please send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024 | PAGE 19

...groceries, coupons and money!

We went shopping and counted...

Newspaper Fun! www.readingclubfun.com

Annimills LLC © 2024 V45

Count on Me! Why People

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Get it ee! e e T H 9 I’m not sure how I got stuck with 1 this job, but you can count on me when you need help counting. If you need to know how many of something you have, you must count the items.

Throughout history, people all over the world have counted items using different systems. Once they know the number of their items, they use a symbol to mark it down or enter it into their computers. Just think of all the counting of merchandise that must be done in stores or all the counting of money in banks.

4

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Counting Across the Ages

Read the clues to fill in the puzzle: 1. _____ numerals 2. _____ system - used in computers 3. ______ and toes 4 4. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7...

5. tally marks or _____ in sand 6. _____ in leather pouch

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You Can Count On Me, Boss!

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12... a dozen maple logs!

This busy beaver works hard for his boss. He is counting the logs in the swamp. He wants to keep good records of the number he has in stock.

He is using paper and a pencil to help him keep track. What 1. __ ash regis __ er other things can we use to count, add or 2. __ __ mp __ __ er keep records?

3. __ al __ __ la __ __ r Fill in the spaces 4. aba __ __ s with letters from the word “count” 5. r __ ler to find out. (Hint: u cross off each o u letter as you use it.) c t u o u c c t c c t

Inventory Sheet

Count on These! Match each of these expressions to its meaning!

1. don’t count your chickens before they hatch 2. countdown 3. taking a head count 4. count me in 5. counting sheep 6. “I can count on one hand how many times...”

7. count on him 8. every second counts 9. don’t count on it 10. down for the count

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Read the clues to fill in the puzzle: 1. count spoonfuls, cups to ______ the right amount when baking 2. we use rulers, yardsticks to count inches to measure ______ 3. count ______ beats to keep time – all musicians on same timing 4. we organize our ______ by counting hours, days, weeks 5. we count to ______ items up...for three dogs need three leashes 6. count money to ______ or make change 7. to keep ______ of items like the inventory in a store 8. to keep ______ – 24 stitches in each row of knitting 9. we count ______ before a rocket takes off or a race starts 10. to keep from ______ things: keys; puzzle or game pieces

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We’re Number One!

T I M E I

Why bother to count? We do it because we like to measure and keep track of things. We like to know how much we have and how much we need. Can you find and circle the words or phrases to the right in the puzzle?

J M H H I B

O I W E S E

E L E I C L

D E D G F O

V S F H T N

T T R T Y G

J G O H O

Y R T B G I

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J L E H

H A V E U N

U F A E T S E U Z C D T N U V B N J G

I O Y D A M E R C H A N D I S E I R R K E G I I S

U T P G E J D K C J O G J H N B A N I M A L S L O I

F P O P U L A T I O N H O V R T X M J E O E I N P U

E G H F K T I S V S T T H G I E W K L A P D O I L E

We like to count our:

P D

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merchandise belongings place in line rank population money time age weight height miles traveled animals G E S C G G

H C P A T A

I V F L F K

E A B P E O

T P C L A E

L O P Z E

A. cannot sleep so person counts I’m not animals one by one to relax hatching yet, B. not likely to get back into the game or get back up so don’t count C. the last few seconds before a big event on me!

I’m taking a D. don’t plan on the best possible head count! outcome – it might not happen E. trust a person to help you do something F. checking to see that all are present Count G. the outcome you wish for probably me in! isn’t going to happen z H. I want to be part of your plan Zzz zzzz zz I. every moment is important J. something that happens rarely

Newspaper Fun! Created by Annimills LLC © 2024

57 - 58 - 59

04

Kids: color stuff in!

PAGE 20 | DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM